Daiwa Powermesh Rods (2 1/4 pond test curve)
May 1999. These rods were purchased for pike fishing, although I think that they are sold as carp rods. Again I handled a large amount of rods before making a purchase. I believe that most rods on the market are capable of landing most fish, but the price range is staggering. It is a pointless task to read reviews in papers and magazines, as all reviewers are sponsored by one firm or another. If you do not know anyone who is using a particular make of rod, and who will give you an honest unbiased opinion, then there is little you can do other than suck it and see. I picked up a number of rods, looking at the finish and the rings etc, but learnt very little. What was noticeable was that in the cheaper rods, the weight was significantly higher than the dearer ones. This may well be a selling point, but as the rods are going to be used for pike and carp, and spend all of their life in rod rest, the weight issue is unimportant. In the end I purchased the Daiwa Powermesh rods simply because I could afford them, and I liked the look and the feel of them. How have they performed. They are undoubtedly good rods and have performed as you would expect, extremely well. BUT I do have one moan about them, and this moan would also apply to a large number of other rods on the market. The complaint concerns rod rings. I am a careful owner, and my rods are always in tubes within a rod holdall. They are also in their original material bags. I take them out carefully, and wipe them down before I carefully put them away again at the end of a sessions fishing. Not withstanding all this lavish care, I have still managed to bend some of the rings slightly. The rings are single leg fixtures, and thereby is the problem. These single leg rings are all the rage, and are fitted to most rods. The reasons given for their use is generally twofold. The first is that they are lighter, and the second is that they give the rod a better action. To the first point, they are lighter, so what. As the rod is not going to be held, the small additional weight is irrelevant. The second point that they give the rod a better action, is probably correct, although I have no way of knowing. If push comes to shove, and I get in the position of having to have the rings replaced for any reason, then if I can purchase rings that have 2 fixing points, then I will have this type of ring put onto the rods. If the rods were fitted with the older 2 feet design, then without any doubt they would be a lot more robust. The finish on the rods is brilliant, and it looks as if the bindings on the rings, and also the logos etc, have all been coated with some form of clear plastic, rather than the old conventional style varnish. The only complaint that I have of the rods is purely personal, I would like them to have 2 leg ring fitting