So it was about time I had another in my mitts, and this time it was the much more affordable new Whisker. With much of my pole fishing now taking place on commercials, the Scottish-made Whisker, I felt, might be right up my street. The fact that Daiwa had reinvented and renamed it – losing its old ‘All Terrain’ tag – was just the excuse I needed.
So what’s the package? A very good one, actually. As well as the match kit in the pole itself, you get an additional three match top threes, four of Daiwa’s new Interlastic power kits, a cupping kit and one short No4, which stiffens the pole up slightly and also comes in handy for awkward distances – fishing against islands, for example.
After removing the fine match No1s (no place for them on commercials!), I made sure all the kits were the same length, which involved carefully hacksawing three inches from the Interlastic tops, and fitted them with elastic – black Hydrolastic through the Interlastic kits and white through the match two and three kits. I used the new Drennan Super Slick Internal Bungee Bushes, which, I have to say, are superb.
On the bank, I was immediately impressed by the ease with which the pole could be passed through my hands. My previous pole was nowhere near this smooth. Believe me, this makes a huge difference for comfortable fishing and has been improved on the new Whisker by what Daiwa are calling their Integrated Taping System. Sounds technical, but it works, most notably when the pole is being used at its longest lengths.
The Whisker is also very stiff. It might not be the most expensive pole in Daiwa’s range, but I can’t think there’ll be any stiffer ones.
So far I’ve used the pole all day with one and two sections removed from its full 16 metres. I’ve yet to use it at its longest length, nor have I employed the Interlastic power kits for the purpose for which they were designed. Two holes allow you to pull the elastic out from between them, so increasing its tension.
Fishwise, I’ve landed carp to 8lb so far with no problems. However, one particularly angry six-pounder gave the Whisker its most severe test so far, hooked, as it was, neatly in the fork of the tail!
Kevin Wilmot
