Royal Bargains! Match Fishing takes a close look at Browning’s classy but affordable range of commercial rods, which are shockingly good value for money!

While most tackle manufacturers are itching to put their flagship rod range in front of us, it was very refreshing indeed to get our hands on a very affordable collection from Browning in the way of the Commercial King rod range. This set of tools has been in the Browning stable since 2010, when Browning was one of the first companies to introduce short rods for commercial fisheries. Since then, the company has worked closely with its consultants to present the latest range of Commercial King rods, which hit our office this month!

Magic Wands!

The first rods on the feeder front are the Commercial King Wands, all being two-piece tools, with 0.5oz, 1oz and 1.5oz tips. The standard 8ft Wand carries a smooth through action, with progressive power in the middle and lower part of the rod. This is ideal for all-round short-range commercial work, when catching a mixture of fish sizes and a balance of power and finesse is needed. The 8ft F1 Wand is super-soft; in fact 20 per cent softer than the Wand. It quite literally bends to the cork to absorb every head shake and nod of fish when you really need them to count. It will enable you to use fine hooklengths to get more bites in tricky conditions.

Then there’s the Wand XL, nine feet in length, for accurate casting a little further out. This is ideal for short island and open-water work, anything up to 25 metres distances. It has a balanced action, soft enough for skimmers and F1s, but with progressive power. Carp to double figures can be handled with ease.

Bombs Away!

This is the 10ft rod in this range, although we can’t quite understand why it’s labelled with ‘Bomb’? It’s a classy, through-action 10ft commercial rod that will handle everything you throw at it. Its first section is forgiving without flat spots, while the base of the rod holds some power. The short handle makes it a treat to use, enabling manoeuvrability for quick, regular casting, and easy fish-playing comfort.

Stepping Up!

The final feeder rod in the range is the Carp Feeder, an 11ft rod for medium-range work as many fisheries have features and islands, or require a cast from 25 to 45 metres. This rod cleverly retains some softness to prevent hook-pulls, but has some power in the lower rod to help punch out feeders up to 40g in weight, and control big commercial carp. The rod remains responsive too, helping to achieve accurate casts, even in windy conditions.

A Micro Mix

The first micro waggler rod in the range is the 9ft version, which is unbelievably lightweight and balanced, but deceptively powerful. It’s perfect for short-range waggler work in the summer months when fish are fighting hard. Then there’s the 10ft F1 version, slightly longer, and beautifully soft. It makes the perfect winter waggler rod for commercial work, when you’re looking to catch everything that swims, and scale down your tackle to maximise bites.

Pellet Power

These two-piece 11ft pellet waggler rods meet the short-handle spec, designed to enable anglers to quickly feed and cast right on the area to trick commercial fish. The Medium Pellet version has a smooth, medium action for match carp and F1s, while the Power Pellet is 15 per cent stiffer, giving you more power to control big carp and cast bigger floats, or when a bagging session is on the cards. All in all, a jaw-dropping range of rods for the money, which perform like rods of much greater value, and carry the finishing touches too. A big thumbs up from Match Fishing!

Tech Spec:

Model    Length    Sections         Tips (oz)            RRP

Wand     8ft            2               0.5,  1, 1.5       £59.95

Wand F1 8ft           2               0.5,  1, 1.5       £59.95

Wand XL 9ft           2               0.5,  1, 1.5       £69.65

Bomb 10ft              2              0.5,  1, 1.5       £74.95

Carp Feeder 11ft    2               0.5, 1, 1.5       £79.95

Micro Waggler 9ft  2               n/a                  £54.95

F1 Waggler 10ft    2               n/a                  £59.95

Medium Pellet 11ft 2              n/a                  £64.95

Power Pellet 11ft    2              n/a                  £69.95

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