Total Sea Magazine

Sonik says…
The new NCT (Nano Carbon Technology) shore rods from Sonik are stated to be slimmer, lighter and deceptively powerful. Sonik also says that they cast like a dream and are, arguably, the finest shore casting rods available on the market today. The NCT system allows a blank to be made significantly stronger and lighter than with normal carbon fibre, which, in turn, allows the rod to be slimmer, with faster recovery than ever before without compromising the strength and casting ability of the blank.

Barney says…
The NCT is a two-piece rod that measures in at 14 feet when assembled. I have to say that it’s a cracking-looking blank with superb coloration and really is extremely light! It never ceases to amaze me what manufacturers can produce nowadays – pushing the boundaries further and investing in new technology to help enhance sea angling pleasure. But the only way to find out if a rod is any good is to take it to the beach to give it a damn good thrashing!

My test rod was a 6oz version, which means it will cast up to this weight including bait. So mindful of this I clipped on a 5oz sinker to begin the test and get a feel for the rod. I soon found out that, despite feeling quite forgiving, the blank had plenty of backbone. The tip is quite soft, which will make it great for bite indication – especially at close range and up to 100 yards or so. But when a long way out in the tide, the tip will bend and bites become more difficult to identify. A drop-back bite from a codling would definitely show perfectly!

This easy tip was what caught me out regarding the rod’s power, as I thought that it would be a little loose in its action – wrong! In fact, I had to be careful when winding it up as it did bite back if I powered up the cast too soon. After several casts, I was happy and ready to test the rod’s fishing abilities. For this I kept the same lead but added a clipped-down rig and large bait that took the total casting weight up to the stated rating.

A gentle pendulum swing and a brisk power stroke sent the bait about 150 yards. The best thing was that it didn’t take much effort to achieve this, which pleased me because I now knew that I could cast flapping rigs with soft baits without doing any damage to them.

As I set the rod in the rest, I observed the tip bend into the tide, but nowhere near as much as I predicted it would – another bonus! Bites showed up well on the tip, and it wasn’t long before a small codling bounced the rod tip! I reeled the little fellow in and, as it neared the surf, I allowed it to scrap a little and I was able to feel it thump away easily through the responsive tip. This was good and I could hardly wait to try for a bigger one. I was to be disappointed, though, because the fishing became very hard after this.

The day at the beach test was a washout with weed and I only caught the one codling! Nevertheless, I achieved what I set out to do and the rod was thoroughly worked out. It had no problems hauling in large amounts of seaweed, which, in truth, is much harder work than reeling in a big fish!

Final thoughts
I am impressed with this blank and feel that it will do well as it’s a pretty damn good all-rounder. It will cope with any grounds, save maybe the heaviest, and will help the user with its lightness and ease of casting. One top tip is to have a few casts to get a feel for it, because it is more powerful than you might think!

INFORMATION
Blank: Nano carbon
Overall length: 14ft
Joints: Push-in spigot
Guides: Lightweight Alconite – nine plus tip
Hand grips: Japanese shrink tube
Whippings: Black-edged gold and red
Reel seat: Adjustable reel seat
RRP: £279.99

TSF RATINGS
Appearance: ★★★★★★★★★★
Casting: ★★★★★★★★★★
Fishing: ★★★★★★★★★★
Value for money: ★★★★★★★★★★

Contact: Sonik Sports on 01670 798910
Website: www.soniksports.com