A Ruddy Good Rod…19/08/2013

A Ruddy Good Rod…19/08/2013 I like short rods on the kayak. I like to reach the trace with my hand, I like to keep things close for obstructions and as long as I can reach around the bow I’m happy. For my lure and sea fishing it’s fine, there are plenty of rods available to choose from in the 6-8ft bracket (7ft being my perfect length) but for light freshwater things are far more limited. When I first started my feeder and float fishing I used a pair of 10ft match rods and they were alright; one of them chopped down to 7ft was more user friendly though casting distance was reduced markedly and the action was a bit off…I needed something designed for that length and weight… Light Rock Fishing has seen a range of ultralight lure rods come on the market recently and one of those offered by Fladen (though not currently available in the UK) caught my eye – the 2-16g 198cm Maxximus IM10 Highest Modulus and I was fortunate enough to lay my hands on one. I’d been using a 10-40g 8ft Vantage Spinning Rod and this had done well on the rivers with a decent casting range and enough power to drag larger fish out of the weeds but was somewhat overpowered for the smaller stuff and made bite detection in low light while legering a bit difficult. This might answer my prayers and I eagerly awaited its arrival. And then it came… Oh, a bag to open too – like pass the parcel the excitement was building! And it looked smart… I couldn’t open the ties quick enough and when I did I got the first sight of quality with an engraved brass end cap. Nice graphics too. The hook clip was especially sexy; not only looking good it also folded away, nice attention to detail there! The reel fitting and lashings of cork and carbon were very pleasing and the rings looked good quality too. The rings…okay, let’s talk about the construction in more detail. The rings were Fuji Alconite rings, the blurb being: [i]Since the introduction of Alconite Ring Concept Guides, rod builders and anglers alike have been amazed at their performance characteristics. When combined with the lightweight New Guide Concept frame the results are unparalleled.... 35% lighter and up to 50% stronger than ordinary guides. These Alconite Concept Guides incorporate Fuji’s Corrosion Resistant S-4 Stainless Steel for easier maintenance. Fuji’s Engineers thought long and hard on how to make a guide lighter and stronger yet keep the cost down. After years of research they came up with Alconite, a special type of ceramic that offers strength, lightness, and durability. In fact Alconite offers 80% greater compression strength and is 20% lighter than aluminum oxide. Also through Fuji’s Diamond Polishing, Alconite boasts a finish that is smoother than that of Hardloy®. Fuji engineers were also able to make Alconite the thinnest and lightest ceramic ring available today; even 7% lighter than standard SiC Rings! Alconite is one more reason why Fuji is the undisputed leader in rod components.[/i] Sounds great, looks great! What about the IM10 blank? [i] HexTow® IM10 carbon fibre is a continuous, high performance, intermediate modulus, PAN based fibre available in 12,000 (12K) filament count tows. This fibre has been surface treated and can be sized to improve its interlaminar shear properties, handling characteristics, and structural properties. It is suggested for use in weaving, pre-pregging, filament winding, braiding, and pultrusion. The unique properties of HexTow® IM10 fibre, such as the highest commercially available tensile strength, intermediate modulus, and good shear strength allow structural designers to achieve higher safety margins for both stiffness and strength critical applications.[/i] Dunno what that means but it sure does sound great! Now to put it to use. I rigged it up with my Maxximus DX2000 and 4.4lb tournament line, a size 6 hook, a small leger running between 2 shot on an eight inch length with a twelve inch hook length. A couple of Green Giant sweetcorn on the hook and I was ready for fishing. So once more to Ellingham for dusk. On the Tetra again, I paddled down to my usual spot and cast in over a handful of corn. Propped against the log I had a nice steady platform to see bites; they weren’t long in coming and the first fish to fall to my new rod was a chub. A dace followed, a decent one… …soon followed by the first of many good rudd. Yep, the feel of this new rod was what I wanted; responsive and great transmission from the fish and still it had the power I’d need later if I had a better fish on and heading into the weedbeds. As the moon shone down on the rod tip the bites faded away and I waited for a better fish; about this time is when the larger chub have been coming along and snaffling the baits with the smaller ones taking cover; unsurprisingly as the pike were taking fish on the surface every now and then. Here was a better bite, nice and firm and the rod went from twitching to bending as I struck into a better fish; chub. I led it past the reeds and around the front of the kayak – just enough length here – and over to my net. Up it came and, now owning some scales, it went 1lb 12oz. Not the largest I’ve had here of late but a good fish and a perfect christening. Might as well go home then! Except I couldn’t leave yet and winkled out a couple more half pound rudd while hoping for a big chub. Oh well, there’s always that last cast.