ROD REVIEW - Mitchell Premium 2 Surf Long Beach 16ft Rod.



The team at www.abfishingtackle.com sent me the Mitchell Premium 2 Surf Long Beach 16ft Rod. Its a mid range rod for the class and comes in 3 equal sized section for easy transport, with a fixed reel seat, Quality Braid resistant TS Guides and high vis tip. It takes up to an 8oz lead and comes with its own bag to keep it protected while in storage. 

My initial throughts were that for the price (£55.95) its a nice piece of kit, well presented with a good standard of components. Admitedly it was on the slightly heavy side compared to other 16ft rods i have used, but they have been much more expensive models and this is reflected in the price as this is what you pay for. For the price, the quality of the rod felt very good and providing its looked after, will definately last you. It has braid resistant rings as long rods are designed to be used and perform best with fixed spools loaded with braid. 

I took it to Pevensey bay for a work out and a test fishing. I set it up with a fixed spool loaded with 18lb Braid and gave it a few casts before i started fishing. The first few casts are a bit of a learning curve in order to get a feel for the rod and braid, especially if you havent used a 16ft'er before. One of the first things that you notice is that due to the size of the rod, the tip is quite soft and gives plenty of flick, but this is how it gets the distance so dont be alarmed by the amount of bend. I used an over head cast for the most part and as my confidence grew, so did the distance. Its responsive in the cast and works best with a 5oz or 6oz lead, in my opinion. It does take up to an 8oz but i think this will be pushing its limit when loaded with bait.
I took my friend Jon, who wont mind me saying, is a relatively new comer to angling. His casting had improved since I had last fished with him but distance is an issue. Within a few casts he was adding some precious extra yards to his cast and topped it off with a double shot of fish. There was a definate addition to distance and this put a smile on his face and gave him extra confidence in the cast.
Bite detection was good and we were able to see the light knocks of Flounder, Rockling and dab bites tapping and pulling at the rod tip gently, which were helped by the fact it was a calm day. When the tide picked up and the larger waves came along or weed hit the line the tip did bow round a bit and i think that in windy conditions the tip would move a fair bit more and bite detection would be compromised, but it can be argued that this is the same for many rods of the size.
I gave it a few gentle flicks as well because i wanted to see what it could so with minimum effort. It still gave reasonable distance and for this reason I must admit, im looking forward to using it off the beach in summer for mullet where a gentle flick with some maddies is needed, as it will certainly do the job. It will allow me to get my bait further, with less effort and keep the bait in better presented condition, which is all important. 

I believe that it represents very good value for money as there arent any better 16ft rods for the price on the market. If you are a new comer or someone that struggles with distance beach casting for any reason, i am pretty certain that it will add valuable yards to your cast. Or, if you are a seasoned pro thinking about trying a 16ft Rod, this is certainly a good way to go before wasting £300.00 on a premium rod, only to realise itrs not for you. Admitedly, it may take a bit of getting used to the size and casting action if you have not used a rod of this size before but this wont take too long and is a good excuse to go fishing. It would be an allround good beach rod for fishing throughout the year. The only advice i would give is that consider what sort of fishing you will do. This is due to the size, as a 16ft rod isnt practical on some piers/marinas and is primarily designed for off the beach. 

If your interested in the rod, visit www.abfishingtackle.com