MINI MARVELS | DAIWA EXT CROSSCAST RODS

In the land of ‘short’ rods, your first thought might always be ‘Nash Scope’. However, Scottish rod builders Daiwa have developed something very special with their EXT Crosscast (and it’s not just the price tag!). CARPology editor Joseph Earl-Wright has been using them for the past six months, and this is what he thinks...

I’ll be straight with you: telescopic rods—or ‘short rods’ as they’re now termed—haven’t always tickled my fancy. Within CARPology towers, I once famously said that the 2013-launched Scope rods would just be a fad and that telescopic rods wouldn’t take off…

However, I acquired a set of 9ft 3-piece rods back in 2015 and used them when the situation dictated (read: family holidays!). Did I love them? I loved the pack-down side—that was convenient. And I’m sure boat work would have been easier, but whenever I headed out the door for my next session, I’d always reach for my 12ft 2.75lb TC Longbows.

With a couple of French fly-away trips planned this year, I got my hands on a set of Daiwa Crosscast EXT rods. Available as a 9ft or 10ft rod, they have a closed length of just 111cm or 129cm. These, packed inside a hardened cardboard tube, along with all the other essential gubbins, meant I could fly with Ryanair and avoid a 10-hour drive. It was heaven!

How do they look and feel?
The first big difference between these and my old 3-piece ones was the blank width and, consequently, the weight. These are supermodel stick thin. To give you an idea of how light they are, the 10ft 3lb TC model I used weighs 260g. In direct comparison, Daiwa’s flagship 12ft 3.25lb TC Daiwa Basia X45X, which costs a cool £659.99, weighs 350g. I can tell you now, that weight difference is noticeable in the hands. In terms of cosmetics, they hit all my top notes: 1K woven carbon with a clear matt finish, SeaGuide reel seat and lightweight LS rings, and to wrap around that ultra-thin blank is a slim profile, full-shrink grip handle.

How do they compare to the competition?
In terms of choice, there are now loads. Fox EOS Pro Traveller Rods, Sonik Xtractors, and Nash Dwarf, to name but three. I’ve not used those models, so I can’t compare, but they all sit in that £50 to £100 price bracket and feature very similar spec sheets. However, I do know, anecdotally, from friends who own sets of Nash Dwarfs and Fox Pro Traveller Rods, that they are both very impressed.

How did they perform then?
Way beyond my expectations. I’ve been so impressed with them, and that’s in all areas: the look, the balance, how they cast, and most importantly, how they feel when playing a carp on them. It’s also worth noting that while I always opt for a light rod (reminder: I have the 10ft 3lb TC model), I was fishing to snags, and these still had the backbone to avoid any snag-ups. On that particular trip, I landed two forties, two fifties, and a sixty. While I wasn’t launching heavy solid bags—I was fishing helis with 2 to 3oz leads, which balanced perfectly with the rod—I’m sure these would handle them, particularly with the 3.5lb TC version.

Overall verdict, then?
Against my original ‘short rods’—those that I referenced at the start of this review and retailed for circa £350 apiece—I’d pick the EXT Crosscast every time. They exceeded my expectations so much that I’m now a sold ‘short rod convert’! I wasn’t the only one impressed. Another angler on the lake with a set of top-end telescopic rods was going to sell those, purchase a set of EXT’s, and pocket the difference! There’s your best endorsement!