Nash Specialist Barbel Elite Rod

NASH SPECIALIST BARBEL ELITE ROD, 12FT, 2LB TC
Price: £ 79.99

Last year I decided I needed a new barbel rod. What was wrong with the ones that I had? Well, nothing really, but a couple of disappointing experiences with big fish highlighted the fact that I needed a specific tool for certain circumstances. For most of my barbel fishing I was more than happy with a 12ft 1.5 or 1.75 test curve rod but I felt I needed something beefier to use in extreme conditions. What I needed was a rod capable of stopping big barbel in their tracks when fishing close to snags. A couple of swims on the Ribble had previously given me problems due to the proximity of sunken trees and practically every swim on the Dove entailed adopting hit and hold tactics. At first I considered using one of my 2.25 TC carp rods but these were so soft actioned I didn’t think they would have the desired effect. What I needed was a purpose-built barbel rod with real backbone, preferably of at least 2lb test.

I looked at several and, let’s face it, there is plenty of choice out there now, and although a lot of them looked nice, the price didn’t. I couldn’t justify paying top dollar because I would only be using it for snag and/or flood fishing. It would perhaps be unfair to list the ones I looked at and the reasons for discarding them so I’ll go straight onto the ones now currently residing in my garage.

The rod is from the new Nash ‘Specialist’ range and is one of three models they produce specifically aimed at barbel. The first is the ‘X-Lite and although it looks and feels like a class product at £ 175 it was beyond my budget (for now!) and unavailable in a 2lb TC, the second is the ‘Tri-Tip’ and as its name suggests comes with three top sections and two different quivers. A great all-rounder but again over my budget and in the situations I expected to use it I will have no need for quivertip sections. Finally at the ‘bottom’ of their range is the Barbel Elite. Available in 2lb TC and costing under eighty quid – perfect, but would it be up to the task in hand?

On examination the first thing that struck me is it really does not look like a rod aimed at the budget end of the market – far from it. I’m no rod building expert, and don’t claim to understand the high-tech specification of today’s rods but I do know what I like and if it feels right, and the Barbel Elite does. The full cork handle is short, this is a definite plus as there is no requirement to put a bait on the horizon and this makes it nice and manoeuvrable when playing a fish at close quarters. A Fuji screw-down reel seat locks the reel in position and all rings are lined aluminium oxide. The blank itself is slim and the graphics are pleasingly understated, the spigotted joint appears to have added reinforcement which can only be a good thing bearing in mind how I intend to treat the rod!

But the proof of the pudding as they say is in the eating so it needs to be judged on how it performs on the bank. I found it comfortably casts 3oz and 4oz feeders the 40-50 yards required on the Ribble with ease and will also lob out 6-8oz leads without feeling it’s going to explode in your hands. I’m also delighted to say that it has already accounted for double figure barbel from both the Ribble and Dove and has excelled my original expectations. On my first trip to the Dove for several years I matched the rod with 12lb Krystonite mono and was fortunate enough to hook into a double figure barbel which powered for the sunken roots of the adjacent willows. The rod stopped it dead before it could build up any momentum and I believe this is key to snag fishing. If the fish cannot build up speed it cannot take line, once under the rod tip you can really lean into the fish, letting the rods power do all the work. The action is such that you can still enjoy the fight yet feel in total control throughout. Likewise on the Ribble with the rod held high you can stop the first run pretty quickly and start pumping the fish out of the rocky channels where they reside. At no time have I felt the rod has bottomed out and always felt there was more power in reserve if required.