DAIWA TOURNAMENT INTERLINE
RRP: £165
Ringless rods, where the line runs through the centre of the blank, are nothing new, but for some reason they have never really caught on in the UK.
Throughout the years, while fishing aboard various charter boats around the country, I have not infrequently come across anglers using what are known as ‘interline rods’ and, invariably, those anglers absolutely love them.
The vast majority of interlines that I have seen have been manufactured by Daiwa. The latest model produced by the company is the Daiwa Tournament Interline, which has been built using their X45 carbon. This two-piece rod has an overall length of 2.13 metres (7ft) and features a high-quality Fuji reel seat.
The rod I tested was rated for use with lines ranging from 8-15lb, I’d say a traditional 20lb-class, and is perfect for a wide range of situations typically encountered in the UK.
One of the biggest concerns many anglers express when talking about interline rods is the problem of threading the line, especially braid, through the blank.
The rod comes with two steel wire ‘bobbins’ that are used to thread the line, by tying one of the bobbins to the end of the line and dropping it through the single bottom ring. Certainly, this would be a bit of a ‘kerfuffle’ (I’ve been waiting to use that word in an article for ages) on a pitching charter boat.
That said, almost always I pre-rig my boat rods before leaving home. Of course, you will ask what happens when, or if, you get snagged and have to break your line? That happens, but rarely does the line part between the reel and the rod tip, so with just a little care you should not have to rethread the blank.
This was actually my first time fishing with an interline rod, and I made the mistake of using a monofilament leader of around 12ft of 20lb attached to the 20lb braid mainline. The problem was that even though I had tied a small and neat knot, it jammed each time it had to pass in or out through the rod tip. Next time I shall probably dispense with a leader.
I used the rod on a day’s reef fishing off the Cornish coast, catching a variety of small to medium-sized fish. Bite detection was excellent, and I actually enjoyed using this simplistic yet functional rod.
I’m not sure that I am prepared to make a total conversion from using traditional rods fitted with rings, but certainly I have had my eyes opened to the advantages of using an interline, which has no additional hardware to get damaged.
The Daiwa Tournament X45 Interline rod retails for £165, and is available from all Daiwa stockists.
