Matrix is the all-new brand with all-new ideas, and was shown to me in its entirety by the man responsible for it… Mr Ricky Teale.
Most of you will know or know of Ricky, but for those who don’t he’s been a formidable name in the trade for many, many years. And, he’s responsible for a great deal of the developments that present themselves before your very eyes when you visit your local tackle shop. So, what’s new about these rods and what makes them different from those sitting in your holdall already? I wanted to find out.
I joined Ricky on the banks of the famous The Glebe complex, in Leicestershire, with the primary focus of the day being to shoot a Matrix DVD. However, this gave Ricky and me the chance to have a proper chinwag about the brand and each of the new products that’ll be hitting the shops soon.
The Carpmaster range of rods is mightily impressive and with three versions available, at eight, nine and 10 feet in length, it was immediately apparent these are tools designed to cater perfectly for the modern commercial-water angler.
Our fishing on these venues has changed considerably in recent times, with tactics like the Method feeder becoming more and more dominant. These three rods cover all the tip fishing you could think of, from the shorter version of the three for little lobs and ‘underarming’ on the pole line to the 10ft model that’ll chuck a loaded feeder 35 to 40 metres with ease. In brief, this range precisely covers the vast majority of commercial-water tip fishing that we do.
Anyway, I’d watched Ricky catch a few fish on the rods while we were filming, but I was itching to have a go myself. Eventually I managed to get him off his box so I could have a chuck and catch a couple.
It’s often hard to describe a rod until you’ve had a go with it yourself; it’s more a ‘feel’ thing than something you can effectively describe.
As soon as I cast Ricky’s feeder out I could tell the difference. I could punch it perfectly straight, down exactly the same ‘hole’ every cast with no fuss, thanks to the power in the butt section.
Don’t think that these are tools solely for carp, though; they’re soft enough for skimmers and other silver fish that can play an oh-so-vital part in your catches during winter.
However, I’ve saved one of my favourite points till last. As soon as I clapped eyes on these rods I noticed the extended distance between the butt ring and reel seat.
“What’s the thinking behind that?” I asked Ricky, who then proceeded to dismantle the rod to pack it away and it all became clear. While the rings have been placed in the optimum position to get the best from the blank, the position of the butt ring is placed to align with your reel’s spool for transportation – very neat, and one of those brilliant ideas that proved to me that Ricky has thought about little other than setting this brand up to be a very serious contender.
There’s also a very clever little component referred to at the moment as ‘the plug’. This basically does away with any bands to secure your made-up rods together. All you do is push the designated sections into the recesses and twist to lock in place.
There are many other products available in the Matrix range, from other rods, feeders and moulds to luggage, a seatbox and accessories. As you read this the gear will be hitting your local stockist.
| RRP: 8ft: £134.99 9ft: £139.99 10ft: £134.99 Website: www.fishmatrix.com |
