I brought my very first Ultramarine Cinquemetri four years ago when I represented England for the first time at the World Championships in Spain. I was looking for a rod that was able to cast soft baits, such as maddies, a long way without exploding the baits during the cast. After looking at numerous other rods, I eventually found the Ultramarine Cinquemetri. This rod is a five metre long, telescopic rod, capable of casting up to 4 oz. The cinquemetri has a through action, cushioning the softer baits during the cast which allowed me to fish perfectly presented baits, no matter whether fishing at 100 yds or 20 yds Out, I was always confident my baits were intact.
As well as cushioning baits, the through action of the cinquemtri allowed for very easy casting, when using a fixed spool reel loaded with low diameter lines, the distances reached with a simple overhead cast were astonishing.
Since then my ultramarine has seen a real battering, there has not been a single match where it hasn't been in my rod bag. What i really like about the cinquemetri is the weight of the rod, being so light allows me to fish holding my rod during a match, I am able to feel every bite and nibble without getting an arm ache. Another feature of the cinquemetri that I really like is the balance of power; a soft tip that cushions hard pulling fish but has enough back bone through the middle and butt section allowing for you to be in control of the fish for the whole fight .
In my opinion this is the greatest long rod available today. The versatility of the rod gives you many options, whether float fishing for garfish or fishing in the gutter for rockling, the cinquemtri is just at home. The progressive action makes the rod extremely easy to cast, no complex styles are needed to achieve big distances. With the rod being able to cast up to 4 oz, there should be no scenario on clean/mixed ground the cinquemtri cannot cope with.
The ultramarine jolly 3 480 is at the ultra-light end of beach fishing rods at 4.80 m and casts 30-90 grams. I bought the ultramarine jolly last spring in readiness for the influx of the summer mackerel and garfish. As soon as the first reports came in of mackerel being caught, I grabbed the jolly and went straight down the beach. The very first thing I noticed when I cast the rod, was just how far it went with light leads. The jolly sent 3 ounces of lead effortlessly into the horizon. I then began to realise why ultramarine use the reflex carbon in their rods; the recovery from the cast was extremely quick, which is very unusual from a light rod. A true test of the jolly would be to see how it handled a fish. I clipped on a long 3 hook pop-up rig, baited with slivers of mackerel, which the jolly easily cast 60 yds. Before long, the rod tip slammed over; a tell-tale sign of mackerel. When playing the fish the jolly really came into its own, the reserved power in the butt and middle section gave you complete control of the fish the whole way in. The softer tip cushioned any last minute lunges from the fish preventing any hook pulls.
Recently I have been using the jolly for winter scratching. When the going gets tough and bites dry up, the light progressive action and extra length of the jolly gives you the option of being able to use ultra-long and light rigs, gaining an advantage over those who cannot with conventional British tackle.
If the beaches where you fish are medium to short range venues the ultramarine jolly should be in you armoury. An easy casting rod, with enough backbone to handle most fish, not to mention insane bite detection, this rod will not only make your fishing far more enjoyable but will increase the amount of fish you put on the beach. It certainly has for me!
Reviews written by Callum Graham.
