SONIK SK4 16ft FS

The SK4 range from Sonik has recently put the preverbal catfish amongst the pigeons as far as offering high end Beach & Surf Rods for a number of ground conditions and all at ridiculously cheap prices. You should be able to find the rod for your style and location within the SK4 range:

• Sk4 13ft 6in Clean Ground 5-6oz Multiplier
• Sk4 14ft Rough Ground 5-6oz Multiplier
• Sk4 16ft Long Rod 4-6oz Multiplier
• Sk4 16ft Long Rod 4-6oz Fixed Spool

Reviewed: Sonik SK4 16ft Long Easy 4-6oz FS
Reviewed by Lloyd Rush.

Selling Price £219.00 more info www.soniksports.com

Having used long rods for many years the first lesson I learnt was there is definitely an economy in buying the very best you can afford. Lack of design and cheap carbon quickly becomes useless the longer a rod gets, every flat spot and weakness seems to be multiplied in these models – as a rule I would not normally plumb for the cheapest on offer, there’s a lot to be said for pedigree. OK, so I'm also a bit of a tackle tart, but I’m also hyper competitive and will use the best tool for a job I can afford.

In my opinion Sonik have found a winning formula of Quality and Price. Do not be fooled by the £200 price tag of the SK4 16ft three-piece rods, these are without doubt worthy of a higher price tag – Sonik have just found a way of selling them for less! [Dealing direct with the customer for example]

Applied in the right way and correct conditions a long rod can be devastating. Light braids, lighter leads and clipped down scratching rigs can be launched a very, very long way with just a progressive overhead push and pull ‘or light lob’ I as like to call it. Conventional casting works well too and increased distance will also be achieved. For the light lob, the most important thing to remember with this cast is the way you setup and finish, control and exact repeating of the process will enable you to deliver the bait at a distance and ‘down the same hole’ every time. I can’t do that with other set ups – I’m not that good. If I had to hit a dustbin lid with a lead at distance 5 out of 10 times there’s only one set up I’d go for!

The Long Rod ‘Continental’ approach can give a competent caster an instant entrance into increased distances and accuracy, the SK4 16ft models are no exception. The fixed spool rods have an adjustable screw reel seat that locks onto the rod exactly where the angler wants it and is most comfortable, once locked down there’s no chance of the reel slipping on the shrink-rap rubber used on the butt piece. The genuine Fuji guides [8 on the FS and 9 on the M] are a reassurance of the rods quality, as are the reinforced put-in spigots. The tip section holds 6 of 8 guides with the very tip having a white glazed finish. The guides, fixings and general rod finish all look good but it’s the ‘fish-ability’ that stands out for me with this rod.

During my first outing at Abbotsbury I set up the rod with the same reel, braid and rig as my favourite long rod and set about fishing the two side by side for comparison. There was a good tide running and a 5oz grip lead was required. Immediately the rod just felt right - both in the cast and on the rest - there was little, or nothing, I could find to niggle about!

In the cast you’ll soon feel confident to pull and push using the middle ‘grunt’ of the rod, and there’s plenty there. The rod will pick up and store lot of energy during the cast – it’s all a bit slower but the lead goes through a bigger arch which accounts for the longer cast. There’s also less of an initial bang and as such baits are more likely to arrive on the sea bed in the way you intended.

This rod has a good balance and bite detection and is excellent when used with braid - casting longer distance with mono will 'sponge' some small bites to undetectable with wave nod, but welcome to distance fishing! On that note, the tip has a marginally softer tip than I’d usually look for in a rod of this type, but by it’s own nature the higher elevation reduces the wave nod and exaggerates the lighter bites [again, I use braid for most of my long rod fishing] this balances out the softness in the tip - Don't get me wrong, this is a good compromise of tip action in a very good rod.

I don’t want to get into scoring items reviewed on the site but this one is well worthy of the 10/10 I’d give it.