Tackle Tuesday… Daiwa Tournament Pro Feeder Rods

This entry was posted on 24th November, 2015

As seen in Match Fishing Magazine…

Because they’re worth it! Tom Scholey extols the virtues of one of the most prized rods in his holdall, the Daiwa Tournament 12/13ft Feeder.

As anybody who reads my pole reviews in Match Fishing’s sister title, Pole Fishing, will tell you - I am the stereotypical tight Yorkshireman. Sure, I like the flagship poles, but what really gets my juices flowing is mid-range poles that punch well above their weight - and believe me there are plenty of them out there.

Indeed, the pole I use for my own fishing, Daiwa’s mighty G50 Connoisseur, costs around £1,000. However, my logic is, for the fishing that I do, this pole is fantastic, so why would I want to spend anymore?

I have always followed this logic through into my feeder fishing too. For years, Matt Godfrey and I have had a good pool of Preston Innovations 10ft Mini Carbonactives between us. Most of our fishing was done on commercial fisheries and these rods have us the tools we needed to do the jobs in hand, and do it very well too. Indeed, I still use Preston Carbonactives for this kind of commercial work - great rods that perform brilliantly.



So what prompted me to abandon my ‘careful northern’ financial principles and invest in rods that cost almost twice as much as the ones I already had?

In short, it was the amount of fishing that I was doing on natural venues. The truth of the matter is, I don’t get to fish the feeder very often on the natural venues that I go to, and as such I didn’t feel like I had the experience to say which rods I should be using for big demanding rivers like the Trent, or indeed more intimate venues like the Gloucester Canal or Evesham. I just knew the ones that I was using weren’t quite right. So I asked someone who did know - namely former England feeder international and Match Fishing editor, Alex Bones.

He was very specific in his advice. The 12/13ft Daiwa Tournament Pro Feeder.



It is a beast of a rod with phenomenal casting power, while keeping a sensible medium action, which means the fish playing of even small, soft mouthed fish like Skimmers isn’t hindered. Large, braid-friendly Fuji guides aid casting ability and, with the correct tackle, the rod has allowed me to throw feeder to distances of 80 yards without breaking sweat.

Notably, though, the key different that I think you pay the premium for is the quality of the blank. Its recovery after casting is unbelievable, improving accuracy. Also, when playing a fish it is notable just how forgiving it is. It really does have to be seen to be believed.

Sure it took some getting used to. The reel seat and handle is a novel design, featuring a clasp mechanism that locks the reel in place. I have never had a problem with a standard slide or screw-in reel seat but I can see the thinking behind this, not only for really locking the reel in place when extreme casts are the challenge, but it looks pretty sexy too.



You know I mentioned that ‘pool’ of Carbonactives? Well Matt decided that my new Tournament should also be added to the ‘pool’. He has borrowed is on numerous occasions and agrees that is is among the best distance feeder fishing tools he has ever held.

Key Features - Super high grade MSG carbon - High tensile, super light blank - Versatile blank compression tolerance - Bias carbon V-Joint - Unique Tournament reel seat - Ultralight Titanium Fuji SiC guides - Armlock cork handle - Includes 2 tips (Medium & Fine) - Supplied in a plastic tube

Buy The Tournament Daiwa Feeder Rods