Avid CURVEX Rods
What if carp rods could be both powerful, yet boast a genuine all-through action? Well, thanks to Avid, they can…
It takes balls for a big tackle company to stop dead in its tracks and completely re-evaluate its rod-building ethos. That’s exactly what Avid did though. It’s 2015, at the gigantic Zwolle Show in the Netherlands, and Avid brand manager Mat Woods is about to find out that his European consultants actually want a very different rod to the fast-taper models that are the staple of most manufacturers!
After hearing them out, rather than dismiss their ideas, Mat instead took them firmly on board and set out to make us all reimagine what a carp rod could be. At that moment the CURVEX project was underway, but it would take time, technology and thorough testing before this ambitious project would bear fruit. Luckily for you guys though, that process is now at an end and we’re pleased to be able to showcase the CURVEX range right here…
The big questions
Surely fast taper is the only way to go?
Believe it or not, most of the European guys that Mat spoke to hadn’t actually needed to cast a rod for years! They either used bait boats or real boats, which meant that their ideal rod would be totally different to the norm. Almost all of the guys who did cast from the bank used braided main line, which suited a more through-action rod as well. Even the UK consultants that Mat asked agreed that their stiffer, long-range rods were too stiff for certain situations, such as on smaller lakes, or when using light leads. The seeds were sown.
A through-action rod is going to be too wobbly though, right?
Well, this is the clever part. Mat recruited the help of Avid’s European Director, Pascal Vermuelen, who has extensive knowledge of carbon materials, to help in his quest to produce an altogether curvier rod with enough power to subdue huge carp on big continental waters. Their search for the right materials took them to Japan, and it was there that they made the breakthrough… Non-Lock carbon was born.
What happens when a rod locks up then?
So imagine this: you’ve been playing a big carp for ages, you’ve managed to get it in close and you’re shuffling the net into position. With the rod at full compression you raise the carp for what you hope will be the last time. Right on the net cord, it powers off and your rod simply hasn’t got any more to offer, it’s locked up and won’t bend another millimetre. Something has to give. For your sake let’s hope it’s not the hook hold! Just when you think Avid’s Non-Lock carbon is fully compressed, crucially it’s able to flex that little bit more!
But can they still cast well?
Of course they do! Apart from the 10ft 3lb version, which has been designed for boat fishing, the 12ft 2.75lb, 12ft 3.25lb and 13ft 3.5lb models will all cast perfectly well. Clearly, if you’re going for distance, the thirteen-footer is going to interest you most, thanks to a beefy butt section, through which you can generate some serious power, but without losing that distinctive CURVEX feel.
So that’s the carbon, what about other features?
Well, you’ve got a neat anti-frap tip ring, which serves two purposes. Firstly, its clever smoothed design prevents tangles on the cast and, secondly, it is very difficult for the line to become wrapped around it while out in the boat. The last thing you need to be worrying about while manoeuvring your disobedient craft in a wind, are annoying tangles either as you attempt to place the bait, while heading back to shore, or playing that giant up from the snag-infested depths. As you’d expect, the cosmetics are subtle, and on-point, which when coupled with proven Fuji rod furniture, add up to a range of rods that’d easy on the eye.
They sound looooovely! What’s the price then and when will they be available?
In terms of availability, they’ll be on-sale from the end of October/start of November. The pricing structure starts at an impressive £139.99 for the 10fter and all other models will retail for £149.99. avidcarp.com