Shakespeare Odessa Medium Feeder Rod

On the internet we are not restricted by paper costs and my editor, Geoff Maynard, believes that readers deserve to know the full facts about a review product rather than a cosmetic look at the item. To this end, my review of tackle will give a detailed account of how the product performed under live test conditions.

Shakespeare Odessa Medium Feeder Rod

Manufacturers reference: 1880.360Manufacturers classification: Medium feeder rodReviewers comment: Although given a manufacturers “medium” rating, it would cast a 2oz plus feeder a long distance.Length:3.6m (12ft)Action: I thought it was a fairly stiff tip-actioned rod. There was nextto no flex in the butt and only a little flexibility in the middle joint with most action in the tip. Shakespeare state that it is for 5lb b.s. linemaximum, yet I used it with a 61b b.s. main line on the Kennet to good effect.Joints: Three plus four push in tips.Ferrules: Push over type on the main rod with push in tips.Ringing: All rings are lined. There are five three legged rings lowerDown, leading on to five single-legged rings. This excludes the ringson the tips. Whippings are dark maroon with high build epoxy finish.Tips: 1. Glass light action with 6 rings.2. Glass medium action with 5 rings3. Carbon light action with 6 rings4. Carbon medium action with 5 rings.Handle: 22.5 inch with a quality screw reel seat, part cork and partsynthetic.R.R.P.£60Discounted price: Phoning around the best price that I found was£44.99 including postage. This price was from the Tackle Exchange

at Walton on Thames (Phone 01932 245453)

Shakespeare Aerial 2000 fixed spool

Manufacturers reference: 2516 040 Classification; Medium sized fixed spool reel Gear ratio: 5.2:1 Spools: Two. One metal and the other in plastic. Both are push button. Spool capacity: Both hold 230m of 0.22mm diameter line which for a conventional line equates to about 61b b.s Ball bearings: 6 including a large line roller. Clutch: Rear adjustment Silent anti reverse Cost: R.R.P. £63 Discounted price: Again the Tackle Exchange at Walton on Thames came out top with a price £44.99 including next day delivery. Phone 01932 245453
Live TestAlthough in the winter I seldom use a feeder on the River Kennet, I took both the rod and reel with me on my latest trip to the river to find it flooded and racing through. This meant that a lot of lead was going to be required to hold bottom. I thought that between 3 and 4 oz of lead would be needed in most swims.The Odessa medium feeder was selected as I thought it could handle this amount of lead. I plugged in the “medium” carbon tip and set up with the Aerial fixed spool reel loaded with 61b b.s. nylon rather than braid. I thought that with the chance of a barbel I needed a line with some stretch. The terminal rig was a John Roberts sliding boom with a 3oz flat lead stopped by a soft bead and a swivel. The trace was a length of 51b b.s. line tied to the opposite end of the swivel. The hook was a size 6 baited with a hair-rigged home made garlic flavoured meat ball.I fished a far bank swim with an upstream leger in to some slightly slacker water where, fortunately, my 3oz lead just held bottom. I fed in about 6 of the meat balls as free offerings and sat down to wait for my first bite. I didn’t have to wait long before the rod tip flicked back as a fish picked up the bait. The top was still flickering as I struck into the fish, that, I suspect, had hooked itself. The fish stayed deep and I needed all the power of the rod to beat the barbel in such heavy water. The fish felt a real monster in that heavy water but when landed was a respectable 71b 4oz. The rod and reel had performed well in those rather extreme conditions.About an hour later I took another slightly smaller barbel out of the swim. Then the swim went completely dead and I decided to move to another swim.Although I fished several other swims in the next couple of hours, I only had a chub of 41b 10oz to show for my efforts. In all it was a good session under very difficult conditions. The tackle had performed well and had converted every bite into a fish on the bank.That was to be my last session of the season on the River Kennet as the spread of the dreaded Foot and Mouth disease closed down most of the river. I found it most frustrating trying to finish this review with so many waters closed.Fortunately, I got an invitation to fish a exclusive section of the River Test. Not the venue to try out a medium feeder rod, as it is full of grayling and trout that respond well to trotted maggots. However, out of desperation, I packed the feeder rod and reel that I had to review.Naturally, I started off trotting maggots with a 12ft float rod and the new Ariel centre pin. Although the water was coloured and turbulent, the grayling responded well and I was catching plenty of them to 1lb 8oz.However, I wanted some bigger fish and looked at the turbulent water of the weir pool. The river was carrying a fair amount of flood water and was rising, making it impossible to present a bait on a float in that pool. I decided to fish a 1.5oz lead with the review tackle, using bread as bait. I cast the bait into a fishy-looking crease at the bottom of the pool using the medium glass quiver tip. I was immediately into a better grayling. Sport was hectic and I was building up a good bag of bigger grayling. The best two being 21b 5oz and 21b. The tackle performed really well handling the grayling with relative ease.

Although I could not carry out the programme that I had intended to test out the tackle, I think the results show that this tackle is worthy of very serious consideration.