Map 901
The Best… Bar Absolutely None! Editor Alex Bones checks out MAP’s latest flagship pole – the hotly anticipated 901!
Here at Match Fishing we get new tackle to test on a weekly basis. Sure, we tip most of it as good, as a product to look out for, or better than its predecessor but we wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.
When it comes to standout products, though, it can sometimes become difficult to express just how good they are. Well, be in no doubt that in my opinion this is THE best commercially available pole ever launched, bar absolutely none!
I’d be happy to fish with any manufacturer’s flagship pole – they’re all very, very good – but the 901 is special – it’s such a carefully thought out product that suits my fishing perfectly. If I could have designed a pole from the floor up, this would be it!
The company’s existing flagship model, the already superb 801, even has to take a bow at the 901’s credentials! MAP has been able to achieve such a feat of engineering brilliance thanks to the use of materials that only they have the use of at this time! This sees the pole weigh in at 108g less than the 801 – an incredible amount to shave off an already brilliant piece of kit!
This weight saving also sees the 901 stand 20g lighter than the market’s leading flagship pole! Not only is MAP’s now the lightest flagship pole available it’s so stiff that you simply won’t believe it until you try it!
This is a true performance-driven product that has been agonised over by MAP’s brand manager, Mike Robinson, and his team for the last 18 months. What’s more, it has been specifically designed for the UK market, meaning strength is absolutely key! To give you some idea, when I tried to lift a 10lb common carp clean out of the water at full length that was torpedoing across the lake while making every effort to break me, the pole held firm!
When I say I ‘test’ products… I mean it! I enjoy the thrill of subjecting kit to destruction-level-testing because it’s my duty… and I can! It means I put product, in this case a £5,999.99 pole, through pressures it’s unlikely to have to withstand in normal use. If I don’t break it then it’s unlikely you will!
MAP’s TKS top-kit system has been exceptionally well received with the 501, 601 and flagship 801 models being stand-out successes in their respective price categories.
The TKS system continues with the 901 – you can choose what top-kit configuration suits your style of angling. And, get this, the 901 comes with 14 spare top kits and a superb spares package!
There are a couple of top-kit options to choose from including standard two-piece Competition Match Kit-3s and Competition Power Kit-3s; all of which come cut back and ready-bushed for convenience.
All of the top kits feature a reinforced area that can be drilled to accept a puller bush – it’s very easy to do!
When I first removed the pole from its custom holdall it was the ultra-cool graphics that caught my attention first. There’s just something so understated yet powerfully appealing about gloss black lettering on satin black-finished sections!
The entire pole has a super-shippable fishing, with the 16m, 14.5m and 13m sections featuring the minimalist graphics. This ‘less is more’ approach does also help to save weight. Each section features Joint Alignment System (JAS) points and section numbers allowing the spine of the pole to be perfectly aligned for optimum rigidity. The sections are reassuringly strong if you squeeze them in your hand too, and are designed not to ‘oval’ under compression.
The Deal Clincher
Because a lot of my angling is commercial-fishery-based I don’t use excessively long top kits, but I was over the moon to hear that MAP has launched a short one-piece top kit with a reinforced area for a side puller!
Ever since I owned a Preston Innovations GiS10 pole with Short Stops (Preston’s version of a one-piece short top kit) I’ve always wanted them for every other pole I’ve owned, but Preston discontinued them and, until now, they weren’t widely available.
MAP’s versions are 180 centimetres (70.86 inches) in length and pack away perfectly into the 14.5m and 16m joints. For most of my fishing they’re absolutely perfect and give what I believe to be an optimum length of hollow elastic. As you’d expect, they stiffen up an already poker-stiff pole beyond all comprehension and if you go one step further and add the short No4 you’re left with a tool that I doubt will be bettered for quite some time. There is no recoil on the tip, even at full length, and your ability to strike at tiny dips on the float and hit previously unhittable bites because of delay is entirely transformed! I’d go so far as to say that because of these elements this pole will make you a better angler.
The Mini Competition (90cm/35.43in) extension supplied goes some way to making up for lost length if you’re using the short kits or a short No4.
Alex’s Conclusion
This is a go-anywhere, do-anything top-of-the-range pole that has its nose stuck out in front of any other I’ve tested! The 901 is in an entirely different stratosphere to everything else out there!
It’s the stiffest pole I’ve ever used, without any compromise in strength. Throughout rigorous on-the-bank testing I couldn't find a single thing not to like! Unquestionably this year’s standout product for me.
The Package
• 16m pole with pre-bushed Competition Match Kit-3 inside
• 8 pre-bushed Competition Match Kit-3s
• 4 pre-bushed Competiton Power Kit-3s
• 3 Competition Short Number 4 sections
• Rigid Cupping Kit with two cups
• Reinforced mini extension
• Deluxe 901 holdall
• 12 month guarantee
• (Top kit package can be tailored)
RRP: £5,999.99
Here at Match Fishing we get new tackle to test on a weekly basis. Sure, we tip most of it as good, as a product to look out for, or better than its predecessor but we wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.
When it comes to standout products, though, it can sometimes become difficult to express just how good they are. Well, be in no doubt that in my opinion this is THE best commercially available pole ever launched, bar absolutely none!
I’d be happy to fish with any manufacturer’s flagship pole – they’re all very, very good – but the 901 is special – it’s such a carefully thought out product that suits my fishing perfectly. If I could have designed a pole from the floor up, this would be it!
The company’s existing flagship model, the already superb 801, even has to take a bow at the 901’s credentials! MAP has been able to achieve such a feat of engineering brilliance thanks to the use of materials that only they have the use of at this time! This sees the pole weigh in at 108g less than the 801 – an incredible amount to shave off an already brilliant piece of kit!
This weight saving also sees the 901 stand 20g lighter than the market’s leading flagship pole! Not only is MAP’s now the lightest flagship pole available it’s so stiff that you simply won’t believe it until you try it!
This is a true performance-driven product that has been agonised over by MAP’s brand manager, Mike Robinson, and his team for the last 18 months. What’s more, it has been specifically designed for the UK market, meaning strength is absolutely key! To give you some idea, when I tried to lift a 10lb common carp clean out of the water at full length that was torpedoing across the lake while making every effort to break me, the pole held firm!
When I say I ‘test’ products… I mean it! I enjoy the thrill of subjecting kit to destruction-level-testing because it’s my duty… and I can! It means I put product, in this case a £5,999.99 pole, through pressures it’s unlikely to have to withstand in normal use. If I don’t break it then it’s unlikely you will!
MAP’s TKS top-kit system has been exceptionally well received with the 501, 601 and flagship 801 models being stand-out successes in their respective price categories.
The TKS system continues with the 901 – you can choose what top-kit configuration suits your style of angling. And, get this, the 901 comes with 14 spare top kits and a superb spares package!
There are a couple of top-kit options to choose from including standard two-piece Competition Match Kit-3s and Competition Power Kit-3s; all of which come cut back and ready-bushed for convenience.
All of the top kits feature a reinforced area that can be drilled to accept a puller bush – it’s very easy to do!
When I first removed the pole from its custom holdall it was the ultra-cool graphics that caught my attention first. There’s just something so understated yet powerfully appealing about gloss black lettering on satin black-finished sections!
The entire pole has a super-shippable fishing, with the 16m, 14.5m and 13m sections featuring the minimalist graphics. This ‘less is more’ approach does also help to save weight. Each section features Joint Alignment System (JAS) points and section numbers allowing the spine of the pole to be perfectly aligned for optimum rigidity. The sections are reassuringly strong if you squeeze them in your hand too, and are designed not to ‘oval’ under compression.
The Deal Clincher
Because a lot of my angling is commercial-fishery-based I don’t use excessively long top kits, but I was over the moon to hear that MAP has launched a short one-piece top kit with a reinforced area for a side puller!
Ever since I owned a Preston Innovations GiS10 pole with Short Stops (Preston’s version of a one-piece short top kit) I’ve always wanted them for every other pole I’ve owned, but Preston discontinued them and, until now, they weren’t widely available.
MAP’s versions are 180 centimetres (70.86 inches) in length and pack away perfectly into the 14.5m and 16m joints. For most of my fishing they’re absolutely perfect and give what I believe to be an optimum length of hollow elastic. As you’d expect, they stiffen up an already poker-stiff pole beyond all comprehension and if you go one step further and add the short No4 you’re left with a tool that I doubt will be bettered for quite some time. There is no recoil on the tip, even at full length, and your ability to strike at tiny dips on the float and hit previously unhittable bites because of delay is entirely transformed! I’d go so far as to say that because of these elements this pole will make you a better angler.
The Mini Competition (90cm/35.43in) extension supplied goes some way to making up for lost length if you’re using the short kits or a short No4.
Alex’s Conclusion
This is a go-anywhere, do-anything top-of-the-range pole that has its nose stuck out in front of any other I’ve tested! The 901 is in an entirely different stratosphere to everything else out there!
It’s the stiffest pole I’ve ever used, without any compromise in strength. Throughout rigorous on-the-bank testing I couldn't find a single thing not to like! Unquestionably this year’s standout product for me.
The Package
• 16m pole with pre-bushed Competition Match Kit-3 inside
• 8 pre-bushed Competition Match Kit-3s
• 4 pre-bushed Competiton Power Kit-3s
• 3 Competition Short Number 4 sections
• Rigid Cupping Kit with two cups
• Reinforced mini extension
• Deluxe 901 holdall
• 12 month guarantee
• (Top kit package can be tailored)
RRP: £5,999.99
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