Greys Prodigy Apex carp rod
TECH SPEC
Toreon Nano Composite construction
2K-1K high modulus woven carbonfibre blank
Crisp progressive action
Carbon Armour blank finish
Fuji DPS-18 reel seat
Full Japanese shrink wrap handle
The Prodigy Apex is the latest addition to Greys’ best-selling Prodigy range of rods, which over the years have gained a well-earned reputation for incredible performance at an affordable price.
The Apex rods start at £169.99 RRP for the 10ft 3lb model, going up to £200 for the 12ft and 13ft 3.5lb rods. These prices put the rods into the mid-range bracket where you expect that little bit extra for your money as opposed to entry-level rods in the £50-£100 price range.
Greys had sent the 12ft 3.25lb model for us to take out and nowadays this test curve would be classed as a good all-rounder. If you’re only planning on investing in one set of carp rods these will cover most jobs. Although they may be a little overgunned for fishing close in, they’ll still do the job, but they can easily chuck a large lead or PVA bag a decent distance that a rod with a lighter test curve would struggle to match.
We made the short journey to Northamptonshire’s Willowbrook Lake and straight away found a few carp making the most of the early spring sunshine in a shallow bay at the top of the lake. A clump of reeds knocking no more than a couple of rodlengths to the right of the swim revealed fish location after throwing in a handful of corn and broken boilies a rig was flicked towards the spot and the rod placed on the ground.
A few minutes later, the tip hooped round and I was bent into a carp. The rod’s smooth, progressive action easily cushioned the powerful lunges of the fish as it did its best to find sanctuary in the reeds. Ultimately the carp was no match for the power and control of the rod and it was soon sat in the net. The Prodigy Apex has benefitted from the use of Toreon Nano composite material technology. This not only makes the blank incredibly slim and lightweight but also gives it increased strength and finesse. The rod action has been specifically designed to get the best out of modern, powerful, overhead casting styles and the Toreon technology promotes a super-fast tip recovery speed. This gives the rod a crisp and responsive feel normally associated with ultra-high end carp rods.
The sublime woven carbon finish is 2K on the butt and 1K on the tip and features a durable Carbon Armour blank finish. Other features include a Fuji DPS-18 reel seat, stealth black anodised collars, a slim, shrink-wrapped handle and balanced stainless butt cap. If you’re looking at making the step up from entry-level blanks, then the Prodigy Apex rods are worth serious consideration.
THE VERDICT
Not only do they perform great but aesthetically they look the part too. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had a price tag of over £200, so for £179.99 they are excellent value. Having used the 3.25lb model I can confirm that it is a real jack of all trades and will handle everything from catching carp close in beneath overhanging trees, to blasting out rigs to 100 metres.
PAY AROUND
£159.99
James Furness
Greys Toreon Tactical Float and Feeder rods
Greys has an impressive track record for iconic fishing rods – names such as Prodigy, Platinum and Air Curve are all instantly recognisable to big-fish anglers who demand the best.
So when news broke of a new rod range aimed at the serious coarse angler I just had to get my hands on a couple. The full Toreon Tactical family features four quivertip rods at 10ft 6ins, 11ft 10ins, 12ft 6ins and 13ft.All come with five graded carbon push-in quivertips. There are also five float rods in lengths of 10ft 6ins, 11ft 6ins, 12ft 8ins, 13ft and 15ft. Combine these with the quivertip rods and you have a rod arsenal able to tackle every imaginable venue, from tiny ponds to raging rivers.
Built from high modulus, lightweight Toreon nano-carbon, all rods are amazingly strong and responsive, and furnished throughout with quality lightweight gunsmoke SiC guides. Detachable cork butt grips allow for compact storage and variable handle lengths. These will be a blessing on the longer rods, giving more casting clout to those who like to whack it out a bit. The two rods on test, an 11ft 10ins quiver and an 11ft 6ins float model, should between them cover most ‘middle of the road’ situations and deal with everything from big commercial carp to shy-biting silvers. This in itself is quite unusual in an era when most modern coarse rods are built to do a specific job.
I would suggest, though, that if (after reading this review) you are interested in owning a Greys Toreon Tactical rod, you take a closer look at the full range before making your choice with so many rod lengths and recommended line strengths there will be something perfect for every fishery you may visit during the course of a season. Bearing that in mind, I took the test rods to a mixed fishery, the superbly well attended and blissfully peaceful day-ticket Wold Farm in Northamptonshire (www.woldfarmfisheries.co.uk). When the float dips or the tip goes round on Wood Lake you can never be too sure what’s having a nibble on the other end – it’s a kind of aquatic Bingo.
Starting on a 3AAA insert peacock waggler with a lightish 0.11mm hooklength and size 18 hook baited with double maggot, the 11ft 6ins two-sectioned rod soon put a few roach and half-decent skimmers into the netThe blank is crisp and responsive, with the backbone to cast big floats (including pellet wagglers up to 15g) without a hitch. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch anything hefty enough to test its anti-locking action, but for silvers alone it’s just about light enough to put a bend in the tip. The 11ft 10ins Toreon Tactical quiver rod was tested rather better as a run of pastie-sized carp took a liking to my bread disc hookbaits. The feisty little fellows showed plenty of spirit, but the blank’s flat spot-free action shrugged off their struggles and they were soon peering through the mesh of my keepnet.
It’s more than capable of handling medium-sized Method feeders, but although Greys rates its maximum casting weight at 185g (6oz-plus) that’s a tad optimistic in my opinion. I particularly liked the five blaze-coloured carbon quivertips which add to the rod’s versatility and help prove its worth as an all-rounder.
THE VERDICT
If you’re a journeyman coarse angler looking for a ‘one rod does it all’ bank side companion, then one – or perhaps two – from the new Toreon Tactical range are more than likely to be sliding into your rod holdall soon. Quality and performance are virtually guaranteed from Greys, one of the UK’s longest-surviving tackle companies with a fine history of producing hard-wearing, long-lasting and thoroughly satisfying fishing rods.
Mark Sawyer
PAY AROUND
£99.99 - £129.99
Greys Distance Marker Plus Rod
PAY AROUND
£119.99
The 12ft 6ins fast-tapering blank of what is widely regarded as the ultimate marker rod for carp anglers will handle weights up to 5oz, and is widely regarded as one of the best long-range solid bag weapons around. Certainly it is much sought after by those fishing Oxfordshire’s big open-water carp pits.
The blank boasts a 50mm butt guide and a 16mm low-profile tip ring. But the real beauty of this awesome tool, with its solid carbon tip, is its ability to play a big fish without hook-pulls. If you get a chance to handle one, pick it up and give it a waggle – I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Greys Prowla Platinum Specialist II Lure
PAY AROUND
£119.99
Designed primarily for the massive German predator fishing market, these carbon rods aren’t cheap, but they feature some of the best advances in rod-making.
They look and feel fabulous in the hand thanks to an adjustable counterbalance weight in the butt that gives the rod a light feel when a reel is attached, and the reel seat is designed to transmit superb feedback when working lures and playing fish.
Greys AirCurve Carp Rods
PAY AROUND
£239.99-£279.99 (depending on handle style and rod length)
These new AirCurve rods are reckoned by many top carp anglers to be the best that Greys has introduced in a very long time.
The carbon blanks, in development for over three years, are the first to utilise the company’s latest Toreon® Nano composite material technology – a process that ensures uniform dispersion of minuscule particles throughout the resin that binds the carbon fibres together.
However complex all this rod-building alchemy may seem, the end result is a much stronger and lighter carbon material that gives the two-piece blanks superb casting power and fish-playing action.
Judging by the number of these rods I have seen in use at places like Linear and Bluebell they have a bright future. AirCurve rods are available in in four different test curves and lengths, to suit all the fishing styles and tactics of modern-day carp angler. They come with a choice of Japanese shrink rubber, abbreviated or full cork handles.
Greys Prodigy TXL Specialist Feeder
PAY AROUND
£99.99
The delightful through action on this rod means it isn’t an out-and-out casting rod, but it’s lovely for playing fish on at normal range.
The 12ft, two-piece blank will easily cast a maximum 2.5oz load over the standard distances river anglers tend to fish at – around 30m – 50m, but the forgiving action means you can fish right down to 2lb hooklengths with size 18 hooks in low, clear summer conditions.
The three glass quivertips that come with the rod give a nice range of bite sensitivity but you can transfer a surprising amount of fish-playing pressure through the nice, slim blank when you hit a good fish.
Two-piece construction makes it good for carrying ‘made-up’ in a quiver and big bore guides help free passage of leaders.
Greys Prodigy TXL 11ft Specimen
PAY AROUND
£79.99
The 11ft Specimen is the second rod in the superb new Greys TXL range to be live tested in the space of two months – and with good reason. The 14 rods in total, all at budget prices, are as good as any on the market.
The original 11ft Prodigy Specimen rod had proved to be a best seller, so you would hardly expect there to be many changes made this time round. However, key improvements have been made, including new SiC lined guides and a quality full cork handle. Add to these an enhanced fish playing action and the TXL is sure to maintain its billing as the star of the show.
Owning an 11ft specimen rod, no matter how good it may be, is not to everyone’s taste. But if this one is used as a ‘jack of all trades’ rather than being seen as a specialist barbel, chub, pike or indeed short-range carp rod, it will serve up an outstanding performance as an all-round multi-functional big fish tool.
I had always been intrigued by the big chub rumoured to haunt the crystal clear waters of the River Nene around Peterborough. However, after many fruitless attempts to catch one over the past few winters, my quest had become a standing joke with my colleagues at Angling Times.
So, with words of encouragement such as “it’s going to be chub four, Mark nil” and“Blankety Blank, Blankety Blank” ringing in my ears, I made my way down to the river armed with little more than a few tackle bits, a bucket of bread, a landing net and, of course, the 11ft Greys Prodigy TXL Specimen rod.
Now, I am way too long in the tooth to believe in things such as lucky rods. But from the moment I threaded the 6lb reel line though the ceramic guides I had a good feeling about it. I also rather fancied that the two-sectioned blank’s slightly beefed-up through action would have just the right amount of steel in the lower butt section to handle big chub, especially when guiding them away from snags without pulling the hook or breaking the line.
First cast saw a 30g open-end feeder loaded with punch crumb cast across the small river – an easy job, since the blank could well have coped with casting weights up to 2oz and distances up to 40m. A few casts later and it happened – the tip rattled, and rattled again, before pulling round in that unmissable ‘chub on’ way.
Locking down on the reel and applying a lot of side strain was going to be the only way to prise the fish away from its branchy lair, and the Prodigy Specimen did this with a flourish that would have had people standing up to applaud its performance. Then, once the fish was into clear water it was a case of not rushing things, allowing it to duck and dive around while I remained in control of the whole situation. Moments later the big white lips and bronze scales of the best chub that I have landed in a long time slipped over the rim of the waiting landing net.
Maybe I do believe in lucky rods…now!