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Shimano Hyperloop Barbel Power Rod

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Reading some of the tackle reviews on BFW inspired me to share my experience of using the above rod. This is an independent and unsolicited review and I have no sponsorship deals with the manufacturer (or anyone else, more's the pity!)

Just over two years ago I was re-bitten by the barbel bug having been a long-term carp fanatic. Using my existing carp rods for barbelling worked to an extent but there was a loss of finesse that detracted from my enjoyment of barbel fishing and totally overgunned any chub that happened to fall for my bait.

I took a good look at what was on offer by way of specialist barbel rods at or under the £100 mark and happened across the Shimano Hyperloop range in the local tackle shop. There are three rods to choose from; the Barbel Classic, Barbel Power and Barbel XT.

hyprod.jpg

Tech Spec:

All three are built from low resin XT30/60 carbon, all have quiver and Avon tops as standard and are rung throughout with smooth double leg butt and single leg intermediary SiC rings. They have all-season Shimano ergonomic reel seats at the top of cork handles. The Classic has a 1.5 lb test curve and the Power is 1.75 lb test. The XT has the same configuration as the Power but is also supplied with an additional quiver top making 3 tops in total. The blanks have a pleasing and subtle holographic wrap effect and the finish on the whippings and handle is excellent throughout. The graphics are as they should be�understated.

My Choice:

Having waggled and bent all three in the shop and quite a few others from the major manufacturers, I settled on the Barbel Power model. It is light and responsive to handle but had the extra power in the Avon top that I thought would cover most situations.

In Action:

In the first few trips to the river I managed a couple of small fish on the Avon top plus a near double and the rod performed well. It was easy to hold for as long as I wanted and bent pleasingly at first before bringing its stopping power into play when asked for a little more. I have to confess that the quiver tip got little use as it just seemed too flimsy for serious fishing.
The close season saw me return to carping including a trip to a local bagging water where my girlfriend Maz managed 10 hard fighting mirrors to 14lb on the rod which took it all in its stride. Her 'fighting pose' was a sight to behold and made the rod work to full effect! Through the summer and autumn Barbel took a back seat until it got cold again and I took to the rivers in search of a bite. It was then, with some reservations about the power of the quiver top, that I tried the finer section in the hope of detecting and converting some of the shyer bites rather than waiting for the classic heave on the rod end. The result was that I managed a couple of nice fish from small pulls on the tip and discovered that the slim tip had substantial reserves of power which proved excellent for leading hard scrapping fish away from nearby snags.

Price:

The cost of acquiring a Barbel Power has fallen over the last year as the range matures. I paid about £70 but they are available for as little as £55 now if you shop around or Ebay might throw up a real bargain In

Conclusion:

I use the rod for all of my barbel and chub fishing and find it a pleasure to fish with. It has repeatedly doubled-up as a floater rod for carp and I was so impressed with it that I bought a second one at the start of the winter. Just to set that in context, I have a few different rods for carping and my Barbel Powers are the only ones that I have not built myself.

Nic Cole
March 2005
 
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