Preston supera X power float rods.

[Jim Gregory]

Which guides?

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

I thought they were carbon?

They are, so very light, but not as strong as metal I think.

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

I suppose we all did something wrong in the past.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

They are, so very light, but not as strong as metal I think.

They’ll be much stronger than steel but far less ductile.
The warning is there because you won’t bend them you’ll shear them off but I reckon it will take some force

 

[Jim Gregory]

Carbon isn't ductile at all!

 

[Ian Woods]

A few m8s of mine swapped their alloy framed mtb's for top quality, super stiff, non flex carbon framed bikes, they swapped them back after several of them shattered on impact landing after doing a big jump!
They also had the carbon handlebars just crack off also.

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

They’ll be much stronger than steel but far less ductile.
The warning is there because you won’t bend them you’ll shear them off but I reckon it will take some force

Yeah, that’s what I meant, your normal guides can bend, but this thing, if not look after correctly, will snap, take some force though.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Carbon isn't ductile at all!

Correct it’s got none at all but it will flex a bit before permanent destruction

 

[Chris Jones]

I suppose we all did something wrong in the past.
View attachment 33057

To be fair, I wouldn't do any of those things to normal metal guides. I've had the original Air AGS match rods for a few years now. They aren't my favourites, so they've not been heavily used, but I've had no issues with the guides. The smaller rings are all a bit too low for my preference. Float rods look like tip rods because of them. Whilst I'm not prepared to strip the rod for proof, I'm not entirely convinced that they offer a huge weight saving over normal metal framed guides.

Given a choice between the AGS guides and the seemingly unobtainable Fuji Titanium match guides, I'd have the Fuji every time.

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

To be fair, I wouldn't do any of those things to normal metal guides. I've had the original Air AGS match rods for a few years now. They aren't my favourites, so they've not been heavily used, but I've had no issues with the guides. The smaller rings are all a bit too low for my preference. Float rods look like tip rods because of them. Whilst I'm not prepared to strip the rod for proof, I'm not entirely convinced that they offer a huge weight saving over normal metal framed guides.

Given a choice between the AGS guides and the seemingly unobtainable Fuji Titanium match guides, I'd have the Fuji every time.

The guides are definitely lighter than normal ones, I weighed the first two sections of the 13ft rod I have, same weight as the acolyte specimen, but the wall of the blank is much thicker, I assume the ags guides saved a lot weight.

 

[Andrew Jackson]

I know nothing about these other than what I’ve read which sounds very interesting for us specimen river boys.

The supera has been about ages now and usually associated with pellet and carp waggler rods but to see something come out in sensible lengths with good casting and line ratings, it’s certainly got my attention to want to look at them further.

Good on you Preston it’s about time we had some other choices. I’d be very interested to hear if anyone gets their hands on one as to what They feel like.
Pricing suggests they should be very good as they ain’t cheap.

I have the 14' Supera match. Though it's a standard match rod it's a great rod imo. It will handle big Chub as well as fish like Grayling, Roach etc. I even had a 6lb plus Salmon on mine! ( kelt but fought like stink).

 

[Richard Isaacs]

I got to waggle these rods today curtesy of Benwicks sports and finally scratch that itch.
The 14ft power float rod is where I put most of my attention for afew reasons.

1) I have more than enough 15ft rods rated to 6lb line.

2) 14ft is a length I’ve often ignored and it wouldn’t hurt to consider one to bridge a gap. After all I used a 14ft spectron for a while and it was brilliant.

3) I was very intrigued as to whether Preston’s idea of a power float rod for trotting fell in line with what i would look for. After all I’ve also ignored Preston rods and only now have they got my attention

For the most part it is very good but things didn’t start off great as the very first place I put my hand was on the reel seat which immediately felt like a cheap Fuji copy. And that’s exactly what it is. It looks like a dps but it feels looser and less substantial than a dps and in fairness i should of put a reel on it, tightened it up and confirmed for definite if it was something i could live with.

The good news is, everything else only went better as this was the only area on the rod i felt some concern with.

A quick up and down then side to side immediately pricked my ears up as instantly i could feel, this blank has both guts and a tip. Two things every specimen float trotter wants to find in a brief waggle of a power float and Had that gentle waggle started to unlock the blank much lower than the Half way point, I’d of probably put it back and not taken things much further

Guy in the shop grabbed the very tip and i proceeded to satisfy my curiosity by taking up what is definitely a lovely fast hollow tip. It’s soft and crisp and recovers in a split second. It’s going to propel a float. Whip a quick strike and cushion the knocks of a swinger just fine.
Yes i prefer spliced solid tips mostly but im certainly not apposed to hollow tips that are done well like this one.

Pull a bit more and a bit more and it’s very steely but very progressive. The sections come into their curve in order as more pressure is applied rather than all together which would bring in Mr butt section prematurely which does still bend I might add.

In terms of stiffness I can only compare it to other rods that people might have used and I think acolytes are common enough rods to be a good comparison.
So in my opinion it’s not quite as stiff as the acolyte specimens but a lot stiffer than the acolyte plus. It doesn’t fall bang in the middle between the two, it’s definitely gunned closer towards the specimen. Action wise quite similar to the specimen but slightly faster tip on the Preston along with slightly less steel throughout, there’s not loads in it but the Accy is slightly stiffer in the mid and lower.

I would not be surprised if the blank on its own is as light as an acolyte as it feels a very wand like rod in the hand.
The handle is pretty chunky and certainly contributes to most of its 190g weight (book not measured)
If I do end up buying one it would be interesting to see how the tip and mid sections compare with the 14ft ac spec. I bet they will be close.

The handle is excellent. Right up my street. Mix of EVA with a little bit of cork and a fantastic arm lock that puts both daiwa and browning sphere to shame. It is slightly concave and quite wide and your fore arm just nests in there like it was made to fit. It’s extremely comfortable and very well thought out. I like sphere handles a lot but this is even better again.

Rings are gonna be marmite. They’ll separate the crowd I’m sure being minima guides

I was dubious of them to start with expecting them to be weaker. They probably still are weaker than thicker frames but they felt substantial enough that I know with careful handling I’d be ok with them.
I can see some advantages though despite the fact I’m a die hard Fuji fan.

Biggest advantage is the bore size. It’s got loads more open area in that circle than a lined guide. So long as there are no long term problems with the surface where the line runs then logically line is going to pass through these a lot easier and with a lot less resistance. An advantage for both casting and trotting but only time will tell how they hold up long term. I’m still on the fence with them for now.

At £320 rrp i would not buy one for that price.

That’s very top end money and i would like to see a better quality reel seat and a full set of Fuji guides to get anything like £300 out of me for a rod.

The blank and handle however are definitely very top end and had they got the other fittings nailed on perfectly, I’d have no issue paying that. It would be worth that sort of brass to me.

However….. as it is i would still love to own this rod. It would be brilliant on the Trent getting laced into big chub and barbel and it’s got everything i would look for in its action and stiffness. I wouldn’t pay £320 for it but I’d happily snap one up with a discount code taking it down to £260 or less.

Hope that helps anyone who is also interested in knowing what they are like.

 

[Ian Woods]

Thanks for that Richard, you should be a salesman !

Downsides of the rod for me in your "excellent description" are that reel seat, those guides, and then the softer tip.

The stiffer tip of the speci acolyte is one of the things I like about it as it helps me strike the hook home when trotting at distance.

There is always room for another rod though, so I look forward to hearing how you get on with one if you do take the plunge.

 

[Dave Brooksbank]

I wonder how they compare with the original supera.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Thanks for that Richard, you should be a salesman !

Downsides of the rod for me in your "excellent description" are that reel seat, those guides, and then the softer tip.

The stiffer tip of the speci acolyte is one of the things I like about it as it helps me strike the hook home when trotting at distance.

There is always room for another rod though, so I look forward to hearing how you get on with one if you do take the plunge.

your 100% right regarding the reel seat and potentially the guides too but I think the guides would need and deserve more long term judgement to make a conclusion. They could be brilliant they could be awful.

Regarding the tip I’ve no doubt whatsoever you would absolutely love it. It’s a long way off the softness of a sphere river rods spliced tip, yet it’s not a million miles off the tip on the acolyte specimen which is relatively soft in itself.
Don’t forget you were a big fan of acolyte plus’es, sphere wagglers, normark avengers, and I’m sure many more slightly stepped up rods.

This will hit harder than any of those being a good lump stiffer through the blanks action.

I’m convinced the blank and the action would be super for your type of fishing Ian, It’s got some balls trust me, your not going to have any issues setting hooks… Saying that though I’ve ever known that issue with spliced tip rods either which have much softer tips.

 

[Ian Woods]

your 100% right regarding the reel seat and potentially the guides too but I think the guides would need and deserve more long term judgement to make a conclusion. They could be brilliant they could be awful.

Regarding the tip I’ve no doubt whatsoever you would absolutely love it. It’s a long way off the softness of a sphere river rods spliced tip, yet it’s not a million miles off the tip on the acolyte specimen which is relatively soft in itself.
Don’t forget you were a big fan of acolyte plus’es, sphere wagglers, normark avengers, and I’m sure many more slightly stepped up rods.

This will hit harder than any of those being a good lump stiffer through the blanks action.

I’m convinced the blank and the action would be super for your type of fishing Ian, It’s got some balls trust me, your not going to have any issues setting hooks… Saying that though I’ve ever known that issue with spliced tip rods either which have much softer tips.

Go on then Rich, you get one first .

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Go on then Rich, you get one first .

I probably will when I find one at a price I want to pay
No one should be using my description to buy one mind. Just a guide to judge whether it’s worth your time to go look at one.
I’d always urge people to go try rods out for themselves being such personal preference things

 

[Cliff Turner]

here you go Richard - https://thetackletavern.co.uk/produ...xb8XFDEiXM8tr7ZPEb5s2qNEQd202wb8aAtRQEALw_wcB

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Just an update on this rod as an owner and now used a few times I can delve a little deeper into it.
To be clear i haven’t caught a barbel on it and it’s unlikely i will until next season. However ive had some lumpy chub on it to just under 7lb which gives me a firm idea of what it will be like when I do target barbel specifically with it.

To start with some numbers.
Total rod weight is 191g the tip section is incredibly light at just 10g and the middle section is also very light at just 35g
In the hand this rod feels very light and it’s really nice when combined with a light weight reel.

When you consider my free spirits have tips weighing 50-70% more, you can really feel those extra 5-6g in the rod over that length in comparison.

I’m more at ease now with the reel seat. The one i played with in the shop must of been a bad en as the one i bought does feel like it has better lash tolerances on the threads. It’s a bit tighter and it does tighten up on a reel just fine. It’s not Fuji but it’s not bad.
It dam well should be Fuji being very top end money!

Still on the fence regarding the minima rings but I have since learned that bore diameter doesn’t impact cast distance much at all. I was half expecting the fact that these guides being more open and offering less resistance, it would put afew more yards on my Wallis casting…….. it doesn’t….. it’s about the same as any other rod I have with lined guides.

What these guides obviously do offer is weight reduction on the sections. As I said above this rod feels very wand like in your hand. Those guides, combined with thin blank walls are obviously contributing vastly to the rod’s balance. They’ll also be superb for any slider float users as stop knots will sail through them with little to no resistance whatsoever.
I’m buying my time with them still.
They are fine at the moment but……after reading one or two horror stories, I want to see how those inner unlined frames hold up after afew good days with big barbel.

That brings me onto my next point. Yes I’m definitely confident this rod will deal with large barbel. It’s got loads more to go on top of what I’ve done with it so far and I think it will be superb on the gravels of the Trent, hell bent into and angry barbel.

I wouldn’t take it nene barbelling though. I’m not saying it would definitely end up in pieces but it’s a totally different ball game there with the fish starting at 10-11lb and swimming just 3-6ft from a snag anywhere in that river in summer
The thin blank walls just don’t sit easy with me for that game and being completely honest I only have 2 (proper) float rods that i would use and feel comfortable with for that.

But that’s fine, to me it wasn’t intended to fill that gap in the slightest and in most other rivers with a little more space to play them it has definitely got the balls to stand up to double figure fish. It’s max line rating of 8lb is spot on and it’s action is exactly how i described it in the last post i wrote.

The handle is still my favourite bit. It’s just fantastic. So comfortable, so sturdy on your arm and lovely and short too.
If i could, i would without question have it fitted to all my favourite float rods.

 

[Jon Frisby]

Just an update on this rod as an owner and now used a few times I can delve a little deeper into it.
To be clear i haven’t caught a barbel on it and it’s unlikely i will until next season. However ive had some lumpy chub on it to just under 7lb which gives me a firm idea of what it will be like when I do target barbel specifically with it.

To start with some numbers.
Total rod weight is 191g the tip section is incredibly light at just 10g and the middle section is also very light at just 35g
In the hand this rod feels very light and it’s really nice when combined with a light weight reel.

When you consider my free spirits have tips weighing 50-70% more, you can really feel those extra 5-6g in the rod over that length in comparison.

I’m more at ease now with the reel seat. The one i played with in the shop must of been a bad en as the one i bought does feel like it has better lash tolerances on the threads. It’s a bit tighter and it does tighten up on a reel just fine. It’s not Fuji but it’s not bad.
It dam well should be Fuji being very top end money!

Still on the fence regarding the minima rings but I have since learned that bore diameter doesn’t impact cast distance much at all. I was half expecting the fact that these guides being more open and offering less resistance, it would put afew more yards on my Wallis casting…….. it doesn’t….. it’s about the same as any other rod I have with lined guides.

What these guides obviously do offer is weight reduction on the sections. As I said above this rod feels very wand like in your hand. Those guides, combined with thin blank walls are obviously contributing vastly to the rod’s balance. They’ll also be superb for any slider float users as stop knots will sail through them with little to no resistance whatsoever.
I’m buying my time with them still.
They are fine at the moment but……after reading one or two horror stories, I want to see how those inner unlined frames hold up after afew good days with big barbel.

That brings me onto my next point. Yes I’m definitely confident this rod will deal with large barbel. It’s got loads more to go on top of what I’ve done with it so far and I think it will be superb on the gravels of the Trent, hell bent into and angry barbel.

I wouldn’t take it nene barbelling though. I’m not saying it would definitely end up in pieces but it’s a totally different ball game there with the fish starting at 10-11lb and swimming just 3-6ft from a snag anywhere in that river in summer
The thin blank walls just don’t sit easy with me for that game and being completely honest I only have 2 (proper) float rods that i would use and feel comfortable with for that.

But that’s fine, to me it wasn’t intended to fill that gap in the slightest and in most other rivers with a little more space to play them it has definitely got the balls to stand up to double figure fish. It’s max line rating of 8lb is spot on and it’s action is exactly how i described it in the last post i wrote.

The handle is still my favourite bit. It’s just fantastic. So comfortable, so sturdy on your arm and lovely and short too.
If i could, i would without question have it fitted to all my favourite float rods. View attachment 33904View attachment 33905

Hows it compare to the Daiwa 14ft XP Richard...?