These rods have been creating a bit of a stir in the trade, so I thought I'd better have a closer look.

• 10ft fast action, grey satin finish blank
• Two ceramic stripping rings with single leg snakes and hayfork tip
• Heavy duty black anodised reel fittings
• Cork full-wells handle and fighting butt

A 10ft, 3 section blank with a dark grey satin finish. This finish has been adopted by a lot of companies these days as it offers a decent compromise between the practicality of a matt finish and the good looks of a gloss finish. Along the length of the blank are fitted, the now popular, single leg snakes with a wire tip rig and two ceramic strippers at the butt end. There is an ongoing argument for ceramic rings over the wire snakes that says they shoot line better (not convinced) and the fact that they allow the blank to bend more naturally (because of the single leg). The great advantage that wire rings have is that they are much harder to damage in everyday use. So logically the single leg snake offers the best of both worlds. The handle was of an average quality cork, in full wells/scroll style and a short fighting butt finished with a black dense foam end piece. In between was a good quality back anodised aluminium reel seat with two locking rings that provided a very secure fixing. In general a good, no flash, no frills proper fishing rod. No expensive extras - just built properly.

On the water this was a joy to use no matter which density line I tried- it managed them all with relative ease. This can be explained by the fast mid/tip action providing plenty of power when required to lift a long line or hook a distant/deep take, etc. I tried a Cortland 444 Clear and achieved one of the longest casts I've ever managed with any outfit. (Not that far really) The only difficulty I had was when doing roll/snake/spey casting. This wasn't much of a surprise, because this style of cast is better suited to a more progressive action. Not in any way a criticism, just a point to note if this rod is being considered for river fishing.

This is a fast action rod for the more experienced caster. Here in the UK I think it will have it's greatest followers within the stillwater competition circuit, where I believe it is already causing a stir. It will also prove itself useful to anyone looking for a powerful single-handed river rod for salmon or seatrout. If you are looking for a rod of this type, then make sure you try a line up this one before making a commitment to anything else.
Highly recommended.
Paul

Diamondback VSR 10ft #7

Price £325