Rod choice help.

[Diwrnach]

Hi there, first time poster, long time lurker

 

Currently fishing pellet waggler with a cheap rod and reel, which is OK, but I keep losing larger carp close in due to hook pulls, and the rear drag on the reel I have cant seem to get it set right, its either too stiff and wont give line when needed, or just one click over and its to loose and I cant reel in without the clutch giving line.

 

So I have decided to shell out on new rod and reel.

 

Now the fun begins, I am hoping to do some pellet waggler fishing on comercial puddles, but I am also interested in pellet feeder also on comercial puddles, but I would also REALLY like to try my hand at some Barbel fishing on the River Avon near me in Stratford upon Avon.

 

My knowlege of Barbel fishing is extremely limeted as is river fishing, so finding it very difficult to choose a rod/reel combo.

 

Idealy a single rod/reel combo would be ideal due to limeted funding, but two rods isnt out of the question either.

 

So far reel wise I have narrowed things down to either the SHAKESPEARE MACH 3 FRONT DRAG 040 or the Shimano Exage 4000 FB Reel.

 

The Shakespeare looking more likely due to the spools and case you get, plus I can find lots of good reviews on it but little on the Shimano.

 

Rod wise the Shakespeare Mach 3 power waggler rod looks nice, but I have also found GARBOLINO 12FT PELLET WAGGLER COMBO which has a waggler top end and a feeder top end, and is only sixty pounds, would the pellet feeder top end be fine for Barbel work on the Avon?

 

If so this solves a big problem for me as it covers all three types of fishing I wish to do, waggler top for pellet waggler, feeder top for pellet feeder and Barbel on the Avon.

 

Any help and/or advice is more than welcome, I am open to suggestions on any rod/reel combo that might meet my requirements.

 

Oh also if anyone has any tips for fishing the Avon in Stratford upon Avon for Barbel please feel free to tip away

 

Thanks alot in advance for any responses.

[ColinW]

Those are quite big reels for commercial puddles. I can't see any point having 200m of line on a reel if the water is only 30m across! Obviously it doesn't really matter if your rod is sat in a rest, but if you are pellet waggler fishing I'd have thought the lighter the better.

[Diwrnach]

Those are quite big reels for commercial puddles. I can't see any point having 200m of line on a reel if the water is only 30m across! Obviously it doesn't really matter if your rod is sat in a rest, but if you are pellet waggler fishing I'd have thought the lighter the better.

 

 

Thats a good point, would a smaller reel still be viable for feeder fishing for barbel as well?

 

If so I will step down to a smaller reel, I always err on the larger side for most things to be honest.

 

Thanks alot for the reply.

[Alan Roe]

Unless you are going for long chucks an 030 size reel is more than good enough and the front drag Shakespeare Mach 3 reel would be a fine choice as it is versatile enough to cover both float fishing and feeder needs Certainly that would be a very serious consideration if it was me that was choosing

[Diwrnach]

Thanks alot for the reply.

 

Guess I will go for the smaller reel then, load one spool with 4-6lb line for pellet waggler, and another spool with maybe 8lb for Barbel.

 

The Avon by Stratford is quite slow moving and not a long chuck, so smaller will be better as you say.

 

Any advice on the rod, will this do for Barbel on the Avon? it says pellet waggler and pellet feeder, but I'm guessing still be OK in the river for Barbel, or should I go for a dedicated Barbel rod?

 

Once again many thanks for the help guys, very much appreciated.

[weirwulf]

Can't advise too much on the rod not having used a pellet waggler but as I have a lot of experience with both the exage and the mach 3 I can make proper comment. The exage reel is presumably the one with the fighting drag lever which is an excellent idea that has saved a lot of fights with barbel in tight snaggy areas like the ones I often fish. If you want maximum response then that is the reel to have. The mach 3 has features that excel way beyond it's price such as the well finished shallow spools and excellent line lay. It also has a single or double handle option and for float fishing I find the double handle can get in the way. The mach 3 has a very reliable and smooth drag. I wonder whether you would get away with using a 1.5 test barbel rod for your pellet waggler fishing as you seem to be hooking carp a lot. Most barbel rods have that great combination of power and forgiveness which give you the edge when the fish changes direction suddenly whereas most carp rods have distance casting in mind.

[lutra]

Any advice on the rod, will this do for Barbel on the Avon? it says pellet waggler and pellet feeder, but I'm guessing still be OK in the river for Barbel, or should I go for a dedicated Barbel rod?

Ive never seen one of them rods, but from reading the info on your link i cant see the difference from a twin top Avon rod. I have a couple of JW Avon rods and they are fine for barbeling. Just avoid snagy pegs where you need to pull barbel away from the snags.

[coarsefish-torbay]

I suspect the Mach2 reel and Garbo rod combo would be ideal, if slightly under-gunned for the barbel. As long as you are fishing in open water for the barbel, it should be fine.

The other problem you may be having when pulling out of carp at the net is that your hook is too thin in the wire. I imagine your rod is probably too strong in the middle as well, but try Fox Series 2 Extra Strong hooks. Since swapping to them, I've had no problems getting fish up quick at the net when using either my 13' Reactorlite No1s or the Shakespeare Micro 11'. Size 14 or 16 is perfect for pellets up to 10mm on a hair.

[Diwrnach]

Thanks alot for the help and advice guys, after lots of reading, and visiting a couple of tackle shops I finaly decided to order the Shakespeare reel, the 035 size, and also ended up ordering this rod ,its got an avon and a normal quiver tip, both shops told me it would be fine for pellet feeder fishing for carp as well as barbel (obviously being a barbel rod ) bonus is the rod comes with a baitrunner reel and rucksack, doubt the reel is going to be that good though, so will the shakespeare be OK? I was advised to get a baitrunner style reel, but figure I could set the shakespeares drag as low as it will go and just use my finger on the spool and tighten the drag up while playing the fish?

 

Any advice on this idea?

 

If needed I will buy a small baitrunner.

 

Once again thanks alot for the help so far, I actualy tried as you suggested with the hook thickness a couple of days ago and only had one hook pull, it always seems to be on the larger fish, this one was probably a double, not much pressure and out came the hook.

 

What I did notice though is that pretty much every fish I caught the hook was only just in, maybe I have the hair too long? I have an 8mm pellet set maybe 3-4mm off the hook, so I cant see it being this but thats what I would think if I was specimen hunting and thats where the fish were hooked.

 

Maybe I strike too soon? should you wait a little when the float goes under?

 

Sorry for the long post, and once again thanks for the help.

[Dick Dastardly]

I was advised to get a baitrunner style reel, but figure I could set the shakespeares drag as low as it will go and just use my finger on the spool and tighten the drag up while playing the fish?

 

Not sure why you feel/have been advised to get a reel with a bait runner but if it is needed then get one! You really don't want to be fumbling about re tightening a drag whilst you have a fish on.Its even more awkward on a front drag reel.Either system though its hard to re set it accurately as well.Just not worth all the bother.Apparently the cheap Okumas with a baitrunner are fine so better to have a cheap one but be right for the job.