I was lucky enough to receive the new Tawagoto XP03-2 Series 9 2.7-A+ Lure Fishing Rod last week, and couldn’t wait to take it out and test it. Made in Japan, this 9.87ft rod has a blank made from the highest military-grade quantum carbon graphene composite and is rated to cast between 9.37 to 18.49 grams. It features Fooji stainless steel rings, which are near-indestructible, and a multi-point precision reel seat which can be adjusted to infinite angles – a real improvement over the previous model, I’m sure you’d agree. Of course, Tawagoto’s famous and patented preciso-cast, fast-action, tip-tickle technology is present in this rod, giving it a real edge over similar rods. While this rod was specifically designed for fishing the tricky waters of the Sendai Bay in the Miyagi Prefecture of Japan, it should transfer well to UK anglers looking to lure fish in waters down to 1287mm deep. Okay, at £1,899 it’s not cheap, especially when you factor in the £399 I paid to get it fast-tack air freighted from Japan (plus damage insurance, import taxes and VAT which cost another grand), but I think we can all agree for top-quality fishing tackle that gives you a real edge over other anglers it will be worth every penny. I paired it with a Future Techno Fish TWT F2a#4 Class-3 fixed spool/multiplier hybrid reel filled with 2.178 kilogram breaking strain ultra-low-diameter superstealth nano-fluorocarbon-monofilament hybrid line (only £199 per 100-metre spool when imported from Japan, plus £189 for delivery and £88 for insurance and import taxes) and went straight to the nearest rock mark to test this rod out.
I tied on an Ultra-Lifelike Mini Great White Shark replica lure from the company’s Apex Predator range and felt the balance of the rod in my hands. It was both heavily weighted and extremely light at the same time – a brilliant combination! I thought I would put the rod through its paces and gave it a full-power cast and was delighted to see the lure fly through the air, reaching a distance of around 17 yards, pretty good, I’m sure you’d agree. Unfortunately, I became snagged on my first three casts, which was quite annoying as the top-quality Mini Great White Shark shark-replica lures cost £39.99 each (plus postage and import taxes), but I’m sure you would agree that you always need to use the best lures as it gives you a real edge against other anglers.
I switched to a different mark and gave it a medium power cast and saw the lure reach a distance of around 11 yards. Not being snagged this time, I can tell you that the rod reels in lures like a dream, with the Mini Great White Shark shark-replica lure moving through the water in the exact same way a real great white shark would if it were ever swimming around very shallow inshore British waters. After around 100 casts (and another seven lost Great White Shark replica shark lures) I still hadn’t caught anything, which was pretty annoying as a group of children fishing to the other side of me had caught multiple mackerel on their feathers and daylights. Like any angler committed to spending the cost of a decent used car on a rod, reel, line, and lures which can only be used for a very specific type of fishing, I persevered. You will not be surprised to hear that success did eventually arrive. After fourteen hours (I fished until the tide became too low to continue and then had to wait several further hours for the tide to come back in), I felt a fish engulf the Great White Shark replica lure. After a ten-minute battle in which the Tawagoto XP03-2 Series 9 2.7-A+ rod displayed its strength and power, a sandeel weighing around 5oz was at my feet. I was highly pleased with the catch and how well the rod had acquitted itself, although I was a little bit annoyed at losing nearly £400 worth of lures to snags in the process of catching it. But in reality, that is a small price to pay to have the best lures in the water and give yourself a real edge over other anglers fishing with inferior lures such as so-called ‘spinners.’
I’m sure you would agree with me that the Tawagoto XP03-2 Series 9 2.7-A+ is a serious piece of fishing equipment. It will prove highly popular with UK anglers looking to get an edge over other anglers. It’s been out in Japan for three weeks. Where’s yours?
Dr Alex Tekunorosakana is a professional fishing tackle reviewer and lure fishing expert. He has a PhD in innovative angling lure hydro-dynamics from the University of Söndersvöll in Sweden.
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