I’ve taken delivery of some of the brand new SKSC commercial fishery range from Sonik Sports recently, so decided to take the 11’ feeder rod and 5000 series reel out for a session to see how it performed. It’s realistically priced to provide a viable option for those anglers who hate to part with big money for kit, with rods and reels coming in at under £40 each. There is a good selection to choose from too, with a trio of both float and feeder rods at 9’, 10’ and 11’, three reels, and a couple of landing nets too; there are even barbel rods to be had, so the new range is certainly worth checking out…

I arrived at my local club venue, and despite seeing a few carp on the top, opted to use a small flatbed method feeder, which I intended to fish close in at the base of the marginal shelf. I know that carp congregate in this area as I’ve run my Deeper ™ sonar over it, so was confident of a bite or two to put some pressure on the rod and reel. I usually fish a 12’ rod, so was looking forward to trying something different to see if had much effect on the way I played the fish or affected my casting. The feeder was quickly loaded with Spotted Fin Classic Corn feeder mix (try it, you won’t be disappointed!) an 8mm matching wafter banded on, and the rig gently cast out around twenty yards.

I fired a few sinking pellets over the top hoping to sound the ‘dinner bell’, then tightened the line to put a gentle curve in the 2oz tip and sat back to wait. The rod is supplied with both a 1oz and 2oz push in tip, and I’d chosen the stiffer tip purely as I was using the method feeder… there is not much subtlety required when fishing the method, so I didn’t expect to have to decipher the delicate trembles and flickers associated with ‘normal’ feeder fishing, instead waiting for the rod to hoop around when a fish picked up the bait. I love to watch the bites develop on the method as fish demolish the bait ball before finding the target bait within, and so the session started; a minute of gentle pulls as the fish moved in, then WHAM! The tip shot around as my first carp of the day was hooked!

I’d set the clutch so I didn’t get smashed up immediately, and was pleased to see the SKSC reel spool off line steadily as the clutch gently tempered the first angry run. The carp moved out into open water where I was happy to let the rod do all of the work as the fish charged around trying to shed the hook. The 11’ rod is ringed very well, and fighting pressure put a pleasing curve in the rod as the carp fought on. Obviously, I couldn’t put as much pressure on my opponent as I would have been able to with a 2.75lb test curve rod, but lighter tackle always makes the battle more fun, and eventually, my first carp tired and slid over the waiting net. At around 12lb, it wasn’t a huge fish, but not unexpected on a commercial fishery, and the new tackle performed admirably!

I’d already noticed that the titanium oxide rod rings on the SKSC feeder rod were easy to thread. All too often, I find that guides are so small at the tip that it often difficult to thread the line through (especially once your eyesight starts to ‘age’) but the SKSC was easy to tackle up and get to work with reel lines in the 5-8lb bracket. It also features a screw down reel seat, and EVA/cork handle which always looks great, is easy to handle when wet and cold, and features muted graphics which appeal to many anglers. The reel is supplied with both deep and shallow aluminium spools, and I was happy to note great line lay without having to mess about with washers or similar; for the money, both products offer great value!

Throughout the day, I landed a total of thirteen carp to about 14lb, and twenty one bream, all around 3-4lb, then added a dozen small barbel, with the new SKSC kit taming them all with ease. I’ve yet to try the pellet waggler rod, but if it performs as well as the feeder kit (and I fully expect it too) then Sonik have a very popular, affordable range of quality coarse fishing kit, ideal for both the match and pleasure angler, who wants good kit at great prices which will do ‘exactly what it says on the tin’. Check out the full range at www.soniksports.com