With the growing popularity of downrigging as a method of targeting trout it is not unexpected  rod manufacturer Kilwell Sports should produce a blank especially for the job. The result is the Depthcharger, a 1.83 metre one piece fibreglass blank with a Spiraflex unsanded black finish. Downrigging rods need to have a soft tip action and to this end the Depthcharger is not found wanting. When downrigging, the rods are loaded up to the max to take as much of the dropback out of the line as possible. There need to be plenty of guides and the Depthcharger sports eight BTHG Kilwell black frame guides, the centre of which are 'Hialoy' hard aluminium oxide centres to give lighter weight and better heat dissipation. The tip ring is of the same material. The finish is excellent with the butt guide being underbound. The guides are black overbound with blue nips bound in at the base of the guide foot.

Other features of the rod are EVA butt and foregrip, the latter being 200mm long and tapered at the top for comfort. The reel seat is a graphite Fuji with cushioned hoods. The gimbal nock is nylon and slotted to keep the rod sitting firmly in a slotted rod holder. The result is an extremely light and functional rig ideally suited to its purpose.

For the tackle test, conducted out of Kinloch at Lake Taupo in mid-November, the rod was fitted with one of the new Banax Sounion 304W baitcasting reels and three kilo Ande line. This was an excellent setup, the lightweight Banax Sounion having a 5.2-1 retrieve, an excellent star drag system, with aluminium sideplates and a one-piece aluminium frame. A thumbing bar also made running line out with the downrigger a simple, one-handed operation.

Kilwell had also supplied several of its new Tasmanian Devils with the recommendation being the 'Rastaman' pattern, which had been introduced to the range with Taupo in mind.

A window of windless weather allowed us to get to one of my favourite haunts, Horomatangi Reef, where we enjoyed a hot bite.

Trolling was in five to 10 metres of water with four outfits stacked on the two downriggers and the action was hot ...but only on the Spotty Golds. While the fish were in harling depth, several of the popular harling fly patterns were totally ignored by the trout which only wanted to chow down on Spotty Golds.

As far as the tackle test went, it was the perfect opportunity to appraise the Depthcharger which is a lovely rod to use especially when the fish is in close, ducking and diving in its efforts to pull free. The whole rig was light enough to hold extended in one hand to work a fish from one side of the boat to the other, out and around the outboard.

With the bite slowing we shot across to Hatepe where we trolled the sandy drop-off, the fish showing up consistently in the 25-35 metre band on the sounder. One the big advantages of downriggers is that regardless of the depth the same tackle is used - no chopping and changing from harling gear to lead or wire lines as the depth you want to fish in increased.

Once again it was the Spotty Gold lures still doing the damage. Almost everything else was totally ignored.
That evening at Kawakawa Bay the reverse was the case - only the Rastaman would take fish and you could not buy a bite on the Spotty Golds or anything else other than the Black Toby, regardless of the depth being targeted. Such is the fickle nature of fishing!

And as for the Kilwell Depthcharger - Banax Sounion 304W combination - it gets the thumbs up from me.

Reviewed by Grant Dixon

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