How do you improve upon the best-selling margin pole of all time? Preston’s Edge Monster is not only incredibly strong, but it’s light enough to remain manageable and stiff enough to remain in control of heavily-loaded pole pots while shipping out.
Combine all that with great affordability, bushed and ready to go top kits, a slick marketing campaign and a catchy name, and you have a formula for a huge seller.
Surprisingly, the way to make it better is to improve the top kits. This might not be the exciting answer you were looking for, but this is actually a far bigger deal than what it seems, so please read on!
First of all, I need to make a little disclaimer. There are no statistics out there to truly know what the best-selling margin pole of all time is. However, I believe it’s the Edge Monster. Not only do my friends in retail tell me how many they have sold, but the evidence is there on the bank.
Visit a commercial and have a walk around. Ignore the open matches with sponsored anglers – they probably make up just 10 per cent of anglers at most. The people to look at are the pleasure anglers and the club anglers. When I watch these guys, I see more of them using Edge Monsters than anything else.
Hugely popular as it is, the original Edge was not perfect. To get the action and overall length of the pole correct, the top kits were on the long side at 2.9m. This meant that not only did fish tend to come to the surface a little further out, making netting more laboured, but it meant they also held more elastic.
With a huge amount of work having gone into getting the Superium top kits right for Preston’s premium pole range, it makes absolute sense for the new Edge Monster to share these. Yes, it does mean that your old Edge top kits will not fit the new one, or any other section for that matter, but it’s a necessary consequence, as the whole pole has had to be redesigned from the top kit down.
At 2.4m, not only are the top kits shorter, as they’re identical to those of the Superium you no longer have to keep your top kits separated – they can all go together in the same case, as you can use any top kit or cupping kit on either pole.
So, with a complete change of mandrel and top kits, will the new Edge be as good as the last one? I took it to The Glebe to find out.
DO BATTLE IN THE MARGINS WHILST SAT ON ONE OF THE BEST FISHING SEATBOXES.
Verdict
There is no doubting it has a different feel, which should be no surprise, as it is a different pole. However, it remains lightweight and balanced. Its rigidity is an interesting point. It feels stiff, and wobbled very little while shipping, and I was able to keep very good control of the float.
Even if you want to own just the one pole, as many Edge users do, you also get a far bigger range of top kits you can use. Although designed for fishing down the edge, or a short pole line, and coming with two Superium Carp kits for this, should you wish to fish for smaller species, you can use a lighter Match top kit on your Edge. You can even use the short one-piece F1 kits, should you wish too.
Hitting into a fish, it gave just the right amount of bend, enough to provide some cushioning yet not so much that it would scare the user into thinking it would break, because that is something this will not do – unless you hit it with a rock or try to catapult a house brick with it, of course! Believe me, I did not hold back, and gave this pole far more stick than I needed to.
So, the big question is, would I buy one? Well, if I already owned an Edge Monster and was more than happy with its two top kits, I don’t think I’d part with it.
However, if I wanted to start using it for catching silvers or F1s, or just needed a few more top kit options, or maybe my old margin pole was a little past its best, or I already owned a Superium pole, I would not hesitate to go ahead with the upgrade!
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS PRODUCT AND OTHERS FROM PRESTON INNOVATIONS HERE.
Tech spec
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9.5m length with supplied mini extension fitted
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Depth markers on top kits
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Easy Glide finish throughout
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Reinforced joints
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Supplied with two Superium Carp kits with rollers and bushes fitted
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Transported length 185cm
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Weight 789g
Replacing Preston’s original Edge Monster that didn’t just turn heads it built a bit of a cult following and it was a firm favourite of ours. The brand-new Preston Edge Monster Margin 9.5m promises to be something special.
It’s been seriously upgraded. Graphene has been worked into the carbon, making the blank noticeably lighter, tipping the scales at less than 800g, and stronger than the previous models. That means a more reactive pole with better control, without losing the brute strength that made the Edge Monster so popular in the first place.
It’s built to be put to work. Comfortably at home dealing with commercial carp, easily dragging them away from tight, snaggy edge swims, this thing doesn’t flinch. It’s Preston’s strongest margin pole to date and built with the sort of durability that fills you with confidence.
Pros
- Incorperates latest geraphene technology.
- Perfect for any situation where big fish are involved.
- Kits are interchangable with the Superium poles
Cons
- Not compatible with previous Edge Monster model
Our pick of the alternatives
Daiwa Matchman Power Margin 7m Pole, is a tool specifically designed to tame those big margin dwelling carp in commercial fisheries all over the country.
If you need a pole that can stand up to the rigours of commercial carp fishing then the Daiwa Matchman Power Margin is a cracker. This pole is great value for money and you would have to go some to break it. If you only use a pole occasionally or just want something cheaper to catch big fish in the margins or short on prolific commercials, this may well be the pole you have been searching for.
Available in 7m and 9m models, they come supplied with 2 x 5.8mm power kits and a cupping kit in a holdall, so you have everything you need to get going, by the time you elasticity the kits, you are fishing the pole for less than £200.
Pros
- Exceptionally strong and responsive
- Includes a cupping kit
Cons
- Because of its strength, its not particularly light weight
Be in no doubt, the Aero Power Margin is an incredibly strong 8.5m carp cruncher, made to cope with the largest of fish in any situation.Ideal as a stand-alone margin pole when strength is of the utmost importance, it is also compatible with Shimano’s latest and affordable Aero X3, X2 and X1 poles, which are ideal should you require extra length.
For me, this is the pole’s only fault – I really would have liked a pre-fitted side puller kit. However, it’s not a deal breaker, and your local tackle shop could have it sorted out for you in a jiffy.
As for performance, this super-modern and super- lightweight margin pole is one heck of a lot better than anything that went before! If I was a regular on any small commercial water where it’s all about filling your boots, I would definitely buy this pole. It’s easy to fish with, and bulletproof.
CHECK OUT OUR REVIEW OF THE SHIMANO AERO POWER MARGIN 850 HERE!
Pros
- Lightweight and very easy to use
- Bucketloads of pulling power
Cons
- Needs fitting with a side puller slot, although reinforcing band is built in
If margin fishing is your game, or you already own a Daiwa pole, the Daiwa Pro Margin 103 is the pole you need for a margin battle. Supplied at a manageable 10.3 metres, this is a proper power tool designed to tussle with the angriest of commercial carp in the snaggiest of pegs.
It’s stiff, responsive and built to soak up pressure without sacrificing control, essential when presenting baits tight to snags or margins where the fish fight dirty. The MSG carbon delivers solid wall strength, without making it feel like you’re holding a scaffold pole. It’s content handling Red Hydro, thanks to the Pro Power Kit supplied, already bushed and with side puller-fitted.
But the best bit? Compatibility. This isn’t just a standalone margin pole, it’s built on the same mandrel as Daiwa’s flagship UK poles, meaning it’ll take all your existing top kits without fuss. Need to fish longer? Stick on your 8/9 PHEX or butt sections from your long pole and crack on. It’s the perfect companion pole, a tough, ready-for-anything extension of your existing Daiwa setup, giving you extra power down the edge without putting your flagship pole at risk.
SEE WHAT MARK THOUGHT OF THE DAIWA PRO MARGIN IN OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO
Pros
- An exceptional margin pole.
- A perfect option to back up top-end Daiwa poles.
Cons
- Targetted more at current daiwa pole users
- Only supplied with one kit
Author Dan Webb first became involved in angling journalism in 2015 and has worked as Tackle Tester at Angling Times since April 2021. He is a fanatical all-round match angler and former England Youth International.