We hit the bank with Browning’s new Black Magic CFX Waggler rod
Browning’s Black Magic CFX Waggler is a brilliant all-round floatfishing tool
THERE are few things more pleasurable in angling than watching the tip of a float disappear under the surface.
It’s the very essence of fishing, and a sight that’s enjoyed by everyone from newcomers to seasoned anglers.
The modern-day float angler needs so much more than a single species tool, however. As such, a contemporary float rod needs to be able to handle the many different types of wagglers available, and should also be multi-venue applicable. It should feel every bit as much at home wetting a line on a commercial fishery as it would on a river, lake or canal.
That might be a bit of a pipe dream, as a one-size-fits-all rod – especially for floatfishing – is a virtual impossibility. It’d be easier to land an ice lolly on the sun than to produce a rod able to cast any type of waggler, and also trot a stick float.
Now I must be honest here: if you’re expecting a ‘well, guess what?’ statement next, forget it! I’m afraid I haven’t yet discovered the Holy Grail of float rods. But the rod on livetest duty this week – Browning’s latest two-piece Black Magic 12ft CFX Waggler – gets damned close to fitting the remit.
Versatile tool
The fact is it will handle a lot of different floatfishing situations admirably, although due to its casting action it’s better suited to waggler floats than it is top-and-bottom running water models. The upside of this slight shortfall is the rod’s lightweight price tag, because it will set you back less than the cost of a
Premier League football ticket.
With the rivers now off-limits what I needed was a fishery that contained a good head of everything that swims, and somewhere that would test the rod’s all-round fish-catching capabilities by doing battle with a number of fish species.
After a fair amount of head scratching, I decided on a trip to a venue located deep in the Fens, the day-ticket Fields End Water near March in Cambridgeshire. I knew that it held a good variety of stocks and it’s a great little waggler water because it’s quite deep, so the fish tend to come up in the water quite quickly when you loosefeed maggots on a littleand-often basis.
However, I wasn’t entirely sure what the session would hold in store because the venue’s depth, coupled with two early-morning frosts in a row, would more than likely put a slight dampener on proceedings.
All of which tees me up nicely to tell you how this rod handles and what it’s best used for. It’s designed for reel lines from 3lb to 8lb and hooklengths from 0.13mm to 0.20mm, and it will happily cope with casting wagglers as light as 4AAA right up to 20g. The two-piece superslim carbon blank has a nicely cushioned fish-playing action, which could be used equally well for targeting decent-sized silverfish such as chub and skimmers, as it could much heftier and harder-fighting fish such as carp and barbel.
The rod produces enough transmission and feel to make playing fish a really pleasurable experience. Plus, as you might expect with a Browning rod, it’s well-dressed in a dozen classic SiC double and single leg stand-off guides that are perfect
“I needed somewhere that would test the rod’s all-round capabilities”
OUR VERDICT
for floatfishing, because they prevent the line from sticking to the blank when its wet, doing away with any casting problems when using light floats.
Handy hook-keeper
I am a big fan of Browning’s Euro-style hook-keeper system, which prevents blunting as the point of the hook is always protected. To that little lot you can also add a decent length cork and EVA handle, quality whippings along its length, and a high-gloss lacquered finish which gives the CFX a classy top-end look.
All in all, it offers remarkable value for money, looking and feeling like a rod costing twice as much. And the session at Fields End Water? Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, as I had hoped on arrival I managed to slip my net under a superb selection of chub, barbel and carp, all of which the rod handled with aplomb.
Price: £44.95
“The CFX looks and feels like a rod costing twice as much”