Wychwood Agitator CR-D Catfish Rod

How well is it built?

Plain black and free of frills, the Agitator CR-D is clearly a working rod rather than a showpiece, and it's built on a high-modulus carbon fibre blank. For me, the guides are the highlight, as they're double-leg SiC rings set at optimised spacing along the blank.

Double-leg frames are sturdier than single-leg guides, which matters on a rod that'll be leaned on hard by big fish and knocked about on snaggy banks. The SiC inserts suit braid, and the anti-tangle shape should help stop a loose loop catching on a frame.

The reel seat is a fibreglass-reinforced DBS, which is a tough, proven design, though it isn't metal like the seat on the Catfish Pro Top Cat.

It's a tough, sensible build with the right fittings for braid, and pretty much everything on it is there for a reason. I think the 8.5 is a fair reflection of that.

Power & Action

The 10ft model has a 4.5lb test curve and the 11ft has a 4lb curve, which gives you plenty of backbone for big catfish on heavy line. The powerful through action is the key, as it's built to give you control when playing and landing strong, demanding fish.

A blank that bends progressively into the butt should cushion sudden runs and head shakes, and that helps protect hook holds on braid, which has almost no stretch of its own.

The SiC guides spread the load around the curve as well, so the whole rod works when you're under pressure.

For close-range river fishing and snaggy swims the 10ft 4.5lb model is the more powerful choice, while the 11ft 4lb gives you a touch more casting room. Either way, I think it's a well-balanced catfish rod for UK and European venues.

Handling

What's the handle like? The CR-D has a Duplon EVA handle with a custom foregrip above the reel seat and an EVA fighting butt below it, so there's somewhere comfortable for both hands when you're leaning into a fish.

Duplon and EVA are warm to hold, grippy when wet and tough enough to shrug off rod rests and bank sticks.

The shorter lengths help as well, as a 10ft or 11ft rod is easier to manage than a 12ft in tight swims, and the fighting butt gives you something solid to brace against during a long fight.

A shorter rod should also be easier to keep low and to one side when you're steering a fish away from a snag.

To be fair, there's no 12ft CR-D if you need extra reach on big open waters, and for that the cork-handled Agitator CR-S is the one to look at. For most UK river and lake swims, though, I think it handles very well.

Is it good value for money?

For the money, it's a very well-specified catfish rod, as you get a high-modulus carbon blank, double-leg braid-friendly SiC guides, a reinforced DBS seat and a Duplon EVA handle, all on a rod designed by catfish anglers.

That's a lot of proper catfish rod for a mid-range spend, and there's no obvious corner cut anywhere in the spec.

Next to the Catfish Pro Top Cat Power, it swaps a metal reel seat for those braid-friendly guides, and the two are very evenly matched. The Wychwood Agitator CR-C gives you the 11ft 4lb rod on cork instead, and the CR-S stretches to 12ft if you need more reach.

I'd recommend the CR-D to UK and European catfish anglers who fish braid, want a tough Duplon EVA handle and prefer a 10ft or 11ft rod for rivers, snaggy swims and smaller waters.