Rods, Reels & Poles

I recently reviewed two Westlake Xpanse feeder rods and was suitably impressed given their very modest price tag. This is the 11ft 6in pellet waggler rod from the very same range, which also comes in at a pretty unbelievable £49, too, although Fishing Republic members get an additional £10 off the price, taking them to just £39 apiece. That’s pretty unbelievable value for money in this day and age, so we have come to Meadowlands Fishery to get to grips with the rod. 

It’s a two-piece design and despite the price tag it sports all of the features you could want (or need), including stainless steel frame guides with titanium oxide rings. Manufactured using 24-ton tensile carbon it has a DownLok DPS style reel seat with an EVA fore-grip so it’s really comfortable in the hand when winding in and casting out all the while. The first point I noticed was that it’s certainly a stout tool, offering you plenty of backbone when fishing with bigger wagglers and targeting those larger than average size commercial carp. 

Priming the swim by pinging 8mm pellets regularly before having a cast, after 10 minutes I pick up the rod and slide a pellet into the bait band on the hair. First cast and the waggler lands with a satisfying ‘plop’ on the surface. Second cast the float lands with the same satisfying sound and just 20 seconds later it buries and I strike into a solid Meadowlands carp. 

It’s certainly plenty powerful enough for the job and as I wrestle with the carp the action is probably best described as a through action, but also quite ‘tippy’ – the top section of the rod appears to be doing most of the work, but the more you pull the more the rod leans into a through action. With the fish nearing the net the rod feels every bit in control as I slide the net under a lean common carp.In the hand the rod feels great in use, the graphics are really nice in my opinion and it looks every bit more expensive than the price tag would suggest. In fact, I said this about the feeder rods too, but if I handed you the rod without telling you the price I’m pretty certain you’d think it was a much more expensive offering. They’re exceptionally well priced and will get the job done every time.

Features
• AA grade cork handle
• Stainless steel frame guides
• Titanium oxide rings
• DownLok DPS-style reel seat
• EVA foregrip
• Casting weight 3-20g
• Line rating 3-8lb

RRP: £49 (Fishing Republic Member’s Price: £39)
WEBSITE: www.fishingrepublic.co.uk