DAIWA CONNOISSEUR G90 16M POLE PACKAGE

You might find this hard to believe, but in all my years of tackle testing I have never waved a Daiwa Connoisseur pole over the water.

Given that the evergreen and award winning Connoisseur has been Daiwa’s best-selling fishing pole for nearly 30 years, that is a quite remarkable statement!

The pole has been produced under many guises, starting way back in 1991 with the original Connoisseur Ultra model. Subsequent decades have been graced with the G8, G20, G50 and the latest G90.

I may never have live-tested a Connoisseur or, for that matter, owned one, but I have been lucky enough to have fished with some of the UK’s best match anglers who were devoted ‘Connie’ disciples. To me that speaks volumes.

The Connoisseur is reckoned by matchmen to be Daiwa’s best power model, and therefore well suited to big-fish situations. However, this preconceived ‘firepower without finesse’ idea has always been a bit of a head scratcher for me, because I know two absolute top-of-the-pile speed merchants who could smash out literally hundreds of roach at lightning pace with a Connoisseur – proving it to be much more than a one-trick pony.

So, after years of waiting and wondering about this pole’s potential, the moment of truth finally arrived! And as I assembled the latest G90 on the well-worn banks of Decoy’s carp-infested Lou’s Lake, my mind drifted to watching Essex County’s awesome Garry Miller slaying big roach on the Trent Embankment with his own ‘Connie’.

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However, that was all back in the day stuff. Modern match tactics and venues require that the seasoned match angler will frequent a commercial fishery where bagging tactics, or big-fish pole methods, are the order of the day – hence Decoy, my choice of live test venue.

There is little doubt in my mind that Daiwa has developed the all UK-built Connoisseur over the years to keep pace with the demands of ever more stressful match situations, and to that end, this latest model is definitely the strongest, stiffest, most responsive and most powerful yet built. This is clearly reflected in its construction.

Daiwa’s Super MSG carbon cloths with Nanoplus resin technology combine to produce a high performance tool.

It’s a fact that the pole handles better at 13m than it does at 14.5m or 16m, and that’s not rocket science. Poles that are super-quick and slick at longer lengths come with much heftier price tags than this G90.

That said, it is more than useable at any length. It’s proper tough, and will handle a purple Hydro kit with consummate ease.

Daiwa’s packages allow you to keep your top kits all the same length, while having the right sized PTFEs for the elastics.

The pre-fitted Interlastic side puller kits come with tip sizes of 4.7mm and 5.8mm, to cover every size of elastic you are likely to need to commercial work.

The match kits – which really do help to impart a bit more stiffness and tip speed to the pole’s overall action when used with lighter solid elastics – are ideal for all silver fish work.

Verdict: This latest ‘Conny’ is a true all-rounder. The unmistakeably steely feel of a top-end Daiwa pole is there, and coupled with key features such as ITS taping across the top sections and a Diamond Satin finish on the larger sections, this make the pole quick and easy to handle in any weather.

The kit package and choice is hugely impressive too, and will provide you with enough kits for any match without having to shell out for any extras.

Price (promo): £1,499 for the full package