Middy's Baggin’ Feeder rods have been around since 2009, and you could well call them slow burners in the popularity stakes and as modern fishing rods have been getting better and better, Middy's range of rods have seen huge improvements too.
The original 3G version was a pleasant enough budget-priced commercial tool, but it wasn’t until the family-based Derbyshire company introduced the 4G X-Flex in 2012 that things really took off.
That particular rod is now much sought-after and enjoys something approaching cult status. I know this to be true, as I see some very good match anglers using it most weekends – it’s devastatingly effective in the right hands.
In truth the entire 4G X-Flex and later 4GS ranges marked the dawning of a new era for Middy, which had quite simply got everything right with these rods – from build quality to star performance on the banks.
I can still remember handling the 11ft 4G X-Flex Pellet Waggler rod in Middy’s office and thinking ‘that’s a bit special’. I passed it on for a second opinion to a well-known match angler who excels in the dark art of the pellet waggler, and he raved about it – in fact, as far as I know he still has the rod. I won’t name him in case Middy wants it back!
So that’s the history of the Baggin’ Feeder. However, Middy isn’t a company to rest upon its laurels, or indeed leave a rod in the rests. It has now progressed the range a step further with the release of the 5G range.
These beauties are built with a process that Middy calls ‘Liquid Carbon’. To be honest, I don’t really know that much about what’s involved, but the end result is a rod with a seamless, progressive action, just the right amount of backbone, and totally flat spot-free.
The perfect feeder or waggler rod for a small commercial carp fishery should be stiff enough for pinpoint accurate casting, powerful enough to handle all sizes of carp, yet soft enough to avoid hook pulls and line breaks. It also needs to have a bit of steel in its soul for when you’re bagging up, and it helps if it’s short enough to allow you to net fish without having to chase them all around the peg!
All these goodies come together in Middy’s new 11ft 5G Baggin’ Feeder, as I found out when I spent a few hours with it at Decoy, on Lou’s Lake. Here the longest chuck to the far bank is only around 30m, but the rod handled the weight of a 30g flatline Method feeder with ease and could well have coped with at least 10g more. Its unerring casting accuracy allowed me to sneak the feeder tight in against the bank.
None of this would count for much if the rod was uncomfortable in the hand, but fear not, its special A-Nomic handle grip works a treat.
The blank is dressed with quality smooth flow guides, the K-Style design of which is said to help prevent line twist and tangles. I had neither of these problems while testing the rod, so I can only assume they worked perfectly.
A feature I really like is the woven carbon area just above the reel seat. This helps to stiffen the action when playing bigger carp, and what’s not to like about a rod with a bit of the old heave-ho in reserve when you need it?
The one thing the two-piece 5G Baggin’ Feeder has in spades, though, which puts it in a class all its own, is its ability to pull and keep pulling. There’s an almost elastic-like feel to it when playing a fish, and that’s a proper confidence-booster.
Now, I don’t know for sure if that’s what Middy means when it talks about Liquid Carbon technology, but I’m guessing it is!
Price: £139.99, BUY MIDDY 5G HERE
