- Browning Gum Connectors
- Stiff Powergum connectors for easily attaching pole rigs to
- Soft rubber bead to protect elastic knot
- Available in hi-viz orange and yellow
Tuesday 14 May 2013
Browning Gum Connectors
Maver Easy Flow Beads
- Maver Easy Flow Beads
- Perfect buffer beads for preventing elastic re-entering the pole
- Soft but durable rubber tube to protect the elastic knot
- Work well with puller bungs and side puller kits
Sensas Elastic Centralisers
- Sensas Elastic Centralisers
- Hard, protective foam with central PTFE bush
- Allows smooth running of elastic through pole sections
- Available in 10mm, 14mm, 18mm and 23mm
Preston Innovations Total Control Pole Rest
- Preston Innovations Total Control Pole Rest
- Helps leave hands free while pole fishing
- Provides sturdy support at the back end of the pole in windy conditions
- Enables smooth shipping of the larger butt sections
Sensas Weather Break Side Tray
•Sensas Weather Break Side Tray
- Protects your bait from sun and rain
• Supplied with two telescopic 25mm supportive legs
• Measures 45 x 65 centimetres
- Protects your bait from sun and rain
• Supplied with two telescopic 25mm supportive legs
• Measures 45 x 65 centimetres
Drennan G-Tip 3 Pole Float
- Drennan G-Tip 3 Pole Float
- Highly visible, hollow-polymer glow tips
- Slim-bodied pattern with carbon stem, ideal for fishing on the drop
- Versatile sizes from 0.25g to 2g
Maver Easy Flow Slot
•The Maver Easy Flow Slot
Enables top kits to be converted into side pullers
• High-quality, durable and smooth material
• Can be positioned anywhere along your top kit
Sensas Carp X Power 445
Matt Godfrey’s verdict on the new power pole from Sensas!
I use a Sensas pole for all my fishing and after two years of abuse it’s still going strong! When an offercame along to test the new Sensas Carp X Power 445, I couldn’t turn it down. This package is specifically designed for the UK commercial angler and I was keen to see if it met the three essential ‘S’ factors… strength, stiffness and spares!
One thing that has always impressed me with Sensas’ pole packages is their value for money. The 445 passed the spares test straightaway, coming with a generous three power top-two kits, a match top-three kit and a cupping kit, not discounting the holdall and set of water stoppers also included!
I wanted to take the pole somewhere that I could catch a few big fish but also get plenty of bites to put it through its paces. The weather was against me for catching big carp, so I decided to go to the small lake at Mill Barn Pools in Barby, Northamptonshire. This pond is full of small carp to the 2lb mark but holds a healthy smattering of bigger old specimens too.
On assembling the pole, I was immediately impressed with several of its features. The 13m section has a reinforced area covering the bottom few feet. This creates extra strength in an area that receives a lot of ill treatment from elbows. Also along the 13m and 14m sections are small numbered markers at 12in intervals to be used as distance gauges. When plumbing up on many commercials, you often find a shallow bar or drop-off halfway along a section. Rather than marking the pole with Tipp-Ex, you can simply remember the number on the section and hold the pole here thanks to the markers.
I decided to keep my approach very simple for the test, feeding a maggot line in open water and a pellet line towards the bank to my right. Not knowing what to expect, I set up two top kits with soft hollow elastics. At 13 metres the pole was exceptionally stiff, even with a Kinder pot on! The first bites from small carp were tiny dinks but with a gentle lift the fast reaction of the pole made connecting with them easy. I spent the first hour enjoying the small-fish action before having a look for some larger samples at 14 metres towards the bank.
It soon became apparent that there were a lot more small carp in the lake than I initially thought. Even after increasing the feed and trying a 6mm pellet, the crucians and goldfish still managed to get in on the action. With the 14m extension added, a small amount of rigidity was lost in the 445, but the pole remained more than comfortable to fish with and had excellent balance.
Towards the end of the session I started to connect with some feisty commons and mirrors up to the 3lb mark. These certainly led me a merry dance but not once did I feel out of control and they were a pleasure to catch on the pole.
All in all, I feel that the Carp X Power 445 is perfect for the UK’s commercial match angler. Its 14m length is more than enough for many fisheries but, unlike some mid-range poles, it performs excellently at full length. I dare say that with an extra extension it would still be manageable!
Tech Spec
Sensas Carp X Power 445
RRP: £749 (13m pole available separate at £500)
Package: 14m pole containing one match top-three kit, three power top-two kits, cupping kit with cups, pole holdall, water stopper set
MAP TKS 501
Jon Arthur's verdict on MAP's latest mid-range offering – the MAP TKS 501!
Hat's off to the guys at MAP because I know how hard they've been working on the new TKS range. There's a real passion and enthusiasm about the products they are bringing out at the moment and it's refreshing to see. I have witnessed first-hand how they operate and I know they aren't simply picking things out of a trade catalogue and slapping their logos on them. Far from it, they look at everything from the ground up before redesigning and tweaking every last detail. This is immediately apparent with the TKS family.
A quick look at the packages on offer and I can see that half the battle has already been won. They've obviously looked at what the competition has put on the table before showing their own hand. Cosmetically, the range really does look fantastic, too. They are easily MAP's best-looking poles to date, with their subtle honeycomb graphics and all the key details and features nicely emphasised. I really hoped that all this hard exterior wasn't veiling a softer underbelly in the performance stakes. There was only one way to find out, so I armed myself with a MAP TKS 501 and paid my local Packington Somers fishery a visit.
I chose a peg on Molands because it's a great mixed lake with plenty of width and everything from carp to roach, plus lots of skimmers, crucians and tench to keep you guessing. Unpacking the ample holdall, you immediately see what you're getting for your £899. Everything is nicely tubed. The pole packs into three – 13 metres plus the two butts – and I'm really surprised how slim the butt sections are. Normally at this price I'd expect to see a wider-diameter butt to compensate for any loss of rigidity but this was not the case. What's more, there is virtually no flex or give in any of the sections. The walls are all really solid with no ovaling under your elbow on the strike. I would have no doubts using the pole for carp crunching and hit-and-hold situations.
Along with the match kit in the pole, the 501 is supplied with two more Match Kits and two Power Kits plus a mini-extension and cupping kit. There's no need to glue or chop anything because the top kits are all pre-bushed, while the cupping kit is pre-threaded and ready to go with a choice of two screw-on cups. As I hoped, everything is exactly the same length and I wish all manufacturers would start to realise what a bonus this is. Being pre-bushed also gets you fishing quicker and cuts out the tedious job of choosing the right PTFE bushes and nervously cutting them all back yourself. Both the Power and Match kits are 2.7 metres and just two sections long. I am so glad they have done away with those scrawny little No1s that most of us chuck away. Each also has a reinforced wrap towards the base of the No2 where they could be converted into side-puller kits if needed.
I got to fish with the pole for a full five hours and couldn't believe how good it was. I started off with two 13m swims, potting in tiny nuggets of groundbait and dead maggots, and was soon into a run of handsome F1s, tench to 2lb, 1lb-plus skimmers and even the odd big crucian carp. After two hours I popped two more sections on and started a new swim over potted-in casters. Another muscular tench and a good run of big F1s immediately followed. Even though this isn't a top-of-the-range pole I had no problems whatsoever holding it at 16 metres. I wouldn't say that it was featherlight at this length but it was still comfortable to hold all day and really nicely balanced.
There was no discernible sag and the recovery on the strike was good thanks to the extra-stiff Match Kit I had elasticated. If I had to be really picky, perhaps one more top kit wouldn't have gone amiss, but I doubt MAP could possibly cram any more into the package and still give you a great-performing pole for less than £900. It is easily on a par with anything else in that price bracket. In fact, it is possibly the best pole I've ever handled for less than £900!
I ended up having one of the nicest day's fishing I can remember, with a proper mixed net from 10oz roach to 2lb tench. More importantly, I was left extremely impressed with the TKS 501. Great looks, great package and a great pole to fish with. I'm not sure how the boys at MAP have done it but I'm so glad they have!
TECH SPEC
RRP: £899
Package: 16m pole plus two spare pre-bushed Match Kits, two spare pre-bushed Power Kits, Ultra Rigid Cupping Kit and cups, mini-extension, tubes, deluxe pole holdall
A quick look at the packages on offer and I can see that half the battle has already been won. They've obviously looked at what the competition has put on the table before showing their own hand. Cosmetically, the range really does look fantastic, too. They are easily MAP's best-looking poles to date, with their subtle honeycomb graphics and all the key details and features nicely emphasised. I really hoped that all this hard exterior wasn't veiling a softer underbelly in the performance stakes. There was only one way to find out, so I armed myself with a MAP TKS 501 and paid my local Packington Somers fishery a visit.
I chose a peg on Molands because it's a great mixed lake with plenty of width and everything from carp to roach, plus lots of skimmers, crucians and tench to keep you guessing. Unpacking the ample holdall, you immediately see what you're getting for your £899. Everything is nicely tubed. The pole packs into three – 13 metres plus the two butts – and I'm really surprised how slim the butt sections are. Normally at this price I'd expect to see a wider-diameter butt to compensate for any loss of rigidity but this was not the case. What's more, there is virtually no flex or give in any of the sections. The walls are all really solid with no ovaling under your elbow on the strike. I would have no doubts using the pole for carp crunching and hit-and-hold situations.
Along with the match kit in the pole, the 501 is supplied with two more Match Kits and two Power Kits plus a mini-extension and cupping kit. There's no need to glue or chop anything because the top kits are all pre-bushed, while the cupping kit is pre-threaded and ready to go with a choice of two screw-on cups. As I hoped, everything is exactly the same length and I wish all manufacturers would start to realise what a bonus this is. Being pre-bushed also gets you fishing quicker and cuts out the tedious job of choosing the right PTFE bushes and nervously cutting them all back yourself. Both the Power and Match kits are 2.7 metres and just two sections long. I am so glad they have done away with those scrawny little No1s that most of us chuck away. Each also has a reinforced wrap towards the base of the No2 where they could be converted into side-puller kits if needed.
I got to fish with the pole for a full five hours and couldn't believe how good it was. I started off with two 13m swims, potting in tiny nuggets of groundbait and dead maggots, and was soon into a run of handsome F1s, tench to 2lb, 1lb-plus skimmers and even the odd big crucian carp. After two hours I popped two more sections on and started a new swim over potted-in casters. Another muscular tench and a good run of big F1s immediately followed. Even though this isn't a top-of-the-range pole I had no problems whatsoever holding it at 16 metres. I wouldn't say that it was featherlight at this length but it was still comfortable to hold all day and really nicely balanced.
There was no discernible sag and the recovery on the strike was good thanks to the extra-stiff Match Kit I had elasticated. If I had to be really picky, perhaps one more top kit wouldn't have gone amiss, but I doubt MAP could possibly cram any more into the package and still give you a great-performing pole for less than £900. It is easily on a par with anything else in that price bracket. In fact, it is possibly the best pole I've ever handled for less than £900!
I ended up having one of the nicest day's fishing I can remember, with a proper mixed net from 10oz roach to 2lb tench. More importantly, I was left extremely impressed with the TKS 501. Great looks, great package and a great pole to fish with. I'm not sure how the boys at MAP have done it but I'm so glad they have!
TECH SPEC
RRP: £899
Package: 16m pole plus two spare pre-bushed Match Kits, two spare pre-bushed Power Kits, Ultra Rigid Cupping Kit and cups, mini-extension, tubes, deluxe pole holdall
Preston Innovations GXR 3600
The
GXR 3600 really impressed me at the Preston Innovations press day, so I really
wanted to get it out on the bank to see how it fished.
That opportunity arose with a rare couple of hours’ pleasure fishing at
my local Tunnel Barn Farm. I had never fished Jenny’s Pool at this complex
before but knew that there were some proper carp as well as weight-building F1s
in there, so that was where I headed for.
The GXR 3600 succeeds the very popular GXR 3001. I was already very familiar with that model because my work colleague Tom Scholey has been using one for the past 18 months. The obvious thing to do before anything else was get the poles side by side. Both have the same Sun Core finish and Fusion process in their construction but the GXR 3600 seemed better in every other department.
As I have come to expect with Preston, the package is also excellent, with loads of spares, including five power kits rated to No18 elastic, three match kits rated to No12 elastic and a match top four – setting you up perfectly to tackle a variety of waters.
Out on the bank I was greeted with a tricky, blustery wind to test the pole’s rigidity. My plan was very simple because all I had on my side tray was a single slice of bread! I have been catching a lot of fish lately by ‘dobbing’ breadpunch at half depth towards the far bank and hoped that it would work on this lake too. In short, it did, because from the very first cast I was into chunky mirrors and commons to 3lb, plus the occasional F1. As bites subsided I simply chased the fish left and right of the island in front of me, eventually pushing the pole right up to its full 16 metres.
Even with the wind buffeting the pole I couldn’t fault its performance. It felt really strong and robust with no discernible flex. The walls are quite substantial and that gives you loads of confidence for tackling carp, while the balance is excellent and fishable right up to maximum length. I would class it as a great all-round pole for both carp and silvers but there is more than enough ‘grunt’ to deal with heavy-duty situations.
In just a couple of hours I had bagged nearly 30lb of fish on a single slice of bread. The pole performed brilliantly and I would be more than happy to use it on a top-flight match. The £1,500 bracket is a really tough category to make an impact in but I feel that Preston has a really strong contender in the GXR 3600!
TECH SPEC
Package: 16m pole plus two match top three, one match top four, five power kits, mini extension, Kup Kit and Kups, Genis 10-tube holdall
RRP: £1,499
SSP: £1,395
The GXR 3600 succeeds the very popular GXR 3001. I was already very familiar with that model because my work colleague Tom Scholey has been using one for the past 18 months. The obvious thing to do before anything else was get the poles side by side. Both have the same Sun Core finish and Fusion process in their construction but the GXR 3600 seemed better in every other department.
As I have come to expect with Preston, the package is also excellent, with loads of spares, including five power kits rated to No18 elastic, three match kits rated to No12 elastic and a match top four – setting you up perfectly to tackle a variety of waters.
Out on the bank I was greeted with a tricky, blustery wind to test the pole’s rigidity. My plan was very simple because all I had on my side tray was a single slice of bread! I have been catching a lot of fish lately by ‘dobbing’ breadpunch at half depth towards the far bank and hoped that it would work on this lake too. In short, it did, because from the very first cast I was into chunky mirrors and commons to 3lb, plus the occasional F1. As bites subsided I simply chased the fish left and right of the island in front of me, eventually pushing the pole right up to its full 16 metres.
Even with the wind buffeting the pole I couldn’t fault its performance. It felt really strong and robust with no discernible flex. The walls are quite substantial and that gives you loads of confidence for tackling carp, while the balance is excellent and fishable right up to maximum length. I would class it as a great all-round pole for both carp and silvers but there is more than enough ‘grunt’ to deal with heavy-duty situations.
In just a couple of hours I had bagged nearly 30lb of fish on a single slice of bread. The pole performed brilliantly and I would be more than happy to use it on a top-flight match. The £1,500 bracket is a really tough category to make an impact in but I feel that Preston has a really strong contender in the GXR 3600!
TECH SPEC
Package: 16m pole plus two match top three, one match top four, five power kits, mini extension, Kup Kit and Kups, Genis 10-tube holdall
RRP: £1,499
SSP: £1,395
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