Post by castlikeaghille on May 27, 2007 8:29:02 GMT
Greetings Piscators
Had the opportunity to fish with this rod for an hour on Friday. So seeing as it is new on the market I thought you might be interested in some feedback. IMO an hour is not enough time to give an rod a full sea trial, but at least gives a more realistic impression of how it will perform under fire than messing around on a casting pond. The line used was a Jocky M and I was able to try a variety of head lengths and tip densities.
Basic Spec
Length - 15'
Pieces - 4
AFTM - 10/11
Rings - Two lined stripper rings, (can't remember the tip) chrome snakes
Weight - 10.5 oz
Blank - olive green
Whippings - claret
Reel Seat - Triangular double up locking
Cork butt and handle
Keeper ring
Bag - Cloth partition
Tube - covered with carrying strap
RRP - £430
General
This is another of the new fad for rods that try to recreate the old style spey rods that flex in the butt section but have a very modern fast tip recovery - see CND report. This rod does both. When you form the D you can really feel the Butt section bend - it is quite an odd sensation, and when you shoot the line the tip does, indeed, recover quickly. Note, this is a rod that works through use of the bottom hand, not one for shoulder bargers.
The manufacturer blurb describes this as a silky smooth action. Well as with my view of the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament, if this is their idea of silky smooth I shudder to think what coarse, far less rough feels like. Yes when you are casting short lines, the butt flex helps load the rod quickly and it is very pleasant. However, once you reach 25 yards it starts shuddering and above 35 it is positively off the Richter scale.
Yes, for distance Kings, this rod will cast the Jocky M with 25 ft of tips forty yards. However, to turn that over you need to really power through the bottom handle, and here's the rub, just like a TCR you have to find the exact sweet spot in the timing, although a TCR will do it with a fraction of the effort and with far greater consistency. However, as 40 yard casts are only of marginal interest for most fishing situations, back to the 25-30 yard range. The action action means you have time to make a cup of tea while the rod loads. So you can form the D with Grace and Style, but once above 25 yards you will need to be slightly more agricultural in your delivery.
The rod feels surprisingly sturdy for it's lightness and I'm sure that it would have absolutely no difficulty in handling full sunk lines for those who still use them. I tried it with 15' of inty tip plus 10' of type six which is what I'd use instead of a Wet 2/Type 3 sinker. Rolled it up easily into the Single Spey. I didn't really try much, but my impression was that as with Nuclear Disarmament it would overhead cast well. As a Viking made rod, I'm sure it will handle shooting heads, but don't know for sure so.
Now on to one absolutely dreadful design flaw. Ease of comfort through the day means I, as do many others, hold the rod while fishing at the point of balance. For many rods, depending on the weight of the reel, this is usually where the blank meets the top handle. The same is particularly true of the Classic Spey which has a relatively short top handle. So why oh why put a fecking keeper ring there? Not only that, but a particularly chunky one to dig into your first finger. Top end American rod designers realised the folly of this years ago and dispensed with KRs. You might also find the short handle a little difficult at first if you are not called Sven, Stig, Jens or Per.
On a positive note the triangle reel seat looked as if would handle Classic Spey Reels and the locking felt very secure.
Conclussion
My conclussion is really no different to the CND except the CND is better finished and feels slightly more robust. However the CND is £200 more so you are entitled to expect that. So would I recommend someone shelling out £430 for this rod? There is little doubt it will perform the role of 15' all rounder. If I had to fish with this rod for the rest of my life it wouldn't be the end of the world. However, its action is not for me, and my difficulty, as with the CND, is wondering who it is designed for. So in the interests of balance, perhaps someone who thinks the search for the 'Holy Grail' is worth it and has used this (in the field) would explain why we should be excited about this style of rod.
Regardeth
CLaG
Had the opportunity to fish with this rod for an hour on Friday. So seeing as it is new on the market I thought you might be interested in some feedback. IMO an hour is not enough time to give an rod a full sea trial, but at least gives a more realistic impression of how it will perform under fire than messing around on a casting pond. The line used was a Jocky M and I was able to try a variety of head lengths and tip densities.
Basic Spec
Length - 15'
Pieces - 4
AFTM - 10/11
Rings - Two lined stripper rings, (can't remember the tip) chrome snakes
Weight - 10.5 oz
Blank - olive green
Whippings - claret
Reel Seat - Triangular double up locking
Cork butt and handle
Keeper ring
Bag - Cloth partition
Tube - covered with carrying strap
RRP - £430
General
This is another of the new fad for rods that try to recreate the old style spey rods that flex in the butt section but have a very modern fast tip recovery - see CND report. This rod does both. When you form the D you can really feel the Butt section bend - it is quite an odd sensation, and when you shoot the line the tip does, indeed, recover quickly. Note, this is a rod that works through use of the bottom hand, not one for shoulder bargers.
The manufacturer blurb describes this as a silky smooth action. Well as with my view of the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament, if this is their idea of silky smooth I shudder to think what coarse, far less rough feels like. Yes when you are casting short lines, the butt flex helps load the rod quickly and it is very pleasant. However, once you reach 25 yards it starts shuddering and above 35 it is positively off the Richter scale.
Yes, for distance Kings, this rod will cast the Jocky M with 25 ft of tips forty yards. However, to turn that over you need to really power through the bottom handle, and here's the rub, just like a TCR you have to find the exact sweet spot in the timing, although a TCR will do it with a fraction of the effort and with far greater consistency. However, as 40 yard casts are only of marginal interest for most fishing situations, back to the 25-30 yard range. The action action means you have time to make a cup of tea while the rod loads. So you can form the D with Grace and Style, but once above 25 yards you will need to be slightly more agricultural in your delivery.
The rod feels surprisingly sturdy for it's lightness and I'm sure that it would have absolutely no difficulty in handling full sunk lines for those who still use them. I tried it with 15' of inty tip plus 10' of type six which is what I'd use instead of a Wet 2/Type 3 sinker. Rolled it up easily into the Single Spey. I didn't really try much, but my impression was that as with Nuclear Disarmament it would overhead cast well. As a Viking made rod, I'm sure it will handle shooting heads, but don't know for sure so.
Now on to one absolutely dreadful design flaw. Ease of comfort through the day means I, as do many others, hold the rod while fishing at the point of balance. For many rods, depending on the weight of the reel, this is usually where the blank meets the top handle. The same is particularly true of the Classic Spey which has a relatively short top handle. So why oh why put a fecking keeper ring there? Not only that, but a particularly chunky one to dig into your first finger. Top end American rod designers realised the folly of this years ago and dispensed with KRs. You might also find the short handle a little difficult at first if you are not called Sven, Stig, Jens or Per.
On a positive note the triangle reel seat looked as if would handle Classic Spey Reels and the locking felt very secure.
Conclussion
My conclussion is really no different to the CND except the CND is better finished and feels slightly more robust. However the CND is £200 more so you are entitled to expect that. So would I recommend someone shelling out £430 for this rod? There is little doubt it will perform the role of 15' all rounder. If I had to fish with this rod for the rest of my life it wouldn't be the end of the world. However, its action is not for me, and my difficulty, as with the CND, is wondering who it is designed for. So in the interests of balance, perhaps someone who thinks the search for the 'Holy Grail' is worth it and has used this (in the field) would explain why we should be excited about this style of rod.
Regardeth
CLaG