Guest Writer: Stephen Williams
At the time of writing, the rivers are either not fishing or are flooded, so I’ve been doing a lot more stillwater fishing. The odd match here and there, but, mostly, I’ve been taking in a few hours pleasure fishing on some smaller waters in my local area. I grew up fishing small farm ponds, so it was interesting to get back to my roots.
Fishing my usual river rods, which are all 13ft or longer, didn’t feel right on these waters. I only needed to cast short distances, and the depths were mostly less than six feet, so a shorter rod was the way to go.
I had a look through the Cadence range and settled on an CR10 11ft #2 Match rod. There is also a #1 and a #3, so the #2 is in the middle of the range and would give me a bit of an all-rounder to try this shorter length of rod.
Most of the lakes I fish are naturally stocked waters, mostly roach and rudd with the odd carp. The CR10 11ft #2 was perfect for this, it is light and delicate and a dream to use. It also has plenty of backbone as well, so if the odd double figure carp happens on my bait, it can handle it without too much drama. I thoroughly enjoyed fishing with this rod with both my normal fixed spool but also in close with a centrepin.
As with all fishing, there are situations when you need to up your game. Some of the lakes I was fishing had even bigger carp in them, and the pellet waggler is a great way to catch them. The CR10 11ft #2 is a little soft for this type of fishing, especially with larger floats and when stronger tackle is required.
Chatting to James Robbins at Cadence, he recommended that I went for the same length rod but in the #3 version. This rod turned out to be the perfect choice. It can cast heavier pellet wagglers easier and has bags of power to subdue any bigger carp. What surprised me with the CR10 11ft #3 is when I fished with maggots, it still played the smaller silver fish nicely, provided the hooks were size 18s and above.
I have to say, after fishing with these rods for a good while, they have become a real favourite of mine, they’re just so much fun to fish with!
The CR10 11ft Match Rods work really well on smaller rivers, as well as the bigger rivers such as the Severn, when big perch and roach can be tight to the bank. I’ve not tried the #1 rod yet, but I can only imagine how amazing it would be for canal and drain fishing for smaller fish.
In conclusion, both of these rods are very capable all-rounders. The CR10 11ft #2 comes out on top when silvers dominate, but you have the chance of a bigger carp or tench showing up. The CR10 11ft #3 is an excellent rod where larger fish dominate, and bigger floats are required. The great thing with the #3 though is it retains enough finesse to deal with smaller silver fish as well.
If you’re tired of always fishing with the pole or just want a nice rod for smaller venues, trying one of these will change the game for you. I’m sure you too will have a new favourite rod in your armoury!
