BUYERS GUIDE Everything you need for catching more silverfish on stillwaters – our pick of the best rods, reels & accessories!

Mark Sawyer’s pick of the best kit for the season

THERE’S never been a better time to wet a line for silverfish, and as the river season nears its end most watercourses are in fine fettle. The same is true of nearly all natural and man-made lakes, ponds and reservoirs.

Commercial fisheries, meanwhile, are jampacked with sizeable roach, skimmers and bream that can be targeted on float and light feeder tactics.

This week we present a broad church of silverfish rods and tackle to cover many different venues and suit every depth of pocket.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE FEEDER ROD PRESTON CARBONACTIVE SUPERA 12FT 6INS FEEDER

BILLED by Preston as a true distance feeder rod, this top-shelf Supera has more going for it than mere chucking power. Its 12ft 6ins length helps you to keep a bit more line out of the water, making it ideal for fast-moving rivers such as the Yare.

Its seamless non-locking parabolic action is as good at dealing with skimmers as it is chub or carp. It’s nicely presented, too, with quality fittings, a flat handle base and graded 1oz, 1.5oz and 2oz carbon tips.

Price: £169.99, www.prestoninnovations.com

GREAT ENTRYLEVEL FLOAT ROD MAVER REALITY MATCH 12FT

THE two-piece Maver Reality Match rod is as much at home on natural lakes and ponds as it is on your local commercial carp fishery.

This entry-level model has plenty of features such as a full-length cork handle, quality graphite screw-down reel seat and folding keeper ring. It’s easy to use and well suited to the newbie angler.

The through-type action is though, in my opinion, better suited to floatfishing on stillwaters rather than rivers.

Price: £44.99, www.mavermatch.co.uk

FLAGSHIP FLOAT ROD MIDDY REACTACORE XZ ULTRA CONTROL WAGGLER 14FT

CRISPER than a freshly fridged lettuce, Middy’s flagship Reactacore XZ Ultra Control waggler rod blends a lightning-fast tip response with a fasttaper build that picks up line very quickly, making it ideal for long trotting tactics.

The 14ft length also makes mending the line much easier, as little more than a quick flick of the wrist is all that’s needed to make sure the reel line doesn’t drag the float out of position. Price: £249.99 (but shop around), www. middytackle.com

BAGS OF WINDING POWER PRESTON MAGNITUDE 320 REEL

THE compact Magnitude packs a big punch for a little reel.

Powerful but super slick worm-drive gearing gives long-lasting performance and a faultless line-lay. That, plus dual line clips, super-slow oscillation, and a decent sized soft-touch handle grip knob, makes it an all-round winner. Price: £98.99, www.prestoninnovations.com

RODS TO GO WILD WITH DAIWA CONNOISSEUR MATCH ROD

FOR fans of wild waters, Daiwa’s Connoisseur Match rods are just the ticket. Manufactured from some of the best carbon cloths available, they’ll perform at the highest level on any still or running water.

Nicely light and comfy in the hand, they’re crisp on the cast with quite a tippy action that will cast the lightest of stick floats through to the heaviest of sliders. Price: From £150 (but shop around), www. daiwasports.co.uk

ALL-ROUND BUDGET REEL DAIWA NINJA MATCH FEEDER 4012A

THIS staggeringly good reel could easily be mistaken for one costing twice the price.

The graphite body, with a top-end Air Rotor, saves on weight, and the enhanced rotor shape adds to its all-round winching performance. Other big ticks are a geared-down retrieve to increase winding power for hard-fighting fish, and a super-smooth precision front drag that lets you fish straight off the clutch. Price: £49.99, www.daiwasports.co.uk

DREAM RODS FOR THE FLOAT ANGLER DRENNAN ACOLYTE FLOAT RODS

DRENNAN Acolytes need little introduction, as the multi-awardwinning range is a household name among anglers. Models run from 11ft up to 17ft.

Those looking for that a bit more fish playing and casting power should look towards the stepped-up Plus versions, while those who fish with gossamer hooklengths and small hooks should have a waggle with an Acolyte Ultra, as they really are ridiculously light in the hand

Price: From £107.99 (but shop around), www. drennantackle.com

SUBLIME MODESTLY PRICED FLOAT REEL SHIMANO SEDONA FE 3000

THE front-drag Shimano Sedona’s M-Compact body is very light. But don’t be fooled – this model has plenty of winding power thanks to its tried-and-tested Varispeed oscillation system which gives excellent line-lay, just what you need for trotting the flow.

It has quality smooth-running bearings you’d associate with more highly priced reels. Other notable features include DynaBalance to minimise wobble on the retrieve, and Shimano’s Super Stopper II system which reduces handle play when fishing with the anti-reverse on. Price: £49.99, www.shimano.com

ALL-ROUND FEEDER ROD MAP DUAL COMPETITION FEEDER ROD 12FT

THIS true all-rounder is as much at home casting a 30g flatbed Method feeder for carp as it is bagging bream and skimmers on natural venues. The high-modulus carbon blank will chuck payloads from 45g to a hefty 85g, giving plenty of scope for big river tactics too. You get carbon tips of 1.5oz, 2oz and 2.5oz and pair of rod wraps. Price: £85.99, www.map fishing.co.uk