You’ll struggle to find better tackle for barbel on a budget!

A little while ago I stumbled upon Sonik’s Angl-R range. Now, I have to admit, while I’ve used and tested plenty of the brand’s carp gear over the years, I wasn’t familiar with the Angl-R range of barbel rods.

I decided to correct this by putting the rods through their paces on a stretch of the mighty River Trent.

Firstly, there are four rods within the Angl-R Barbel range which between them will cover pretty much any barbel tactic you can think of and prices range from £64.99 to £99.99. All four are 12ft and you can choose from test curves of 1.75lb, 2lb and 2.5lb.

There’s also a Multi-Tip version which comes with a 1.75lb top as well as 1.25lb test curve carrier section and three carbon quiver tips. These are graded but having looked at them I’d expect they ranged from 2oz to 5oz. Something that really impressed me with these quiver tips was the size of the guides used on them. They are much bigger than standard guides which prevents them from getting clogged up with weed coming down the river and catching on your line.

It was this model that really caught my eye, largely because of the versatility it offers in terms of tactics. With the various tip options you can do everything from feeder to PVA bag work and will be able to cast a fair distance.

The white Avon tip on all four models has been finished with a special luminous coating that will glow in the dark after it has been subjected to a light source, such as a headtorch. But as well as that, the rods also come with two clip-on isotope holders (one small and one large) which will accommodate 2.2mm or 3mm isotopes. These can then be fitted to the rod tip to also aid spotting bites when fishing during the hours of darkness.

I paired the rods with the Angl-R 6000 FS reels and I have to say, for the money, these are cracking freespool reels. They have an RRP of £44.99 but when I had a scout around online I was able to find them for just over £30. Which, when you consider it comes with a spare spool as well, is hard to beat in terms of value for money. The main spool is aluminium which offers a bit of extra strength, while the graphite body helps to keep weight to a minimum. The 6000-sized model I used weighs 410g while the slightly smaller 5000 size version comes in at 395g.

Considering the price of the reel, I didn’t have any particular problems with the reel while playing fish – and trust me, barbel are one species that will really test your tackle to the limit! The clutch was pretty smooth which was nice, as you’ll often find they tend to stick a bit on cheaper reels which can result in the fish-playing experience feeling a tad jerky. But no such issues here.

If barbel fishing is something you fancy giving a go, but you don't want to break the bank kitting yourself with the kit needed, Sonik's Angl-R range is definitely worth checking out.