Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Live test: Preston Innovations 310 pole
Richard Grange puts Preston Innovation’s latest sub £500 pole through its paces
PRESTON INNOVATIONS PRO TYPE 310 13m POLE RRP: £479.99
THE statement that ‘you get a lot for your money’ has never been more accurate where fishing tackle is concerned, especially in the highlycompetitive sub-£500 long pole category. Years ago, you’d have had to invest upwards of £1,000 to get a good bit of kit but, like white goods, that cost has slowly come down to make a perfectly-decent 13m pole within reach of most, especially the angler looking to take their first steps away from rod and line and into the world of the pole. There’s nothing worse than venturing into pole fishing with something that’s floppy, heavy and utterly useless for the task. You’ll turn your back and vow never to ‘pick the bloody thing up again’ but now almost every manufacturer makes a pole for under £500 that’ll see you proud for years. Preston Innovations’ offering into this market has been the Pro Type range with four new models for 2017 – the 510, 410, 310 and 210. Top of the shop is the 510 but for the casual pleasure angler and even a decent club rod, you’ll not find anything to grumble about with the 310 which, at under £500, is bang on for the market. For £479.99 you get the pole plus three Roller Pulla Kits that are ready to go for fishing ‘puller style’ alongside a Kup Kit, Kups and adaptors and a mini extension – all you’ll ever need for fishing commercial fisheries where the 310 is most at home, but it’s also game for a bit of silverfish work on the river too. So it’s an all-rounder but that tag is given to so many poles and many fall wide of the mark – how would the 310 get on? Winter has been a roller-coaster so far with fluctuations between cold and warm weather that’s made the fish difficult to predict. I picked the Cuckoo Canal on the Townsend Lakes complex near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, for the test as it’s a typical 13m snake lake and home to carp from ounces to 8lb, plus small silverfish. Presenting a rig tight to far bank cover would require stiffness and balance while lifting into a tiny tremor on the float would need sharpness in the top half of the pole. As I shipped the pole across to its full 13m, two things immediately struck me. First, the 310 is well-made with no ‘give’ in the wall sections and that all-important feeling of security when throwing the thing around
or striking hard. That’s good but the pay-off is that the pole is heavy compared to a top model and that’s reflected in the bounce that you get when shipping in and out. It’s not horrendous and, with a bit of care, you can soon whip a light rig and loaded pot of micro pellets out to 13m with minimal fuss although it can catch you out at first. When fishing at 13m the 310 posed me no problems but then I’m a big bloke and there was no wind. In a strong cross wind, I reckon a pole rest wouldn’t be a bad addition. However, and here’s the rub, how many times are you going to fish at 13m? So much fishing on commercials will see you get bites at 9m or 11m and, at this range, the 310 is so much better – the bounce is greatly reduced as is the weight. Response is surprisingly sharp which impressed me because sometimes with a cheaper pole a strike can see the tip look like the spring board after Tom Daley has launched into the pool below. With control, a simple quick lift is all that’s needed to set the hook. Fishing a slow-sinking corn skin, two chunky ide were the first fish to rock up followed by some quality roach. All were hooked with the minimum of drama and I knew that carp showed up, getting the job done would be hassle-free. It didn’t take long to snare a run of commons and mirrors ranging from 1lb-4lb and none of them posed any problems. Power and strength is there in spades and it’s light enough to swing around the peg following a hooked fish or for lifting and dropping the rig while waiting for bites. Shipping is lovely too, thanks to the finish of each section.