YOU might say the Preston Innovations 8.5m Edge Monster Margin is the David Attenborough of poles – everybody loves it!
Launched 18 months ago, it’s strong and dependable, it will handle any size of fish or elastic, and it’s priced so as not to put you into a state of shock as you reach for your credit card.
So imagine my shock when I learned that this best-selling gem of a margin marauder was to be re-jigged and re-released early in 2020. Why a pole that’s already so good?
The reason is quite simple – for some time Preston had been inundated with requests to bring out a longer 10m version of the Edge Monster to give that bit more reach along the bank and enable you to fish up against the next platform along on most commercial waters.
This, as everyone who fishes them will tell you, is a great area in which to target really big fish, especially during the last hour of a match, or during the late afternoon/early evening if you’re on a bag-up pleasure session.
If you’re wondering why Preston didn’t simply release an extension section for the original pole, let me explain – and at the same time dole out some well-deserved praise to the company for not merely releasing a random butt section to achieve that extra length.
Without a proper re-design that would have made the pole overly bouncy and top-heavy, posing problems when fishing with a short line between float and pole.
Instead, Preston has tightened up the all-round stiffness of the Edge Monster Margin in order to compensate for the added weight of the extra 1.5m of pole length.
The good news, however, is that the latest version is formed around the same mandrel as the original, and that means The Edge Monster oozes strength, and I could pile on the pressure – not perfect, admittedly, but it will still perform perfectly well if you don’t want to splash out for the complete new model.
It made sense to run the rule over the new 10m Edge Monster Margin on a lake holding plenty of big fish, where the next platform was far enough away to present the pole at its full 10m length. The Cedar strip lake at Decoy Lakes, near Peterborough, was perfect.
The first thing I wanted to test was whether that extra stiffness had turned the Edge Monster from the UK’s best-selling margin pole into an elongated broom handle, with all the balance of Humpty Dumpty attempting to sit on the wall after a heavy night out on the town! I can allay your fears straight away on that score.
Having fished it at its full 10m length, with the mini extension fitted into the end of the new butt section, I’d agree that it’s been stiffened up through its mid-sections.
This is indeed a whopper-stopper of a margin pole, but it still has some finesse across its top sections.
Tough, hard-wearing section walls are a given, as are top kits that can be used with the heaviest of hollow elastics without fear of an expensive carbon explosion.
Of course, this isn’t a top-end pole, but it’s still very comfortable to hold over the full course of a match and not overly bouncy to fish with.
You must remember, though, that because its reinforced top kits are incredibly robust and quite long at 2.9m (9ft 6ins) it doesn’t deliver the quickest of tip speeds. It does dip a little on the strike/lift too, but the positives outweigh the negatives by a long chalk.
It will handle the largest of fish, although if I were considering using it with an elastic rated 18 and above, I’d cut the tip section back a little to take a larger diameter 5mm-plus diameter PTFE bush.
Preston’s own assessment of the pole as being suitable for ‘super-strong margin work’ is pretty accurate, though. Hook a giant carp down the edge and you’ll have no trouble gaining the upper hand as you ease it away from a tackle-busting snag and over the landing net.
At Decoy, when the float did dip under I was impressed with how well the Edge Monster Margin responded.
There was no cringeworthy wobble of the kind that can lead to bumped fish. The Edge Monster oozed strength, and I could pile on the pressure knowing that the fish would give up long before the pole did.
The finish is good, too, and in dry conditions it moved through my hands well as I shipped it in and out.
Price: £199.99, 10m extension £79.99