Guru A-Class Whip

Product Information

Guru A-Class Whip is a telescopic whip for quick fishing, aimed at young and new anglers as well as anyone keeping their tackle spend modest. Telescope it out, then attach a ready-tied rig at the end connector.

The 3m whip weighs 135g and has a light, strong build with a forgiving action when a fish is on. The 3m With Rig version includes a ready-tied rig made to the whip’s length, fitted with sensible tackle for different fish sizes.

The A-Class is a basic telescopic whip, and the 7.0 reflects that. It has a light, strong build that should cope with being dropped on the bank or bundled into a bag, which is exactly what happens to a junior angler's kit.

The finish is plain black with a grey fade on the butt, and there's a cap on the bottom end.

It's on the heavy side for a 3m whip, though, and it's heavier than the Daiwa Ninja Tele Whip at the same length. That extra weight is part of the reason it costs so little, and it's something you'd notice if you held it out for hours.

To be fair, nobody should expect premium carbon at this price, and for a first whip a tough build matters more than a light one. I think the 7.0 is honest, as it's a simple, sturdy whip rather than a refined one.

So, how should it fish? The A-Class has a forgiving action when a fish is on, which is a real help for beginners, as a softer whip gives a little when a fish dives and helps stop small hooks pulling out.

That suits roach, perch, bleak and small skimmers swung to hand on a canal, pond or slow river.

A forgiving action also means it won't be as quick or crisp on the strike as a dearer whip with a solid flick tip, such as the Daiwa Ninja Tele Whip.

That might mean the odd missed bite when small fish are feeding fast, but a new angler isn't likely to be fishing at that pace anyway.

Overall, it should handle the fish a beginner is likely to catch, and the 7.0 reflects a whip that's forgiving rather than fast. It's built for learning, and it does that job well enough.

This is where the A-Class makes sense. You telescope it out, attach the ready-tied rig at the end connector and you're fishing, with no elastic to fit and no sections to match up.

For a youngster, that simplicity matters more than anything else, as it gets them catching rather than fiddling with tackle.

The With Rig version saves even more fuss, as there's no need to work out line length or choose floats and hooks before a first session. At 3m it's also short enough for a junior to manage on a busy canal towpath or beside a small pond.

The weight is the one thing holding it back, as it's a bit much for small arms over a long session, so I'd keep sessions short for young children. Overall, 8.5 is a fair score for a whip that's this easy to get fishing with.

So, does the price make up for the basic build? At this money, I think it's a no-brainer for a first whip.

It costs less than half as much as the Nytro Impax Elasticated Whip or the NGT XT-7000, and it's about a third of the price of a carbon flick tip whip like the Daiwa Ninja Tele Whip.

The trade-off is a heavier, simpler whip without the elastic of the Impax or the reach of the XT-7000. For a child's first few trips, though, none of that matters much, and if they lose interest you haven't spent much.

Overall, I'd recommend the A-Class to parents buying a first whip for a child, new anglers trying whip fishing for the first time, and anyone who wants a cheap, simple 3m whip to keep in the car for an hour on a canal or pond.

Featured in our Best Fishing Whips guide.