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We test Preston’s new Pro Type Carp pole – a bargain for £700?
IF I had £700 of my own money to spend on a pole I might agonise over which one to buy.
But one thing’s for sure – Preston Innovations’ latest 14.5m Pro Type Carp would be high on my shortest of shortlists.
Most of my fishing these days is done on commercials, so I need a pole with an abundance of big-fish stopping power.
Nor does it end there. Because I fish all year round, and most places I frequent have healthy stocks of fast-biting F1s that come into the reckoning as the winter draws on, my weapon of choice needs to be stiff and quick enough at its longest lengths to cope with delicate short-line/long-pole-andpellet tactics.
That seems like a very tall order, unless you’ve got a couple of grand to splash out on a flagship pole. Realistically you can’t expect to buy much more than 14.5m of balanced and user-friendly power pole for under a grand. But it’s not all bad news – most commercials these days respond best to margin, two-plus-two or 13m approaches. A 16m pole is simply not needed.
What you want is something well balanced, easy to ship, and fully at home with delicate rigs, light elastics and short-line work.
Naturally, then, Preston’s new Pro Type Carp is right on my radar – it will deliver all that and more.
Its lower mass carbon build increases its strength and responsiveness and it feels good in your hands even at its full 14.5m.
It boasts reinforced butt sections and joints, section alignment arrows, and an Easy Ship finish that slides through your mitts like a greased grass snake.
A generous spares package includes four spare ready-fitted side-elastic Roller Pulla Power top kits, cupping kit with cups, and a half-extension that fits on to its 13m and 14.5m sections.
So, on to the live test at golden peg 6 on Decoy’s Lou’s Lake – the one that wiped the floor with the rest of the field during the recent Winter League final. However, under leaden Cambridgeshire skies whose dark clouds seemed
to delight in stopping off to dump a cocktail of rain, sleet and snow over me, it seemed an unlikely place to sit and catch a few.
The exposed forward-facing corner peg was being buffeted by a hacking side wind, making rig presentation, feeding and even at times hanging on to the pole something of an ordeal. But when I got it right, plenty of bites were to be had.
At 13m, the pole’s rigidity and unquestionable section wall strength gave me the confidence to lean into the wind, holding fast against the blustery conditions.
Even when it was being blown about, the pole-tip remained stiff, and was responsive enough for me to connect with most bites.
Most of the carp I caught were in the 4lb-6lb bracket, good weight-builders. And catching them was where the new Pro Type Carp really excelled itself. Look at the main picture and you’ll notice that there’s little linear movement other than along the top four sections. This makes shipping back with a fish on a quick and stress-free operation.
The Preston Roller Pulla top kits that are part of the package are faultless, and can be matched to any type or size of hollow elastic within reason.
At its longest 14.5m length it isn’t quite as rigid and quick as it is at 13m, but it’s more than fishable, and would make a great commercial fishery weapon for most match and pleasure anglers.
Price: £699.99