Most of us have a small handful of fisheries that we visit regularly, and the kit we buy is often geared towards dealing with them.
That leads us to looking for similar venues when we head elsewhere. At the end of the day, it’s hard to justify splashing out on different kit for the occasional session, especially in financially challenging times.
But an away day to a complex that offers an alternative test is an appealing prospect for most of us. It may be that short chuck feeder venues are your bread and butter, and you fancy a crack at a bigger expanse of water. Or vice-versa. Whatever change you have in mind, Middy’s new rod could just be the ticket to give you more flexibility as to where you fish.
The Xtenda K306 Dual-Length Feeder comes in at 10ft but, as the name suggests, it can also be extended to become 11ft.
Rods of 10ft and 11ft are very different animals, not least because the additional length of the latter enables you to cast further. With Middy’s latest offering you effectively get two rods for the price of one.
It sounded impressive, but would it be able to perform on the bank where it mattered? To find out, I headed to the prolific Makins Fishery in Warwickshire.
Sat on the bottom bank of Snake Lake, looking down the pool, I had the option of casting a good 40-50 yards without disturbing anyone else.
My plan was to set the rod up at 10ft and fish at relatively short range, before breaking it down and starting from scratch with the rod at 11ft to chuck further.
What I didn’t realise was that the ‘Xtenda’ section didn’t have a rod ring on it, so I could take it in and out at any time. It slides in between the butt and the first section, which contains the biggest rod ring. This provided greater flexibility from the start, and I decided to chuck just over 45 yards with the Xtenda in place to kickstart the session.
Carp in the 3lb-10lb bracket were my main target, with the heavier of the rod’s two tips coming into play. I was confident it was still fine enough to show up liners and, when a bite came my way… well, we all know that you don’t need finesse to detect them when using a Method feeder!
Several quick chucks were performed to get some bait down and, as I’d hoped, the tip started to show signs of activity.
The rod was punching the loaded 30g feeder to the target zone with ease, and the Xtenda stiffened things up to assist this.
On the fifth cast of the day, a vicious bite registered and it was game on. Clipped up, and using a 0.20mm hooklength to a size 12 hook, I knew I had the terminal tackle to deal with the show of aggression I was facing.
The question was whether the rod would provide the muscle power to get the fish in quickly!
Leaning into the carp, it was obvious that the rod had a good action. One of my initial worries was that having four sections (butt, Xtenda and two other pieces), plus the rod-tip itself, could lead to a disjointed action. Those fears were dismissed as the rod bent fluidly through the Xtenda, and the butt end of the rod then created the power to heave my quarry towards me.
Once under the rod-tip, the fish tried to dive towards the deck, but I was able to pull with confidence and, within a minute, a 5lb mirror was beaten.
The rod had done its job in this scenario, but I felt that the abundance of power could be a hindrance with F1s or skimmers. They tend to shake their heads in a sudden manner under the rod-tip and, with the rod set at 11ft, the lack of absorption could cause hook-pulls.
Don’t let that concern you, though, because the solution to this is simple. Cast out with the Xtenda in to gain the benefits of chucking the distance then, once the feeder is in place, remove it to shorten the rod. That’s exactly what I did on the next cast, and it wasn’t long before another carp was hooked.
The change in performance was instantly noticeable, with the power reduced as I leaned into the fish. Once it was close to the bank, the lunges were being absorbed through the rod and, as I’d hoped, the removal of the Xtenda made the rod suitable for F1s and skimmers.
My final test was to try casting the same distance without the Xtenda. Hitting the same distance was achievable, but more force was required and, had an awkward wind been added to the equation, accuracy would have been compromised. That’s what you’d expect with a 10ft rod – it hasn’t got the length to push as far as an 11-footer.
Middy built this rod to provide greater flexibility, and it gets a thumbs-up for providing that. There are so many ways that you could use it to benefit you on the bank.
You could fish at a decent range for skimmers and chuck out with the Xtenda in place at 11ft before taking it out and down to 10ft to get a softer action for when you hooked a fish. On the flipside, you could cast a mere 20 yards when chasing carp with it at 10ft to improve accuracy at such short range, before sliding the Xtenda in to give you more muscle when a lump showed up.
It's a brilliant concept, and this one rod could be everything you need – both on your home venues and on fisheries that are a little different for the occasional away day.
Price: £139.99,www.middytackle.com
