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A powerful rod capable of casting large flies and dealing with hard fighting fish
A mid-priced rod that is suitable for both beginners and more experienced predator hunters
Featured in our guide on the best pike fishing rods as the top fly rod option.
| Feature | What This Means |
|---|---|
| High Modulus Multi-Layer Toray Carbon Blank | Made from advanced carbon fibre from Toray, a top-tier manufacturer. “High modulus” refers to stiffness and strength, allowing for thinner, lighter rods without sacrificing durability. This enhances sensitivity and casting performance for larger, predatory fish. |
| Medium Action | The rod bends primarily in the middle, providing a balance between stiffness (for power) and flexibility (for casting accuracy). Medium action is perfect for handling air-resistant fly patterns and offers versatility for different techniques. |
| Four-Piece Construction | The rod breaks into four pieces, making it easy to transport and store. This is especially useful for anglers who travel frequently or need a compact option for fly fishing trips. |
| Machined, High Gloss, Anodised Reel Seat | The reel seat is crafted from anodised metal, which is resistant to corrosion. It securely holds the reel in place, even during the intense strain of casting and retrieving larger fish. |
| EVA Handle and Fighting Butt | The EVA handle provides a soft, comfortable grip that doesn’t slip, even when wet. The “fighting butt” is a small extension at the base of the rod, giving extra leverage and control when battling powerful fish. |
| Section Alignment Guides | These are markings on the rod sections to ensure proper alignment during assembly, saving time and avoiding misalignment that could affect performance. |
| Available Lengths and Line Weights | The rod comes in a standard 9ft length and supports line weights of 8-wt, 9-wt, and 10-wt. Heavier line weights are ideal for targeting larger fish or casting heavier flies into challenging conditions like wind or fast water. |
| Matt Black Finish with Green Highlights | The rod is finished in a sleek matt black with green accents, offering a professional and understated look while reducing glare that might spook fish in bright sunlight. |
The Wychwood PDR Fly Rod series is meticulously crafted to meet the demands of anglers targeting predatory species. Utilising Multi-Layer Technology (MLT) with high-modulus Toray carbon blanks, these rods offer a medium action, ideal for delivering large, air-resistant fly patterns across various weather conditions.
The robust yet lightweight construction ensures durability without compromising on performance. Available in 9ft lengths with line weights of 8-wt, 9-wt, and 10-wt, the PDR series caters to a range of fishing scenarios, from stillwater and reservoir to boat fishing and saltwater applications.
Additional features include a matt black blank with distinctive detailing on the butt section, high-gloss black whippings with green highlights, a machined high-gloss anodised reel seat featuring the Wychwood logo, four-piece construction for convenient transport, section alignment guides for easy assembly, and an EVA handle with a fighting butt for enhanced grip and control.
Here’s how the rod performed in testing and/or from experience and feedback from other anglers.Â
The Wychwood PDR Fly Rod is a capable pike fishing tool that combines performance with affordability. Built using high-modulus Toray carbon blanks, this rod delivers impressive power for throwing large pike flies while maintaining enough finesse for proper presentation.
I’ve been testing the 9ft 9-weight version, and it handles typical pike flies with ease. Even when casting larger patterns like 6-inch bunny strips, the rod loads smoothly and delivers them accurately at range. During a recent session on a local reservoir, I was consistently reaching 20+ yards with heavy pike flies, and the rod showed no signs of struggle even in a challenging crosswind.
The medium action really proves its worth when fighting fish. I managed to land several pike in the 8-12lb range, and the blank provides plenty of power in the bottom sections while maintaining enough give in the tip to prevent hook pulls. The fighting butt came in particularly handy when steering larger fish away from weed beds which is something that’s often necessary when pike fishing.
What impressed me a lot was how nice the rod was to handle during long sessions. The EVA handle remains comfortable even after hundreds of casts, and the balanced design helps prevent fatigue which can sometimes be caused by a clunky setup.
While it may not have quite the refinement of premium rods costing twice as much, it more than makes up for this with its practical performance and reliability.
Here is how the Wychwood PDR Fly Rod compares against other products in its category. This table shows the overall rating based on the average of the key attributes that go into making a good pike fishing rod.
| Name | Overall Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Daiwa Powermesh Deadbait Rod | 8.4 | £99.36 |
| Wychwood Agitator BR-S Deadbait Rod | 8 | £62.99 |
| Westin W3 Powerlure | 8.3 | £101.69 |
| Savage Gear Alpha SG8 Monster Bait Rod | 8.4 | £349.99 |
| Ninja S Spin Rod | 7.9 | £49.99 |
| Fox Predator Elite XS Boat Rod | 8.3 | £134.99 |
| Savage Gear SG2 Drop Shot Rod | 7.9 | £64.99 |
| Fox Rage Prism Travel Rod | 7.8 | £79.99 |
| Wychwood PDR Fly Rod | 7.9 | £134.99 |
There are four key attributes that form the basis of our reviews on pike fishing rods. These include the following:
Build Quality: – When assessing the build quality of a fishing rod we focus on the raw materials used to build the rod and how they knit together to output the rod’s overall performance.
Casting Ability: – Without stating the obvious here, we test how the rod casts both short distances and longer distances. We are examining how smooth the cast is and how much effort is required to gain the desired distance.
Playing Fish: – Here, we are looking at how a rod can dictate a fight, i.e. its power, how subtle it is and most importantly how enjoyable it is to play fish on.Â
Value for Money: – Under the ‘value for money’ review, we value and score the rod for its price-point against its quality and actual worth.Â
Here is how the Wychwood PDR Fly Rod performed against is peers in each of these important attributes:
| Name | Build Quality | Casting Ability | Playing Fish | Value For Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daiwa Powermesh Deadbait Rod | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 |
| Wychwood Agitator BR-S Deadbait Rod | 7.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 8 |
| Westin W3 Powerlure | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 |
| Savage Gear Alpha SG8 Monster Bait Rod | 8.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| Ninja S Spin Rod | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Fox Predator Elite XS Boat Rod | 8.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 |
| Savage Gear SG2 Drop Shot Rod | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Fox Rage Prism Travel Rod | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 |
| Wychwood PDR Fly Rod | 7.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 8 |
If you would like to see more fishing tackle check out our full list of featured products below.Â
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