Which rod ? Please help !

[KAUTO]

Ok so for the last 6 years ive been fishing the commercial fisheries with the pole. Ive now come to the point where i need a change, so when the season starts back up again i will be giving the rivers a go. The problem is, i have no idea about river fishing The first thing i need to buy is a rod, so i need a few pointers in the right direction. With a budget of around £140, what is the best rod for me ? Ive heard that the DRENNAN SERIES 7 is a good rod, is there a rod on the market that would do a better job than this ?

Also i'm now selling my SHIMANO EXAGE AX POLE if anybody is interested ? Been used 3 times since new, perfect condition. £200 ono.

[weirwulf]

Much depends on what you think you might catch and what type of river you are likely to visit. For example if you were to trot for anything up to a chub then to enjoy what you are doing the most you will need a float rod with a fast action tip and not much weight to it. On the other hand if you are going to target barbel with the ledger go for a barbel rod that has a barbel tip and a quiver tip( you can often buy these new for under £50) If you think you will encounter barbel when trotting go for a stepped up float rod. You don't say which of the series 7 rod types you were thinking of but as a group of rods they come highly recommended though for my money the Drennan matchpro would be the better trotting rod

[KAUTO]

As far as i can gather from people, trotting seems to involve alot of skill and experience so i think i will be using feeders and ledgers. The rod i am looking at is th DRENNAN SERIES 7 SPECIALIST AVON QUIVER 1.25 lb. Here's the link https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/?gclid=CJ_c-_WCz...-1.25lb/sp/4741

I really want an allrounder as hopfully in the future as i gain experience i will be able to attempt more skilled technique's.

[Tigger]

As far as i can gather from people, trotting seems to involve alot of skill and experience so i think i will be using feeders and ledgers. The rod i am looking at is th DRENNAN SERIES 7 SPECIALIST AVON QUIVER 1.25 lb. Here's the link https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/?gclid=CJ_c-_WCz...-1.25lb/sp/4741

I really want an allrounder as hopfully in the future as i gain experience i will be able to attempt more skilled technique's.

 

 

I have a couple of those and there good rods but better for small to madium rivers. If your fishing larger type rivers with more tow then I'd opt for the stepped up 1.5 version.

[Rusty]

As far as i can gather from people, trotting seems to involve alot of skill and experience so i think i will be using feeders and ledgers. The rod i am looking at is th DRENNAN SERIES 7 SPECIALIST AVON QUIVER 1.25 lb. Here's the link https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/?gclid=CJ_c-_WCz...-1.25lb/sp/4741

I really want an allrounder as hopfully in the future as i gain experience i will be able to attempt more skilled technique's.

 

A very good choice. In Avon mode it works for trotting too so when you fancy giving that a go you'll just need a centrepin.

[Anderoo]

A bit more info is needed really before any rods can be reccomended - do you know which rivers/types of rivers you will be fishing? And which species you want to catch? The series 7 is a really excellent rod, but would be OTT for roach and dace and not really up to big barbel, for example...

 

Trotting a float isn't necessarily harder than legering in rivers either - legering can involve a lot of skill.

 

Where abouts in the country are you? If you're anywhere near Oxfordshire you're welcome to do a bit of river fishing with me once the season starts again in June. It's one of those things that's a lot easier to show than describe!

Edited March 22, 2010 by Anderoo

[KAUTO]

I live in the midlands and will be getting a BAA licence so i will be fishing Evesham, Worcester, Bewdley, pershore but it is common for me to travel for a couple of days fishing so i may take you up on that offer. I think when the season starts i will try and get as many bites as possible just to get into the swing of things and get used to where im fishing. The main reason i'm getting into river fishing is to catch Chub and Barbel but i'm a realist, i know i will have to get used to the waters before i'm ready for big Barbel so i will fish for smaller species to start with and hopfully as time goes by i will land that big Barbel

[weirwulf]

As others have said ledgering and trotting both require some cunning but really both should be tried. I would be happy to recommend the rod you suggest as being a good rod but you perhaps need to step up to a 1.5 test dual purpose barbel rod. Why not buy a barbel rod and a stepped up float rod and then you more or less have it covered and you could probably achieve it within budget. Wychwood for example do a barbel rod that is reasonably priced and still quite ok and all you then need is one of the hoards of beefed up float rods. Don't miss out on river fun because you stick to ledgering as on bright days often the only way to catch is to stay mobile and run a bait through lots of likely looking spots

[Anderoo]

I'm afraid I don't know the midland rivers, but hopefully someone who does will help out.

 

I think you're making a very wise decision - there's nothing quite like fishing a river

[Steve Walker]

So the Avon and the Severn? Obviously the first thing that springs to mind with the Severn is barbel and a heavy feeder/tip rod. Actually, there is also some superb trotting to be had on the Severn for chub, dace and roach, and although getting really good at it is an art, catching a few fish on the float isn't rocket science.

 

Twin tip Avon/Quivers are fantastically versatile rods, and Drennan rods are very good, but I suspect that if you get one which is heavy enough to be ideal for barbel, it won't be very nice to cast light float tackle with. If you shop around, for your budget of £140, I bet you can get a decent match rod and a heavy feeder/barbel rod, which will give you more versatility.

 

The main reason i'm getting into river fishing is to catch Chub and Barbel but i'm a realist, i know i will have to get used to the waters before i'm ready for big Barbel so i will fish for smaller species to start with and hopfully as time goes by i will land that big Barbel

 

I've not fished the Severn for years, but it certainly used to be the case that if you fished a feeder full of casters and hemp or maggots, you would certainly catch plenty of smaller fish but it wouldn't be very long before a barbel or chub came snuffling along. A 5lb barbel isn't a big fish for the Severn, but you'll certainly know about it if you have one on the end of your line! Similarly, unless things have changed since, spending a summer evening whacking out a good sized cube of legered luncheon meat at Ironbridge would be very likely to get your string pulled by something whiskery without too much skill needed. Finding and catching specimen barbel is another matter entirely, of course, but even average sized barbel and chub are good sized hard fighting fish.