Best rod for trotting?

[porto]

I'm looking at treating myself to a float rod for long trotting ? I'm thinking about Drennan Matchpro Ultralight Float Rod 13 or 14ft.
Drennan Matchpro Float Rods
or maybe Preston Carbonactive Excel Float 13 or 15ft.
Preston Innovations Carbonactive Excel Float Rods
Alladvice would be welcome.

 

[mark brailsford 2]

HI mate,
I have the Preston Excel 13, 14 and 17ft rods and they are superb, I really love my 17ft rod and use it for trotting and also for fishing the far bank of the canal (used like a pole!) and margin fishing. the new Absolute rods are even better!
There are loads of folk on here that love the matchpro rods though I have never used one myself, they are superb tools so I've been told.

 

[chav professor]

I think the extra length helps at times. I trot with either a 13ft Team daiwa or 20ft Tri-cast John Allerton. The 20ft might seem excessive, but i adore this rod for long trotting bread flake. I can keep line off the water for some distance in the right conditions, mend line, trot the far bank of my small rivers perfectly and on the strike it picks up the line and sets the hook at distance. Given that it has landed countless chub to nearly 6lb and river carp to over 18lb using 4lb line......... I am in awe of this rod.

The perfect compromise would be 14 or 15ft - so personally like the sound of the Preston carbonactive given your selection.

 

[dezza]

There are loads of folk on here that love the matchpro rods though I have never used one myself, they are superb tools so I've been told.

I have a 13 foot Ultralight Matchpro and can confirm that it is a superb rod for long trotting for the smaller fish such as roach and dace. It is however a tad under gunned for chub and barbel.

The best all round rod I have seen for all round trotting is the Daiwa Tournament Pro Match 13-15 foot. This rod is adaptable from 13 feet to 15 feet, ideal for trotting large rivers such as the Trent. I would love to own one but at £475.00 RRP.

It's made in Scotland by the way.

 

[chav professor]

Good advice Mr Clay. Top of the range Daiwa rods are unsurpassed in terms of quality and feel perfect in the hand....... Best not even pick one up unless you can afford it as anything else will feel second best.

 

[dezza]

Well I was thinking of going on an Aldi baked bean hash diet for 6 months, then I might be able to afford this Daiwa. Yes you are right, pick one of these rods up and you will desire one most terribly.

At 15 feet, this rod feels like a 13 footer. And the action is so cleverly designed, it will feel great playing a 1/2 pound dace or a double figure barbel.

And the handle. It appears that Daiwa have been listening to people like myself. No we don't want to hold plastic screw thread, we want to hold cork that is contoured to fit the hand. This Daiwa has the most exquisite down locking cork covered reel seat.

I hope all the other rod manufacturers take note.

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Good advice Mr Clay. Top of the range Daiwa rods are unsurpassed in terms of quality and feel perfect in the hand....... Best not even pick one up unless you can afford it as anything else will feel second best.

I also have two Spectron rods Ron, they are also superb and I do like the made in Britain stamp

 

[guest61]

I'm looking at treating myself to a float rod for long trotting ? I'm thinking about Drennan Matchpro Ultralight Float Rod 13 or 14ft.
Drennan Matchpro Float Rods
or maybe Preston Carbonactive Excel Float 13 or 15ft.
Preston Innovations Carbonactive Excel Float Rods
Alladvice would be welcome.

Hi

I have owned a Drennan ultralight 14ft - I didn't get on with it, I'm not for a minute saying that its a bad rod, merely that it didn't suit me.

I have two Preston Excel 13ft rods and one 15ft - the 13ft is a good all around float rod - I bought a second based on the fact that its recently been superseded by the Absolute and the Excel may be difficult to get replaced.

In my experience the 15ft Preston doesn't have the tip action or balance for trotting a stick float - its a good rod but would better suited to larger wagglers.

 

[tigger]

The best trotting rod....Normark Avenger, Titan and Microlite.

A friend of mine just got shut of his daiwa tournamet 13 to 15ft and acquired another normark (13 to 15ft team normark titan). Once you've used one nothing else compares .

 

[mark brailsford 2]

The best trotting rod....Normark Avenger, Titan and Microlite.

A friend of mine just got shut of his daiwa tournamet 13 to 15ft and acquired another normark (13 to 15ft team normark titan). Once you've used one nothing else compares .

Tigger, stop bragging
seriously, I have never owned a Normark rod, but I wish I had! (if I had stayed in a few more times rather than pissing it up the wall...But that's another story and the one that messed up my road running career too, Oh, and women come in to the equation too )

---------- Post added at 13:21 ---------- Previous post was at 13:19 ----------

Why don't Shimano bring back the Normark range? They could if they wanted, couldn't they?

 

[tigger]

Tigger, stop bragging
seriously, I have never owned a Normark rod, but I wish I had! (if I had stayed in a few more times rather than pissing it up the wall...But that's another story and the one that messed up my road running career too, Oh, and women come in to the equation too )

---------- Post added at 13:21 ---------- Previous post was at 13:19 ----------

Why don't Shimano bring back the Normark range? They could if they wanted, couldn't they?

Mark, they're really not that expensive m8. On fleebay they often go for far less than a mediocor rod in the shops. I bought a brand new unused titan and avenger mkII for £70 esch on the bay. If you pay between two and three hundred it's still cheaper than daiwa tournament or Hardy Marksman and only the same as a lot of mediocour rods so not really that expensive.

 

[barbelboi]

The best trotting rod....Normark Avenger, Titan and Microlite.

A friend of mine just got shut of his daiwa tournamet 13 to 15ft and acquired another normark (13 to 15ft team normark titan). Once you've used one nothing else compares .

Very true tigger, for small rivers I rarely use anything other than my Titan 2000 or Microlite 12'. Never had the pleasure of using a Titan 2 to compare.
Jerry

 

[andreagrispi]

The best trotting rod....Normark Avenger, Titan and Microlite.

A friend of mine just got shut of his daiwa tournamet 13 to 15ft and acquired another normark (13 to 15ft team normark titan). Once you've used one nothing else compares .

I have one of each - daiwa for me every time.

 

[tigger]

I have one of each - daiwa for me every time.

Well...some people do have bad taste

 

[flightliner]

Just recantly aquired a Daiwa 13ft whisker spliced tip stick float rod;bp--- Pricey rod back in the day. Purely subjective this but the one thing that lets it down for me is the cork butt. Its got flat spots worked onto it and it "flares" out towards its back end---total nonsense in my eyes and at the first chance I get its off to Sheffield rod builder Terry Smith to work out the nonesense of it and give it a traditional look.When thats done its a nice tool for my stickin on the Trent--- it,l pair up just nice with my trusty old Mitchell match.

 

[guest61]

Well as this thread has moved on to a more general 'Best rod for trotting' I can recommend 'Rive' rods which I'm told use the same blanks used by Normark. I can't vouch for this, but these French rods are err 'Bon':thumbs:

 

[sam vimes]

Purely subjective this but the one thing that lets it down for me is the cork butt. Its got flat spots worked onto it and it "flares" out towards its back end---total nonsense in my eyes and at the first chance I get its off to Sheffield rod builder Terry Smith to work out the nonesense of it and give it a traditional look.

If you haven't already, at least give it a try before you get it done. The "armlock" handle is a feature that I'd happily have on every cork handled rod I own. Looks strange but is good in use.

 

[tigger]

If you haven't already, at least give it a try before you get it done. The "armlock" handle is a feature that I'd happily have on every cork handled rod I own. Looks strange but is good in use.

Yeah, I have a Tommy Pickering amorphous tournament stick float and the armlock handle is excellent.
Flightliner, to change it would be sacriledge .

 

[geoffmaynard]

Trotting rods. Hmm. Nobody has yet mentioned the Harrison 15ft. Which is a rod that copes perfectly with double figure kennet barbel and Itchen grayling equally, and handles well with a pin. I have too many rods as it is, otherwise I'd be ebay shopping for one - but if anyone has one and they want to swap for something else which I may have, please let me know.

 

[Richox12]

I managed to get hold of a Normark Titan 2000 13' the other day and OMG, it was so heavy and imbalanced and also 12' 9" !!!! Must be a metric thing (3.9m as opposed to 13' which is 3.66m).

It was nothing like I had been lead to believe. Soft tip, very stiff middle & butt and the tip did NOT blend & work with the other sections at all.

I was VERY disappointed.