Description
Korda Kaizen Platinum Carp Rods 12ft 3.5lb
After several years of development and many hours of testing, we finally have a range of rods that we are 100% happy with and which will soon be available from your local Korda stockist!
The Kaizen Platinum range has been under development for more than four years, and came about as we felt that we could develop something even better than what was already on the market – despite this being our first foray into rods – using the extensive knowledge and experience of our Team Korda anglers, plus the product development staff here at Korda HQ.
Danny Fairbrass himself has a long association with rods bearing his name, and which he was involved in developing, and so it was a natural progression that we should develop a range ourselves, which had all the attributes that he, and our other anglers, would be looking for from the ultimate carp fishing rods.
The aim was to design a range of high end rods that would cover pretty much any carp angling situation at home or abroad, allowing you to not only accurately reach the fish if they were out at range, but which would also feel nice to play them on.
All of the rods in the range are built on a fast-tapered profile mandrel – meaning that the taper of the rod consistently goes all the way from the butt to the tip, and this produces rods with a very ‘tippy’ action, with pretty much all of the flex being towards the tip end, although of course when under extreme pressure such as casting, the rod will still bend all the way through to some extent.
This type of action allows for better power transfer and the generation of very fast tip speeds, which in turn allows you to cast further than you would be able to with a rod that didn’t have this action.
That action also allows much faster line pick-up as well, and whilst most of the bend is in the tip, the power is transferred progressively enough that the rod will absorb the lunges of a big fish at close range without fear of it causing hookpulls, and ensures that it is still a pleasure to play fish on any of the Kaizen rods.
The taper of the rod isn’t the only factor in determining the action and attributes that it displays, and just as important is the type of carbon that has been used in the manufacturing process – for the Kaizen range the only real choice was the best super tensile, high-grade Japanese carbon that we could get our hands on!
This ZERO90 carbon is used in just two layers and with very little resin content, and the result of that is lighter, stiffer blanks – often that stiffness is achieved by using cheaper carbon in multiple layers, which then adds weight to the blank and reduces performance, and is something we wanted to avoid, hence choosing ZERO90 – which further enhance the attributes that the taper we’ve chosen to use on the mandrel already provides.
Not only will this allow more power to be transferred into the cast and with less effort than you’d find with a cheaper grade of carbon, but it also aids enhanced accuracy as well as it reduces the ability of the blank to twist and cause your lead to go off-target during the cast – over a long distance even tiny improvements in accuracy make a big different to your rig landing exactly where you aimed.
This also aids tip recovery after casting, which is basically the length of time that the tip continues bouncing up and down after the cast, and the crisper this action the better – if you flick the tip of one of these Kaizen rods it will come to a stop almost immediately, with all the power having been transferred into that action, and which is exactly what you want when trying to cast a long way.
There would of course be little point in producing the ultimate rod in terms of its performance, if the cosmetics didn’t also match that, and these rods have been given a custom-made look, with the type of high grade components that you would expect to find on a rod of this price.
The blank is finished in durable clear matt paint, which shows off the carbon and has been extensively tank tested to ensure it is perdurable – basically means it is incredibly durable and will take a long time to show any signs of weathering due to exposure to sunlight and moisture.
There is of course no point in developing a rod that is incredibly light compared to its power, and then adding heavy components to it, so all of the range is fitted with lightweight Sea-Guide TDG rings, with a 50mm butt and 16mm tip – allowing the line to ‘cone’ off of a big pit spool in a way that minimises resistance as it passes through the butt ring, and providing a tip ring that is big enough to allow leader knots to smoothly pass through it.
The reel is attached via a top quality Fuji DPS seat and the handle is finished fully in Japanese shrink grip – the use of which is more than just cosmetic, and allows for a good grip even when your hands or the rod are wet – and with stainless steel trim and an etched butt cap made by JAG completing the custom look.
In terms of the models in the range, currently there are seven, with 12ft 3lb, 3.5lb and 4lb fishing rods, plus a 12ft spod rod; a 12ft 6in 4lb version for those who really want an extreme range rod but find a 13ft model just a bit too long; plus 13ft 3.5lb and 4lb models.
This will cover pretty much any angling situation, with the lightest model being perfectly suitable for fishing at closer range, but where you want the power to control and stop a big carp if you need to, plus have the ability to chuck a rig a long way if you need to. Right through to the 4lb models which are specialist long range tools and have the ability to put a lead and rig incredible distances when in the right hands – as demonstrated by the likes of Terry Edmonds and Darrell Peck, where measured casts in excess of 200 yards have been achieved and which featured in our Long Range Masterclass chapter, filmed at Iles3 in France.
So, whatever your casting style and ability, you’ll find something that suits you, and allows you to fish at longer ranges, and more accurately, than ever before.
Danny Fairbrass, who has been involved in rod design for many years and was one of the driving forces behind the Kaizen range, enthused: ‘They are an absolute joy to use, such lightweight, but powerful, and with really light rings, so they move through the air so easily, and cast so perfectly straight.
‘I’ve been using the heavier version during fieldtesting, but it’s nice to go back to these 12ft 3.5lb rods as they are the all-rounders, if you want to fish anywhere from one yard to 140 yards, with pinpoint accuracy, then these are the ones, and they also look absolutely gorgeous as well.’
