Steve Ringer gives you the lowdown on the new Cast’izm range
“First of all you’ve got the 11ft 6ins, now this to me is perfect for short to mid-range open-end feeder work for say skimmers and bream and can do a little bit of Roach fishing, but is more geared towards bigger fish.
“It will also do your commercial work, such as the bomb, Method and Hybrid, for fish in the 6-10lb class.
“Next up is the 12ft 6ins, probably my favourite rod in the range. It suits the type of fishing I’m doing at the moment and is ideal for big venues like Ferry Meadows where you’re catching big bream and skimmers but also suitable for venues like Southfield, where the fish are smaller. That said again it can do the commercial side of things and if you want to a rod for Barston for example, or for casting 80-90m then this is the perfect rod for you.
“Moving on, the next rod in the range is the 13ft 6ins, to me more of an out and out distance rod. Lets say if you are fishing big lochs or wild waters and you want to punch an open end, rocket or window feeder a long way then this is the rod for you. That said again it is suitable for commercials and if you’re going to a venue where you wanted to chuck a method or hybrid feeder a long way then it will do that too.
“Last but certainly not least is the 14ft 2ins. Now if the 13-6 is a distance tool then this is certainly one and more. Ideal for big rivers such as the Trent or Severn, chucking heavy feeders across. But equally I spend a lot of time at Boddington Reservoir in the winter where sometimes I’ve got to do a 120-130m cast. This rod will do that and then some more.
“The Cast’izms are made of HVF Nanoplus (High-Volume Fibre). This gives is a really crisp feel plus means that when you cast the rods correct themselves a lot quicker, which gives you more distance.
“Going back to the actual rod, the butt features the arm lock design which has been very popular with anglers over the years. It is super comfortable when you’re playing a fish. It features a Fuji down locking reel seat which is really comfy in the hand.
“I always like big guides on a rod, and the Cast’izm range features sea guides. They are slightly oversized to suit shock leader work and long distance casting, but they’re also very light and very hard-wearing. They can be used with both braid and mono.
“When you have a joint in the rod sometimes it can create a flat spot which doesn’t look great both when you’re casting or playing a fish. Now Daiwa’s V Joint eliminates this and creates a more progressive through action for both fish playing and casting, and in turn it will put extra yards on your cast.
“Something else you might notice is the rings are actually quite widely spaced, again this is something we’ve really worked hard on. The ring spacing we’ve come up with we feel is the optimum for this type of fishing to avoid tangles or wrapovers.
“One of the key considerations was the handle length on the rods. Now bearing in mind we were looking for rods to chuck feeders quite a long way. So the handles are slightly longer than the norm. This gives more leverage on the cast which means more distance and obviously more distance in certain situations can mean more bites!”
Steve Ringer
