I must admit that when I was told that I would be reviewing a camouflage fishing rod, I was more than a little concerned. Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against the ‘camo brigade’. I was brought up in a garrison town, with many family members in the army. I spent quite a few years as an army cadet, too, and quite a bit of the kit I acquired over the years helped me in my early fishing days. No, it wasn’t that – it was just that I was certain that a camo carp rod would look, quite simply, stupid!
When the rod arrived, in its black rod bag, I knew that I had to have an open mind. Normally, the appearance of a rod wouldn’t be the overriding factor in choosing it, but if Fladen were going to the trouble of producing one so off-the-wall, then they would have to accept the fact that people would comment on the way it looked!
The matt camo blank is accompanied by holographic whippings and even a camouflage reel seat! The few bits of ‘bling’ that there are on the rod seem to add a touch of class. There is a short foam handle at the base of the rod and, no, this bit isn’t camo. It’s black.
I was amazed. Far from looking tacky (sorry Fladen, but that WAS what I was expecting), it actually looked very tastefully done. I now can’t imagine what I’d expected it to look like. It’s a rod and its camo – how different could I have been? I don’t know, but it was definitely one-nil to the Fladen Maxximus Carp Rod!
I wasn’t having it, though. I went straight round to a friend’s house (we’d already discussed the impending arrival of a camo carp rod!) and said to him, “Is it just me, or did we both get it wrong when we said it would look awful?” He opened up the bag, took the rod out and had to agree with me – it looked good!
Anyway, enough about the appearance….for now.
Just having one rod to use, the Fladen Maxximus became my ‘spare’ rod for a while. I used it alongside my usual rods occasionally (although most carp anglers agree, breaking up your usual set of three is hard to do!) and I also used it as a marker rod. Come to think of it, I used it with a mini spod, too. It handled these roles comfortably and performed well. I was using the 12ft, 2.75lb version, so expected it to do so. Using it as a marker/feature finding rod, as well as with the mini spod, meant that I got to do a fair amount of casting with the rod. It’s light enough not to grind you down and has the power there to deliver your bait or marker float to where you want it with precision. It’s not as thin as some of the ultra-thin rods that seem to have hit the market recently, but I think that will appeal to many. It gives you a feeling of confidence that should you hook into that big one, it won’t let you down.
In summary, I’d say that the Fladen Maxximus carp rod is well worth a look for anyone looking for a mid-price rod that will serve them well. The Maxximus name might not be as well known in the UK carp fishing world as some other brands, but Fladen is a huge company that is well respected, especially in sea fishing circles. The England boat fishing team uses Fladen tackle, and they wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t good. I also use Fladen tackle in other areas of fishing.
I can’t sign off without having one last word about the appearance of this rod. Not one person has visited me on the bank and ignored this rod! It is, without doubt, a talking point among anglers and I have yet to hear anybody say anything bad about it. There are the usual jokes about not being able to find it when you lay it down, but that’s about it. Take a look at one if you get the chance. I think that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The Fladen Maxximus Camouflage Carp Rod comes in 1.5lbs, 2.0lbs, 2.5lbs, 2.75lbs and 3.0lbs test curves. Each model is 12ft long and in two pieces and, at the time of writing, the price seems to be about £60. Check out your local Fladen dealer for availability and pricing, or click here to visit TackleBargains online, as they stock a wide range of Fladen Fishing Tackle. At the time of writing, they had a rod/reel combo deal on, too!
To view more Fladen products, please visit: http://www.yysinternational.co.uk/
Holgraphic whippings add a nice touch
Even the reel seat is camo!
Editor’s Note: I must apologise to Fladen for taking so long to write this review. A combination of changing circumstances at Anglers’ Net and the worst weather for carp fishing that I can ever remember led to a huge delay. On the plus side, the rod still looks like new, so it obviously copes with it all better than me!
