Korum Trilogy Triple-Top Rod Review
Nobody in these topsy-turvy times should have been too surprised that one of the warmest weeks of the year fell slap-bang in the middle of September.
The poor old fish, having finished their nuptials, saw water temperatures on the rise once again – all very bizarre!
We now appear to be getting all four seasons in one month, and the recent hot and sunny spell has seen the fish, especially the carp, all back up on the surface.
All of which leads me nicely to this week’s live test. What better to tackle anything the weather throws at us, good or bad, than Korum’s recently released Trilogy rod? Handily, the company’s first-ever triple top fishing tool covers most specimen fishing situations.
Not that multi-purpose rods are anything new – your Auntie Maud’s old Grattan catalogue used to sell them – but they were truly hideous things, claimed to suit fly, match, pike and boat fishing but rubbish at all of these.
The new Trilogy is an altogether different kettle of fish, with a steely butt section and three interchangeable tops. These are rated to 1.75lb and 2.2lb test curves, and there’s also a Power Quiver option. The carbon weave construction adds strength where it counts, and a slimline cork handle with compact reel seat is all very stylish.
The medium-fast casting action will cope with all styles of specimen feeder fishing and legering situations.
The new Trilogy rod has three interchangeable tops
I’d originally planned to run the rule over Korum’s Trilogy on the Trent, using it for chub on the float and barbel on the tip.
To be honest, there isn’t anything particularly new about multi-purpose rods for river use. Plenty of twin-tops offer quiver and Avon options, but the Trilogy offers the angler a lot more versatility than that.
So, with the sun shining, my mission was to try three very different tactics in one day. First I’d target carp on floaters. Then it would be bream, tench and anything else that came along using a Method Feeder. Finally I’d switch to pellets and a pop-up in a PVA bag rig to see if I could snare a proper unit.
My destination for this marathon was Oxfordshire’s magnificent Clattercote Reservoir just outside Banbury, home to a truckload of bad-tempered and hard-fighting carp, shedloads of bream, and some really big tench.
Once in the car park, I quickly loaded my kit on to the barrow and headed to the shallow water at the top end of the reservoir – even shallower than I’d expected - and kicked off my session.
TACTIC No1 - Floater fishing
AS I suspected, there were plenty of decent-sized fish cruising the upper layers. So my opening gambit of fishing a hair-rigged mixer hookbait on a size 12 hook, attached to a 5ft-long length of clear 10lb mono hooklength and a 20g controller float, looked nailed on for a quick result.
The Trilogy’s 1.75lb top section is ideal for floater fishing
I’d chosen the Trilogy’s lighter 1.75lb top section for my floater tactics, as its slightly tippy casting and lightish test curve are ideal for what is basically heavy float work – you could also use this section to run a top-and-bottom Avon float down a river.
At 20g, the controller float was well within Korum’s suggested casting capabilities, maxing out at 5oz (141g). To me, that’s a tad optimistic and I wouldn’t want to load the 1.75lb tip with more than 3oz (85g). It does, though, have plenty of whip and would be ideal for heavy float and light lead tactics.
TACTIC No2 - switch to the METHOD
THE Power Quiver tip does exactly what its name suggests. It has a 1.5lb test curve and is finished off with an integral 19ins solid glass quivertip that I’d rate to around a 3oz-4oz test curve, making it ideal for pretty much any feeder situation.
The use of a glass quiver is a clever move by Korum, as tips like these have a smoother curvature than carbon, with superb bite detection whether you’re on a lake or a river. I chose a 45g distance flatbed Method and a much lighter 20g flatbed for the live test, and happily the rod handled both with equal ease.
The power quiver tip is a great tool for method fishing
The blank’s fast casting action makes this a very good two-piece tip rod that will handle a variety of angling situations. I can also vouch for its distance casting capability, as it will propel a feeder or lead up to 80 yards with very little effort.
TACTIC no3 - Mid-range PVA BAG
NOW it was time to step things up a gear to the 2.25lb test curve top section. I decided to fish this with a solid PVA bag full of micro pellets, a 2.5oz bag lead, and 12mm pop-up hookbait on a hair rig.
The heavier top section does dampen down the rod’s perky, fast action and it’s not really a distance-casting top.
But it does allow the use of heavier reel lines and terminal tackle when big fish are the quarry.
For me, the rod is ideal for mid-range PVA bag and straight lead tactics up to around 75 yards out. I found the blank’s slow, almost lazy progressive action quite interesting, and concluded it would be an ideal rod for targeting big bream or tench in snaggy/weedy swims where hook-pulls often occur. The action has a dampening feel with plenty of pulling clout.
The 2.25lb test curve tip is for proper carp fishing with heavier lines and leads
What’s the final verdict?
Korum’s Triple Top is one of a kind!
THIS rod can’t be easily rated against its nearest rival, as to the best of my knowledge there isn’t one. So have the guys at Korum truly cracked the three-rods-in-one conundrum? Well, what we have here is a really clever rod that is nicely finished, looks the part and clearly has many uses in the specimen angling arena.
What’s more, it comes at a price that makes it possibleto own a pair of Trilogies for less than what you’d pay for one traditional feeder rod.
So given the trend towards multiple rod set-ups, maybe you should push the boat out and buy three!
Price: £99.99
Push the boat out and buy three, you won’t regret it!
Korum Neoteric FS 1.75lb 12ft rod
The pursuit of specimen fish other than carp can be a heady affair. Picture an early-morning walk to the lake through dew-laden meadows painted with golden shafts of sunlight.
Your every step is softly placed, lest the grass underfoot snaps with thunderous disapproval. The dawn chorus quietens for a moment, then strikes up again – if the birds don’t know you’re here, no-one will.
Lily beds, bedecked with white and red flowers, are in stark contrast to the lake’s peat-stained water. Their stems twitch and bob, revealing tell-tale signs of fish movement below.
A deft cast places the float in the perfect position, and with a few grains of corn scattered around it tiny streams of bubbles emanate from the depths. To a time-served angler these are a sure sign of an impending bite.
Then, as if possessed, the float lifts fractionally before sliding away, and you’re in.
Romantic and dewy-eyed as such images may be, the plain truth is that most modern-day specialist angling is conducted on large open gravel pits.
All of which brings me nicely to the latest Neoteric FS rods from Korum. The original Neoterics appeared back in 2011, in fact I still use the superb 12ft twin top models for most of my barbel fishing. The new 12ft, 1.75lb Neoteric FS rods on test, though, are among four models with lengths from 11ft 6ins up to 12ft, test curves from 1.25lb to 2.25lb, and casting weights ranging from 15g to 120g.
The Neoteric carbon blanks are two-piece, and their fittings revolve around managing a comprehensive array of modern specimen tactics for a variety of species. Light, slimline carbon blanks with a powerfully progressive action are teamed with stabilised tips for accurate casting of feeders and leads.
On the bank the rods have the look of expensive custom-built models. Their non-reflective matt grey gunmetal finish contrasts attractively with the high-gloss 3k carbon weave area just above the handle, while the full cork handle and well-spaced, fully lined Seaguide rings add class and sophistication to what are very sensibly priced rods.
In keeping with my opening words, I choose to live-test the rods at a well-established old gravel pit with picture postcard reed and lily pad margins.
I’d be targeting the deep water’s tench and bream with corn, worm and maggot hookbaits over PVA mesh bags of micro pellets. Using 2oz leads and small bags I can happily report that the 12ft, 1.75lb rods on test can cast this sort of set-up with consummate ease, and could easily handle at least an ounce more casting weight.
The blanks are seriously powerful on the cast, while their progressive fish-playing actions are meaty and uncompromising, perfect for big fish in weedy waters, or where casting distance is of paramount importance.
I would, though, suggest that unless you are after longer casting distances or the use of heavier leads or feeders, the lighter 11ft 6ins, 1.25lb rods would better suit smaller venues where shorter casts are the order of the day.
Verdict
Korum has thought long and hard about its latest Neoteric FS rods. They are designed for the specialist angler regardless of fish species or type of venue. Their heavy, progressive playing actions, especially the 1.75lb and 2.2lb test curve versions, make them ideal for weedy or snag-strewn waters.
Price: £84.99-£99.99
korum launches new float and quiver rods
These three splendid new rods from Korum blend strength and sensitivity in a range styled for traditional appeal, yet engineered for a contemporary performance.
Finesse and power come through in equal measure, transmitting more feel through the blanks and making the playing of fish a joy – just what you want in true all-round rods.
The equal-length slimline carbon blanks are furnished with full cork handles with Duplon reel grips, lightweight lined guides throughout, and slim 16mm reel seats, ideal for smaller 2500 and 3000 sized reels.
Both the feeder rods come with three tips, and the suggested line strength rating for all models is 4lb-10lb.
10ft AND 11ft AMBITION ALL-ROUND QUIVER
Perfect for any angling situation, from stalking small-river chub to bagging up on commercials, these quivertip rods can be used confidently with any type of feeder or straight lead tactic. Both have a parabolic, almost through, action that delivers power where and when it’s needed,
but with enough sensitivity to allow the use of lighter lines and smaller hooks when conditions demand them.
11ft AMBITION ALL-ROUND FLOAT
A two-section rod that breaks down into equal lengths, the Ambition Float rod will propel wagglers from as light as 3AAA up to 15g-plus. The slender blank boasts plenty of stopping power towards its mid to butt area, while still retaining a cushioned, fairly responsive tip speed. Fitted with superior lightweight guides, the full cork and Duplon handle offers superior grip, while its parabolic action puts a wealth of approaches right at your fingertips.
Offering a very high performance at an affordable price, the build quality, furnishings and finish of these Ambition rods truly belies their modest price tags. Great all-rounders, and well suited to multi-tasking.
Price: £49.49 (all models)
Korum twin tip plus rod review
As a keen specimen angler I find myself travelling to different venues in order to seek my chosen quarry. One week I might be tackling the strong currents of the River Trent for big barbel, while the next I could be sitting behind bite alarms on a tench pit.
These venues obviously require a number of different rods to cater for the different styles of fishing. Then of course you have to take conditions into account. Will the river be in flood? Does the lake require a long range cast? This common dilemma often means taking at least two different rods to the bank to cater for whatever conditions I’m faced with on the day.
It’s the reason I got rather excited when Korum’s new Twin Tip Plus rod landed on my office desk. It’s a rod that has been designed to give the angler the choice of fishing a different test curve without the need to buy more than one rod, and still enjoy all the quality and endurance of Korum’s usual high standards.
With its spliced hollow 1.75lb and 2.2lb top sections, it allows the angler to set up their rod according to the conditions, venue or species they’re targeting on the day and the user can always change over if, for example, they are feeling under-gunned.
Surely Korum already offers something like this in its current Twin Tip version, I hear you ask.
However, while those rods have been faithful servants to anglers over the years, they still ultimately only really offer the same test curve whichever tip you may change to.
Korum’s new product means that only the butt section is the same when changing tops, making it noticeably obvious to the angler that he or she has more or less punch.
The company designed the rod for multiple scenarios and species. For example, you could use the 1.75lb top section for float fishing for big fish on a river while the 2.2lb tip could be handy for casting out to 70 yards on a gravel pit for carp, bream and tench.
With its choice of two test curves, the rod will ultimately appeal to barbel anglers, though, and this is really where it comes into its own.
The proof, of course, is always in the pudding, so in order to fully test out the idea I decided I was going to sample the rod’s capabilities twice over.
In other words, instead of fishing just one venue, I was going to test out each tip on two separate venues to re-enact the common scenario as described above.
Normally, when I visit the River Severn, I will fish a rod with a test curve of over 2lb, but with few snags and the river running lower than usual, plus the fact I was fishing into the deep channel on the inside, I opted for the 1.75lb top.
I fished a scaled-down rig with small pellets to cater for the clear water conditions. It didn’t take me long to test out the rod’s action when a 7lb barbel ran off downstream with my hookbait. Pumping the fish back in the flow, the high modulus carbon blank performed excellently, bending right round to the butt but with enough power to get the fish in without disturbing the feeding fish in my swim.
Two more fish followed but it was soon time to test the other tip so my next port of call was some 120 miles away on a very narrow stretch of the River Nene known as Castor Backwater. Snaggy and full of features and, of course, barbel, I knew this would be the best venue to test out the heavier tip.
Again the rod came up trumps and handled everything I threw at it, as I landed a barbel of 5lb and a chub well over 4lb.
Mark Peck
Korum 13ft carp float rod
Tech spec
- Weight: 325g
- Line Rating: 8lb - 15lb
- Eight ceramic line guides
- Full cork handles
- Heavy parabolic action
- Matt black finish
Now here’s something a little bit different from Korum, a new range of Carp Float rods in 12ft and 13ft lengths.
With 1.5lb and 1.75lb test curves, what’s so unusual about that, you may ask? Well, they are intended to put the fun and pleasure back into carp fishing, by enabling anglers to use stealthy float tactics rather than today’s more usual straight lead or Method feeder approaches.
The K-Flex carbon blanks have a powerful parabolic action that kicks in steadily as pressure is applied, and both rods will handle big carp with aplomb. Other key features include matt black livery, full cork handles, and rugged nylon reel seats with black metal hoods. You also get eight light, double-legged ceramic-lined guides.
The downside is that such a powerful progressive action reduces casting capabilities a tad, so if you’re harbouring notions of using one to plonk a 4AA waggler 30 yards out, forget it. They will indeed reach such distances, and more besides, but only when partnered with heavier floats from 20g upwards.
That’s not a negative in my book, as I reckon their longer lengths and superb action make these ideal stalking rods – the extra reach can be used to delicately present a baited hook close to marginal reeds or snags.
I can already hear mutterings that most stalking rods are short 7ft to 9ft affairs for dropping leads and PVA bags into holes in weed. But find a reed-fringed lake, get your chest waders on and put a few free offerings into likely looking spots. Chances are you’ll find a few fish feeding, and now you can silently drop a bait right on top of their noses, with instant and explosive results.
The reed-fringed waters of Willowbrook Lake in Northants play host to plenty of decent-sized fish that like to roam around the margins looking for spilled feed. So on a quiet Monday morning, armed with little more than a landing net and a boxful of corn, I wandered around the fishery with the 13ft Korum Carp Float rod.
Twitching lily stems revealed something moving down below, so I scattered a few grains of corn over the area and lowered in a small straight waggler shotted with three No8s spread down the line. Instantly my double corn hookbait was snaffled, and in a torrent of spray and boils the fish bolted off, leaving a wake worthy of any torpedo.
This is the moment when any carp rod worth its salt steps up to the mark. Tightening down on the reel’s clutch and holding the rod on the horizontal plane, I applied side strain that slowly but surely brought the fish to a halt.
The rod’s heavy parabolic action had more than done its job in tiring the carp, yet at the net it had enough flexibility in the tip to absorb my quarry’s last-minute lunges without risk of a hook-pull or a parting of the line.
Price | 13ft £44.99 | 12ft £42.99 |
Angling Times verdict
What a great rod from Korum this is! It’s loads of fun to use, with exactly the right blend of fish-playing power and finesse, and perfect for margin fishing when really big fish are on the cards. Its two-piece build means it can be easily carried to the bank ready made up, and is therefore ideal for a short evening stalking session with a float in the margins.
Mark Sawyer
Korum's new range of feeder fishing rods
Pleasure and big-fish brand Korum has launched a range of three-piece feeder rods that are sure to be a huge hit. The eight-strong collection features models ranging from 11ft to 13ft, and covers all short, medium or long-casting ranges. The rods are perfect for all types of feeder fishing on both rivers and stillwaters and have maximum casting weights running from 45g to 180g.
11ft Feeder 45g
Ideal for lakes where feeders need to be cast accurately at short or medium distances. A versatile rod with a line rating of 4lb-8lb, it is supplied with three 2.65mm colour-coded quivertips: orange (light), yellow (medium) and red (heavy).
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 45g
Described by Korum as a ‘fantastic all-rounder’ with plenty of backbone, it has
a 4lb-8lb line rating, and comes with three 2.65mm colour-coded quivertips (light, medium and heavy).
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 60g
A rod with more power for casting larger feeders and making longer casts. It has
a 6lb-8lb line rating and comes with three 2.65mm colour-coded quivertips (light, medium and heavy).
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 90g
This rod is for large feeders and long casts, but it retains enough tip sensitivity for silverfish work. Ideal for medium-paced rivers, it has a 6lb-10lb line rating and comes with a trio of 3.3mm colour-coded light, medium and heavy quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 120g
The most powerful 12ft model in the series. A good option for fast water, but with a sensitive tip action that allows plenty of options. It has a line rating of 6lb-8lb and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£44.99
13ft Feeder 120g
As with the two other 13ft models in the range, this rod has a slightly more powerful tip for improved casting distance and accuracy. It has a line rating of 6lb-10lb, and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£49.99
13ft Feeder 150g
More power and a faster casting action make this rod ideal for when long casts and heavy feeders are the order of the day. Great for large, open stillwaters and fast-paced rivers. Carries a line rating of 6lb- 10lb and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded (light, medium and heavy) quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£54.99
13ft Feeder 180g
With a casting weight of 180g, this powerful rod will comfortably launch feeders beyond 100m. Boasting large-diameter guides, it can also be safely used with shockleaders. It has a line rating of 6lb-10lb, and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded (light, medium and heavy) quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£54.99
Korum 11ft Quiver rod
TECH SPEC
• Line rating: 4-10lb.
• Two piece construction.
• High quality cork handle.
• Screw reel fitting.
• Ideal for feeder work or straight lead.
• Supplied with two quivertips: 1oz & 2oz.
PAY AROUND
£49.99
The rod has a full cork handle and two equal-length sections with a line rating of 4-10lb. There's plenty of power to comfortably launch 2oz feeders when you're targeting fish over the pound mark.
The 1oz and 2oz carbon quivertips are well-matched to the rod with the stiff 2oz tip first choice for using with a Method. The lighter tip would be great on rivers.
If you're the sort of angler who likes to divide his bankside time between rivers, natural lakes, large canals and commercial pools, wouldn’t it be great to have one rod to suit them all?
This super-versatile tool has two equal-length sections and comes with two spare 1oz and 2oz push-in carbon quivers. It really does have a multitude of uses and will turn its full cork handle to anything, from maggot feeder and straight lead fishing on rivers for chub and barbel through to open-ender tench and bream tactics. It’ll also chuck a Method feeder for commercial carp.
Having spent a few hours using the test sample from Korum, I can report that it won’t necessarily lend itself particularly well to finesse feeder tactics using tiny hooks and gossamer hooklengths. So if you’re after a net of roach and skimmers, it sadly won’t fit the bill. However, it is very impressive with fish from 1lb upwards, which is probably why it carries a manufacturer’s line rating of 4lb-10lb, which seems about right to me.
Although this is a rod with multi-venue possibilities, time was somewhat against me for my live-test day so I chose a water containing all sorts of fish, in all sorts of sizes. The picture-postcard day-ticket Stretton Lakes near the A1 in Rutland fitted the bill.
I started the session using a 28g pellet feeder with a banded pellet hookbait, cast tight to an island. This soon caught me a string of stockie carp of 2lb-3lb, which all put a healthy and progressive fish-playing bend in the rod.
Its action is geared towards hard and fast playing power, as opposed to a fancy and forgiving one. But whatever it loses in guile is certainly more than made up for in its casting performance. For an 11ft model it has plenty of poke, can withstand a proper whack, and will easily launch at least 2oz of lead.
The carbon quivertips both work perfectly with the rod, with no sign of flat-spotting or making the blank feel top heavy. I have long been an advocate of using stiff carbon tips for all my Method feeder work and the 2oz tip worked a treat when I switched to a 30g flatbed Method cast towards the far-bank reeds.
Unfortunately for me – and the live test – it was one of those days when the carp were really ‘on the munch’, and despite several hookbait changes the greedy stockies devoured all that was thrown
at them. While emptying it, or as photographer Lloyd Rogers so eloquently put it, ‘hook a duck time’, I pondered as to why it’s never like this in matches…
It also struck me that the Korum rod would be very much at home on snag- strewn small rivers, where the stocks of chub and barbel succumb to straight lead, bread/cheese and meat tactics.
VERDICT
What a great little all-rounder of a rod this is, and it comes with a very reasonable price tag! Ideal for a multitude of legering tactics, it really is every angler’s flexible friend.
Mark Sawyer
Korum Snapper Twin Tip 8ft Drop Shot Rod
PAY AROUND
£49.99
Rarer than hen’s teeth, more in demand than Leonardo DiCaprio at a hen night, the Snapper is almost certainly the UK’s fastest selling drop shot rod.
If advance sales are anything to go by, this modest eight-footer could be big-fish brand Korum’s ultimate success story in the rod stakes.
So what makes it so highly thought of among anglers and tackle shop owners?
Obviusly its affordable price has a lot to do with it, and there’s added value in that you get not one, but two short (10ins) quivertips. The carbon version works best with payloads ranging from 5g-12g, while the lighter glass tip is recommended for use with 1g-7g, making it better suited to smaller drop shot soft plastic lures and their associated weights.
Having two separate tips on a single carrier top section gives the rod considerable tactical flexibility. This is something I was to appreciate as I put it through its paces on a bitterly cold day on a high and icy River Nene, near Peterborough.
The weather was bitter, even by Russian standards – but more of that later! Before telling you what our Soviet comrades get up to on a freezing mid-January day I should reveal more about the Korum Snapper Twin Tip Drop Shot rod.
The build makes a nonsense of its budget price. Quality fixtures all round include a lightweight reel seat that positions your fingers directly against the blank for maximum vibration and feel. The abbreviated handle is easy on the eye and imparts a nice sense of balance, as well as suiting single-handed conventional and underarm casts in tight spots.
The fully lined ceramic guides are braid-friendly, and I can’t see any angler wearing a groove in them. The all-carbon two-piece blank, with its black gloss finish, boasts a sharply progressive action that kicks in around halfway down the top section and retains more than enough grunt through its butt to set the hooks decisively – important when hard-mouthed pike and zander take the lure.
If I were to be really pedantic and picky, I could say that the blank is a fraction over-gunned for smaller perch and mini-pike and zander on canals. But fit the sensitive glass quivertip and it’s absolutely ideal for jigging a tiny drop shot lure around on an elastic and fluorocarbon leader.
In any case, this is a multi-purpose rod which, with its carbon quivertip fitted, is more than capable of throwing a decent-sized lure around for pike. I made that changeover after seeing a big pike swirl at my little drop shot lure as it hit the water and could immediately appreciate the rod’s much pokier feel. Sadly, the pike didn’t come back for seconds, hardly surprising given the colour and temperature of the water.
And so to those crazy Russians, who must observe the single most stupid custom known to man (and, on the day, a few women too). It involves taking off all your clothes, then jumping into the nearest freezing cold water.
They chose to do it while I was conducting this particular tackle test on the Nene, and Angling Times cameraman Lloyd Rogers and I were completely agog – we thought we were witnessing a mass suicide.
However, after several completely unwanted rescue attempts it seems we had stumbled upon Peterborough’s resident Ruskies taking part in their annual ‘freeze your bits-off’ day… to call it ‘mental’ doesn’t even come close!
Korum 12ft Barbel Quiver 2 Piece
PAY AROUND
£49.99
Getting your hands on a good barbel rod, or a matching pair if you are a real Bertie enthusiast, is a bit like buying a suit.
One option is to have it tailor-made (or, in this instance, custom built). Then you can specify its action, which could be sharply progressive for fast, deep water and long casts, or maybe more forgiving, for battling it out with the leviathan whiskers now found in many of our smaller rivers. Whatever length, test curve and action, not to mention furnishings such as guides, reel seats, and handles you go for, a bespoke rod will set you back a pretty penny.
The other route, which most mere mortals go down, is to buy a straightforward off-the-peg number. Just about every major tackle company with rods on its books produces them, and while you undoubtedly get what you pay for, there are some quite lovely branded barbel rods out there.
The frustration for the keen barbel angler comes when river conditions suddenly change, or you find yourself on a venue that demands different tactics. At this point you end up investing in yet more rods to cover all eventualities, often making do with inferior models that are either too stiff or too soft, can’t handle enough weight, or simply can’t cast far enough. At worst you could find yourself attached to a lifetime best fish, only to lose it – because the rod wasn’t up to the job.
At this point may I present Korum’s seven-strong Specialist Quiver and Barbel rod range, with specific actions and test curves that run from around 1.5lb for the 12ft Specialist Quiver right up to a beefy three-piece 13ft monster, said to be able to cast up to 8oz – perfect for big rivers in flood.
Incredibly, all but one of these Specialist rods are priced at just £49.99, the exception being the 13ft Barbel at £79.99. Now you can own a matching family of three or four rods to tackle any water, anywhere, for less money than you’d spend on just one ‘Savile Row’ job!
Even the most discerning tackle tart would have to admit that these understated rods, with their retro cork handles, matt grey finishes, full white quivertips and lined guides, could pass for custom-built models. The full carbon blanks have casting and fish playing actions that fully live up to their specified performance. The 1.75lb, 12ft two-piece Barbel rod on live test duty handled feeders and leads up to 3oz with ease, and showed a pleasingly soft but progressive action, with a firm middle section ready to kick in when needed.
In my view it’s the ideal small-river roving rod, able to cope with hasty changes in terminal tackle when you’re on the move.
Korum Carp 10ft 2.5lb Two-Piece Rod
PAY AROUND
£39.99
I know that loads of people love to fish a main pole or a float rod while having a big-fish ‘sleeper rod’ on an alarm at their side if fishery rules allow.
The idea is to keep busy catching smaller fish while still having the chance of presenting a boilie, large piece of meat or stack of corn on a self-hooking bolt rig and freespool reel for a bonus big ’un.
When the alarm sounds, you’ve got time to drop the rod or pole, pick up the sleeper rod and fight the fish. Easy!
If you fancy fishing a sleeper rod, or you’re looking for a decent and affordable rod for small ‘runs waters’ where you’re only likely to be casting from the margins to 60 yards’ range for carp from high single to low double-figure weights, I can thoroughly recommend this new, compact, two-piece, 10ft rod from Korum.
The matt charcoal grey blank has a 2.5lb test curve and breaks down into two equal lengths for easy transport fully made-up in a rod sleeve or quiver, ready for instant use. Under load, the powerful blank has a nice ‘tippy’ action that’s best suited to 12lb or 15lb mainlines and will happily cast leads and small PVA bags weighing up to 3.5oz over the kind of real-life ranges that most of us fish at.
The 10ft length makes it perfect for smaller runs waters and virtually all commercial fisheries – especially those where many of the match carp have grown to double figures and are difficult to land on ‘normal’ pole, float and feeder tactics. It also makes a great, close-range carp stalking tool.
I teamed my test rod with another two new Korum products that suit this increasingly popular style of fishing right down to the ground. Korum’s 6000-size, five ball bearing Free Spool reel (RRP £54.99) carries 300m of 12lb mono and perfectly balances with the Korum 10ft Carp rod. There’s also a slightly larger 8000 model for the same price.
If you do plan to fish a sleeper rod it is essential that you use a freespool reel, or completely slacken off the clutch on a normal reel to prevent the rod being dragged straight into the lake by what are often vicious and lightning-fast rip-round bites.
I also helped myself to the new-look Korum Bite Alarm, which is spot-on for this job. The alarm has a volume control, so there’s no excuse for annoying other anglers by having it set too high! The alarm costs £14.99 on its own, or you can buy a Bite Alarm and Indicator Kit for £19.99 which I really like, and used here.
Fishing a 2oz lead with a big cube of luncheon meat on a hair rig and a thumb-sized PVA bag full of pellets, I had five carp to 7lb on the sleeper rod while fishing the pole for smaller fish during a quick, three-hour afternoon session.
Casting just 35 yards to an aerator, the sleeper kit did the job faultlessly. I enjoyed catching about 15lb of small F1 carp, tench and skimmers on the pole, but the bonus rod must have put an extra 30lb of better fish on the scales. Result!
Korum Snapper Rods
PAY AROUND
8ft Twin Tip: £49.99
7ft Lure: £39.99
8ft Lure: £44.99
Brand new to the Snapper range, Korum have released three predator rods, an 8ft Twin Tip Drop Shot, 7ft and 8ft Lure rods. The Drop Shot rod comes with a 1g-7g glass tip and a 5g-12g carbon tip for maximum response regardless of the size of lure used.
The two Lure rods (10g-30g and 20g-50g) are perfect for all types of lure and jig fishing.
Korum 12ft All-Rounder
PAY AROUND
£49.99
This extremely versatile all-round rod has a classic Avon action which is perfect for all short-range stillwater tench and bream. It also lends itself nicely to surface carp fishing tactics. The blank’s beefy through action helps to make it equally at home chasing big chub and barbel on rivers. A true ‘jack of all trades’, it will handle lines from 4lb right up to 12lb with equal aplomb.
Korum 12ft Quiver Rod
PAY AROUND
£49.99
This 12ft quivertip rod is slightly more versatile than its two stablemates. An ideal tool when fishing for barbel, chub, tench or carp, it would make a superb roving river rod, and would suit beefed-up stillwater applications too. The rod comes with 1oz and 2oz carbon quivertips and has a manufacturer’s line rating of 4lb-10lb.
Korum Xpert 1.1lb
PAY AROUND
£109.99
This is a real darling of a tench/bream rod worthy of any sporting angler who enjoys the thrill of the fight, rather than just being concerned with landing fish quickly.
The two-piece 11ft 6in blank has a pleasing semi-through action that will happily fish a float or 28g feeder at shorter ranges. It’s especially effective when you’re targeting the marginal shelf.
Using reel lines to 8lb you can sit the rod on an electronic alarm with a legered bait/feeder set-up, fish a float or freeline a lobworm down the edge or up against a lily bed. It also makes a smashing little stalker rod for the mobile angler. I fish one of these with a centrepin and absolutely love it!
It will cover you for a wide range of specialist jobs like fishing a maggot feeder for big roach or even fishing a floating dog biscuit for surface carp.
Korum CS Series 11ft Float Rod
PAY AROUND
£44.99
On most commercial venues these days the trend is towards short two-piece rods, especially those intended for float work. It’s handy to be able to carry them to your peg ready rigged and all set to go.
This has clearly not gone unnoticed by Korum, for the latest member of its best-selling CS Series rod series is a more than useful two-piece 11ft Float model.
The carbon blank shares much the same credentials as its stablemates – classy matt black finish, lined guides throughout, secure screw reel fitting with EVA thumb grip, and Korum engraved butt cap. There’s even a folding keeper ring, a nice final touch on any rod regardless of its price, which in this case is eminently affordable.
The two sections are of equal length, making the rod super-easy to pack away even with a float in situ. A quick tip here is to wrap the rig and float around a 20cm pole winder before securing it against the rod with a Velcro strap.
The new 11ft CS Series Float rod is suited to reel lines of between 3lb to 8lb and pellet wagglers up to 10g. This makes it ideal for most small to medium-sized ponds and lakes, but it lacks the steely mid-section to satisfy the would-be horizon chucker.
The perfect venue to fish with this type of float rod is typified by the one used for the live test – the 20-peg Horseshoe Lake on Peterborough’s prolific Decoy complex.
On one of the sunniest afternoons of the year so far I arrived to find a few decent-sized carp sunning themselves in a quiet corner, so with a casting distance of around 35m to the basking fish I attached a stumpy 2AA crystal waggler to the 5lb reel line and finished off with a 0.12mm hooklength and size 16 hook baited with four dead red maggots.
With the rig set to fish at around 18ins deep, and as long as I got the cast right first time, I was sure that the slowly falling bait would attract an instant bite. On the other hand, a misplaced or badly landed cast would definitely spook the fish.
So it was pretty much a case of ‘in at the deep end’ for the CS Float rod. As things turned out, it propelled the float arrow-straight through the air, and with bit of fine feathering at the end of the cast it landed with scarcely a ripple. In an instant the orange tip vanished from view. My riposte was lightning fast, and in an instant the blank whipped the line from the water’s surface.
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? The rod arched round in a progressive, almost through action, forgiving enough to absorb any late lunges at the landing net but with plenty of grunt left in the butt to dictate the terms of the fight and its eventual outcome.