The Cardiff AX is the most advanced range of trout area rods in the Shimano range. Constructed using the best and most advanced carbon blends, these exquisite rods deliver sublime performance across the range and take trout area rods to a new dimension of excellence. The Cardiff AX is a rod for serious trout anglers. If you appreciate small intricacies that combine to produce more than the sum of their parts, Cardiff AX is for you. You will certainly appreciate the incredible ultra smooth parabolic action, with its almost elastic type forgiving qualities. And you will be amazed how such a sensitive and light rod can cast your lures with laser-like precision. But it's the feeling you get when a trout catches your bait that is the most defining, as Softube Top technology gives you an almost imperceptible, but very real extra time to set the hook before the pressure alerts even the most wary trout. . The ultralight Cardiff AX blanks are made from a blend of Spiral X and Hi-Power X carbon. These advanced carbon technologies combine to reduce rotational twist when the rod is flexed during casting or while playing fish, resulting in higher precision and a more faithful parabolic combat curve. The addition of Shimano's Softube Top increases sensitivity without adding extra weight, resulting in better balance and a greater overall feeling of lightness. As you'd expect from such a high quality rod, the fittings are top notch, featuring lightweight Fuji Titanium rings and K-type SiC stainless steel, an exclusive Shimano Ci4 + reel seat that complements the desire such as slenderness of the blanks and grips made of best quality cork.