Rods, Reels & Poles

Daiwa N’ZON PBR (Pre Bait) Rods - When Power Is The Answer

Match Fishing Staff | May 20, 2024

If you’re serious about your feeder fishing then you might want to look at investing in a dedicated ‘feeding’ rod and reel setup for baiting your swims. These are Daiwa’s offerings and come in the shape of the N’ZON PBR (Pre Bait) rods and 20 N’ZON Distance 25 Reel.

First of all, let’s look at why you might want to consider a dedicated feeding rod and reel. Well, firstly, it’s quicker and simpler than using the rod you’re fishing with and, secondly, this rod and reel is designed to deliver power and be able to cast much bigger feeders (and therefore more feed) at once. It’s essentially a very powerful rod and reel setup that you can have with you purely for the purpose of feeding.

You can cast large feeders and bait swims quickly whether you’re fishing just off your rod end, or at long range. It’ll take all the hammer of this strenuous task leaving your fishing rods ready for action. The PBR rods are available in two lengths – 12ft and 13ft. The 12ft model has a recommended casting weight of 240g and a distance rating of 60 metres plus, whereas the 13ft model can handle up to a 340g casting weight and is recommended for distances of 90 metres plus.Depending on the feeder type you’re using, and with the right reel line (or braid), you could comfortably bait up at over 100 metres – if the need arises. More likely though you’ll be fishing within more ‘sensible’ distances and the 12ft version of the two rods is likely to cater perfectly for most anglers' needs.

So what’s the benefit? Well aside from what I’ve already mentioned the powerful rod and stiffer action actually allows you to really empty the feeder quickly and accurately, especially if you’re using a braid main line. The stiff rod helps you to ‘jag’ the feeder much more aggressively through the water, helping you to empty the contents where you want it rather than all over the swim as you retrieve (which would defeat what you’re aiming to achieve).

It can be used to prebait a swim – maybe if you’re on a bream session where you want to put a good bed bait down first. Or, you can use it frequently throughout a match to keep your swims topped up – just as you would feed your various swims with a dedicated pole pot when fishing on the pole. The rods are loaded with nice features and both come in a three-piece configuration for easy transportation. The handles are longer than normal to really give you plenty of casting power and both the Armlock and finger grips on the handle give you a really secure purchase. There’s also a nice retention clip on the butt section that replaces the normal hook keeper.Remember these are tools for baiting up with, not for actually fishing with. And so power is key – you just need a setup like this to work and be reliable, there’s no place for finesse here!

The reel then – well, it’s a 20 N’ZON Distance 25. I actually already use a pair of these for my own long range fishing teamed up with 13ft distance rods, on places like Boddington Reservoir where I might need to cast a long way. The reels have a large spool and are no doubt ideal for this job too, as well as actually using for fishing. Mine have been faultless and the specs are perfect for more powerful cranking.

The reel has a 25mm spool (hence the name) and a geared down ratio of 4.6:1 designed for long range, powerful and heavy feeder work. It retrieves almost a metre of line/braid per turn (92 centimetres to be exact) and the shallower profile of the spool means that you don’t need to add miles of backing to fill the spool to the lip. Daiwa recommends just 150 metres of 0.28mm line to fill the spool, or 300 metres of 0.16mm braid. It’s a really smart looking, understated reel too with a very pleasing price tag, so it’ll be an ideal companion for either of the two rods. It also has two line clips, which could come in useful if you’re fishing multiple lines.We’ve taken this combination out on the bank today to give it a quick whirl and already you can understand the benefit of having a setup like this. It delivers large, bait-packed feeders with ease and you’re able to bait a swim in no time. I’m having a go with the Daiwa N’ZON Window PB feeders today as well and they just fly effortlessly. This is the sort of feeder you could use to fish/bait up at very long range because they just cast so well, so easily, like most window-type feeders do. The rod is plenty powerful and reassuringly more than up to the job. Although I’m doing a fair amount of feeder fishing and feeder-only matches myself I don’t carry a setup like this at the moment as I never felt I needed it. However, depending on the venues you fish (and now having tried this setup myself) I can absolutely recommend that a combo like this would be the ideal companion for any feeder angler.