PR
M
any years ago, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days fly fishing
with Rene Vaz the owner of NZ's leading flyfishing import company,
Manic Tackle Project! We tried many rod options like two-handers,
fast action fly rods and then on one of the mornings we fished a
small spring creek where I had my first fishing experience with a top-end
'presentation' type fly rod, something that made a lasting impression.
Cutting your teeth in Canterbury, contending with wind a lot of the time,
then venturing up to fish winters in the Taupo district, I found I was firmly in that
rut of believing I only n
y needed fa
d fast actioned fly rods to try and combat the said
winds and handle the bigger flies we were often throwing about. Where I did
always struggle, was when the wind dropped, and I was suddenly in technical
situations where I often found the fishing incredibly difficult. When I eventually
thought back to that spring creek day, I recalled that in more gentle
"WHAT'S WEIRD IS IT FEELS SOFTER BUT STILL
VERY STABLE, IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE SO I
SUGGEST YOU COME INTO A HUNTING & FISHING
NEW ZEALAND STORE TO GIVE IT A CAST AS IT'S
A VERY UNIQUE FEEL."
conditions the slightly slower action rod helped to iron out my sometimes-poor
timing. Furthermore, as the name suggests, "presentation' rods are designed to
'present' the likes of small flies in delicate crystal-clear streams and I'd certainly
found the slow action superb for allowing me to softly drop a dry fly or small
nymph on a fish's nose without spooking it! I also noticed I could confidently
fish lighter tippets minimizing the risk of breaking off, giving me the ability to
fish the tiny flies even better. I can't remember how many fish we caught that
day, but I do recall thinking I wouldn't normally have caught most of them.
'Roll-cast' forward a few years and for the summer of 2022 Rene is adding a
new presentation style rod into his now well-established Primal range. Named
the Point it's the new kid on the block and the baby brother to the popular RAW
series. What Manic Tackle's told me is that the Point is built around an innovative
multi modulus blank which although flexes deep, still recovers quickly and is
incredibly stable. What's weird is it feels softer but still very stable, it's hard
to describe so I suggest you come into a Hunting & Fishing New Zealand store
to give it a cast as it's a very unique feel. I noticed the rod is incredibly light
98
PRIMAL
ROD CO
PRIMAL POINT FLY ROD
POINT
PERFECT!
TEST
FIRED
BY SIMON MCMILLAN HUNTING & FISHING NZ, CHRISTCHURCH (BALLINGERS)
in the hand and the smooth progressive flex feels like a natural extension of
your forearm, making accurate and delicate casts both easy and almost innate.
But that 'feel' is also backed by some real low-down grunt when required for
fighting fish. Like all of the Primal range the rods are well built with, high quality
cork handles, a machined aluminum reel seat with a buck-eye burl insert, an
SIC stripping guide and fine wire single foot guides. There are four different
rods available in this range, 7'11" in 3 and 4wt and 8'9" in 4 and 5wt, all being
4 piece, coming with a cloth bag, a hard tube and are covered with the Primal
'Quick Fix' warranty service. I've chosen the 8'9" #5 wt Point to my set of rods as
it compliments my arsenal for those technical situations when my fast action 9'
#6 wt rod is too overpowered.
For many of us the thought of having a dedicated presentation rod is there,
but the cost of adding another set-up to mix is often a little off-putting. The
Primal Point is a rod that solves that concern by hitting a sweet price that won't
break the bank but offering high end performance. And perform it does, like
any slower action fly rod, it doesn't like big winds, but windy days are not what
this rod is built for. Crisp in the hand, but delicate and accurate on the cast, when
your presentation needs to be on POINT, Primal
GO TO PG 100
has you covered with this wee beaut!