THE out-and-out Method rod is frequently maligned as a one-trick pony with limited use. But before you stop reading on the grounds that Preston’s Ignition Method Feeder 12ft isn’t for you, consider this.
Related: Fishing rod
The sheer number of commercial feeders around these days – flatbed, hybrid, pellet, window, you name it, the tackle shop will stock it – come in a bewildering array of weights and sizes. Suddenly the plain old ‘one size fits all’ Method feeder rod becomes, well, a rod for all methods!
Let’s be clear here. If a rod has enough power and backbone to cast out a heavy, fully-loaded Method feeder – as does this 12ft Preston Ignition – then it can cope equally well with a lead and PVA bag, or an open-end or cage feeder on a river.
The rod under test is given a 60g (2oz) maximum casting weight by Preston but, trust me, having been in its company for a good few hours I can tell you that 90g (3oz) is nearer the mark. Admittedly, with such a payload, casting distance will be somewhat reduced, but there’s still enough firepower to hit the middle of most rivers.
The strong yet forgiving through action is just what you want to soak up the powerful lunges of big barbel under the rod-tip that so often end in heartbreak. And that just adds to my argument that this is, indeed, a rod you can take anywhere big fish are likely to be encountered. As Blackadder’s General Melchett would say, this is not an item of tackle to be pooh-poohed…
For my money a 12ft feeder rod offers that extra oomph when you want to make longer chucks, or need to use a heavier weighted feeder to cast directly into a headwind or get down to the lakebed in very deep swims.
The water for the live test on Decoy’s famous Beastie Lake averages around 5ft deep, and with the longest cast here being around 50 yards it was never going to test the rod’s prowess to the full. However, the lake does demand fairly accurate casting. The feeder needs to be land with a modest plop, rather than a crash and a splash, either between the reeds and against the bank of the island, or as tight to the reeds as you dare venture.
Here I’ll break off briefly to give you a quick tip about casting a feeder tight to islands and clipping your reel up, because I know a lot of anglers believe they’ll get snapped off when the tip slams round.
If you set the line to hit the clip when the rod is pointed skywards, it will allow you to get a few turns of line back on the reel, an insurance policy just in case you hook a munter.
Get used to throwing the rod upwards as soon as the cast is made and you’ll soon be amazed how accurately you can cast. The natural stretch in your line will take care of any other problems you’re likely to encounter when clipping up – just remember, the farther you cast, the more cushioning there will be when a carp takes off like an Amazon delivery van on double yellow lines.
Anyway, back to the live test. Casting straight and true wasn’t a problem, and I used a variety of feeders with casting weights from 15g up to 42g without a hitch. As I said at the start, this isn’t a distance casting rod but it will get you as far as you’d wish on most commercials I have visited. If you’re a fan of big reservoirs such as Boddington and Barston, though, it’s another story and another rod.
What the Ignition Feeder 12ft does have, though, is a faultless fish-playing action and flawless fighting curve with no flat spots that belies its modest price.
Its touch and feel are a world away from that of a progressively actioned two-piece blank. But if you’re a little heavy-handed, or need to use smaller hooks and lighter lines when targeting big fish, the rod has the right degree of forgiveness through its mid-section to land them.
It soaks up pretty much everything you are likely to throw at it on a commercial. So what if it’s not an out-and-out whopper stopper or broom handle type of rod? It’s much more fun to fish with than that.
Price: £64.99, www.prestoninnovations.com