Daiwa Airity X Slim Match Rod

How well is it built?

Look closely at the butt section and you will find a small Union flag and the words Made in U.K., which tells you straight away this is not a mass-produced import.

Daiwa build the Airity range here, and the finish reflects it, with neat whippings, a subtle black blank and a smart grey and black handle that looks the part on the rest.

The blank itself uses Daiwa's HVF Nanoplus carbon. In plain English, that means more carbon fibre and less resin, so the rod is lighter and crisper for its strength.

Around it sits X45X Full Shield, a criss-cross carbon wrap that stops the blank twisting under load, so the tip tracks straight on the cast and the strike goes exactly where you want it.

The joint is Daiwa's V-Joint Alpha. Instead of a stiff spot where the two sections meet, the rod bends through the joint as one continuous curve, which is exactly what you want when a fish is under the tip.

It is a two-piece rod, so it sets up and breaks down quickly, and there is a hook keeper just above the handle for when you are moving pegs.

How well does it cast and feel?

A 1 to 15g casting weight covers the bulk of commercial float fishing, from a light waggler flicked across to the far bank of a snake lake to a heavier loaded waggler fished further out on open water.

Because the blank is so slim, it cuts through the air with very little drag and loads smoothly through the cast, which helps enormously when you are trying to land a float on the same small area of water time after time.

Daiwa have fitted a screw-down reel seat that locks the reel solidly in place, above a hard EVA handle that gives a positive grip even when your hands are wet.

Balance is everything on a rod you hold for five hours, and a slim, light blank matched to a small reel should make the Airity a very comfortable rod to fish with.

Choose the 10ft for snake lakes and shorter casts, and the 11ft when you need extra reach, more line pick-up on the strike or a little more control over deeper water.

How does it perform when playing fish?

Commercial carp and F1s fight hard and fast, and a match rod has to cushion light hooklinks while still having the power to steer a fish away from islands, reeds and the margins.

The Airity's progressive action is built to do both, bending further into the lower section as the pressure builds, so light lines are protected right up to the net.

The handle helps too. The lower half is shaped into an armlock that sits against your forearm, so when a carp charges off you can keep the rod steady and apply pressure without the butt twisting in your hand.

If you regularly hook bigger carp or fish snaggy venues, the Match Power version adds lifting power lower down without turning the rod into a broom handle.

Is it good value for money?

At around four hundred pounds, the Airity X Slim Match is a serious investment and it will not be for everyone.

What you are paying for is Daiwa's top carbon technology, UK manufacture and a rod designed purely for commercial match fishing, and that shows in how it is put together.

For anglers who fish matches regularly, it is the kind of rod that stays in the holdall for years.

If you only get out occasionally for a pleasure session, a mid-priced float rod will catch you plenty of fish for far less, but if you want one of the best commercial float rods available, this is it.