The bright colours and wide variety of lure patterns available proved a temptation too far for this wood chucking novice.
So after parting with my hard earned £20, I am a Yorkshireman you know, the brand new telescopic lure rod by ACME was unveiled and a modest sized lure duly attached.
Suffice to say “You get what you pay for”, and I got what I paid for. The rod snapped on its maiden voyage and I was left to hand land a seriously annoyed jack pike on 20kg braid.
Get your hand in your pocket
Handing the ACME model back to the non too surprised salesperson, I decided on an extra £20 and a Daiwa Vertice Telespin.
Work often keeps me away from home during midweek and I wanted to make the most of the remaining daylight period between leaving work and retiring to the hotel.
A telescopic rod, selection of lures, and a few essentials tucked into my small rucksack and I was ready for the challenge.
Imagine my surprise when one of the eyes snapped whilst casting a small spoon. Right from the off, the eye in question looked a little out of line when compared with the others.
Daiwa Service
The rod went in the post to Daiwa’s Edinburgh base and a brand new replacement arrived on my doormat just two days later.
Fourteen months have passed since that day and the Daiwa Vertice Telespin has earned its keep, landing plenty of pike to 17 pounds, and taking the knocks from spending a lot of time rolling around the boot of my car.
Daiwa have produced a telescopic rod that effortlessly casts a salmo slider 40 to 50 yards and proved to me that you don’t need a poker like Jerkbait rod to impart action onto your lures.
What do you want?
Lightweight and easy to handle, six sections quickly extend to 9 foot 9 inches and provide a nicely balanced rod that can be carried and worked all day without needing muscles like Arnie.
One small detail that Daiwa have missed is a hook clip, there is none on the rod at all.
The perfect place for a small D ring on a telescopic rod is right at the butt, giving the maximum distance from the rod tip to allow traces to be securely held in a straight line.
The big question gnawing away at me was; How will it react to playing and landing a double figure pike with attitude?
The answer is, with strength, control, and without ever feeling under pressure.
A little bit more…perhaps
The cork handle is showing signs of wear on the leading edge and the screw on butt cap has disintegrated. These are small details that don’t directly affect performance but I would like to see just a little more quality.
For a reasonable £40 this rod has put plenty of bonus pike on the bank, although I can’t help thinking that I will need a replacement before another season is out.