The best fishing poles

Utilising new and ultra-high-grade nano alloy carbons, Daiwa's Air Z Pro pole has built a strong reputation as one of the best there is. A flagship product that provides the ultimate in performance.

One of the most expensive poles on the market but also one of the best performers. The Daiwa Air Z Pro pole is incredibly light, even at 16m. With a match top two kit, this is the best pole in the world. Even with the heavier top kits, it's ridiculously rigid, incredibly responsive and super stiff.

I use this pole myself, and believe me when I tell you it is absolutely superb, and so it should be for the price, but it exceeded my expectations. I have the original au model and it has been going strong for the last 2 years now and excels at everything from fishing on canals, hooking double figure carp shallow, or running a float down the river.

It has yet to fail me and haven't found anything I can't do without it. One draw back is the pullers on the top kits, while they suffice, you would be better changing them to a roller style option to help your elastics last that bit longer.

The section wall strength of this pole is good, which means it can land some pretty big carp, certainly up to 20lb. If accidents do happen, Daiwa spares are readily available in the UK, so you won't be left with a situation where you can't go fishing, and you do get a few no4 sections provided with the pole. There is a pole only option which considerably reduces the cost if you already have Daiwa top kits, or other kits that fit the pole.

At this amount of money, resale value is also a key consideration, and Daiwa poles tend to hold their value far better than others on the market.

The Edge Monster range has established itself as the go-to choice of poles for demanding situations. Featuring superb wall strength, these poles were developed to take the strongest elastics and battle the largest of fish!

Both the 8.5m and 10m versions are a joy to use at all lengths, thanks to their incredible balance and rigidity. They're the perfect choice for anyone new to pole fishing or those demanding situations!

The Edge Monster performs well above its price and will land big carp with ease. You can be pretty confident no matter how you or the fish treat it too, you won't be suffering many breakages. At the 8.5m length, it is still pretty lightweight and comfortable to ship and hold. This pole ticks a lot of boxes for those on a budget.

"It ticks every box and gets a big thumbs up."

Read our full Preston Innovations Edge Monster review.

Identical to the top-spec Guru Aventus 900 but made from a lower-grade compound of Japanese carbon. This increases the strength of the Guru Aventus Zero 700 pole even further, making the pole exceptionally strong but slightly heavier than the Zero 900 in terms of weight.

The Aventus 700 poles have the some great specifications – Super Glide smooth paint finish, performance points for optimal linear stiffness and rigidity, rigid joint sections, friction-free matt tape finish, and built around the same ultra-fast-taper mandrel, which aids its responsiveness.

Now to the performance. The 700 is not merely stiff, it’s super-stiff! It may be a touch wider at the butt end than some other flagship poles, but it was hardly noticeable, even in my small hands. The payback comes in its shipping rigidity and tip-speed agility.

The pearlescent paint job on the butt sections is nothing short of spectacular, and it’s here you start to realise just how special this pole is, as it moves through your hands so easily. That, combined with the linear stiffness of the thing, makes effortless work of shipping. Is it strong, though?

Well, in truth I didn’t manage to leg-up a carp, but I’ve handled enough poles to know this one will handle virtually anything that comes along!

Overall, it's an incredibly strong and responsive pole that will suit a lot of anglers' aggressive styles of fishing in the UK and Europe, a true commercial all-rounder!

When Daiwa started its social media tease that a new G90 was on the way, I had mixed feelings of excitement and concern. Daiwa must believe it can better the G90, but why would the company want to meddle with not just a winning formula, but a magic alignment of variables that makes the G90 so legendary?

The Super MSG Nanoplus carbon has been tweaked and V-Joint alpha refined, making the pole a little stiffer and slightly lighter. The ITS taping has been extended, and runs from the No4 to the No8 sections, which makes all the black sections as slick and easy toship as the Diamond Satin painted butt sections.

No need to panic, it’s still very much a G90! In fact, secretly slip one into a current G90 owner’s bag , and they are unlikely to notice straight away. It will still have the same balance and feel that they’d expect, yet as soon as they ship out to any kind of distance, a confused smile will appear along with a pleasurable muttering of “hmmmmm, this feels better than I remember!”.

As expected, the packages have been upgraded to include the new professional top kits. The choice is either More Power or More F1, theformer coming with a selection of full-length top kits while the latter boasts two types of short one-piece F1 kit and a short fourth section to complement them.Both come with the relevant length cupping kit to match the supplied top kits, a Match kit inside the pole, a reversible Super Light PHEX extension and a holdall. For current Daiwa pole owners, it can also be bought ‘Pole Only’, so you can take your top kits with you.

I always felt that the old-style Power kits spoilt the action of Daiwa poles, and naturally, I hesitated.A mistake – as the new Professional Power kits have changed all that. when I hooked a fish! It was like a different pole when playing a carp with a Professional Power kit, giving a feeling of almost limitless power. I felt sorry for the fish, as their extraction from among the roots was embarrassingly easy.

I think this just sums up what the G90 Pro is–a pole that can handle anything a commercial water has to offer. It has the rigidity to fish at 16m, the response to catch F1s against islands, the strength to handle slapping or edge fishing , and enough power to make your margin pole redundant. In fact, take it out for a pasting on a big demanding natural venue if you want. It will lap it up!

SEE OUR FULL REVIEW OF THE G90 PRO ON THE ANGLING TIMES YOUTUBE CHANNEL, CLICK HERE!

Is the Maver MV-RXX the first hyper pole? It is certainly Maver's best pole to date without question, it not only looks fantastic with its understated graphics, it also performs incredibly well.

The only word to describe the pole is rigid, it is incredibly stiff at its full length and superbly well balanced, it is a joy to use at 16m and everything under that too. The powerlite kits are rated to a 16's elastic and are a perfect kit for using to catch big fish at longer lengths without being detrimental to the poles performance. They also come with a clever rolling puller system, there is a flat plastic area to allow you to trap the elastic under your thumb when playing big fish, it's a great little edition.

The MV-RXX is a great competition pole, it's as at home on a commercial catching big carp as it is to catching roach on a river or a canal. It never feels out of its depth, never leaves you wincing with a big carp on the end and you know you can hit even the smallest of indications at its full length. Spares are something Maver have been critiqued for in the past but all their spares are now kept in the UK, so should need a replacement, they will be able to assist you quickly.

SEE WHAT MARK THOUGHT OF THE MAVER MV-RXX IN THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO.

The new Airity Pro has been re-built from the bottom up, taking into account how, when and where this pole is likely to be used, and what its parameters need to be. It has a sharper response and a better balance than the old Airity. Both are requisite features for targeting big fish using long and/or shallow tactics. It also has power and strength to burn for bagging-up on high catch-rate venues.

The pole comes pre-fitted with a new and improved near-equal length twin-sectioned 2.4m Professional Match Kit which is ideal for silvers, and designed with a pre-bore side puller reinforcement area – but that’s where the silverfish concessions start and end!

Two separate kit packages, both with pre-fitted side puller slots, are available for the new Airity Pro and both packages feature Daiwa’s long-awaited and utterly brilliant new Professional Top Kits, so now commercial fans can choose between More Power or More F1 packages.

All three of the pole’s end sections (12m, 13.6m and 15.2m) can be fitted with the new reversible PHEX911, which has been redesigned to be lighter, aiding balance when shipping over rollers.

Other improvements include the reversible mini extensions, which fit from the fifth to the eighth sections and are ideal for close-range and margin tactics. The fourth section also now benefits from the easy slide ITS taping system that covers the top of the pole, while the infallible Diamond Satin finish is used on the three decorated butt sections.

CHECK OUT WHEN MARK GOT THE AIRITY PRO OUT ON THE BANK IN THIS VIDEO.

To produce a pole better than the original MTX4 was never going to be easy, but in doing so, Matrix has created the ultimate flagship pole for competition fishing.

The new MTX5 raises the bar with unrivalled performance in all areas. Developed to offer the pinnacle in pole performance, surpassing Matrix's current flagship model, the MTX4, was no easy task.

Designed as an elite competition pole ideal for commercials or finesse silver fishing, this pole achieves the perfect balance between strength and rigidity. The minimal graphics in stealth black enhance the premium styling.
Manufactured using the very highest grades of Japanese carbon fibre and resins.

The MTX5 is built on the same mandrel as other MTX poles, meaning sections are interchangeable with others in the range.

If you are looking for a pole that will take your finesse fishing for silvers to another level, then this is a great choice.

The Preston Superium X35 16m Pole is designed to excel in a wide range of fishing conditions. Its impressive rigidity and strength make it equally adept at handling delicate match fishing tactics and battling powerful carp.

This 16-meter pole comes complete with a comprehensive set of match and carp kits, ensuring you're prepared for any situation. The included mini extension adds extra flexibility, allowing you to adapt to varying water depths and fishing styles.

One of the standout features of the X35 is its interchangeable top kits. These kits are compatible with the entire Superium X range, providing versatility and convenience. The accurate depth markers, marked in 1-inch increments, allow for precise rig tuning.

The Tournament S is not a silverfish pole as such, more an all-rounder with a slight bias toward natural water fishing. Daiwa have focused a little more on the qualities that a natural water or silverfish angler wants – the most obvious being weight (or lack of it!).

Although costing nearly £3,000 less than the flagship Daiwa Air Z Pro pole, the Tournament S is 25g lighter at 16m, making it the lightest pole that Daiwa do. That 25g might not sound like a lot, but it blew me away when I first picked it up. It’s the kind of weight most pole anglers can only dream of at 16m. Not that it’s a weak pole either – it has a 20 elastic rating with a Power kit fitted, and is more than capable of handling big carp, as long as you take a little care when playing them.

Everyone talks about stiff poles helping to hit fast bites, the lightness of the Tournament S, made me realise how important weight is too. There was no ‘winding up’ to build the power to strike – I could do it instantly. Handling was an absolute dream, not just because of its featherweight construction, but because the Diamond Satin Finish on the butt sections flies through the hands.

It’s not the slippery, shiny finish you’d expect, it’s a slightly rougher finish that prevents it sticking to your hands, even when wet. Trust me, it works! And no, it won’t scuff up your hands or clothing either.

This was the first time I’d tried Daiwa’s new Professional top kits, and what an improvement they are! I always felt that the older Power kits were just that bit too powerful for all-round use, upsetting the pole’s balance. It is a superb pole, a must look for any serious angler who likes to do a bit of everything!

A highly functional and strong pole, the Matrix MTX3 Ultra V2 Carp is suited to both natural venues and commercials, and available in both 16m and two 13m packages. It was the 13m Carp package that impressed us the most. With its Match kit, three Power kits, cupping kit, additional three No3 sections, reversible mini-extension and pole holdall, it’s perfect for the angler who wants a quality pole at a great price but doesn’t need to fish at 14.5m or 16m.

The pole had a steely feel and gave me the confidence to pull like my life depended on it! Getting this balance right is not easy, yet I believe Matrix has got as close to perfection as it’s possible to get with the MTX 3.

The thickness of the walls, the chunky feel of the top kits and even the bend as I leaned into a fish inspired confidence. Yes, it bends, just like any pole, but in all the right places. You get a curve at the top end which gradually flattens out through the middle sections. You remain in control, yet don’t get that terrifying arching action that requires a change of underwear every time a big fish is hooked.

At 13m, 14m and even a late foray to 16m, the MTX 3 v2 was everything I was expecting and then some. Having now seen them all, there is no doubt in my mind that this is Matrix’s best range of poles to date.

Keeping the same mandrel, several sections have been re-engineered to improve strength and rigidity on what was already an outstandingly tough and durable pole. Fully bushed with both PTFE and Revolve Side Pullers, you even get protective nose cones on the No3 and No4 sections, and EVA bungs on the mini extension.

A capable tool for pole fishing, the Garbolino UK 1 Accomplice HP has been developed to satisfy the needs of both commercial and natural venue anglers. Refined from its two predecessors, the UK 1 and the UK 1 Accomplice Evo, this flagship pole offers an exceptional combination of lightness, strength, and responsiveness, making it a pleasure to use at its full 16m length.

Its ultra-smooth finish allows for effortless shipping, while the overall design enhances precision and control, enabling you to present bait with pinpoint accuracy. Whether you’re targeting carp in commercial waters or silverfish in natural settings, the UK1 Accomplice Pro will adapt effortlessly.

A favourite feature of this pole is the feed marker points on the butt sections, this enables in combination with a far bank marker, ultimate precision when plumbing a peg and feeding. EVA nose cones on the number three sections preserves this high wear area. All kits come pre-bushed with a PTFE bush, ready to fit an elastic, with the kits featuring a PTFE puller slots for silky smooth elastic performance.

Built on the same mandrel as the ‘G Max’ poles and the previous UK generations, The UK 1 Accomplice HP is fully compatible with the UK Series, allowing anglers to easily integrate existing Garbolino kits and extensions with this pole. The complete pole package includes a 5.95m silvers kit (Top 4), a 5.95m commercial kit (Top 4), 6 Match Carp Puller Kits, half extension and a deluxe holdall.