Buying a new pole

[TF_pr@ngler]

Its got to that time in the cycle where the urge to buy a new pole gets irresistible. I can afford it and there’s no doubt that I’ll enjoy using it. It might even rejuvenate my fishing a bit.

My current pole is about five years old and I’ve caught thousands of pounds of fish with it. Whilst it is showing a few scratches, it’s still very usable.
So my question is, is it worth buying a new one? The answer is therefore partly about pole technology.

Manufacturers make extravagant claims about technology leaping forward, but we know that many upgrades are nothing more than paint jobs. It follows that you’d be a fool to believe the advertising hype.
You can also go to shops and shows and try different poles side by side, but I suspect that the impressions you gain are so subjective as to be unreliable. The polecompare website offers user-friendliness, but in the end it is just a database of (non-standardised) manufacturers’ claims. The mags only review poles they’re paid to advertise and so they are hardly going to be critical and have resisted requests to present objective data too.

So, are there any objective data that pole technology has moved on in the last five years or so? I don’t just mean a few grammes here and there, but data on responsiveness, stiffness, balance etc. How much better is a pole that costs a grand nowadays compared to one at the same price five years ago (even allowing for inflation)?

Go on somebody; persuade me to part with my hard earned. I WANT you to.

[TF_Matchcarp]

Just get one for the feel good factor and remember as a pole ages so does it’s performance, it get saggy and tired – stick yer hand in yer pocket in fact wait another couple of months and get pick up the new Garbolino flagship and feel the new technology

[TF_JohnH]

Peter, my honest view is this, if you fish a lot and fish 14m plus a lot, it is worth investing in an expensive pole. At shorter lengths the price you pay for a flag ship pole cannot be justified.
I will give you an example of what I am talking about. I always carry an old Daiwa TDP412, whilst these retailed at over £1000 5 or 6 years ago you can find them second hand for £300. I have also a Pro which cost £2K.
Most of the time I will use the TP but on pleasure sessions I tend to use the TDP as I will normally fish shorter due to lack of bankside disturbance.
At 11m or so I cannot discern any difference between the two.
The Pro has been around for a while also but I am advised the latest top Daiwa pole the Arity is not a step change from the Pro by people I have spoken to.

Having said all of that I will doubtless splash out on an Arity myself shortly but if I am totally honest with myself this cannot be justified so I fully understand your situation, it must be a boys and toys thing!!!

[TF_pr@ngler]

With the amount some of you spend on your gear I’m surprised more of you haven’t responded to this!

[TF_andynorth2003Participant]

Obvious question is what pole do you use at the moment and for what type of fishing?

Also how often do you need to fish 16m and beyond?

[TF_markm]

my opinion is if you fish matches every week then you can justify the cost and get the full benefit out of it, if you only plesure fish with the odd match thrown in id stick with what you,ve got.

[TF_billy the squidParticipant]

Theres nothing out there giving the stats in an unbiased way, pole fishing mag used to do a section on poles performance in chart form a while back, but it seemed to run for months and months and was never updated. You could try googling the different sorts of pole your thinking about and see what people who own one think of them. Other than that just go and treat urself to a top of the range garb or daiwa, proven thoroughbread performers which hold there value, you won’t be dissapointed.

[TF_yamma]

JOHNH hit the nail on the head if you fish 14mtrs + invest in a flagship pole if not, i really cant see the point.~hand

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