Recommendations for Perch rod.

[Steve Burke]

As many of you will know I've spent a lot of time perch fishing over several decades and so not surprisingly I have definite ideas on the ideal perch tackle.

 

Many times you'll get away with a standard float or Avon rod of the appropriate power. However, perch have a wafer-thin membrane behind the lips, and if the hook lodges here it's all too easy for it to be torn out when using a standard Avon rod, especially with the way a perch fights by shaking its head. Of course Sod's Law it'll be a monster that you'll lose!

 

It's therefore important to have a rod that'll cushion such a hookhold. At the the same time though you may need to cast a loaded feeder or a live/deadbait with a lead heavy enough to stay put and thus minimise resistance. In other words you want the delicate tip of a float rod coupled with the smooth power of an Avon rod.

 

I couldn't find such a rod on the market and therefore had to design my own. Luckilly I ran a rod-building firm at the time and so I was able to design exactly what I wanted. I spent a huge amount of time cutting up and experimenting with various sections of carbon, and eventually ended up with a 12¼ foot 3 piece rod with a test curve of 1lb 2ozs. I christened the rod the Fledger as it could be used for both float fishing and ledgering. In fact, together with the optional quivertip top it covers all my bait fishing requirements for perch.

 

I can thus take just 1 rod with me and this saves carting more about, plus it results in a considerable saving in cost!

 

Moreover, the Fledger has the option to take more powerful top sections with or without quivertips, and so inexpensively covers all my fishing for species like tench, bream, chub, barbel and mullet as well.

 

I'd add though I rarely use a quivertip when fishing for perch. The only time I do so is when fishing upstream. I've found that when quivertipping downstream big perch all too often feel the resistance and drop the bait. For downstream fishing I turn to touch ledgering, a bobbin or a drop-off indicator depending on the circumstances. For the same reason I never use a quivertip for perch in stillwater.

 

The last time this subject was brought up one of my former rodbuilders managed to find a handful of old Fledger blanks. Despite being retired though I kept on being asked for them – more so than any rod I’ve ever designed! A new batch has therefore been made and these blanks arrived a short while ago.

 

So if anyone is interested in having a custom-built Fledger made please e-mail me.

Edited December 15, 2006 by Steve Burke

[thuramario]

As many of you will know I've spent a lot of time perch fishing over several decades and so not surprisingly I have definite ideas on the ideal perch tackle.

 

Many times you'll get away with a standard float or Avon rod of the appropriate power. However, perch have a wafer-thin membrane behind the lips, and if the hook lodges here it's all too easy for it to be torn out when using a standard Avon rod, especially with the way a perch fights by shaking its head. Of course Sod's Law it'll be a monster that you'll lose!

 

It's therefore important to have a rod that'll cushion such a hookhold. At the the same time though you may need to cast a loaded feeder or a live/deadbait with a lead heavy enough to stay put and thus minimise resistance. In other words you want the delicate tip of a float rod coupled with the smooth power of an Avon rod.

 

I couldn't find such a rod on the market and therefore had to design my own. Luckilly I ran a rod-building firm at the time and so I was able to design exactly what I wanted. I spent a huge amount of time cutting up and experimenting with various sections of carbon, and eventually ended up with a 12¼ foot 3 piece rod with a test curve of 1lb 2ozs. I christened the rod the Fledger as it could be used for both float fishing and ledgering. In fact, together with the optional quivertip top it covers all my bait fishing requirements for perch.

 

I can thus take just 1 rod with me and this saves carting more about, plus it results in a considerable saving in cost!

 

Moreover, the Fledger has the option to take more powerful top sections with or without quivertips, and so inexpensively covers all my fishing for species like tench, bream, chub, barbel and mullet as well.

 

I'd add though I rarely use a quivertip when fishing for perch. The only time I do so is when fishing upstream. I've found that when quivertipping downstream big perch all too often feel the resistance and drop the bait. For downstream fishing I turn to touch ledgering, a bobbin or a drop-off indicator depending on the circumstances. For the same reason I never use a quivertip for perch in stillwater.

 

The last time this subject was brought up one of my former rodbuilders managed to find a handful of old Fledger blanks. Despite being retired though I kept on being asked for them – more so than any rod I’ve ever designed! A new batch has therefore been made and these blanks arrived a short while ago.

 

So if anyone is interested in having a custom-built Fledger made please e-mail me.

[thuramario]

as x-mas is round the corner i am interested in the fledger rod. as far as i know this is both a match rod and a quiver (is that right). ideal for perch fishing, i presume all sizes?

[Anderoo]

For big perch I've started using the Drennan series 7 avon/quiver (12ft, 1.25lb tc). I really like it. It's soft in the tip, has a nice through action and has a fair bit of power further down. It's great for soaking up those head shakes and fast lunges. You also get a quivertip section with 3 tips. It's very versatile, so you can use it for all sorts of fishing, especially chub and tench. The extra foot (I used to use an 11ft barbel rod) is also very useful for stopping them burying themselves in reeds and snags under your feet. If I lose a big perch, it's almost always there.

 

The Fledger may be better because it's designed specifically for perch, but if you have trouble getting one, the Drennan is worth a look. They're about £90, but you're getting 3 rods really.

 

http://www.tackleshop.co.uk/tackleshopcouk.../si3481944/cl1/

Edited September 29, 2009 by Elton

[Andy_1984]

oooo old post. reading back my old post it seemed like not that long ago really like a few months, how weird is that.

 

i still suggest leeda concept match carp and ivce still got mines

[Steve Burke]

as x-mas is round the corner i am interested in the fledger rod. as far as i know this is both a match rod and a quiver (is that right). ideal for perch fishing, i presume all sizes?

 

The Fledger has a choice of 6 different top sections, although you buy just the ones you want. 3 of the top sections have buit-in quivertips of varying power, 3 are without quivertips (i.e. hollow tops). You can also have standard push-fit quivertips if you prefer.

 

Fitted with a 1lb 2oz test curve hollow top the Fledger has a different action to both a standard float/match rod and an Avon rod. This is the top I use for nearly all my perch fishing, and also many of the smaller species as well. I also like it for heavy float fishing for species like tench.

 

I use the same top but with a built-in quivertip for chub fishing. This particular quivertip is very fast taper making it very versatile as it's able able to cope with a wide variety of current strengths.

 

The other top I use a lot is a 1lb 6oz hollow top. With this fitted the action is similar to a conventional 1lb 8oz test curve barbel rod. I use this combination for ledgering for big bream and tench.

 

Being custom-built you can have exactly what you want in the way of rings, whippings, handle etc. This even includes variations in length - for instance I also have a short butt section for overgrown waters. You can of course have your name, postcode and an inscription put on. This is free of charge.

 

I'll check with the rodbuilder what the stock position is and post again asap.

[Steve Burke]

I'm afraid there are no blanks in stock at present, just a finished rod with a 1lb 2oz hollow top. This has match ringing, i.e lots of small rings so that line doesn't stick to the blank when float fishing.