Maver Elite 66 Pole

Joe Carass takes a close look at a new pole from Maver that has been designed for a variety of match situations...


Maver has a huge reputation for producing some of the finest poles on the market. I’ve always been a massive fan of its poles, having used two models from the competition range in the past – the 481 and the 501. They were both outstanding poles and each served me well for a number of years. I liked them because not only were they both really good to use, but they were also deceptively strong. I won a lot of matches with them, so I will always have a soft spot for Maver poles!

But, as with all things, technology moves on and, as always, Maver is right at the forefront of pole design. The Elite 66 isn’t actually the top of the range – that accolade belongs to the Elite 88 – but the pole is still something truly special.

The tech specs are pretty amazing – at 13 metres the pole weighs 770g and at 11 metres it weighs just 570g. It’s all well and good having a light pole, unless it’s going to be unbalanced or feel brittle… and this one doesn’t! The Elite 66 feels really strong, although I wouldn’t want to use it for fishing in snags – it’s way too good for that!

It is rated to a 16-19 Dual Core elastic when the power kits are fitted and I reckon it is easily strong enough to take this if you use the pole sensibly. I do think, though, that it is better suited for elastics up to a No14. The match kits that come with the pole are very stiff and are rated to No10 elastic, and I know from personal experience that they are easily capable of this when the No1 section is removed.

The Sun Core finish on the pole is fantastic and the pole glides through the hands perfectly. What is nice is how slim the pole is; many poles have a large diameter at the butt, but this one remains nice and slim. This helps the pole remain rigid in the wind as the slim diameter cuts through it. I have held many poles since I started this job but not many have been as stiff as the 66 – at 13 metres it is incredible, and when you add the next two extensions it stays as stiff as a poker!

The package that comes with the pole is very good and gives you plenty of options, so you won’t need to spend loads of money on additional spares. Also, for 2011, Maver is running a promotional offer where you receive one match top three and one match top four, which brings the package up to 10 kits overall.

To sum up, this pole is great – it’s light, stiff, slim and strong, and the package is also good. It is quite possibly the finest pole I’ve ever used, which is amazing when you realise that there is a pole above this in the range!

Maver Elite 66 package includes:
• 16m pole
• 4 x deluxe power kits
• 1 x match top-3 kit
• 1 x match top-4 kit
• Cupping kit and cups
• Mini extension
• Deluxe holdall
• Clean caps
• DVD
• 2011 promotional offer

RRP: £3,667
SSP: £2,750



X