Review - Cougar Match Reel

The Theseus Cougar Match reel - a good looker perfect for float and feeder work on commercials.

Ian Welch takes a look at the Theseus Cougar Match reel

My first impressions of this compact, front drag match reel were good and it looked very smart indeed in its gunmetal and silver livery but looks count for nothing if the performance isn’t there and in this department I wasn’t to be too disappointed either.

Overall the performance was smooth, assisted by five bearings, with no discernible free play or wobble in the action and a there was solid 5.2:1 gear ratio that delivered plenty of cranking power, making the reel ideal for light to medium feeder work as well as for float fishing.

The anti reverse was instant, commonplace in most decent reels these days but nonetheless welcome, and the clutch was easy to adjust and yielded line smoothly without jarring or sticking.

Onto the spools and there were two provided: a shallow, alloy version with a line capacity of 190m of 0.18mm and a spare, deeper graphite version loading with 215m of 0.18mm. The line lay was very good indeed and the line clips on both spools, often a neglected aspect on so many reels – but vital, were better than a lot I have seen.

Robust without being ‘clunky’ this is an ideal reel for beginners and improvers or for anyone fishing commercials with float or feeder gear and I would have no problem teaming it up with some of my specialist rods for a light work out on the smaller rivers either.

My one issue with the reel was purely a matter of personal taste in that I found the round profile of the finger grip on the handle awkward to grip and I would have much preferred a flatter, more ergonomic design.

The Theseus Cougar Match retails at £59.99 but is available online for £29.99. For further details click HERE