The 40 quid margin pole you’ve got to take a look at...
That’s what this bargain 6m margin pole from Chapmans does, and no messing!
MARGIN poles were developed to be tough as old boots in order to cope with the fighting power of heavyweight commercial carp.
Not too long ago post-match chat centred more around broken pole sections and smashed top kits than it did bait and tactics.
Kit catastrophes involving carp were commonplace, mainly because long poles had paperthin sections, and top kits were fitted with light elastics for silver fish – not those brawlers packing on the pounds down at your local match lake.
Matters came to a head when match anglers worked out that towards the end of the five hours much bigger fish could be caught close in to the near bank. Something needed to happen, and it did.
Long poles with thicker section walls and more powerful top kits very quickly evolved, and these days you can take your pick from out-and-out commercial long poles, all-rounder long poles that swing either way (natural or commercial fishery) and specialist silver fish poles.
Something was still lacking, though, until some bright spark came up with the idea that what anglers really needed was a bully boy of a pole. It didn’t need to be very long, just very strong, and so the margin pole was born.
These days nearly all commercial match and pleasure anglers carry a margin weapon of some description to tackle swims and venues requiring whopperstopper tactics.
Which brings me nicely to Chapmans latest Stillwater Pro Matchstix 6m Carp pole. I reckon this will appeal to all commercial fishery fans – whether or not you fish matches or just do it for pleasure, sooner or later it will step up to the plate.
Just what will you get for your bargain £39.99? Well, for starters this four-sectioned pole is made from a sturdy carbon/glass fibre composite with enough clout to take on all comers. Yet it’s surprisingly light, at only 420g. Thick section walls and sturdy top kits will cope with the heaviest of elastics, and its Easy Glide finish makes it quick to ship in and out.
The Matchstix Pro is outstanding value, coming with two PTFE pre-bushed Power top kits with side puller kits for total fish control.
As for performance, this is a brilliant pole, as I quickly found when putting it through its paces on Decoy’s legendary Elm Pool. This water is noted for the size of its occupants and their belligerence when hooked. Catmeat is very much in vogue at Decoy right now, and it wasn’t long before a single cube presented over a carpet of cupped-in micro pellets produced the first lump.
At 6m long when you’re fishing straight off the top kit, or top kit
plus one, the Matchstix gives you a bit more leeway should you need to ship out and follow a fish.
Well… this pole would stop a runaway bullion truck. Not once during the live test did it falter. It’s neither the stiffest nor the quickest of margin poles, but then it doesn’t need to be.
It gets the job done, and in double-quick time. All I can say is, this pole is the real deal, and a real steal.
Price: £39.99