 fishing Dartmouth sea angling Devon uk charter boat shore plaice turbot bass river dart |
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ABU SUVERAN BOAT RODS |
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About 18 months ago, I bought myself an Abu "Suveran"
7' 9" boat rod.
It was described as a 10 to 20 lb class, although personally, I feel it is a true 12 lb class rod. I like the general finish and was particularly impressed by the quality of the product. It is made in two pieces, with the rod section locking into the butt via a very positive screw fitting. The rod section is prevented from rotating in the butt by two lugs which accurately locate it. The reel seat is a screw winch fitting made of very strong carbon construction. The eyes are genuine Fuji "Concept" guides. Apart from the lower ring which is a double leg, the remainder are generally single leg . Each guide has a smooth edged, hard lined slot, which is longer than it is wide to allow the free passage of the line. They are made to angle forward in relation to the rod blank. They are ideal for use with modern braid lines. They do however work just fine with traditional monofilament line too. The 9 eyes support your line very evenly on this length rod. As you progressively load this rod and bend it more, the elongated slots in the guides minimise friction caused by the line as it passes through the eyes. The eyes are particularly well whipped to the blank and show no sign of loosening, even after 18 months of hard use. The grip is moulded from "Hyperlon", which is similar to grips seen on other modern rods. It is a closed cell moulded plastic foam material. The front grip is triangular in section and sits very comfortably in the hand. I am pleased to tell you that the grip is properly secured to the rod blank and shows none of the tendency to twist which I have encountered in rods from other manufacturers. These rods are particularly well balanced, depending on the model chosen, when fitted with a suitably sized reel such as the Abu 6500 or 7000 series. I like the smaller of the new Abu lever drag multiplier series on the 10 - 20 lb class rod. The new lever drag Abu 7000 would be just perfect on either of the two heavier rods. The manufacturer's specification informs us that the rod blank is formed from 1-3K High Modulus Carbon. I can tell you that it has a very responsive 'through' action and provides excellent bite indication. Again it will act as an effective 'spring' when used with 'no stretch' braid lines, minimising the opportunity for a 'snap-off' when a big fish suddenly tries to make a break for freedom. There is a white painted tip which allows you to focus your eye easily on this bite indicator. I like this rod so much, that I have recently purchased to newer 20 to 30 lb; and 25 to 50 lb models. The 20 to 30 is in my opinion a true 20 lb class rod, while the 30 to 50 is a true 30 lb class device. I've caught several good Bass to just under 10 lbs on the 10 - 20 lb rod. I've also used it to good effect to catch several nice Plaice to about 4 lbs. I used the 20 to 30 lb class rod for the first time last week and caught Pollack to just over 12 lbs and Ling to about 18 lbs very comfortably on it. It has since become a firm favourite and I've used it to take some fine fish. Here are a few photos taken in February 2004. I love it.
I know the 30 - 50 lb class rod will be excellent for heavier wreck fishing and "Pirking", although it is just 3 inches shorter than the other two models at 7' 6". The r.r.p. for the two lighter models is £179.99 while the heavier rod is £189.99. These are not cheap. Their quality is reflected in the price. If you shop around, you should be able to buy the two lighter models for about £120 - 125 at discount. The heavier rod can be found for about £6 or 7 more. I recommend these series of rods to you. I endorse them highly, having used the 10- 20 lb class model for more than a year and seen fit to spend my own hard earned cash on all three rods in this range. Mike Concannon - 23rd November, 2003 |
