As featured here: http://www.tackleshop.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/2219/groupID/9/categoryID/173/v/bec2ef89-84d8-4ecc-b94d-4d8805fc0219
This rod has been mentioned a few times on the telescopic rod thread, so I thought I'd do a quick review here for those interested. Word on the street is that Shimano have stopped making these little gems, so get one while you can!
First of all, a little pic of this carbon delight:
The rod has a two piece handle which screws together, and then the rest of the rod is telescopic that slides onto the handle, which is quite innovative, the result is a tiny packed size which fits nicely into the supplied rod tube. The tube has a protective hard insert and a pouch to fit the reel of choice. I use my small Shakespeare reel (rated 170m of 4 lb nylon) which i have loaded with 120m of 10lb braid line which is about 3 times stronger than nylon for it's diameter and has zero stretch. Also shown are a small selection of lures which will take most predatory sea fish, and probably freshwater too, although pike or zander would need a small wire trace too. Throw in some snap link swivels and forceps for hook removal and you have your entire fishing kit. Don't forget a 'priest' for dispatching the fish quickly should you be eating them. I have shown a suitable DVD for scale purposes. The rod i have is the 2.7m (9ft?) version for a 10-30g casting weight.
The rod is quick and easy to setup and casts with an effortless flick. The longer handle makes life easier when handling the rod and provides good leverage when a fish is on. This weekend I used it for mackerel spinning in the sea at Dorset. It is absolutely ideal for this, and i have no doubt at all that it could handle heavier fish with ease too. The winning macky lure is the bottom one in the pic which caught almost as many as my fly rod (using a small 3cm long silver clouser for those who know) and even a macky on this rod goes like the clappers! Great fun, and great tasting too... Forget feathering with a beachcaster, get a mack on this and it fights like a demon posessed, and as you only catch one at a time, you don't end up with millions in the bag that you can never eat. A word of caution though, studies have shown that mackerel are very sensitive to being handled and the majority that are handled and released will die quickly, so if releasing try to shake them off the hook without touching them. If you have to handle then kill and eat. There's plenty of them in the sea, but that's no reason to kill hundreds of them if you can't use them. I only really take what can be eaten within a few days as that is when they taste best.
Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this rod to anyone who wants an ultra compact rod for the rucksack that is not a toy, but a quality well designed little rod. Don't forget when sea fishing to rinse everything off as soon as possible to prevent rusting.
This rod has been mentioned a few times on the telescopic rod thread, so I thought I'd do a quick review here for those interested. Word on the street is that Shimano have stopped making these little gems, so get one while you can!
First of all, a little pic of this carbon delight:
The rod has a two piece handle which screws together, and then the rest of the rod is telescopic that slides onto the handle, which is quite innovative, the result is a tiny packed size which fits nicely into the supplied rod tube. The tube has a protective hard insert and a pouch to fit the reel of choice. I use my small Shakespeare reel (rated 170m of 4 lb nylon) which i have loaded with 120m of 10lb braid line which is about 3 times stronger than nylon for it's diameter and has zero stretch. Also shown are a small selection of lures which will take most predatory sea fish, and probably freshwater too, although pike or zander would need a small wire trace too. Throw in some snap link swivels and forceps for hook removal and you have your entire fishing kit. Don't forget a 'priest' for dispatching the fish quickly should you be eating them. I have shown a suitable DVD for scale purposes. The rod i have is the 2.7m (9ft?) version for a 10-30g casting weight.
The rod is quick and easy to setup and casts with an effortless flick. The longer handle makes life easier when handling the rod and provides good leverage when a fish is on. This weekend I used it for mackerel spinning in the sea at Dorset. It is absolutely ideal for this, and i have no doubt at all that it could handle heavier fish with ease too. The winning macky lure is the bottom one in the pic which caught almost as many as my fly rod (using a small 3cm long silver clouser for those who know) and even a macky on this rod goes like the clappers! Great fun, and great tasting too... Forget feathering with a beachcaster, get a mack on this and it fights like a demon posessed, and as you only catch one at a time, you don't end up with millions in the bag that you can never eat. A word of caution though, studies have shown that mackerel are very sensitive to being handled and the majority that are handled and released will die quickly, so if releasing try to shake them off the hook without touching them. If you have to handle then kill and eat. There's plenty of them in the sea, but that's no reason to kill hundreds of them if you can't use them. I only really take what can be eaten within a few days as that is when they taste best.
Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this rod to anyone who wants an ultra compact rod for the rucksack that is not a toy, but a quality well designed little rod. Don't forget when sea fishing to rinse everything off as soon as possible to prevent rusting.
More tempted than ever to pick one up now 
