ROCKPOP LURES
New pattern from Shimano.
available. With a huge following of dedicated users, the company certainly seems to be getting better at it.
BOX TICKERS
e latest three-piece rods to come out of the company based in Littlehampton, West Sussex, are in the Competition Match range. ere are four models to choose from that include TT, HT, ST and GT. Here I’ll be focussing on the GT version.
A few years back I made a comment in a review about the incredibly bright colours that these types of blanks boasted. In short, I simply wasn’t a fan of fluorescent yellows or pinks and preferred my rods to be black. You may argue the point that the colour of a rod will not affect its performance, and you would be correct. However, it’s simply my opinion because I prefer using something I’m happy with, especially if I’m forking out hundreds of pounds for it.
I’ve no idea if the guys at Tronixpro actually took any notice of my rallying call in respect of colour, but you can imagine my delight when I removed the Competition Match GT from its trendy padded protective bag and discovered it was black. Even better; it shows off its classy carbon weave throughout. at’s the first box well and truly ticked in my book.
I continued ticking happy boxes when I saw genuine Fuji CC framed ‘K’ guides fitted, along with a fixed Fuji DPS screw-winch fitting slotted into the perfect position.
I could see a lot of thought had gone into the production of this rod. Each section has grippy shrink-wrap located at the joins to help with parting the blank when your hands are wet and cold. Of course, this is not a new development in rod manufacture, but it shows that it’s an idea that works far better than a textured paint job.
e real stand-out highlight for me was the coned component that enables the sections to be slotted together much easier – it works brilliantly and looks incredibly cool too. is is certainly a masterstroke by Tronixpro and one that I can definitely see other manufacturers emulating in the future. It gets a double tick in the box from me.
e under and over whipping of the guides is neat and tidy in blue and silver that really completes the rod superbly. e decals and livery are classy along with a spiral-effect white tip for spotting bites. With the appearance of the rod getting a firm thumbs-up from me, would its performance match?
IMPRESSIVE
is outfit comes galloping into the 21st century, determined to place its mark at the head of the bunch. e rod does this easily when you consider it is built using Japanese 40-ton carbon that incorporates a nano graphene matrix within its walls. is is an incredibly specialist material, said to be a 100-times stronger than steel, enabling the rod to possess increased recovery, strength and ultimately more sensitivity. With a solid carbon hybrid tip that sits between not too
soft and not too stiff, the medium action means it will hold up in a strong tide, yet still offer superior bite detection. With such an impressive quality of build, I was certainly hoping that it lived up to my expectations.
Fitted together, the total length is 13 feet nine inches (a longer version is available) and boasts a casting rating of 100g to 190g. However, the advice is that optimum performance is with loads between 120g and 150g. I decided to go easy and opted for a 150g lead weight.
For some reason, I sensed that the sinker may have been a little too heavy. After attaching a fixed-spool reel loaded with 35lb braid and a tapered mono shockleader, my worries were soon put to bed after my first cast. With a simple overhead thump, sort of carp style if you will, my lead weight absolutely flew away.
e blank soaked up my powerful punch stroke with absolute ease which allowed the tip section to compress into a pleasing arc. e energy certainly builds progressively through the butt section as you would expect, but it’s the tip section that definitely impressed me the most; it fired my lead weight with such power.
However, recovery of the blank is something that really did surprise me. Over the years I’ve definitely become accustomed to a three-piece Continental rod taking an age to straighten after a cast. e Competition Match GT, though, defies that concept totally. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t recover immediately but it does straighten incredibly quickly with none of that flopping around while your mainline tracks its course seaward.
To recap, the Tronixpro Competition Match GT certainly impressed me in its performance. Although its name might suggest otherwise, it’s definitely not a rod confined to match fishing scenarios, but one that is so easy for anglers of all ability to master. Don’t consign it
into the tiddler-bashing category either because I’m genuinely sure it will handle a wide variety of species.
That said, although it could be classed as an all-rounder, it will be put to better use on clean venues where distance could be a major factor in locating a bite. It’s a rod that will definitely add a touchy-feely side to your fishing, but still offer you reassurance of a top performance each time you take it out of the bag. A top rod that any angler will be proud to use, and it gets full marks from me. ■