Duplon on coarse rods?

[mark brailsford 2]

Just wondered if anyone uses Duplon on Coarse rods or has ever owned rods with them fitted and what Do you think of them?

I personally Don't like the look or feel of the stuff and rods with it fitted remind me of those awfull Milbro multi-purpose rods from the 70s! I don't mind Carp rods with the abbreviated type handles, and I don't suppose they look bad on boat rods, but on coarse rods they just look cheap and nasty but thats just my opinion

 

[jasonbean1]

That's a fine statement.....but is it a thread?

 

[tigger]

I don't mind the short screw down peice at the top of the handle being duplon but a full duplon handle...narrh deffo not to my liking. It's just to soft and squashy and a poor substitute for a traditional cork handle.

 

[sam vimes]

I prefer a bit of cork, but the odd bit of duplon, on an otherwise cork handle, is no problem at all. I wouldn't buy a rod with a full duplon handle.

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Most of my rods have a Duplon or fake cork top piece and a bit on the bottom but Full ones just don't look or feel right IMO!

 

[robtherake]

Got a couple of the W1705 carp rods by Wychwood (their first foray into the carp rod market, I think) which have full duplon handles and don't mind either the look or feel of them, plus they're easy to keep clean and are gripped snugly by the rear rests. Cork looks far nicer, of course, but if the rod's a good un, who cares?

 

[Derek Gibson]

Tastes will inevitably vary, that's for sure. But for me it just has to be cork, it just feels right.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

I have to agree with Mark , I much prefer cork on a rod handle

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I prefer a full cork handle myself, that said I think there is a case for a short section of duplon at the butt end of a rod where it can often come into contact with the ground. It is a lot easier to clean duplon than cork.

Both of my Carbotec rods have a 4 inch butt length made of duplon, and at close to £400 a throw were certainly not cheap . . . . . . . .

Come to think of it, I've never seen a fly rod with a duplon handle either although my Sage rods do have a nice hardwood final handle piece.

 

[Alan Tyler]

Although I seldom fish in the real wet, Duplon doesn't seem to get so slippery as cork when wet, and that difference is made even greater when groundbait and fish-slime get on the hands.
While I wouldn't dream of putting it on a cane rod (unless Making a Statement) I think Duplon looks well on carbon, especially blanks with a blue finish. Not sure about glass, though it mighn't look bad on those "heron-grey" blanks that Geoffrey Bucknall used to sell.
The fact that I remember those dates me and my tastes fairly well.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

The thing I find with cork handles is as you use them and oils, ground bait ect that gets on the cork gives it character

 

[derwentbob]

To be honest, grubby cork handles annoy me. I tend to give them a scrub from time to time which inevitably shortens their lifespan. I like duplon as it is far easier to clean up to a near-new state. A full duplon handle would not deter me from buying a rod but I don't mind a bit of cork where it isn't going to get used much, below the reel seat and above the butt.

 

[mark brailsford 2]

That's a fine statement.....but is it a thread?

I've just looked at this again jason and I don't know where you are coming from mate...Its just a question isn't it?

 

[derwentbob]

Maybe Jason assumed that everyone would agree on the obvious superiority of cork handles and there would be no debate?

I grew up fishing with cheap Shakespeare rods which generally had duplon handles so I never really had any great affection for cork. The cork handles in my price range as a teenager were often composite that crumbled into dust after a couple of seasons. These days the feel and action of a rod means more to me than the material it is made from.

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

Er...aren't the materials that it is made from major contributors to the action and feel of a rod?

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Er...aren't the materials that it is made of major contributors to the action and feel of a rod?

Matt aren't you supposed to be at the PAAS open day?

 

[derwentbob]

Er...aren't the materials that it is made of major contributors to the action and feel of a rod?

They are, but if I found a rod with a fantastic action made from reconstituted sewage I would rather have that than a so-so rod made from the finest carbon fibre. What I meant was that I wouldn't go for cork just because it is cork; if I found something that worked better then I would go for that.

 

[Ray Roberts]

The thing I find with cork handles is as you use them and oils, ground bait ect that gets on the cork gives it character

Shhhhh, if the manufacturers get wind of this then they will dirty the rods up and sell them with a "Distressed" finish so they can charge extra, like stone washed jeans.

 

[tigger]

To be honest, grubby cork handles annoy me. I tend to give them a scrub from time to time which inevitably shortens their lifespan. I like duplon as it is far easier to clean up to a near-new state. A full duplon handle would not deter me from buying a rod but I don't mind a bit of cork where it isn't going to get used much, below the reel seat and above the butt.

Cork handles are only grubby if you allow them to get that way.
Scrubbing them with a brush removes all the filler and will destroy the cork.
A wipe off with wet ones or warm soapy water keeps cork like new for many years.
I've got abreviated cork and duplon handles and it's the duplon that starts to show wear well before the cork.

 

[greenie62]

Shhhhh, if the manufacturers get wind of this then they will dirty the rods up and sell them with a "Distressed" finish so they can charge extra, like stone washed jeans.

Quite right! You don't want the manufacturers doing that ! - that's what Flea-bay is for!