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| Testing Times - Aspire Surf 130M |
| 01/05/2005 |
| Total Sea Fishing |
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We let Total Sea Fishing's rod tester Barney Wright loose with our flagship Aspire 130M. Here's what he thought...
"When you hear the name Shimano you will normally associate it with top-quality tackle and, as an angler, you will be extremely confident that the range of products will be precise and totally functional.
Although the name is renowned the world over, it is usually because of its amazing range of boat angling equipment. Shimano has not had much in the way of top-end beach rods.
Well, that may be all about to change, thanks to top tournament beach caster and northeast angler Peter Thain, who is now one of Shimano UK's leading consultants. So, following Peter's advice, Shimano has pulled out all the stops in order to launch a complete new range of rods that will cover all aspects of shore angling and a range of budgets too.
For this month's review we have decided to look at the rod Shimano believes to be at the top its list - the Aspire 130M. It certainly is top of the list when it comes to its RRP of 264.99, but is it top of the tree as far as angling is concerned? Well, follow me as I put it through its paces and find out what this rod is really all about...
The Aspire's designer, Peter Thain, has a track record that can only be admired and, since he holds several records at the UKSF events, he really does have a pedigree that is second to none. So, with this in mind, it should be ceratin that the new Aspire is a worthy contender in the market, purely from the level of input during its development.
However, it still has one final hurdle to get over, which could possibly prove the toughest of them all, and that is to pass my test! You should know by now that I don't take any prisoners in this game and if it is to gain my stamp of approval then it will have to be a good tool.
So let me start with what you actually get for your money. It is designed to cope with 4oz to 8oz and comes in two equal length sections of 6ft 8in that gives the rod a total length of 13ft when assembled. The blank is constructed from material known as XT300/LRC, which stands for 'low resin-content carbon'. This makes the rod extremely light, as it is made from nearly pure carbon, with the resin value in this blank material being kept to a minimum.
A quick glance at the rod suggests that it is finished in matt black, but a closer inpsection reveals a two-tone effect between matt and gloss, which is more apparent when light hits it. Top-quality SiC guides are secured in place with black whippings edged in blue, but unfortunately the amount of high build used is alittle overdone. It seems a bit strange that they have reduced the resin content in the carbon, yet chosen to pile on high-build resin by the bucket-load over the whippings!
Shimano has put on a custom screw-winch reel seat as standard, which also has a trigger grip. This is for hooking the index finger over to ensure a vice like grip on the spool when casting. The mechanism of this fitting is simplicity itself as it can be moved easily when the screw is loosened. Then, when the reel is seated and the screw tightened, it becomes positively clamped in place and ready for use.
The rod did feel a little strange when I first picked it up, which was simply because it was so light. Normally this suggests that the rod will be spineless and possess very little guts. This was also conformed with the customary waggle, as the bend of the blank also suggested that this could be the case.
I was beginning to think that there was not enough backbone in this blank to deal with the task of casting its stated maximum of 8oz, but my usual testing routine will provide an opportunity to prove it had. Or not, as the case may be.
I have to admit that as I prepared for the initial cast, there was doubt running through my mind. I had a vision of this rod exploding in my hands. But, as I powered through the first cast, I was astonished to see the 150g sinker fly out to sea to a phenominal distance. Wow!
To be perfectly honest, I could not really fault the casting performance whatsoever. Whatever I tried, the Aspire kindly obliged and produced the goods with some decent results. From a fishing point of view, I had decided to target codling so I loaded up a 3/0 Pennell rig with two large lugworms and a whole crab. Since the wind was a little in my face, I decided to use a 175g lead to get the bait out to where the fish were feeding.
I was still feeling a little nervous with the thought of an exploding rod. Okay, I keep going on about the rod breaking, but there is a point to all this whingeing and that is to do with confidence in the rod. Almost every cast involving a big lead made me feel as though the rod was going to blow. That caused me to subconsciously hold back on the casting.
However, as I became more accustomed to the rod, I soon discovered that this was not the case and it would certainly not explode. Unfortunately, I did not manage to bag a decent fish. But when I clipped on a three-hook trace with smaller hooks I did manage to bag up a few whiting, dabs and pouting that were in the area. And during the test the tip certainly showed up the bites exceptionally well. I must also admit that this rod is as happy with a full fishing pendulum as it is with a simple overhead-thump style cast.
What's more, is was a delight to cast and fish with. I know that Peter Thain has played a big part in the development of the Aspire and I can confirm that he has already achieved an astonishing 280-yard cast with it on the tournament field.
Not bad, considering that this is a rod that will suit a vast array of anglers and casting styles."
This review appears in the May 2005 issue of Total Sea Fishing
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