Middy 5G Pellet Waggler rod test
I’LL START this review with a confession. Pellet waggler fishing isn’t something that I used to devote much time to, but over the past few months of balmy summer weather I realised I’d been missing out big-time on what is clearly one of the most exhilarating of all tactics.
The anticipation builds the moment the float plops into the water, and that excitement is often followed by an aggressive bite moments later.
Next thing you know, the clutch on your reel is going into overdrive and the rod arches over as a disgruntled carp or F1 does its best to shed the hook.
Clearly, the rod you are using can make all the difference between winning most of these battles or coming back empty-handed.
When the new 11ft Middy 5g Pellet Waggler rod was put into my hands I instantly pencilled in a session at a venue I know would respond well to this high-octane tactic – Manor Farm Leisure in Worcestershire.
I knew what I wanted from this rod, but would it come up trumps? There was only one way to find out…
The rod arches over as a disgruntled carp or F1 does its best to shed the hook.
LAUNCHING INTO ACTION
With the rod rigged up and a couple of pints of 8mm pellets on my side tray I was all set to try and extract a few massive F1s – they run to over 5lb – from Ash Pool.
They love to linger shallow out in the middle but they’ve been caught countless times and can be moody. With a small 3g pellet waggler on the line I went for a 30m chuck and it landed exactly where I had planned it to. It was then a case of feeding a few pellets every chuck, casting over the top and, if there was no response within 10 seconds, repeating the sequence.
As it happens, to begin with the fish were slow to respond to the trickle of freebies falling through the water column, but I wasn’t complaining too much as it gave me the chance to get to grips with the rod’s casting capabilities.
Accuracy was not an issue, as I could plant my small waggler on the button without breaking sweat. There was clearly a lot more fuel in the tank, and had I wanted to chuck a beefier float there was ample power in reserve to do so.
Accuracy was not an issue, as I could plant my small waggler on the button without breaking sweat
The weight of the rod barely registered in my hand, which gained it more brownie points because a light rod is essential for such an energetic tactic where you are casting so often.
Eventually the constant rain of pellets drew a response, with fish swirling at every pinch of bait that landed. The float duly dipped and it was time for the rod to earn its battle colours.
THE PERFECT ACTION
The fish surged off the moment it realised it had slipped up. The softly-set clutch got to work and the rod took on a healthy bend.
A good pellet waggler rod needs to be soft enough to absorb sudden lunges yet have enough grunt to let you take control. With the first fish safely in the net I felt confident it had both qualities in abundance.
A few bigger F1s fought even more ferociously later in the day and the rod handled them faultlessly.
A few bigger F1s fought even more ferociously later in the day
Had I hooked a double-figure carp, I feel sure that a small yet significant design feature of the rod would have helped me land it. The woven carbon area next to the handle prevents the rod bending too much during particularly intense fights in the heat of summer, but I’d be equally happy using it on the deck in the colder months, when bites are hard-won and every fish counts. Its soft action would, I’m sure, keep losses to a minimum. Today the Middy 5G Pellet Waggler had put me in the driving seat, allowing me to cast accurately and then extract anything that took the bait with relative ease.
Safe to say this rod looks the part
Rod cosmetics never caught anybody any more fish, but there is something of the tackle tart in us all – and if the aesthetics catch your attention in a shop there’s a much better chance you’ll part with your hard-earned cash!
Safe to say this rod looks the part. Starting at the reel seat, it seems a little unusual as it’s slimmer than the rest of the handle, but put your hand over the top of the reel and it all clicks into place to make holding the rod a pleasure.
Graphics are neatly etched into the blank, the eyes are appropriately sized and spaced throughout, and little extras such as a hook keeper add to its overall appeal.
Give this beauty a place in your holdall and you’ll have a tool that will never let you down when the bites are coming thick and fast!
A productive rod test!
Price: £99.99
MIDDY ARCO-TECH CARP FEEDER Review
Middy International has the happy knack of producing great rods at a great price – in fact its original silver-coloured 4GS range still ranks among the best in its price bracket.
So when Middy boss David Middleton called to tell me he had the new Arco-Tech rods to show me, I was keen to see how the successor to the 4GS would measure up.
Within the Arco-Tech series there are two feeder models – the K-275 9ft/10ft and the K-306 10ft/11ft. Both are super-slim, but not so slim that you feel you need to treat them with kid gloves! A super-tough Kevlar wrap strengthens the blanks throughout. Both rods are multi-length, thanks to a short foot-long extension without eyes. Should you need to extend the rod to its longer length, simply slip in the extension in mid-session. A nice touch, you’ll agree...
There’s plenty of poke in the butt section, while the tip section is much softer, striking a pleasing balance between power and forgiveness. The action is soft to parabolic, so F1s or skimmers will still put a lovely flat spot-free bend into it, while the chances of losing fish when using light lines and small hooks are remote.
The final key feature is the unique ‘Trigger Tips’. These are super-sensitive carbon tips whose unique action emphasises the most tremulous of bites. The light tip, in particular, is very impressive in this respect and well lives up to its Trigger name.
Middy is really proud of these rods, quite rightly so, as they are packed with features, and raise the rod building and development bar even higher.
The live test at the pretty day-ticket Stretton Farm fishery just off the A1 north of Peterborough proved to be a sodden affair, with unrelenting rain all day long. The only bright spot was the 10ft/11ft Arco-Tech Carp Feeder rod on test performance – crisp as fresh lettuce, and with just the right blend of power and poise to make it ideal for most commercial tactics. The rod is no Olympic distance performer, but will easily handle a pub-chuck of 35-40 yards with considerable accuracy.
My best advice to anyone looking to own one of these slender beauties is to make sure you keep the line between rod-tip and feeder tight at all times to prevent it from looping back over the end guide. Make sure (with a quick tug prior to casting) that it isn’t caught up, as the Trigger Tip ends are very fine and wouldn’t survive the impact of a miscast.
Verdict: The Arco-Tech is an ideal rod for commercial anglers, and has some excellent new features. KTS Smooth Flow guides sit at a special angle to prevent wrap-ups during the cast and make the whole process very smooth. Being able to add a 1ft butt extension is very handy, especially as you don’t need to break down your tackle. The light and medium Trigger Tips are ideal for spotting tiny bites when the fish are in a fickle mood.
The rod is rated to 10lb mainlines and 8lb hooklengths, with a recommended maximum casting weight of 50g, so don’t think that it won’t handle bigger fish.
Personally, though, I would use the rod with 6lb mainlines, hooklengths up to a 0.19mm, and feeders up to 30g.
Price: £99.99 (but shop around)
Middy Reactacore XZ Ultra-Control Mini Commercial feeder rod
Middy produces some impressive commercial fishery rods these days, and there’s something to suit everyone’s budget.
The latest Reactacore XZ feeder rods include the fast-taper three-piece XZ Ultra-Control 12ft 6ins all-round distance model. This test, though, is all about Middy’s two-piece 10ft 6ins Reactacore XZ Mini Commercial rod, built using the latest Quad-layering carbon technology. This involves four sheets of high-modulus carbon layered together at different angles, and results in a strong, rigid rod with a highly reactive parabolic fish-playing action.
The carbon undergoes a VC-X extreme pressure vacuum curing process that forces out any tiny air bubbles for a uniformly excellent action. The rod also benefits from Maximus weave wrap joints which prolong the life of the joints but increase the linear strength even further. All very impressive stuff!
The feather-light blank is exceptionally slim, and boasts classy SCX smooth cast guides, a small hook retainer, modern S-Line style reel seat, and two carbon quivertips. Middy rates the rod to a maximum 10lb mainline and 8lb hooklength, with casting weights between 10g and 56g. And let’s not forget the natty Middy MX-Series rod bag it arrives in.
These top-drawer rods are not cheap. The new 10ft 6ins Reactocore XZ Mini Commercial Feeder will likely set you back around £209, but the ‘wow factor’ alone justifies the price.
To confirm that quality I headed to Decoy Lakes. Its many lakes respond to all manner of tactics and the fish range from great big lumps through to turbo-charged barbel, F1s of all sizes, and a raft of silvers – all of which are of a decent size and will respond to most open-water tactics.
Putting this XZ rod together, you can’t help but be impressed by its pencil-slim profile. Its sections are pretty much of equal length when the carrier section’s quivertip is in place, so it can be easily transported ready made-up.
I was not, though, wholly convinced by its suggested 56g (2oz) maximum casting weight. For me the top end of the carrier section has slightly too much play in it. It would be fine with up to 40g (more than enough for your average commercial when using a rod less than 11ft long).
There’s no denying its impressive post-cast recovery rate, but this rod is clearly not of the ‘give it a whack’ breed! An over-enthusiastic miscast could prove very costly!
That aside, the performance of Middy’s flagship feeder-flinger offers a wondrous amount of torque and feel, and an all-round performance up there with the best commercial feeder rods.
The stunning gloss black blank has a phenomenal line pick-up speed, casts straight and true and is super lightweight in the hand. The parabolic action is responsive to any size of fish. Quite simply it’s immaculate. Does it have the ‘wow factor’? Most definitely!
Verdict: A genuine high-performance feeder rod, this top-end model will comfortably handle feeders and straight leads of 40g-plus with ease. Equally suited to light maggot feeder and flatbed Method tactics with wafter hookbaits, or indeed fishing a straight lead with bread discs.
Price: £209.99
Middy Arco-Tech K-335 11ft/12ft Carp Waggler rod review
At long last the carp on commercials are up in the water and ready to be targeted using float tactics.
The obvious choice is the pellet waggler, a tactic that will dominate matches all over the UK in the next month or so.
Few things are as satisfying as building up a pellet waggler line. Feed little and often, keeping the pattern tight, and fish will start to swirl at your feed pellets as soon as they hit the water.
Then, if you can deftly land a waggler by feathering the cast so your hookbait lands behind your float with an enticing little ‘plop’, you’ll reap the rewards.
If you ever get a chance to watch master pellet waggler anglers such as Perry Stone or Warren Martin conducting their way through a symphony of pulled strings, you’ll know where I’m coming from.
All this brings me nicely on to Middy’s latest Arco-Tech K-335 11ft/12ft Carp Waggler rod. Like all those in the range it has a soft, parabolic action to subdue large commercial carp. Key features include a slim, full cork handle and KTS smooth flow guides.
‘Match This’ winner Chris Cameron helped develop the Arco Feeder rods, while Kieron Rich is behind the Waggler versions – hence the rigid mini-butts with a Kevlar wrap, which strengthens up the section to pile on some real stopping power if need be. A foot-long extension which can be added without tackling down is another feature of Arco-Tech rods.
I wasn’t surprised that Middy has come up with something a bit special in the pellet wag department. Since the launch of the quite exceptional 3G X-Flex rod a few years ago the standard has been upheld with super fish-playing actions, lightness in the hand, super-fast line pick-up, accurate casting, and an all-round performance better than most.
On the live test at the impressive day-ticket Stretton Lakes my plan was to put the 12ft Arco-Tech through its paces on the carp lake with a heavy pellet waggler at distance, then drop down to the smaller match lake in the afternoon to target its stockies with the rod in its 11ft mode using smaller floats, hooks and baits.
The morning session was a bit of a disaster as far as fishing went, as three hours of non-stop pellet pinging with a rod that cast straight as a die failed to interest the carp, which were preoccupied with spawning in the margins.
I can, though, report that the blank will handle reel lines up to 8lb (just about, as the guides are quite small) and floats up to 10g with some ease.
A change to the match lake saw its stockies queuing up for a 6mm pellet, hung 18ins below a 2AAA straight peacock waggler. Using a smaller, less obtrusive float with lighter lines and smaller hooks seems to be the way forward on commercials these days, and in this respect the new Middy Arco-Tech is sure to gain many friends.
It has just about enough whip in the tip section to propel a lighter float, as long as you drop down the reel line diameter accordingly.
The blank, although admittedly not the fastest in the world, is still nicely responsive, with a softly progressive action across the top section that morphs into steely carp-stopping power going into the butt.
Constant feeding while holding the rod proved painless on the wrists, and the handle was just the right length to manoeuvre effortlessly around my body
The verdict:
The new Arco-Tech 11ft/12ft Carp Waggler is right up there with Middy’s best. With a softly progressive action but just the right amount of backbone, it’s light and comfy in the hand, and casts straight and true with enough tip-whip to hit the 40m mark with larger floats.
Line pick-up speed isn’t the fastest, but there’s enough finesse to handle light lines, hooks and floats even when big fish are on the cards.
Price: £119.99 (multiple deals)
Middy Baggin’ Machine Synaptic Duo rod
TECH SPEC
Two tops: Waggler and Feeder
Features: F-Lined Guides, hook retainer, two spare quivertips, Synaptic carbon design, ergonomic reel seat.
Casting weights: 2g to 25g Wagglers; 10g to 45g Feeders.
PAY AROUND
£109.99
This Middy Baggin’ Machine Synaptic float and feeder Duo is ideal for anglers on a budget who want a single rod to cover a multitude of different methods.
It has two separate top sections and comes with two push-in quivertips to make up a 10ft feeder rod that’s perfect for parrot cage commercial fishery pegs. With the feeder top, the rod is capable of fishing Method feeders up to 45g as well as cage and blockend feeders and straight leads. It has a soft progressive fish playing action, but with loads of power down the blank, and will handle reel lines up to 10lb with hooklinks up to 6lb. There’s also plenty of power to land double-figure carp, and the rod feels nicely balanced and responsive.
During a live test at the impressively stocked Lou’s Lake at Cambridgeshire’s Decoy Lakes, the rods mettle was well tested with plenty of F1s, as well as the odd larger carp. It cast a fully loaded Method feeder with impressive accuracy up to 30m with ease. The Synaptic blank is made from carbon and glass, which produces a very lightweight, fun-to-use tool, with an almost anti-locking action. Hook pulls are kept to the absolute minimum.
With the waggler top fitted, the rod is still 10ft in length, and will cast floats between 2g and 25g, making it ideal for up-in-the-water pellet waggler tactics. It can handle reellines up to 8lb and hooklinks up to 5lb.
The waggler section has a little more stiffness through its mid-section than the feeder top, but it still retains plenty of cushioning forgiveness, and is more than capable of absorbing last-minute lunges from even the largest of fish at the net, without risking hook pulls.
VERDICT
The Middy Synaptic Duo would make the perfect tool for the summer pleasure angler. Designed for use mainly on commercial carp fisheries, the rod is easy to transport and equally at home fishing a Method feeder or a pellet waggler.
Middy Nano-Core XZ65 World Elite 10ft Feeder rod
TECH SPEC
- Three special blank graded carbon push-in quivertips of 0.5oz, 1oz and 1.5oz test curves ensure a flat spot-free action, and make the rod suitable for a multitude of feeder applications.
- The rod comes with an original Middy aluminium hooded reel seat ideal for most reel sizes.
- The super-slim 20ins full cork handle makes the rod comfy to hold even when it’s under stress.
PAY AROUND
£209.99
Middy produces some mighty impressive commercial fishery rods these days – everything from short snake lake models to horizon-hitting beasts.
What’s more, there’s something to suit everyone’s pocket.
At the very pinnacle of Middy’s feeder rod range sits the new 10ft Nano-Core XZ65 World Elite, yours for a jaw-dropping £293.99. But panic not, as it can be found at a more realistic price if you shop around.
That said, it’s still a lot to lay out by anyone’s standards, so what exactly would you be shelling out for?
Well, for starters you get an ultra-slim (just 11mm at the butt section), ridiculously light, two-sectioned carbon fibre blank, the result of the very latest Nano-Core technology. This translates into a rod with lightning-fast reflexes, immense strength and flexibility.
The blank has undergone a unique high-pressure vacuum curing process that forces out any tiny air bubbles, ensuring a consistent performance and a flawless finish.
Other luxury touches include three push-in carbon quivertips rated at 0.5oz, 1oz and 1.5oz, seven ceramic-lined double and single SiC Ultra-Flow guides, and a thin full cork handle furnished with a screw-down reel seat.
Middys claims the rod will cast bombs and feeders up to 50g with mainlines up to 12lb and hooklengths up to 8lb.
So far that’s pretty much standard manufacturers’ marketing speak for a commercial feeder rod of this ilk. But in my humble opinion top-end or flagship models should always have that bit extra, the ‘wow factor’ if you will...
You’re already paying for the classy furnishings, fittings and carbon technology, but without that noticeable edge to the rod’s performance all that counts for nowt – and that applies to all tackle brands, not just Middy.
And so to the live test. A favourite water of mine is the peaceful day-ticket Stretton Lakes, just off the A1 north of Peterborough. The fish here are of an average size, and respond to most open-water tactics – ideal helpmates for tackle testing.
Assembling the rod, you cannot help but be impressed by its pencil-slimness – in fact I found the full cork handle a tad too skinny for my own assortment of butt rests, and would suggest that any prospective buyer should look for a small U-bend abbreviated rear rest of the sort favoured by carp anglers.
The sections are not quite equal in length when the carrier section has a quivertip in place, so you need to be extra careful when you’re putting it away ready made-up, even though the classy Middy padded carry bag is more than long enough for the job.
I was not wholly convinced by its suggested 50g maximum casting weight. For me, the top end of the carrier section has a little too much play, and while there is no denying its impressive post-cast recovery speed, this rod is clearly not of the ‘give it a whack’ breed – face it, if you miscast and take out the top section that’s a very expensive mistake to make.
And there end my criticisms. The fact is, the performance of the 10ft World Elite will have you purring with satisfaction. It has a wondrous amount of torque and feel, with a handling aptitude right up there with the very best.
The immaculate gunmetal grey blank has a phenomenal pick-up speed, and its responsiveness to any size of hooked fish actually takes a bit of getting used to. It’s a bit like stepping straight out of your old family saloon and into a works rally car, but once you adapt to the change it’s all systems go – only you won’t have to strap yourself in!
VERDICT
A genuine high-performance rod for the commercial fishery connoisseur, this top-end Middy model will handle most weights of flatbed feeders and straight leads up to 40g (1.5oz). It is equally at home using a maggot feeder with light lines and small hooks for F1s as it would be targeting much bigger fish with bread discs in winter.
Mark Sawyer
Middy 4GS Micro Muscle Waggler Rod
TECH SPEC
- 11ft Super slim Supplex high-modulus carbon two-piece blank
- Soft-touch EVA thumb grip
- Ergonomic lock-down reel seat
- Hook retainer
- SIC Feather-Lite gunsmoke guides
- Max mainline 12lb
- Max hooklength 8lb
- Casting weight 25g
PAY AROUND
Price (RRP): £139
Shop-around price: £99.99
I take my hat off to Middy, and I’ll tell you why. Not that long ago, very few serious matchmen would have believed the Derbyshire firm capable of producing commercial fishery pellet waggler and float rods to the high standards they demanded.
However, that’s all water under the bridge. Since Middy introduced its original, superb and hugely successful X Flex 3G Pellet Waggler rod series the company has firmly established itself as a market leader for rods of that ilk.
The all new Middy 4GS offerings definitely continue the tradition, with several key improvements, including Supplex carbon technology.
This leads to a refined tip action, allowing fish to be landed even more quickly, as extra power is available through the butt section without risking hook-pulls or snapped hooklengths. Other improvements include an upgraded, progressive fish-playing action and better handling and balance.
All very impressive – but why would Middy need to make changes to a model that was voted rod of the year a couple of seasons back?
Any doubts along the lines of ‘has Middy mended something that clearly wasn’t broken in the first place?’ were all laid to rest as I spent a few hours putting the new 11ft 4GS Micro Muscle Waggler through its paces at Oakfield Fisheries’ day-ticket Red Kite lake.
The ultra-wary carp in here grow big, really big… which is handy, as the new Micro Muscle is rated more than capable of dealing with zoo creatures into double figures.
At first glance the ultra-slim and very lightweight 11ft blank didn’t look capable of dealing with an awful lot more than disorderly dace, rampant roach or badly behaved bleak. But, as they say, looks can be deceiving, and beneath the rod’s cold gunsmoke grey finish beats the heart of lion. Here we have a lean, mean, mauling, brawling battler – disguised as Clark Kent.
It has power to burn through its middle section, and just look at the main picture – have you ever seen a sweeter, more progressive fighting curve in a rod? Certainly not on one that can be found for just under a hundred quid, as this one can.
Another thing that had bothered me a bit about this rod also resolved itself during the live test. Why didn’t it get the obligatory ‘Pellet Waggler’ label? The answer was simple enough – and it was no oversight on Middy’s part. Basically, the softer tip allows it to be used with a much wider range of floats, and it will cast normal and pellet wagglers up to 25g.
Casting distance was pretty good too. With full compression, a maximum range of around 25m can be achieved. Middy gives it a mainline rating of up to 12lb, way too high in my opinion. You’ll get far more performance out of it with 6lb-8lb line.
Fittings are all top-notch, with a comfy lock-down reel seat on a cork and EVA handle, and quality matching gunsmoke grey SiC Feather-Lite lined guides. Ideal for all short to mid-range work on commercial fisheries, this rod is without a doubt another winner from the Middy stable.
VERDICT
THE 11ft Middy Micro is one of the finest rods released this year. Its almost elastic ‘never ending’ progressive fish playing action is right up there with the best I have used,
but at a price that belies this lofty accolade. If your mate owns one, and lets you have a go with it, it’s a given that you’ll have one in your holdall by the following weekend.
Mark Sawyer
Middy 4G Baggin Distance Feeder
PAY AROUND
£149.99
This amazing rod is capable of being fished at 8ft, 11ft 7in and 12ft 7in and built to perform on all waters from tight commercials to big rivers.
The lightweight, super-slimline blank is totally deceptive because the lads at Middy give this rod an official maximum reel line rating of 14lb!
Recommended casting weights are 1oz to 3oz and, in 12ft 7in format, it will easily propel a feeder or bomb over 70 yards.
While the lower section has a steely feel, it retains a fair amount of finesse in the tip section for those days when it’s necessary to spot and hit shy silverfish bites, rather than letting them hang themselves.
The unusual blank is made up of a short dolly butt, 1ft dolly section, middle section and quivertip carrier. Shop around for a more pocket-friendly price!
Middy Baggin Machine 11ft Waggler Rod
TECH SPEC
Two section 11ft (3.3m)
Lined F guides
Synaptic MTDI carbon construction
Recommended reel lines 6lb-8lb
Recommended hooklengths 5lb-8lb
Cork and EVA thumb grip handle
PAY AROUND
RRP: £75 (shop around and expect to pay around £54.99)
The latest Baggin Machine rods and reels are part of the new Middy Synaptic series that also takes in poles, whips and landing net handles. All are built to withstand the stresses and strains of modern-day commercial carp fishing.
The new Synaptic carbon cloth combines with resins that allow the blanks to be extremely strong and flexible while retaining a good degree of lightness and stiffness – some modern materials achieve these qualities but tend to be a bit on the brittle side, but no such problems with these two rods. The slimline black blanks are capable of chucking feeders of up to 30g and pellet wagglers weighing 12g without bouncing around all over the place. Both models have a soft, progressive tip action that starts to tighten up quickly just past the middle of the blank, offering plenty of pulling power exactly where you need it – just the thing to persuade big hard-fighting fish to stay away from snags and platforms.
The fact that the two rods share build characteristics and performance might persuade you to invest in them as a commercial fishery pairing, because once you get used to them, casting a feeder or float and playing fish will become second nature.
This Middy pair is best suited to small to medium-sized fisheries, 20-peggers if you like. Casting distances of up to 30 yards are possible with the feeder rod, with around 20 yards the maximum for the longer waggler model. They would be undergunned on large open-water complexes holding ‘zoo creatures’, as the blanks have neither the backbone nor the tenacity to cope with such extremes.
The live test took place on Makins Phase Three Severn lake which, although quite narrow in places, did throw up some very decent carp and barbel on a variety of straight lead, feeder and float tactics that tested the rods to their not inconsiderable limits.
Middy Baggin Machine 10ft Feeder Rod
TECH SPEC
Two section 10ft (3m)
Lined F guides
Synaptic MTDI carbon construction
Two spare carbon quivertips
Recommended reel lines 8lb-10lb
Recommended hooklengths 6lb-8lb
Cork and EVA thumb grip handle
PAY AROUND
Price: £75 (shop around and expect to pay around £54.99)
The latest Baggin Machine rods and reels are part of the new Middy Synaptic series that also takes in poles, whips and landing net handles. All are built to withstand the stresses and strains of modern-day commercial carp fishing.
The new Synaptic carbon cloth combines with resins that allow the blanks to be extremely strong and flexible while retaining a good degree of lightness and stiffness – some modern materials achieve these qualities but tend to be a bit on the brittle side, but no such problems with these two rods. The slimline black blanks are capable of chucking feeders of up to 30g and pellet wagglers weighing 12g without bouncing around all over the place. Both models have a soft, progressive tip action that starts to tighten up quickly just past the middle of the blank, offering plenty of pulling power exactly where you need it – just the thing to persuade big hard-fighting fish to stay away from snags and platforms.
The fact that the two rods share build characteristics and performance might persuade you to invest in them as a commercial fishery pairing, because once you get used to them, casting a feeder or float and playing fish will become second nature.
This Middy pair is best suited to small to medium-sized fisheries, 20-peggers if you like. Casting distances of up to 30 yards are possible with the feeder rod, with around 20 yards the maximum for the longer waggler model. They would be undergunned on large open-water complexes holding ‘zoo creatures’, as the blanks have neither the backbone nor the tenacity to cope with such extremes.
The live test took place on Makins Phase Three Severn lake which, although quite narrow in places, did throw up some very decent carp and barbel on a variety of straight lead, feeder and float tactics that tested the rods to their not inconsiderable limits.
Middy XK55 World Pro Feeder
PAY AROUND
£159.99
This is the feeder version of the XK55 World Pro Waggler rod and it shares the float rod’s awesome firepower all bound up in a lightweight, micro-thin, 11ft two-piece blank.
Ideal casting loads are between 20g and 80g so this is perfect for delivering open-end feeders or small Method feeders accurately over ranges of 60-70 yards.
It comes with three, graded, push-in carbon quivertips so bite registration is excellent on a rod where you’re going to be watching the tip, rather than sitting it on an electronic bite alarm.
The blank has a progressive action that nicely soaks up sudden lunges under the rod tip and it’s light enough to hold all day.
It also has many other uses on commercial pools or small rivers to make up for the fairly hefty swing-tag price.
Middy XK55 World Pro Waggler
PAY AROUND
£149.99
If you need the sensitivity and casting ability of a match rod and the big-fish beating power of a specimen rod, you’ll struggle to better this.
The lightweight, slimline construction of this 11ft, two-piece blank belies it’s true strength which you can understand when I tell you that it’s officially rated to carry 15lb mainlines!
In situations where you need to place a waggler accurately – tight up against distant lily pads for example – this compact rod will deliver.
Capable of casting floats weighing up to 25g (1oz) the special CS3 carbon launches floats like arrows. And, if you’re fishing venues where 20lb-plus carp could turn up, you have every chance of landing them on this remarkable kit that feels so light in the hand.