Quantum Centex Felchen 240 Rod
PAY AROUND
£63.99
This delightfully soft, progressively actioned Quantum Centex Felchen 240 rod is designed for fishing at depth for whitefish in Alpine lakes and rivers.
The locals fish from boats, using a team of artificial nymphs rigged paternoster-style with a weight on the end of the line. Sounds a bit like drop shotting? That’s what I thought.
I reckon this little beauty would make one of the best lightweight perch drop shot rods you ever will see. The 2.10m rod, currently being coveted by National Drop Shot champion Nick Fletcher, could detect the beats of a butterfly’s wings, and weighs in at a ridiculous 86g.
It comes with light and medium push-in carbon quivertips, and can be ordered from any Browning retailer.
Svendsen Desperado
PAY AROUND
£49.99
This beefy rod has loads of firepower down the blank to beat the biggest river species throughout four seasons of fishing.
The rod has an official line rating of between 4lb and 8lb, but it will fish heavier lines if required in winter floodwater/snaggy swim conditions.
The butt section is massively stiff to provide casting backbone and the ability to deliver larger-than-normal feeders though it is a bit thick at the butt end.
The three heavy glass quivertips aren’t officially rated but are estimated at around 2.5oz, 3oz and 4oz. This makes this rod great for throwing loads up to 3.5oz and waiting for big drop-back bites. It is not a rod capable of showing up shy silverfish taps, rattles and knocks.
A good choice if you want a ‘power’ rated rod on a limited budget in these hard times!
Daiwa Carp 10ft Feeder Rod
PAY AROUND
£34.99
Don’t let the wallet-friendly price tag fool you into thinking that the 10ft Carp Feeder is in any way a budget rod in terms of performance.
Indeed many of the design influences have filtered down from Daiwa’s flagship match fishing rods.
The two-piece blank has been designed to fish lines between 2lb and 8lb so it is capable of handling everything from roach to big commercial fishery carp.
Pick one up and the first thing you are likely to notice is how light the rod is – a mere 7.1oz to be precise.
The quivertips are unique in that unlike pretty much every other tip on the market they don’t feature a solid inch block painted on the end.
Instead they have small high-viz paint rings running down the quiver. These definitely seem to amplify cagey bites, making it the ideal choice for winter F1 work.
Drennan Series 7 Puddle Chucker 10ft Carp Feeder
PAY AROUND
£79.95
The Drennan Series 7 Puddle Chucker 10ft Carp Feeder is an excellent fish playing rod that is absolutely ideal for carp on small commercial waters.
It is the shortest in a family of three Carp Feeder rods and is the perfect tool for short-range work or fishing in tight pegs. Despite only being 10ft in length it is still more than capable of casting light bombs and small feeders accurately and will get small to medium-sized carp to the net with ease.
With a high modulus carbom blank, it has plenty of power in reserve to steer carp away from any hazards in the pegyet is still soft enough to stop hook pulls or line breakages.
It has been designed to break down in to two equal lengths with one of the quivertip sections in place, making it really convenient to set-up and pack away quickly. A nice touch is that it comes supplied with a padded rod sleeve and neoprene straps.
Shakespeare Agility Wand 9ft Feeder Rod
PAY AROUND
RRP £59.99
Labelled as a wand as opposed to an out and out feeder rod, the Agility is all about softness and finesse making it the perfect partner for delicate winter fishing.
Built around a slender carbon blank, the 9ft Agility will cast small feeders to islands on the average commercial fishery with ease.
If you need extra distance though, an upgrade to the 10ft model will give you that extra reach and a little more power, not that the 9ft wand is undergunned by any means.
It has a superb through- action that’ll prevent hook- pulls at that all-important moment as a fish nears the net but there’s enough ‘punch’ in the blank to land feeders in the same spot time and time again.
The real beauty of the Agility is its ability to use small hooks and light lines with complete confidence, bang on the money for winter carp and F1 fishing.
Daiwa Exceler 7ft Spinning Rod
PAY AROUND
£49.99
This high quality yet affordable rod from Daiwa is absolutely spot-on for drop shotting. This type of short spinning rod is well suited to smaller venues, which is why on a very cold and windy winter’s day, it accompanied me to several predator hotspots along the tiny Oxford Canal.
But exactly what should you be looking for in a decent drop shot rod? As you’re going to be holding it for long periods of time it definitely needs to be lightweight and this whispish little beauty certainly is that, weighing a mere 4.3oz. It is also essential that the blank has just the right amount of stiffness in its tip to work the lure properly. If it’s too soft, it will simply pull-round cushioning the lure’s movements against the casting weight. If it’s too stiff you not only lose the rod’s sense of feel and transmission, it is likely to be too gutsy for the size of fish you’re likely to be catching, and will pull out the hook.
What you’re looking for is a compromise between these two characteristics and this pencil thin, two-piece, high modulus carbon blank designed for casting light weights between 2g and 10g delivers them delightfully well. It can impart lots of movement with a simple flick of the wrist, and has more sensitivity than a rom-com chick flick.
It also has some very impressive and tasteful furnishings, including a proper cork handle with a wooden butt cap, an original Fuji reel seat and superb braid-compatible titanium oxide lined guides.
Stillwater Pro Matchstix Carp Feeder Rods (10ft and 11ft)
PAY AROUND
10ft Carp Feeder £31.99, 11ft Carp Feeder £34.99
The two Carp Feeder Rods boast all the same features as the shorter 9ft Bomb version, but with the added length and power needed for longer casts.
The 10ft version is still an ideal length for many feature-filled commercials but offers a little more versatility, while the 11ft rod will handle larger feeders if required. Both versions (with tip fitted) come in equal length sections so they can be stored ready made-up for instant action.
Stillwater Pro Matchstix 9ft Carp Bomb
PAY AROUND
£29.99
This pencil-thin, featherweight bomb rod has a delightful action and still manages to pack a punch! It’s perfect for casting small Method and pellet feeders to islands, and taming the large carp that hang around them.
A two-piece rod with three quivertips, it is able to handle mainlines up to 6lb.
Stillwater Pro Matchstix 15ft Power Float Rod
PAY AROUND
£49.99
This great rod suggests a multitude of uses, from lowering a float down over lilies for wily crucians and tench, to running a stick float down the river for chub and barbel or fishing deep reservoirs where the extra length can be an advantage.
The three-piece blank has a great fish-playing action while retaining crispness in the tip for a quick line pick-up.
Stillwater Pro Matchstix 12ft Float Rod
PAY AROUND
£29.99
This two-piece equal length float rod packs that extra bit of power for playing big fish, yet remains an impressively slim and lightweight blank.
This is the perfect tool for targeting big carp, tench and chub, rated to 10lb mainline and 8lb hooklengths.
Stillwater Pro Matchstix 13ft Float Rod
PAY AROUND
£34.99
A traditional three-piece waggler rod, this is perhaps the most versatile of the Matchstix rod range. It will punch out long-range pellet wagglers for large carp and yet has the subtlety to fish fine hooklengths for silverfish.
Light, slim and responsive, there is plenty of power reserve as you get into the butt section of the blank.
Stillwater Pro Matchstix Mini Float Rods (10ft and 11ft)
PAY AROUND
10ft Mini Float £27.99, 11ft Mini Float £29.99
The two Matchstix Pro Mini Float Rods are so slim and light you can barely feel them in the hand, and yet are so crisp on the strike as to defy belief.
The rods take up a faultless curve when bending into powerful fish. They have a line rating of 8lb mainline and up to 6lb hooklengths. Both the 10ft and 11ft versions are two-piece blanks with equal length sections to allow them to be easily stored made up.
Matrix Horizon S Class 12ft Feeder
The three-piece Horizon S Class Feeder is a traditional tool for bream and skimmer fishing. The high gloss black blank has a softly progressive action, but with enough power in the lower butt section to achieve casts up to 60m. Large-diameter guides throughout (quivertips too) allow the use of shockleaders with no fear of the leader knot jamming into a guide and causing a crack-off.
PAY AROUND
£149.99
THIS rod owes many of its superb specifications to the fishing talent and knowledge of Matrix boss Ricky Teale, who has spent years match fishing for bream here in the UK and in Europe, where long-distance bream tactics are seen as the pinnacle of angling achievement.
The Horizons S rod’s middle and tip sections are both longer than you would find on a standard three-piece feeder model, helping it to deliver a seamlessly smooth progressive playing action while maximising tip speed when going for a really long cast. A short butt section with an extra-long spigot joint adds to its casting clout.
During the live test Angling Times editor Steve Fitzpatrick, not noted for his smooth distance-casting style, had a go with the set-up and was so shocked at the instant extra yards he attained that he wouldn’t give it back.
During the trial it handled Method, open-end, cage and maggot feeders with equal aplomb, as well as dealing with casting weights from 15g-45g.
Stillwater BPX Slim Carp Rods
PAY AROUND
£30
Look out of the window right now and fishing on balmy summer evenings seems a million miles away – but when the days start to stretch out faster than light pole elastic,
These super-affordable BPX Slim carp rods from Chapmans Angling are sure to be in high demand.
The 12ft rods, in test curves of 2.75lb, 3lb and 3.5lb, feature flared handle grips, quality reel seats and 40mm or 50mm butt guides, depending on the model you choose. Their classy understated matt black finish really makes them look the part.
These rods punch well above their weight in the casting and fish-playing stakes, and for the novice or junior carper they really are going for a song – ‘Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap’ perhaps? The RRP ranges from £89.99 to £109.99, but I am reliably told that they can be picked up for as little as £30 apiece…. what a bargain!
Nash H-Gun Retract
PAY AROUND
£65.99
Nash’s shorter Scope and Dwarf rods have proved massively popular in the last couple of years, but not everyone is ready to abandon their 12-footers.
Enter the Retract rods, which remain 12ft long but have a collapsible butt section, like the Dwarf and Scope range, so they can pack down to just 155cm (61ins). There is a full range of test curves and a 4.5lb spod/marker rod too.
Sonik Gravity X
RRP from £249.99
The boffins at Sonik are proud of this flagship creation, and they have every right to be.
Made from NanoAlloy, these rods are incredibly slim yet massively powerful. The recoil on the tip is also lightning-fast to boost casting capability.
With titanium guides and some striking blue cosmetics, these rods deliver the perfect blend of looks and performance.
Preston Innovations Pro Competition 12ft Medium Feeder
PAY AROUND
£109.99
All fans of feeder fishing should keep their eyes peeled for this latest rod range from Preston Innovations.
The Pro Competition series features six models that between them cover everything from short-range feeder and bomb work for silvers and F1s to traditional bream fishing on natural venues, carp on commercials and even barbel and chub on big rivers – so they will appeal right across the board.
Built from quality high modulus carbon, the pencil-thin gunmetal grey blanks have progressive actions and are finished with SiC ceramic lined guides and cork and Duplon grip handles. They come with combinations of push-in quivertips.
As the name suggests, this rod is primarily for medium-range feeder fishing at distances of up to 60m on commercials, but it doubles up as a great all-rounder for rivers and large natural lakes. A blend of balance, strength and finesse makes it the ideal choice for all species. Line rating 4lb-8lb.
Preston Innovations Pro Competition 11ft 4ins Light-Medium Feeder
PAY AROUND
£104.99
All fans of feeder fishing should keep their eyes peeled for this latest rod range from Preston Innovations.
The Pro Competition series features six models that between them cover everything from short-range feeder and bomb work for silvers and F1s to traditional bream fishing on natural venues, carp on commercials and even barbel and chub on big rivers – so they will appeal right across the board.
Built from quality high modulus carbon, the pencil-thin gunmetal grey blanks have progressive actions and are finished with SiC ceramic lined guides and cork and Duplon grip handles. They come with combinations of push-in quivertips.
The Light-Medium Feeder is the perfect bream rod, with a deceptively strong yet soft action capable of casting fully loaded groundbait or Method feeder weighing up to 50g.
Ideal for use on natural lakes, ponds and rivers, the thin-profiled blank has sufficient reserves of strength to cope with big bream and carp. Line rating 4lb-8lb.
Preston Innovations Pro Competition 10ft Light Feeder
PAY AROUND
£94.99
All fans of feeder fishing should keep their eyes peeled for this latest rod range from Preston Innovations.
The Pro Competition series features six models that between them cover everything from short-range feeder and bomb work for silvers and F1s to traditional bream fishing on natural venues, carp on commercials and even barbel and chub on big rivers – so they will appeal right across the board.
Built from quality high modulus carbon, the pencil-thin gunmetal grey blanks have progressive actions and are finished with SiC ceramic lined guides and cork and Duplon grip handles. They come with combinations of push-in quivertips.
This 10ft rod is suitable for slightly longer casts up to around 40m, and has more power in reserve than the nine-footer for playing bonus fish.
It will suit all silverfish applications as well as winter fishing on commercials. The blank has a progressive tip action that is forgiving enough to cope with fine terminal tackle. Line rating 3lb-6lb.
Preston Innovations Pro Competition 9ft Super Light Feeder
PAY AROUND
£89.99
All fans of feeder fishing should keep their eyes peeled for this latest rod range from Preston Innovations.
The Pro Competition series features six models that between them cover everything from short-range feeder and bomb work for silvers and F1s to traditional bream fishing on natural venues, carp on commercials and even barbel and chub on big rivers – so they will appeal right across the board.
Built from quality high modulus carbon, the pencil-thin gunmetal grey blanks have progressive actions and are finished with SiC ceramic lined guides and cork and Duplon grip handles. They come with combinations of push-in quivertips.
For use with small feeders and bombs, this is the perfect rod for short-range work at up to 30m. Primarily intended as a silverfish model, it also lends itself well to light winter fishing on commercials for F1s.
The super-slim, lightweight blank is very responsive, perfect for light lines and small hooks. Line rating 3lb-6lb.
