Rods, Reels & Poles

On a tight budget? Can’t afford the latest all-singing, all-dancing whistles and bells of the latest flagship range from the big brands but need a new rod for commercial matches that won’t break the bank to get you on the bank? Well, don’t despair, because low budget has never stood in the way of high quality for Shakespeare, and the new SC-2 Super Commercial range proves that. 

We’ve picked out three rods from the range to have a look at – the 11ft Carp Feeder, the 9ft Bomb and the 11ft Pellet Waggler. 

Ideal for short chucks on smaller, intimate venues the 9ft Bomb will put a bomb or 30g Method feeder against the far bank of smaller waters and the two glass quivertips supplied (1oz and 1.5oz) are sensitive enough to deal with bites from F1s and silvers alike, while the blank looks to have enough power to subdue larger specimens and could be just the rod to underarm a Method feeder short for those big fish that live close in.If you need to put a bigger feeder out a longer distance, take a look at the 11ft Carp Feeder – this will cast feeders up to 50g a fair old way and the same two glass quivers will do the job again.

For float fans, the 1ft Pellet Waggler makes an ideal choice and will cast wagglers, pellet wagglers, water wagglers and splashers from 5g to 15g. There’s power in the butt too for casting but not breaking off on the strike (or simply holding on when a carp takes the pellet as it hits the water!).

This rod range gives commercial match and pleasure anglers something to cover all aspects of commercial fishery styles. The soft, through action blanks absorb the heavy lunges from hard fighting carp and still stay delicate enough to set small hooks home on shy biting skimmers, F1s and roach.Other models include 10ft and 12ft feeder models, so they pretty much have commercial fishing covered. As for the fixtures and fittings, they are all good enough to see plenty of action – the satin black finish and minimal graphics look great, the guides are good quality and there are enough of them, with high stand-off single leg versions on the float rod and beefed-up bigger two-leg guides on the bomb and feeder rods. The reel seats are secure and comfortable and there are nice touches such as flat sections on the mixed cork/EVA handles for your elbow, hook keeper rings and engraved Superteam logos on the butts. 

In fact, whatever your budget, take a look at these rods and see if they merit a place in your holdall.

Features
• 30T carbon blanks
• Cork/EVA hybrid handles
• Flat handle design
• Dedicated commercial style actions
• Screw -down reel seat
• Line rating 3lb to 6lb

RRP: From £65 to £80
WEBSITE: www.shakespeare-fishing.co.uk