Wychwood Extricator Cork MLT Stalking Rod

Features

Wychwood fit a full-length ultra-slim cork handle, which suits a rod that spends much of the day in your hand while you move between swims, and it gives a good grip even when your hands are wet from slipping a fish back.

The reel seat is an up-locking screw design, so the reel stays tight to the rod when you are pushing through bushes or resting the rod in a tree.

The rings are braid-friendly SVT guides, custom spaced for margin fishing. The spacing keeps the line close to the blank, so it flows cleanly whether you are flicking a controller float or lowering a bait under your rod tip.

The 9ft and 10ft models are two-piece, while the 6ft is a one-piece rod for the tightest swims. The 9ft is rated at 2.75lb with a 6 to 18lb line rating, which gives it plenty in reserve for bigger fish in snaggy water.

Appearance

The blank is a multi-modulus carbon build with a matt anti-glare finish and quiet graphics. That matters more than it sounds, because a glossy blank flashing in the sun is the last thing you want when you are creeping up on fish a rod length out.

It is plainly a budget build rather than a premium one, but the full cork handle looks the part, the fittings are tidy and there is nothing loose or rattly about the rod. It is a rod that will happily take the knocks of stalking without you worrying about it.

How well does it cast and feel?

Casting-wise, the braid-friendly guides pull their weight.

They are not groundbreaking, but they let you flick a controller or a free-lined bait with a fair amount of ease at the ranges this rod is built for, and the short length makes accurate underarm casts between overhanging trees much easier.

It is not a distance rod and it does not need to be. The slim blank stays light enough to hold for long spells while you watch fish moving under the tip, and the soft top gives you a real sense of what the bait is doing.

Match it with a small freespool or front-drag reel loaded with 10 to 15lb line and you have a light, well-balanced stalking setup that is easy to carry round the lake.

How does it perform when playing fish?

This is where the Extricator earns its name. The soft tip cushions the take and the first lunges, then the multi-modulus butt gives you serious fish-turning power for stopping a carp before it reaches the snags or the far reeds.

In a tight margin swim, that balance is exactly what you want. You can apply heavy side strain early without the rod locking up, and the short length gives you real leverage when a fish tries to bury itself under a bush.

It is a fun rod for mid-doubles off the top, with plenty in reserve if a bigger fish turns up.

Is it good value for money?

For under forty pounds, the Extricator Cork MLT is difficult to fault. You get a purpose-built stalking rod with a full cork handle, braid-friendly rings and a proper fish-stopping butt, in three lengths to suit the waters you fish.

If you want a dedicated short rod for margin stalking and close-range surface fishing without spending a fortune, it is well worth a place in the holdall.

It also makes a handy second rod to keep made up in the car or the back of the bivvy for those moments when fish show in the edge, because you can be fishing for them in minutes.