All Reviews

Distance feeder fishing has become more and more popular over recent years and it’s absolutely a tactic you should have in your armoury. On those venues where you NEED to chuck long to reach the fish, or outcast other anglers, you simply cannot get the job done properly without the right tools for the job. Luckily Daiwa has the answer as it set to work on this beautiful range of Spectron distance rods some time ago. After months of rigorous testing and development with its consultants they’ve narrowed it down to a set of three rods, aptly named Distance Ultra, which are available in 12ft, 13ft and 14ft lengths.

These are proper tools for the job and have clearly been developed from the ground up to deliver exactly what those distance hungry anglers are looking for. Each of the rods comes supplied with 3oz, 4oz and 5oz tip sections – yes, 5oz, you read that correctly. And, as you would expect from Daiwa, these rods boast a whole host of features including HVF High Volume Fibre carbon, Armlock Duplon handle, Fuji DPS reel seat, SeaGuide MK/LS Guides and so on. They’re power tools designed for big boy jobs and as soon as you assemble one of the rods you can feel the power you’re getting throughout the blanks. The 14ft models is quite literally the Eddy ‘The Beast’ Hall of the feeder rod world and is capable of casting up to 200g in weight, with the 12ft and 13ft models rated to 150g and 180g casting weights respectively.

Specialist Sea Guides aid strength and performance, while the Fuji DPS reel seat offers best in class performance. The graphics are classic Spectron red and black (which look stunning by the way) and the rods just fill you with confidence. As soon as you thread the line up the rings the rods just make you want to wind a big cast up and blast a feeder to the horizon!

These aren’t Daiwa’s quoted figures, but if I was to own a set I’d confidently say that the 12ft model will comfortably handle 80 metres, the 13ft model will get you to triple figures with the right reel, line and feeder combo and the 14ft will see you well over that distance with the 5oz tip fitted – IF you have the need to cast that far of course. Talking of reels, I’ve matched one of the rods up with the lovely Daiwa N’ZON 24 PLUS Distance 25QD reel. This is a beauty of a tool and will make the perfect companion for each of the three rods if you want to keep everything within the Daiwa stable.

What does Daiwa say about this reel? 

“Its 25mm LC Long Cast spool ensures near perfect line release, thanks to the combination of refined line lay and the two-edged spool lip. This small feature delivers a big effect by controlling the line release to optimise line travel but at a micro level of resistance to ensure maximum casting distance. Winding power and crank rate match the casting prowess, Digigear 2 and 4BB combine to make smooth work of heavy loads and the geared down ratio of 4.7:1 returns up to 96cm per handle turn. 

“Accuracy at distance is assisted with the spring-loaded HIP High Impact Line Clip. The choice of a ‘running spool’ for rip round bites or ‘drag engaged’ are easy options thanks to QD. Less than a single turn of the drag knob lets you apply and reduce the spool resistance.
“High levels of toughness and endurance come as standard with this reel. The full spec Air Bail and Air Rotor provide a truly solid combination. Although a long 25mm stroke spool, the body is surprisingly compact. Weight is also managed to 450g with both body and rotor being made for high precision composite carbons: Zaion and Zaion V. To finish off this distance feeder speciality, the one-touch folding handle makes pack-down rapid and convenient as most will remain on a rod, set up for next time.”

This is a distance combo made for those wanting outstanding performance without spending ridiculous money. This combo will absolutely rival (and in most cases better) many of the other offerings that are out there. The rods range in RRP from £190 to £220 and the reel comes in at £329.99.

ROD FEATURES:
HVF High Volume Fibre
Armlock Duplon handle
Fuji DPS reel seat
SeaGuide MK/LS Guides
Supplied with 3, 4 and 5oz CT quivertips

REEL FEATURES:
ZAION Body
ZAION V Air Rotor
Air Bail
Digigear 2
LC Long Cast ABS Spool
QD Quick Drag
Cross Wrap
HIP High Impact Line Clip
One-Touch Folding Handle
TwistBuster 3
Infinite Anti-Reverse

RRP:
Rods £190 to £220
Reel £329.99