On my trip to New Caledonia last week, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to test a number of the new GT rods that Carpenter have recently released or will be releasing in the near future.
Konishi San bought along the Endless Passion and Monster Hunter range of rods as well as a number of prototypes. I will not be discussing the prototype rods as there is no point doing this as they were rods he had made up for testing specific ideas and may or may not end up proceeding to production.
First on the Monster Hunters. On the trip, I had the opportunity to test both the 80H RF40 and the 79XH RF45. The 80H has already been released in small numbers and some of you may already have acquired one. The 79XH is the heavier version of this rod and is an international model; that is, it is only for the international market and will not be sold domestically in Japan. This rod will be released during 2011.
I found the 80H to be a very impressive all round rod. I would see it as a PE8-10 rod and it certainly has significant reserves of power down low. In terms of action, I feel the blank has a slightly more progressive action that the EXH. I would suggest both rods are roughly comparable in power. That said, the EXH clearly has a stiffer tip than the 80H. This would be a suitable rod for anyone looking for an all-round rod to throw poppers up to the 170g range and large stickbaits. The rod really does have some power down low. Konishi San landed his biggest GT of the trip on the 80H and he went really, really hard at times with the rod. I liked this rod a lot as an all-round mid-heavy GT rod and I liked it enough where I will be getting one myself.
From the 80H, we take a step up to the 79XH. This rod is another step up in power and I see this as a serious PE10 rod. The tip is probably approaching the EXH is stiffness and while the action is still relatively fast, it has a more forgiving taper than the SP rods like the EXH and UHL. Down low, this rod has loads of power. I found that this rod could take anything I was capable of dishing out on a fish and still had heaps of power in reserve down low. I feel this rod is suitable for poppers up to perhaps the 200g size although I would see around 170-190g as ideal. I will say that I feel that the tip is not strong enough for a King Kong or an I Cup. It will pop lures this size but I think there will be some degree of saturation in the blank. I would, however, see this rod as powerful enough for 95% of anglers who want to work big poppers. From a personal perspective, I will be looking closely at this rod as I have to admit that the UHL is beyond my capabilities these days and probably has been for a few years now.
Onto the Endless Passions. I had the opportunity to test two of the Endless Passions, the EP88 RF35 and the model that is coming in 2011, the EP85 RF36. I used the EP88 quite a lot over a couple of days and then tried the EP85 for a day and I suppose I have to admit to having to eat some humble pie. When this rod was first announced, the impression I had of the rod was that it was a rod for the older or aging angler, built with a more progressive and forgiving taper, additional length to assist with casting, nothing which I would be looking for. Well, I was wrong and wrong in spades as I loved both of these rods.
I used the EP88 as essentially a stickbait rod with PE8 and I have to say that there is a lot of satisfaction is simply loading up and releasing a cast without undue effort and seeing it sail huge distances. I was casting a Gamma 160 with it and it had absolutely no trouble whatsoever with the weight of the lure. The softer tip worked the surface stickbait beautifully and yet when I loaded it up on a fish, I never felt that the rod did not have enough power or that the length made it excessively unwieldy. The biggest fish I got on the EP88 was around the 30kg mark and the fish went crazy but the rod never felt like it was under-powered against the fish. I changed the lure to a 140 Sea Frog for a short period and while it popped the lure satisfactorily, I feel the rod would be more comfortable with lures just under this size.
ON the EP85, I tried this rod for a day and I liked it even more than the EP88. The slightly shorter length suited me more and I did not feel I lost any casting distance in comparison. I felt it worked stickbaits just as well as the EP88 and probably was just a tad better for poppers. I also found that when it came to fighting a fish, it was more comfortable for me than the EP88.
The Endless Passion range is almost a completely new style of GT rod compared to what we have seen previously in the market. The length of the rods from 8'5" to 8'8" is at a level rarely seen before for GT rods. I know that this puts them in the territory of the Long Reefs but the LR range was developed primarily for long casting and it was accepted that these would be more cumbersome in fighting a fish. I think the reality is that my view is a lot more of us should probably be considering a rod like this. I found I could fish for hours on end with this rod as the casting was effortless, the rod was light, it worked stickbaits beautifully and yet when necessary, I could go hard on a fish and the length was manageable.
As Kenji San has now specifically referred to the rod, I can now also add that there was another rod we tested during the week, the EP82/37 prototype. I'm not 100% sure of how this rod is going to be released yet in terms of which range or whether it will form part of a new range but when it is, boy, this is the rod which is I think is really going to be something. Its got everything - length, power but still really comfortable to fish with, casting distance etc. For me, I'd think about using this as a heavy stickbait rod. There is no release date on this rod yet as Kenji San has not formally put it onto the production schedule but the fact that he has given it a numeric designation is indicative that it may well proceed. This one is a certain purchase for me along with the EP85/36!
Fishing in the New Caledonian heat was brutal last week and having a rod that I could cast and work effortlessly made a big difference. While I found I could only work the Monster Hunter 79XH effectively for half hour periods, I could fish for long periods with the Endless Passions. Konishi san said that the EP88 had been extremely popular in Japan and it is easy for me now to understand why.
All in all, a very enjoyable experience having the opportunity to test these new rods. After what has almost been an absence from our market for a few years, it is clear that Carpenter is back, and back with a vengeance.
All of this can only bode well for the premium GT rod buyer as there has never been such a wide range of rods available before when you look at what companies like Ripple Fisher and others are offering.
Finally, I would just like to make one point and that is to clear up some rumours. I have become aware of rumours linking me with various equipment companies. These rumours are incorrect. I have no interest in any equipment company nor do I have no interest in any online or retail stores. Where I have had some involvement is assisting some companies is with the testing of equipment - no more than that.
