Daiwa Longbow DF X-45 Rods

Deep in the bowels of Daiwa’s Scottish HQ, blanks are rolling off the production line right now that defy convention, allowing us to cast further and more accurately, than ever. What’s particularly exciting is that they’re not an Infinity, or a Basia – they’re a Longbow!

Since the Longbow range was introduced, they’ve been thrilling us with their performance and value for money. You see, the great thing about the DF range is that it’s all produced right here in the British Isles, so technology that is developed for flagship models, like the Basia, can filter through to rods that, well, we can all afford!

Now, to carry the DF moniker, a rod has to pass a pretty brutal inspection from Danny Fairbrass himself. Given that Dan needs his tools to help him put a bait on a sixpence at 150yds, you can see why he won’t settle for substandard kit. To understand how Daiwa were able to produce a rod crisp enough to put a smile on the discerning Mr Fairbrass’ face, we have to get under the silk-matt skin of these new Longbows. You see, the secret to supreme power and accuracy lies in the carbon skeleton of these rods – their X45 construction.

The secret to their supreme power and accuracy lies in the carbon skeleton of these rods: the X45 con-struction

The carbon boffins discovered that, by wrapping their blanks with fibres running at 45-degrees to the blank, they could practically eliminate twist (two sheets of 45-degree fibres, crossing over each other to create the X-shaped configuration gives the rods their name). Now, twist is the enemy of accuracy and efficient transfer of power on the cast. The trick to making a rod that could cast further, was in making sure that all the potential energy that transfers up from your legs and core, to the rod on the cast, was used to the fullest and not lost to twist.

Once they’d cracked that problem, Daiwa set about pairing the new Longbows with super-light Minima rings, which allow you to whip the rod through the air even quicker, and aid that all-important recovery. Then they applied the customary sleek, black, understated finish to the rod, which makes it unquestionably a DF.

The technical advances are all well and good, but they’d be wasted if the finished rods didn’t perform well out on the bank. That’s where Dan comes in. No sooner had the first prototypes been finished, they were winging their way from Scotland to Essex, for Dan to test. We can only imagine that it must have been a nervous time for the Daiwa boffins, but it’s safe to say that even Dan was immediately impressed, as his first report back shows: “Just hit the clip at 160yds with a 4oz lead on the prototype 3.75lb X45 Longbow. I could give it more, as the rod will take it. They feel light, crisp and powerful; well done!”

That was good enough for Daiwa and the button was pressed that sent the Longbow DF X45 into production (okay, so we don’t actually know that there’s a button, but it sounds good, right?).

As you’d expect from rods made in the UK, the range will cover you for fishing intimate pools, right up to the very biggest, most challenging waters we have. They’ll also deal with the rigours of Continental angling too, whether you’re banging out baits on Gigantica, or towing them out on The Orient or Rainbow.

As you’d expect from rods made in the UK, the range will cover you for fishing intimate pools, right up to the very biggest, most challenging waters we have

There are seven rods in the family, including a dedicated Floater Special, Spod Rod and Spod ‘n’ Marker models too. Without the benefit of foresight, it’s impossible to say for sure, but we don’t need a crystal ball to tell you that these rods, as with the other DF models, will become era-defining classics. In fact, there’s every chance that they’ll be every bit as admired in 20 years as they are right now.

“GIMME”: From £235.00; daiwasports.co.uk