Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Live test:
Browning Black Magic CFX Waggler rod
BROWNING BLACK MAGIC CFX WAGGLER 11ft 3in RRP: £ 44.95
THERE a few things more pleasurable in angling than watching the tip of a float disappear under the water’s surface. It’s the very essence of fishing and something to be enjoyed by every angler. I doubt there is an older fishing tactic. However, the modern pleasure angler who enjoys casting a float needs so much more than a single species tool.
Therefore, a contemporary float rod needs to be able to handle the many different types of waggler floats, as well as being adaptable
enough to be used for differing fish species. Plus, it should also be usable across many venues and basically feel every bit at home wetting a line at your local commercial fishery, as it would on a river, lake, or canal.
Okay, so that might be a bit of a pipe dream because a one- size- fits- all rod for fishing the float is a virtual impossibility. It’d be easier to land an ice lolly on the sun than it would be to produce a rod that will cast any waggler and also trot a stick float.
If you’re expecting a guess- whathappened- next moment, then forget it! I’m afraid I haven’t discovered the Holy
Grail of float rods. But what I can tell you, is that the rod on test – Browning’s Black Magic 11ft 3in CFX Waggler – gets close to fitting the bill.
It will handle many different situations with a float, although, due to its casting action, it is definitely better suited to waggler floats than it is top- and- bottom running- water models. But it’s swings and roundabouts and the upside of this Browning Black Magic is its lightweight price tag that would set you back less than the cost of a Premier League match ticket.
To really demonstrate the rod’s versatility I needed a fishery that
“The two- piece, super- slim carbon blank has a nicely cushioned fish- playing action”
contained a good head of everything that swims, and somewhere that would test the rod’s all- round fish- catching capabilities with different species. I should mention, that this test was obviously shot before the Government enforced restrictions were announced on March 23.
After a fair amount of head scratching, I decided on a trip to, Fields End Farm deep in the Fenlands, a two- water day- ticket venue which I know is home to many species. It’s a great place for the waggler because it’s quite deep, so the fish tend to come up in the water quickly when you loosefeed maggots on a little- and- often basis.
However, I wasn’t all that sure what would occur because the depth, coupled with several early morning frosts in a row, were likely to have put a dampener on proceedings. It was always going to be a toughie.
All of which tee’s me up nicely to tell you how this rod handles and what it’s best used for. It is designed for use with reel lines from 3lb to 8lb and hooklengths from 0.13mm to 0.20mm ( about 3lb to 8lb) and it will happily cope with casting wagglers from as light as 4AAA up to 20g.
The two- piece, super- slim carbon blank has a nicely cushioned fish- playing action, which I can happily report could be used equally well for decent sized silver fish such as chub and skimmers, as it could for heftier and harder- fighting species like carp and barbel.
The rod produces enough transmission and feel to make playing fish a pleasurable enough experience. I can’t claim that you can feel every shake of a fin or nod of the head, but it’s acceptable enough. Plus, as you might expect to find on a Browning rod, it’s well- dressed with a dozen classic SiC double and single leg stand- off guides.
These are perfect for fishing a float because they prevent the mainline from sticking to the blank when it’s wet and reduces the chances of casting problems when using lighter floats. I am also a fan of Browning’s Euro style hook- keeper system. This is different to the ring you find on most rods in this country and it prevents blunting because the point of the hook is always protected. To that little lot you can also add a cork and EVA handle of a decent length, quality whippings throughout, and a high- gloss, lacquered finish which gives the CFX a classy top- end look.
Despite the less than ideal conditions, I managed to slip my net under a superb selection of chub, barbel and carp, all of which the rod handled with aplomb.