Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Vader X rod & reel combo
A rod and reel combo packed with features that will set you back less than £125. Too good to be true? IYCF’s Mark Sawyer finds out...
SONIK VADER X 12ft, 3.25lb ROD & VADER X 8000 REEL RRP: Rod £74.99, Reel £49.99
ONE area of carp fishing that has come on in leaps and bounds is the entry level rod sector of the market. It used to be the case that the more you paid, the better product you got. But that isn’t neccessarily the way anymore. Getting a rod that can perform to a high standard without costing a fortune is now a realistic proposition. An excellent example of this is Sonik’s affordable Vader X carp rods. There are seven rods in the range with prices starting from £64.99 for a 10ft, 3lb test curve model. For that small sum you might expect a budget composite material with an action either poker-stiff or more wobbly than jelly on a plate. Not a bit of it! What you get is a slim, light, carbon fibre rod, tastefully dressed with high-gloss black whippings over a non-flash gunmetal grey blank. Double-legged black SiC lined guides are fitted throughout, starting with a 50mm butt ring and ending with an anti-frap tip ring. There’s also a 17mm black DPS reel seat to take big-pit reels. Subtle white graphics, a slim Japanese shrink-wrapped butt grip and a custom contoured Sonik line clip wouldn’t look out of place on the most cultish carp venues!
The rest of the range consists of four 12ft rods in test curves of 2.75lb, 3lb, 3.25lb and 3.5lb, a 13ft, 3.5lb rod and a Spod and Marker Hyrbrid rod. The 12ft, 3.25lb test curve model I was sent to test is suitable for everything from Method feeder fishing to solid PVA bag work. Although pitched by Sonik as a medium-tolong-cast tool, it can also be used for closerange and margin work too. I found it could comfortably cast a 4oz lead more than 75 yards. The blank is quite pokey, but unlike many of today’s ‘value for money’ carp rods, this one retains sufficient cushioning in its progressive action to absorb the lunges from big carp without risking hook-pulls. Use it with Method feeders, PVA sticks, solid bags, or straight leads up to 4.5oz. I paired the rod with Sonik’s Vader X 8000 reel which I predict will be a huge hit with anglers looking for quality, looks and value for money. A long-nose spool facilitates long, smooth casts, while its 4.6:1 gearing delivers rapid line recovery. Features include a large-diameter bailarm with enlarged line roller, twin line clips, powerful front drag and a pleasing barrelshaped wooden handle. It comes with a spare forged anodised aluminium spool too.