Maver Enigma 1 Carp Pole 16m

After returning to angling 12 months ago I always new that an upgrade to my existing pole would be difficult to resist.

I'd had my Shimano Technium since 2006 and it had never let me down. However it had of course been superceded by newer technology and was "only" 12.5m long. Factoring in top section cut backs and the fact that you couldnt really fish it at full length meant I had a usable pole of around 10m in reality.

This in itself isnt a problem. How often do I, someone who doesnt fish matches,  really need to fish longer ? Well I was starting to fish some snake type lakes and was only able to reach 2/3rds of the way over, meaning a lot of options were blocked off to me.

So, I wanted - if not needed a new pole, as I could now justify a reason to upgrade to myself !. At first I bought a Maver Grim Reaper. A great budget pole but in reality not giving me the length advantage over the Technium, as I found back on the Oaks I was still 6 feet away from fishing near the far shelf.

So i sold the virtually new Grim Reaper,  reset my budget and after reading reviews, holding one in the shop and finding a price far cheaper than anywhere else I bought the Maver Enigma 1 Carp Pole 16m.

Wanting a 16m pole wasnt even  in the equation, If it was good at 13-14.5m Id be happy. After 4 trips I'm blown away by this pole. Now any opinions I form have to be tempered by the fact I've never fished with any other 13m + poles for comparison. I did compare the Enigma in the shop with both cheaper and more expensive poles and to me, it was the best balanced of all I tried.

So with that statement I can say I love using this pole and it has made my fishing more enjoyable and probably successful compared to its venerable predecessor. 

Its stiff and light. Virtually unoticeable at 13m and fishable all day at 14.5m (particularly if not in a gale as per my last trip !)

Its crisp on the strike and on carp to 7-8lbs has responded flawlessly.  I was slightly concerned coming from the Technium, which is built like a Land Rover of the pole world, that any new pole would shatter in use as im obviously used to being heavy handed.  However up to now the only issue has been a small crack at the top of the No.4 section, caused by my clumsiness - trying to stop a running carp on a top 2 by adding sections and not getting the pole together properly.

The pole finish is lovely and whilst it doesnt have some of the features of the more expensive Mavers it ships beautifully in my opinion.

The Enigma comes with 1 match kit and 3 power kits. The power kits all have side puller slots and are re-inforced at this point and work very well on the bank. Added to this is a very good quality holdall, mini extension for 13/14.5 and 16m sections and cupping kit with cups.

One huge benefit on purchasing this pole is having the top kits pre bushed. All my kits and cup kit are now the same length. No need to try and adjust where I drop bait when cupping in anymore.

I've added another match kit to the collection and have fitted a variety of elastics from blue hydro to 14-16 Drennan. Originally I was going to keep the Technium for margin work but sold it to help purchase the Enigma and I have no qualms about using it for this task, or indeed as a silver fish pole either.

I havent needed to fish longer than 14.5m but it seems manageable if not desirable for too long a session. 

As I said im not able to review the Enigma as a comparison to other poles in its price range but as an upgrade from my old pole the difference is amazing.

Im very satisfied with my purchase

Thanks .

Robin.

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Review - Maver Grim Reaper SX (13m pole) £299

I've had my old Shimano Technium XT 12.5m pole for around 8 years and whilst it was in good condition, It was heavy and started getting a bit of a handful at 11m Plus.

I decided the time was right for an upgrade but as unsual financial constraints and limited fishing opportunities meant I couldnt justify a large amount.

I wanted a 13m pole but not an out and out 'carp cruncher' as I still enjoy fishing for silvers. So weight and stiffness would also be a factor.

I'd considered offerings from Daiwa, Preston, Garbolino and MAP. But the MAP 101 seemed favourite from everything I'd read on the 'net.

I went to my local tackle shop Fishing Republic in Sunderland and was pointed in the direction of the Maver Grim Reaper, a pole I hadnt even considered due to its 'lump hauling' reputation.

However on comparing the full length pole to some of the others on my list and even some more expensive poles (such as the Browning Z All Round and the MAP 201), I kept coming back to the Reaper. I even looked at the 14.5m Maver Retribution which was a lot more than my defined price range and even with the butt section off it just didnt feel as "right" as the Reaper.

So the decision was made and the Reaper was bought. I also liked the 3 supplied easy-glide side puller power tops which came along with a match top 3 and cupping kit. I decided to also buy an extra match kit at the same time to bring the pole up to 5 kits.

Chris and Tony in the tackle shop offered to elasticate the pole for me, something im very capable of doing but they did a very professional job and although the tops are pre-bushed, this saved me quite some effort as I just chose the elastic I wanted and they did the rest. FOC. They also recommended dacron connectors which are so much tidier and less tangle-prone than the stonfos I`ve always used in the past.

Power Kits with side pullers

Since then I've used the pole on 2 trips.  First at The Angel Of The North Lakes where an unseasonly cold,  foggy day turned the carp off but I had some nice silvers up to 2lb at 11m and closer. The 2nd trip was to the Oaks and this gave the pole a much better workout, hitting F1 bites, silvers and carp to just under 7lbs from the margins.

The pole did everything id asked of it and feels strong but responsive and well-balanced. The cupping kit is very stiff and overall I couldnt be happier with the whole package.

Obviously there are much better poles out there, but for £300 I think you'd struggle to find anything to compete.The spares aren't the cheapest around, but nor are they the most expensive either and fishing at full length all day would be a bit of a chore but which pole Isn't without a section off ? if you need to fish at 13m a lot then try a bump/spray bar and 2 well set up pole rollers.

If you're looking for a good budget pole  for catching a bit of everything on commercials i dont think you'd be disappointed with this one.

Update... 9th May 2014

After reading a post on Maggotdrowning re: actual pole length, i measured the pole with the supplied power tops fitted. Without the mini extension the Reaper measured 11.6m and 12.4 with the extension fitted. How this compares to other manufacturers I dont know. However comparing the pole with the extension fitted in the shop against some of the other poles without extensions may have been totally different. I still like the pole, just feel a bit mislead.