Join The Elite! Joe Carass gives his verdict on the awesome new Maver Elite Carp 4 pole – the new flagship offering that has really got people talking. Maver has introduced two ranges of poles for 2014, both of which are being sold through its superb Centre of Excellence initiative, whereby some products can only be purchased from a nominated Maver Centre of Excellence tackle shop. Maver’s flagship Signature range are stunning poles aimed at the all-round angler. However, the poles that really grab my attention are the brand’s Elite Carp range.
There are loads of carp poles available on the market, but with this new Maver pole claiming to raise the bar Joe Carass just had to check it out!Working at Match Fishing we get to see poles on an almost daily basis, and I must admit very few really raise the eyebrows. Most are so good these days that I have come to expect quality and usability at just about every price point. However, just recently I had heard rave reviews about the Maver Elite Carp. The internet forums were alive with chat about this new pole, and we just had to get our hands on one.
Joe Carass inspects a new range of hooks that might just take the market by storm. . . H ooks are hugely personal things, and for most anglers their choice of patterns tends to come from a variety of companies.
I had a little play with the Signature 1000 pole on a recent day out with my good mate Matt Godfrey, who was testing it at the time and was mightily impressed. Consequently, I was eager to get my hands on the Signature 800, which I had been assured was almost as good, so hopes were high of it meeting my expectations. Pre-Bushed KitsThe Powerlite kits may not be my cup of tea but they do tick a lot of boxes. They are supplied pre-bushed and also come ready prepared with side slots for puller kits.
Choosing new rods can be a minefield at times – just where do you invest your hard-earned cash? Middy’s all-new 4G range might just be up your street. Alex Bones took them to The Glebe complex for a spin. As fisheries go, this one is up there with the best. It’s a complex I’ve had the pleasure of fishing for many years.
I have no problem telling you that I was initially sceptical about Old Ghost. It was a range of products that I saw last October at the Tackle & Guns Trade Show. But, up until the end of June this year, I’d not seen any of it in the flesh!The fact that you couldn’t get hold of the product after such hype, and the uncertainty over how yet more ‘foreign’ baits would be received, were the sources of my scepticism. I didn’t even think it would make it to UK soil, but it’s here!As with any new firm there is, no doubt, a battle lying ahead of the China-based bait giant if it’s to make an impact.
Joe Carass lifts the lid on the brand-new seatbox from Preston that has been two years in the making!For two years Preston Innovations has being teasing us with minor details of a new seatbox. It has been a constant source of frustration for me, as I just wanted to see it! Well, now we have seen the Absolute Station and all I can say is… wow!I am fortunate to be close friends with a number of Preston consultants and although never telling me the secrets of the Absolute Station, they kept me in the loop as to what to expect when the box finally arrived. However, I’d heard so many rumours that I have to be honest and say I didn’t know what to expect. My chance came to see the box at a recent press day and as soon as we walked into the room all of us instantly flocked to the revolving table that the box was displayed on.
Preston’s best-ever pole? Joe Carass gives the Absolute XS the once over to see if it is any good!The Preston Innovations Absolute XS is the latest in a long line of GiS poles. These have long been used by some of the biggest names in the sport and when Des Shipp tells you that is it the best pole he has ever used, you have to take notice! For those of you who don’t know, the previous two flagship poles from Preston received rave reviews by our team. I use them and cannot rate them highly enough. However, technology advances, and the Absolute XS is the result of that.
Feeder fishing for carp is one of the most popular approaches these days, so when a clever new feeder turned up at Match Fishing HQ, Joe Carass couldn’t wait to give it the once-over. Since the inception of commercial fisheries there has been one man who has arguably come up with more fish-catching devices than any other… Andy Findlay!Andy has revolutionised feeder fishing and his previous three creations – the flat Method feeder, pellet feeder and pellet cone – are responsible for taking some huge weights of carp every year. But, Fin being Fin, he couldn’t stop there, hence his latest creation: the banjo feeder. The banjo came about a couple of years ago when many of the fishery pellets were of a spongy consistency.
Joe Carass checks out a new flagship pole that’s set to become a big seller in 2011… Preston Innovations has managed to raise the bar in pole design yet again with the GiS 14 Absolute. In an era where every pole we see is aimed at carp fishing, it makes a refreshing change to find a pole that is beautifully light and stiff, yet still retains plenty of strength for those situations when you need it. Preston has worked closely with Tommy Pickering and Des Shipp to produce the ultimate match pole. With the GiS 14 Absolute you get an excellent package of two match top fours, three power top twos, one short No4, one Kup Kit and Kups and a 10-tube GiS holdall.
With hundreds of new products on display at the T&G Show, it was going to take a special one to really impress Joe Carass. . . and this is it!It was really difficult to pick out a star product this year, as there were simply so many excellent products on show.
The Preston Innovations stand was extremely impressive as always. The Absolute Station was a real standout product in my eyes but I loved the GXR 3600. I have used a Preston pole for two years now and my current One XS model is by far the best I have used. I must admit, though, that I thought the new GXR 3600 was something special.
Preston Innovations is one of the most respected tackle companies of this generation. Here’s what Alex Bones thought about its latest power pole. I remember many years ago really being envious of one of my old fishing buddies, Matt, because he had what I wanted – a Maver Jurassic Carp pole. I wouldn’t say I’m talking out of turn when I say that, along with the Browning Black Magic, it was the most iconic power pole of its time.
Joe Carass takes a look at a new addition to the Preston Mini rod range that is not quite so mini!The Mini range of rods from Preston Innovations has been one of the biggest success stories in fishing tackle in recent years, and if you walk around any commercial fishery in the country you are sure to see some of the rods on the bank. The range has, however, now been extended to cater for the huge variety of commercial fishing available in the UK. A recent trend has seen matches fished that require a long-distance approach; venues such as Barston Lakes in particular regularly see distances of 80 yards plus needed to reach the fish. Initially anglers turned to the Preston Dutch Master rods to reach the mark but the actions weren’t quite right for playing the F1s, carp and skimmers that make up the weights.
