X7 AERO DISTANCE Shimano’s latest feeder rod tested on the bank
We test Shimano’s new X7 Aero Distance Feeder
WE ANGLERS are pretty much creatures of habit. We tend to gravitate towards the same venues, tactics and baits that bring us that cosy connection with past successes. But an unwillingness to change will limit what we’re able to accomplish on the bank.
Learning a new tactic, especially if we’ve been fishing so long that we’re a bit set in our ways, isn’t that easy – but it can pay dividends.
Take this example. Over the past 18 months there’s been a huge upsurge in sales of distance feeder rods, and the explanation is simple. Anglers have discovered that there are lots more fish to be caught at long range.
We can all pub-chuck feeders 20-30 yards without much of a problem, but as we advance to distances of 70-80 yards it’s a different story. Surely this is water that can only be fished by the muscle-bound of this world, or the freakishly talented? Wrong!
Get your hands on the right rod, and you’ll be amazed at just what you can achieve in the casting stakes. All of which brings me nicely on to this week’s live test subject.
After much begging and pleading I had succeeded in talking Shimano into allowing me to run the rule over one of its new top-end X7 rods. It was going to be delivered to me on the banks of Barston Lakes in Solihull. All I needed to complete the dream was a magnum of the fizzy stuff!
Built for big chucks
The day of the live test came hot on the heels of yet another winter storm, and the weather was cold, windy and completely unpredictable.
The rod I was putting through its paces was the 13ft Distance Feeder. This length is highly popular with big-water bream anglers and it’s also the perfect tool for commercial fisheries where a bit of distance work is needed – as was the case today.
I’d be punching a 45g Hybrid feeder loaded with micro pellets into a strong headwind, so
I’d paired the rod with a larger-than-average fixed-spool reel loaded to the lip with
8lb mono. This was held in place on the rod’s cork and EVA handle by a shielded reel seat, which offers a more solid fixing for long casts than the standard hooded reel seats found on many rods.
The rod comes supplied with a rather natty 4ins screw-in dolly butt section, which comes into its own when you’re winding up for a big chuck, and today I needed all the help I could get in that department!
Hitting the distance
When you’re distance fishing, the rod’s action is massively important. Ideally, you want a fast tip speed and a quick recovery rate, and the X7’s responsive, tapered blank ticks both boxes, and then some.
After just a couple of casts, what struck me was just how light the three-piece blank was, far lighter than you’d expect for a rod that can unleash such impressive casting power. And once you’ve made that mega cast, you’ll notice hardly any post-cast tip bounce, especially when the rod is fitted with its heaviest 3oz top section.
The X7’s casting clout isn’t achieved at the expense of fishplaying action, either, and the rod retains a decent degree of cushioned softness, so there’s little fear of bumping off soft
OUR VERDICT
mouthed fish such as big bream and F1s.
As you might expect from the flagship model of a new range, the fixtures and fittings on the X7 Aero Distance Feeder are high quality and well thoughtout. Take, for example, the rod’s Kigan 3D Zirconia guides. These have been specially designed with a forward-facing angle to improve casting distance and reduce tangles.
Be in no doubt though, this is a real distance performer, and even if your casting technique leaves a bit to be desired it’s going to flatter your style and get you out to where those fish are waiting.
It’s absolutely nailed on for big open waters, where casting loaded Method feeders is an essential weapon in your armoury. Despite the foul weather and fierce crosswind, at Barston I landed a procession of F1s, topped off by one of the biggest I’d caught for many a year. They all fell for orange wafter hookbaits, which the X7 delivered to my mark at 80 yards with unerring accuracy.
Price: £319.99
“It’s going to flatter your style and get you out to waiting fish”