I recently reviewed the Jedi bass rod from the Conoflex stable – (https://dizzybigfish.co.uk/conoflex-jedi-bass-boat-rod-review/). This was a great rod – but I made some comments about how it could be the forerunner of a really special kayak fishing rod (using a different length and test curve)….
Well, it seems that Conoflex do indeed listen; Stephen from Conoflex was working on some special beach quiver tip rods, when he saw the comments on the bottom of my review. He came up with a new 7 foot rod with a unique 4lb test curve and the result is the Conoflex Jedi Kayak QT (Quiver Tip)…
The Jedi’s all use a mixture of materials in their construction to produce a unique and special feel, and in this respect, the Jedi Kayak QT is no different. The main body of the rod is made from a material called S Glass, which is more flexible than carbon but has almost the same strength. This gives the rod alot more feel than a carbon rod, but the really special part about the rod, is the tip – those clever people at Conoflex have spliced in a solid glass quiver tip to the rod.
The quiver tip is not like a traditional coarse quiver which folds under pressure – think of it as a way of getting better bite indication and sensitivity without any loss of power. This is something which is very difficult for me to describe – when you look at the rod it looks sensitive, but when you put it under pressure, it bends progressively – the tip is quite soft, but the back bone is powerful, without being poker stiff like some carbon rods are. Its weird, its alot tougher than it looks.
As Stephen says “You need a rod to bend to be in control.” and I would not argue with that.
The single piece rod has quality Fuji fittings throughout…
A Fuji butt pad…
And Fuji reel seat…
The distance from the rod butt to the top of the reel seat, is perfect for kayak fishing… 42 cms (16.5 inches) – spot on.
There are 10 rings altogether, they are all Fuji, but Conoflex have used different types on the quiver tip and the main section of the rod.
Close-up of the main Fuji BSVLG Alumina lined guides
The main S glass section gives way to the quiver tip 170cms from the butt (approx. 5.5 feet along the 7 foot blank). The solid glass quiver tip section is 43cms (approx 1.5 feet) long. I have to say that the yellow tip looks superb, and even the whippings on the Fuji BLVLG Alumina lined guides match…
The diameter of the tip is incredibly fine – 1.7mm – amazing…
I got my Son to hold the tip whilst I put the rod into its full test curve… loads of power for such a sensitive rod. There were also no flat spots around the join between the S glass and solid glass quiver – a very smooth transition.
I wanted to show the test curve of the quiver tip under different pressures, so I rigged up a series of weights which I hung off the end of the rod. I took a series of pictures to show the behaviour of the tip under different weights – 8 ounces, then 12 ounces, then 20 ounces. I superimposed the pictures so you can compare the results…
You can see that the bend is progressive and the tip does not collapse under pressure – unfortunately, what you cannot see in the image above is the way the rest of the rod reacted; the bend transitioned along the top half of the blank (beyond the quiver tip and well into the S glass section).
The rod is also super light – 210g (7 1/4 ounces) – I had to double check it on a different set of scales because I was not sure it was correct !
Another comment I made regarding the Jedi range was the lack of a keeper ring – that has also been addressed on the Jedi Kayak QT…
It might not seem like a big deal – but I find the keeper ring really useful when in the kayak – it keeps everything out of the way when dealing with fish etc.
The Jedi Kayak QT has been rung so that it can be used with either a fixed spool or a multiplier – this gives it real flexibility. I fixed a Shimano 4000 sized FS to it and flicked a few lures out down at the river – it felt good – definitely the right sized FS. I messed around with a few different sized multipliers as well, but the one which felt “right” was the Shimano Calcutta 400 (although the Abu 5000 was also great and the 6500 was also good).
I have owned a great many fishing rods, but this really is something genuinely different and unique. A rod with sensitivity and power, designed specifically for kayak fishing. It covers a multitude of fishing situations; you could use it with a fixed spool reel for plugging , spinning or float fishing, but it would be just at home fishing for bream, flatties or bass, using a small multiplier. It is a special rod and as you can tell, I love it, and I can’t wait to try it out on some poor unsuspecting fish ! I will post a report and update the review when I have tested it out on the kayak in anger.
Specification of Conoflex Jedi Kayak QT rod…
| Length | 7 feet (214 cms) |
| Sections | 1 |
| Test Curve | 4lbs |
| Tip diameter | 1.7mm |
| Weight | 210g |
| Rings | 10 |
You can buy the Jedi Kayak QT direct from Conoflex for £135 (including carriage).
The rod is also available from Veals tackle…
https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/conoflex-jedi-qt-kayak-3514.html
Update March 2012 :
Now for a trip aimed to catch a fish which the QT was really born to handle – Plaice. A paddle to the famous Skerries sandbanks in Devon, home of the tasty plaice.
The QT rod did not disappoint, it showed up the smallest of bites and plucks from the haungry plaice…
Read more about the trip by clicking on the link below…
https://dizzybigfish.co.uk/kayak-fishing-for-plaice-on-the-skerries-bank/
Update 25/10/11 :
A real stress test for the Conoflex Kayak QT rod. A trip to North Devon, trying to track down trigger fish. The triggers never came out to play, but a whole host of decent fish did play ball, including some turbo charged double figure smoothound…
This really showed what the Conoflex QT rod is capable of. The rod is really designed for smaller fish such as bream and flatties, but this showed that the rod really has the backbone to handle much larger fish. The rod went into its full fighting test curve and never once did I fell that it wasn’t up to the job. To read more about the trip, click on the link below…
https://dizzybigfish.co.uk/north-devon-smoothound-bonanza/
Update 1/10/11 :
Well, I finally managed to sneak out for a marathon 13 hour session kayak fishing – I was hoping to go to North Devon and try out the QT on some trigger fish, but the tides were just too big. So instead, I went to Portland Harbour near Weymouth in Dorset. The QT go a good work out with mackerel, pollack, scad and garfish – nothing huge, but enough to confirm that this is a great rod.
I teamed the QT up with a shimano fixed spool loaded with braid and 3 ozs of lead. A full string of mackerel saw the rod taking on a nice test curve, and I also did a few drifts with ragworm – the tip showed up every little ridge in the sand and mud below.
When trolling, the tip was quite firm, but you wouldn’t want to load it up too far with lead – that is not what it is designed for. This is a sensitive rod designed to show up small bites.
I also tried it at night with a squid jig – no joy with the squid… maybe next time ?
The trip confirmed what I already knew – this is a great rod, and I am looking forward to catching some specimens to really show off its colours.
Read more about the trip and watch the video.