One of my favourite pieces of kit is the original Chub Outkast Spod Rod. It was bought for me as a present five years ago, after I had chosen it as the one I wanted. Initially, I liked the simplicity of the design, being all black with a silver etched butt cap. This makes it look simple but still stand out slightly on the bank. The price was affordable, which was also a massive bonus. The lifetime warranty that it carries is also a big plus and puts my mind at rest while using it.

It has a 4.5lb test curve, which allows me to compress the rod fairly easily when using a Spod or Spomb. This helps me get more distance on my cast. It has a 12ft standard length so I don’t find changing from my carp rods to using the spod rod that much different. However, if you are a big distance caster, the test curve probably wouldn’t suit your needs.

Baiting the swim tactically is something that I find often works, so having a reliable spod rod like the Chub Outkast is important to the way I fish. I am not a big distance caster – my main fishing is between 40 and 75 yards – and the Outkast handles this perfectly and is comfortable to use without exerting too much effort so helps to increase my accuracy.

I have taken it on the majority my fishing trips to waters that allow spodding in the last five years and although it has been used extensively it has definitely stood the test of time. It is still in very good condition, the varnish has not cracked, the whipping around the eyes hasn’t split or come undone and the backbone of the blank hasn’t gone soft.

The Outkast Spod Rod is light in weight, which allows me to couple it with a medium-sized, lightweight reel. This makes it comfortable for me to use because anything too heavy and I struggle with accuracy, which is a very important aspect.

Another nice feature is that the eyes have three legs along the full length of the rod, which means that it is harder for the rod rings to be knocked out of alignment, yet it hasn’t unduly increased the overall weight.

The Chub Outkast Spod Rod is by far one of my favourite pieces of kit and there would have to be a spodding ban on a lake for me to go without it. There are so many good features, I would be hard pushed to find something that doesn’t suit my needs.

Amy.

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