Middy Flexes Its Muscles

Gareth Purnell takes a look at the new Carbon Live 3G X-Flex range.

Middy has made significant improvements to its Carbon Live range with its new family of 3G X-Flex rods, with a model to suit most feeder and floatfishing applications.
The 10ft two-piece Light Feeder is a lovely little rod suited to short-range use with small feeders or bombs. It’s ideal if you are chucking to an island in windy weather that makes pole-fishing difficult.
On the whole range features include an ergonomic full-cork handle, Loc-tite carbon screw-lock reel fitting and SIC guides. There’s loads of softness in the tip section and it feels really nice in the hands with a fish on. There’s virtually no chance of a hook pull. I felt it was better with the two glass tips in, as appose to the one carbon tip.
The Medium Feeder is lightweight but with a nice progressive action and enough grunt through the middle to handle angry commercial fishery carp.
With the tip in it can be set up as an 11ft 7in two-piece, which can be transported ready to go, as both lengths are the same. It also comes with a guideless dolly section that can be added near the butt to make it into a 12ft 7in, should the wind get up or extra distance be needed mid-session.
As with all of the 3G Rods X-Flex, the recovery is very good.
The Medium comes with three carbon tips, as does the Heavy, which is designed for casting big feeders and fishing the Method.
The mid section is much more powerful than on the Medium, as you would expect. Yet there’s still enough of that 3G softness in the top to prevent most hook pulls. Like the Medium there are four sections that configure into a two-section design. On both these rods I preferred the rods without the dolly section in, but it’s there if you need it.
The Competition Waggler is a three-piece 13-footer and its slim profile belies its power – it’s rated for 6lb mainlines and casting weights from 2gr to 14gr and is ideal for pellet waggler work for those that prefer a three-piece or when you need to fish at range. It will handle fish to double figures.
There’s also a Pellet Waggler rod in the range, which I saw a few months ago now and really liked. We’ll feature this rod in greater depth in our On Test feature next month.
You can see the recommended retail price of the 3G X-Flex rods in the ‘Tech Specs’ on this page, but you should be able to pick them up at your local tackle shop for considerably less.
• Gareth Purnell

Tech Specs
3G Light Feeder
RRP: £99.99
Pieces: Two, plus three tips
Guides: SICs
Reel seat: Loc-tite woven carbon
Handle: Full cork

3G Medium Feeder
RRP: £149.99
Pieces: Four, plus three tips
Guides: SICs
Reel seat: Loc-tite woven carbon
Handle: Full cork

3G Heavy Feeder
RRP: £159.99
Pieces: Four, plus three tips
Guides: SICs
Reel seat: Loc-tite woven carbon
Handle: Full cork

3G Competition Waggler
RRP: £139.99
Pieces: Three
Guides: SICs
Reel seat: Loc-tite woven carbon
Handle: Full cork

3G Pellet Waggler
RRP: £XXXX
Pieces: Two, plus dolly section
Guides: SICs
Reel seat: Loc-tite woven carbon
Handle: Full cork