With F1 carp hybrids becoming an increasingly significant part of Britain’s commercial-fishery scene, it was perhaps no surprise that someone brought out a rod designed to catch them.
It’s also no surprise that Preston Innovations is that company. Regularly at the forefront of new-tackle innovation, Preston has introduced two rods designed for catching F1s and it’s the shorter, 9ft version that I’ve been using. A quick waggle in the office when the rod arrived revealed a soft, through-actioned blank (no flat spots) but the true test came when I fished a swim where a 25-yard cast put me right against the far-side island on a local lake.
Known for its F1s – with fish in excess of 4lb present – the lake was soon living up to its reputation as the tip (I chose the finer of the two supplied) flew round and fish number one was hooked. As ever with a new rod, or indeed the first fish of any session, I took things gently, watching carefully as the rod bent sweetly throughout.
F1s are strange fighters; they tend to charge off on a run that belies their size, before coming relatively easily to the surface, then zipping off again if you don’t manage to net them first time. No worries if you’re pole fishing, when the elastic can do its work, but when using rod and line, hook-pulls are common with all but the softest of rods. This is mainly a problem when the fish is under the rod tip but the 9ft Mini coped admirably. The combination of soft rod and the reel’s drag system saw not a single fish lost.
The short length also made netting a doddle. If I played the fish with the rod low and lifted it at the last minute, the fish would come up easily within netting range. When I got it right it was a speedy process.
My only problems with this rod came when I hooked anything unexpected, like the 9lb carp that led me a right old dance before I could finally get it to the net. But then again, it’s not designed for 9lb carp!
Since that first outing, I’ve used it several times, most notably in a gale where I cast a small feeder on to what would normally be a long-pole line. Again, it was very impressive. I could tuck the rod almost into the near bank out of the wind thanks to its short length, bites were dead easy to spot, and several big F1s found their way into my net when other anglers on the lake struggled in the conditions.
| Preston Innovations F1 9ft Mini Carp Rod RRP: £129 Information: www.prestoninnovations.com |
