Rods, Reels & Poles

Choose Your Nemesis! Matt Godfrey and Jake Fowles test two of the hottest weapons from Matrix – the flagship Nemesis and the Nemesis 1000… but who will come out on top?

The Nemesis – Matt Godfrey A few weeks ago I was on a feature with Andy Geldart. After wrapping it up I was itching to have a go, and jumped on his box. On picking up his pole, I was gobsmacked! I couldn’t believe Matrix hadn’t pushed and advertised this weapon more, and got in touch with the company to send one for testing.

Moorfields Farm Fisheries at Goole was the ideal testing ground, but editorial assistant Jake Fowles was at my heels with the Nemesis’ little sister pole, the Nemesis 1000, making him my nemesis for the day! After Jake plonked himself on the best peg in the lovely reed-strewn corner, I had to settle for an open-water swim. I could see a few bigger specimens cruising about in the upper layers, and before Jake had a top kit out I had an 8mm pellet on a shallow rig, flicking it out to the cruising shadows.

Starting at 13 metres so as not to spook the fish out too quickly, I flicked out my rig set six inches deep right into the path of a hungry looking cruiser. In seconds all hell broke loose with a huge swirl and a stream of yellow Matrix Hollow Elastic pouring from the pole tip… I love a mugger! Even with a livid Moorfields common on the end, the pole was super-stiff. It was noticeable that the top kit and top end of the pole remained extra stiff, meaning that the elastic could work smoothly. I was giving it my all and piled on the pressure to see what the top kit had got, but nothing budged! After leaning into several more big carp, most bottoming out the elastic and turning me around on my box as they headed towards the reeds, I can vouch for the strength of the pole too… it is very strong.

It’s not even worth talking about the pole at lengths shorter than 13 metres, it is simply sublime! Super-stiff, ultra responsive, smooth for shipping… I couldn’t pick a fault.

As the session progressed, my cruising fish became fewer and farther between, and I soon found myself adding the 14.5m and then the 16m sections. This brought a couple of larger lumps that had backed off, and gave me a great chance to test the pole at full length. At 14.5 metres it was exceptional, and fishery owner Dean Johnson actually commented on how good it looked and asked for a go! Normally, adding the 16m section to any pole leads to a deterioration in performance. This one, however, showed probably the least amount I’ve experienced. The sections seemed very thin, even at 16 metres, making it very comfortable to handle, and perfect for speed fishing. The spares are more than enough to get any serious matchman well kitted out immediately after purchase – seven kits and a cupping kit, not including the extras you get in this package. Was it good enough to beat Jake on the day though? Well,, I’m going to say my 10 big cruisers went a comfortable 60lb… I wonder what he’ll admit to?

The Nemesis 1000 – Jake Fowles Following the success of the flagship Matrix Nemesis came the Nemesis 1000, a pole from the same mandrels as the Nemesis, meaning all sections can be interchanged. With a retail price of £1,000 it slots nicely into the mid-range bracket, a popular area of the market for match anglers.

So, how would the Nemesis 1000 shape up against its more sophisticated brother? To keep the match ‘fair,’ Matt took us to a venue I have never visited before, close to his hometown of Sheffield, and one he’s fished several times. The rules were simple: one top kit, one rig, and the highest overall weight wins! I headed straight to a corner peg that looked particularly fishy, and it was soon clear that our tactics for the day were very different. Within a couple of minutes Matt had his mugging rig attached and was standing up with his sunglasses on trying to look like Andy Power. I opted for a slightly more refined approach with a standard shallow rig. After admiring the generous Nemesis 1000 package, and before I had even attached my rig Matt was netting his first fish of the day, a big carp of around 8lb… and there was me expecting to get an ‘all in’ shout before we started!

By the time I was set up I was already three carp down. I started pinging pellets at 13 metres and within seconds of slapping my rig in I was into a fish, a lovely ornamental goldfish the same colour as Matt’s hair! My next drop in produced a brown goldfish of almost 1lb and it was clear the lake was full of fish. After 20 or so fish, the majority of which were goldfish-related, I spotted an opportunity to do my own bit of mugging and close the gap on Matt.

Adding the 14.5m section had very little effect on the pole’s performance; it was comfortable to hold and rigid, with a slim profile which really helps smooth shipping. To contact the cruisers I needed the final extension to take the pole to its full 16 metres. Dropping my rig on the nose of a dark shadow, with a big bow wave the fish was hooked and shot off out of my swim!

At full length the Nemesis 1000 was manageable, although some rigidity it possessed at shorter length is lost. However, one thing for sure is how strong this pole is! Turning the fish to stop it powering straight through Matt’s swim meant giving it some serious pressure with the pole up high, but despite this the 1000 didn’t let me down. The commotion that 6lb carp caused meant my shallow line slowed. I decided to start feeding just a top kit and three sections in front of me to try and rack up the numbers. To my surprise I caught after just minutes! Matt’s mug fish had thinned out and I was certain I was hot on his heels, putting fish up to a pound in my net every chuck.

When we reluctantly called it a day we knew it would be close. Matt’s carp went around 60lb… I was certain I had that, but gave it the old curve ball and claimed he had “probably just done me”. On lifting my net it was clear this wasn’t the case and my goldfish and carp went an easy 80lb… possibly more! Jake one… Matt nil… and apparently he fishes for England!

Tech Spec

Matrix Nemesis 16m Pole Package: 16m pole including Nemesis top-three kit, three top-three kits, one top-four kit, two Puller Kits with elastic slots, one Cupping Kit, a Matrix Dump Pole Set, one short extension Section Saver 9-10, one short extension Section Saver 11-12 and an Ethos Carryall RRP: £3,049.99

Matrix Nemesis 13m Pole Package: 13m pole including Nemesis top-three kit, two top-five kits, one top-four kit, one Cupping Kit, two mini extensions and an Ethos Carryall RRP: £1549.99

Matrix Nemesis 1000 16m Pole Package Package: 16m pole including top-three kit, four Nemesis 1000 top-three kits, one 1000 top-four kit and Ethos Holdall. RRP: £1,249.99

Matrix Nemesis 1000 13m Pole Package Package: 13m pole including top-three kit, three Nemesis top-five kits and an Ethos Holdall RRP: £1,249.99

www.fishmatrix.co.uk