Musings on float rods

[sam vimes]

I like trying new gear, it keeps things interesting for me. It doesn't have to be brand new, just new to me. I'm quite happy that a good rod, that happens to suit me and a particular style of fishing well, will allow me to land more and/or bigger fish.

I've got more float rods than many will own in a lifetime. I've probably got more "proper" float rods than two or three of my local shops combined, especially if you discount the plethora of pellet waggler rods they'll stock. Some are at the budget end of the scale, many are not. Most are long discontinued, some are current. There's a good mix of bought brand new, second hand and from end of line sales. Despite this, there are still huge swathes of rods out there that I've never laid a hand on.

I have a bit of a thing for long rods and the bulk are 13 or 15' with a smattering at 11, 12, 14 and 17'. I'm also rather fond of trying oddball designs, stuff that has been ignored, and blind punts on what I hope will be bargains. However, over the last year or so I've been buying the type of rods that have rather more chatter associated with them, even if they are still rather thin on the ground.

Here's a few things I learned over the years.

1) Some will never accept this but pay more cash and you generally do get a better rod. Whether the fractional improvements as you go higher and higher up the price scale matter to you will depend entirely on you. Just because something is double the price does not mean double the performance. It never has and never will. Retail and manufacturing has never worked that way. If doubling the price gives you a third greater performance, you are doing pretty well. If you can't appreciate any difference in a new rod over those you already have, keep your money in your pocket.

2) There are exceptions to the above, but they generally involve manufacturers selling at well below the originally intended price point. Shakespeare Mach 3s are a perfect example. People raved about what a bargain they were at around the £50 mark, conveniently forgetting that they started out in the £120ish bracket.

3) There are a fair number of decent rods that appear in catalogues never to be seen in most shops. They never gain a particular following and disappear with barely a trace. That doesn't mean they are bad rods. Far from it, some can be excellent. Now I'm buying rods that the cognoscenti rave about, I often compare them to stuff I've taken punts on. I'm invariably very impressed with some of the obscure and unloved stuff I've collected.

4) Trust your own judgment. Naturally, experience helps in this regard, but that's not to say that a beginner can't feel what might be right for them. If you think it's right for you, it probably is. It matters not a jot what anyone else thinks about your choice. If or when you find it has limitations, it may be time to think about a replacement, provided you can justify the expense.

5) Be wary of people like me on the internet. Some may genuinely have a lot of experience of many different rods. Some won't have, or are simply following the herd or the opinion of someone else. Some really know their onions when it comes to kit, some don't. Some have agendas and many have a certain bias. I can happily acknowledge that I'll not be buying Shakespeare kit any time soon. If you are going to take the advice of strangers on the net, try to learn who those with opinions of value might be. Even then, appreciate that what makes a good rod for them may not suit you. We all fish different venues, in different styles, and develop different tastes and peculiarities.

6) Whilst it's nice to be able to trust your friendly local tackle dealer, be a little wary. Some will undoubtedly have excellent knowledge of their market. However, many are limited in the brands they have real experience of. Some will push things that offer them the biggest profit. Some don't fish half as much as you might think they will. Those that do are often incredibly loyal to certain brands. Some fish, but only on limited venues or with specific styles. There's more than the odd one that doesn't actually fish at all. Their advice may not be quite as valuable as you might presume it to be.

7) No matter what anyone tells you, there is no one size fits all perfect rod. There's not a brand out there that consistently gets things spot on. However, saying that, there aren't many truly dismal rods out there any longer.

8) Don't get too hung up on bare weight figures. Light does not automatically mean good. Heavy (relatively) does not automatically mean bad. Whilst it can make or break what actually walks out of a tackle shop, it doesn't translate to performance on the bank. Heavier rods can actually feel lighter in use than a badly balanced light rod.

9) Old doesn't make a rod bad and new doesn't make it better than models that have gone before.

 

[dave m]

the old top end decent daiwa rods seem to be selling for a very decent price on ebay.
top quality items in their day and still as good as anything else you could buy.

 

[trotter2]

Some good points Sam well done.
I never get hung up on the weight of a rod an oz here or there makes very little difference as long as the rod is not overly tip heavy.
I would rather fish with a rod capable of taking the odd bonus fish rather than some super light noodle what is only good for one thing .
That's we're the allerton comes in :thumbs:

 

[Terry D]

I have the Daiwa Conny Z Tommy Pickering stick and waggler rods, which I've had for a good 20 years. I've not found much to want me give up the Conny Z wagglers which I bought at a good discount for £150. I'm now 'testing' the Daiwa Tourney Pros as my retirement prezzies.
About 15 years ago I bought 2 Leeda Obsession Deluxe 13ft waggler rods for approx £45 inc discount, for coaching kids as I didn't want to risk my Conny Z. I must say I was very impressed with the action, feel and fishing ability of the far cheaper rods, offering superb value for money.

 

[S-Kippy]

Yep....agree with all of that, especially point 5.

I would only add that rods are very personal things and however "good" a rod may feel/be it might not suit you. I don't like long rods...I can't help it, I just don't, so it would be pointless me buying one. I cant even get on with 14 footers.

 

[sam vimes]

Yep....agree with all of that, especially point 5.

I would only add that rods are very personal things and however "good" a rod may feel/be it might not suit you. I don't like long rods...I can't help it, I just don't, so it would be pointless me buying one. I cant even get on with 14 footers.

The only snag there is that you are being hoisted by your own petard. You can't cope with the 14 and 15' rods you've tried. Nothing wrong with that, but you've happily admitted in the past that you won't even try such rods now.

Don't get me wrong, this is precisely the kind of bias that most of us display in one form or another. My similar bias is towards Shakespeare, but I'm aware of it and try to refrain from making comments disparaging rods that I've no intention of ever picking up. I could legitimately say that I don't like Shakespeare rods. However, the truth of the matter is that I've fished with two, and laid hands on perhaps another three, in the last thirty years!

Unfortunately, you are making the blanket statement that you don't like long rods. Those that may trust your judgment on such things might be missing out if they follow your leanings.

 

[Mark Wintle]

I agree with those thoughts, Sam. I don't know how many float rods I've owned or fished with over the decades, upwards of 40 I suspect that I could name and a few I've forgotten. All of them will catch fish, some with more pleasure than others. When I match fished a long time ago a better rod would maybe gain a margin of 10 to 20%; feeding, presentation, tactics, floats, skill, experience, bait all counted for far more (same goes for reels - far less influence on what you catch than these other factors), presenting the bait a bit better, hitting more bites, losing less fish could mean the difference between winning and an also ran.

Fishing with say, an ABU Mk 6, a top of range rod from 40 years ago feels unwieldy now yet (I still own and use one occasionally) back in the day I won matches/caught a lot of fish with this rod and even set a river match record at one point so it (or at least the user) could be used/wielded to good effect.

Back in the Autumn when I was helping Swizzle to trot - hoping to resume lessons once I'm recovered - it helped for him to have a go with different rods that I could supply to understand the differences between a tippy stick float rod and more through-actioned rods as well as appreciate why some top of range rods are rated so highly.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Just a point to add to that - which Sam has touched on - I've found a couple of rods which I purchased at the "right" time, i.e. just after they were discontinued and a new range had been introduced. One was the Mach 3 rod Sam's mentioned, the 13foot match rod, which for 50ish quid is really remarkable value for money; the other was a daiwa aqualite waggler rod which again I bought for about £50 on ebay, new old stock a shop was looking to get rid of. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that we can all get a bit focused on second-hand being the best place to find a bargain, however the way the tackle companies churn through product ranges in order to keep things "new" means that there's always decent discontinued kit out there that's brand new.

 

[thames mudlarker]

I like trying new gear, it keeps things interesting for me. It doesn't have to be brand new, just new to me. I'm quite happy that a good rod, that happens to suit me and a particular style of fishing well, will allow me to land more and/or bigger fish.

I've got more float rods than many will own in a lifetime. I've probably got more "proper" float rods than two or three of my local shops combined, especially if you discount the plethora of pellet waggler rods they'll stock. Some are at the budget end of the scale, many are not. Most are long discontinued, some are current. There's a good mix of bought brand new, second hand and from end of line sales. Despite this, there are still huge swathes of rods out there that I've never laid a hand on.

I have a bit of a thing for long rods and the bulk are 13 or 15' with a smattering at 11, 12, 14 and 17'. I'm also rather fond of trying oddball designs, stuff that has been ignored, and blind punts on what I hope will be bargains. However, over the last year or so I've been buying the type of rods that have rather more chatter associated with them, even if they are still rather thin on the ground.

Here's a few things I learned over the years.

1) Some will never accept this but pay more cash and you generally do get a better rod. Whether the fractional improvements as you go higher and higher up the price scale matter to you will depend entirely on you. Just because something is double the price does not mean double the performance. It never has and never will. Retail and manufacturing has never worked that way. If doubling the price gives you a third greater performance, you are doing pretty well. If you can't appreciate any difference in a new rod over those you already have, keep your money in your pocket.

2) There are exceptions to the above, but they generally involve manufacturers selling at well below the originally intended price point. Shakespeare Mach 3s are a perfect example. People raved about what a bargain they were at around the £50 mark, conveniently forgetting that they started out in the £120ish bracket.

3) There are a fair number of decent rods that appear in catalogues never to be seen in most shops. They never gain a particular following and disappear with barely a trace. That doesn't mean they are bad rods. Far from it, some can be excellent. Now I'm buying rods that the cognoscenti rave about, I often compare them to stuff I've taken punts on. I'm invariably very impressed with some of the obscure and unloved stuff I've collected.

4) Trust your own judgment. Naturally, experience helps in this regard, but that's not to say that a beginner can't feel what might be right for them. If you think it's right for you, it probably is. It matters not a jot what anyone else thinks about your choice. If or when you find it has limitations, it may be time to think about a replacement, provided you can justify the expense.

5) Be wary of people like me on the internet. Some may genuinely have a lot of experience of many different rods. Some won't have, or are simply following the herd or the opinion of someone else. Some really know their onions when it comes to kit, some don't. Some have agendas and many have a certain bias. I can happily acknowledge that I'll not be buying Shakespeare kit any time soon. If you are going to take the advice of strangers on the net, try to learn who those with opinions of value might be. Even then, appreciate that what makes a good rod for them may not suit you. We all fish different venues, in different styles, and develop different tastes and peculiarities.

6) Whilst it's nice to be able to trust your friendly local tackle dealer, be a little wary. Some will undoubtedly have excellent knowledge of their market. However, many are limited in the brands they have real experience of. Some will push things that offer them the biggest profit. Some don't fish half as much as you might think they will. Those that do are often incredibly loyal to certain brands. Some fish, but only on limited venues or with specific styles. There's more than the odd one that doesn't actually fish at all. Their advice may not be quite as valuable as you might presume it to be.

7) No matter what anyone tells you, there is no one size fits all perfect rod. There's not a brand out there that consistently gets things spot on. However, saying that, there aren't many truly dismal rods out there any longer.

8) Don't get too hung up on bare weight figures. Light does not automatically mean good. Heavy (relatively) does not automatically mean bad. Whilst it can make or break what actually walks out of a tackle shop, it doesn't translate to performance on the bank. Heavier rods can actually feel lighter in use than a badly balanced light rod.

9) Old doesn't make a rod bad and new doesn't make it better than models that have gone before.

Brilliant write up Sam, probably one of the best float rod articles I've seen to date and how so very true the carefully and informative way you've described and explained yerself and like yer way of thinking, all makes sence :thumbs:

Yep know exactly where yer coming from as I've been involved in the tackle trade on 3 separate occasions, 2 being management and have seen rods come and go, go up and down in price, some good some bad and others just truly awsum.

Out of all the rods out there some of my favourite ranges would have to be from the likes of Drennan, Preston, Daiwa, Tri-cast and Normark,

There's no doubt that there's other good known names but in my experience the 5 names above have never let me down and I suppose above all the prices are what would be expected from any of the higher end rods :thumbs:

Be lucky

 

[S-Kippy]

The only snag there is that you are being hoisted by your own petard. You can't cope with the 14 and 15' rods you've tried. Nothing wrong with that, but you've happily admitted in the past that you won't even try such rods now.

Don't get me wrong, this is precisely the kind of bias that most of us display in one form or another. My similar bias is towards Shakespeare, but I'm aware of it and try to refrain from making comments disparaging rods that I've no intention of ever picking up. I could legitimately say that I don't like Shakespeare rods. However, the truth of the matter is that I've fished with two, and laid hands on perhaps another three, in the last thirty years!

Unfortunately, you are making the blanket statement that you don't like long rods. Those that may trust your judgment on such things might be missing out if they follow your leanings.

Whoa ! Hang on a minute. All I said was that I don't like long rods...and I don't. It is a blanket statement in that for years I've tried to get on with them and I just don't. Doesn't mean somebody else wont and I never, ever suggested that long rods were rubbish. They just don't suit me, I know they dont and that's it. I could not tell you exactly why but for one thing they put too much strain on my girly wrists and that alone is enough for me.
So, no....I wont even contemplate them now because of that and I'm content that I'm not missing out on anything that I'm not perfectly prepared to miss out on. My choice.

I'm no rod guru. I know what I like and I know what I don't like but [as I said] you need to make your own mind up about rods. I love my Marksman Float rod. Is it the best float rod ever ? Certainly not...and by some way. Do I enjoy owning and using it ? Yes I do.

Nothing else matters. Bit like you and your long rods. You like them...I don't. Such is the way of things.

 

[sam vimes]

Whoa ! Hang on a minute. All I said was that I don't like long rods...and I don't. It is a blanket statement in that for years I've tried to get on with them and I just don't. Doesn't mean somebody else wont and I never, ever suggested that long rods were rubbish. They just don't suit me, I know they dont and that's it. I could not tell you exactly why but for one thing they put too much strain on my girly wrists and that alone is enough for me.
So, no....I wont even contemplate them now because of that and I'm content that I'm not missing out on anything that I'm not perfectly prepared to miss out on. My choice.

I'm no rod guru. I know what I like and I know what I don't like but [as I said] you need to make your own mind up about rods. I love my Marksman Float rod. Is it the best float rod ever ? Certainly not...and by some way. Do I enjoy owning and using it ? Yes I do.

Nothing else matters. Bit like you and your long rods. You like them...I don't. Such is the way of things.

I'm sorry you've taken it personally when I was deliberately trying to avoid that, but you've somewhat missed the point.
I fully acknowledge that you are perfectly entitled to that view, but it's limited by your experience and bias that's born from it. That's the very danger I'm warning against with regards to opinions gleaned from strangers on the web. It's pretty much the same as my dislike of Shakespeare rods. I'm perfectly entitled to dislike them as much as you do long rods. But I'm not above acknowledging that my dislike of Shakespeare is illogical. There may be some corking Shakespeare rods, both past and present, that I'll never bother to even pick up. If anyone catches me out saying something negative about a Shakespeare rod (other than the old Omni Carbon Match from the early 80s), I'd strongly recommend that they ignore me entirely. Chances are that it's not born from genuinely applicable personal experience.

For someone that might share such dim views of longer rods, your views may be taken as gospel. There are any number of long rods that I'd not wish on anyone. There are even more that I'd shy away from suggesting to someone with similar views to your own. Not for one moment will I ever try to suggest that all long rods are any good at all. In fact, I'd say that the bulk of 15'(+) rods I've encountered are bloody awful. I only persisted with them because I can see the advantages they can offer in some situations.

However, as I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before, there is at least one 14/15'er that I'd suggest to anyone with a similarly dim view of longer rods. Most people's complaint about longer rods is that they are too heavy. The rods I have in mind are lighter than many 13' rods that people rave about. Provided, people don't screw things up by adding a reel that's way too light, they won't feel too tip heavy either.

In essence, this is, in a nutshell, the very problem with making rod recommendations. It's something I'm increasingly wary of doing. Only the fact that most of the stuff I own is out of production makes things a bit easier. I'm painfully aware that my likes and dislikes when it comes to rods will be different to the next bloke's. I'm also painfully aware that the requirements of my venues may not be so applicable to others.

 

[S-Kippy]

I'm sorry you've taken it personally when I was deliberately trying to avoid that, but you've somewhat missed the point.
I fully acknowledge that you are perfectly entitled to that view, but it's limited by your experience and bias that's born from it. That's the very danger I'm warning against with regards to opinions gleaned from strangers on the web. It's pretty much the same as my dislike of Shakespeare rods. I'm perfectly entitled to dislike them as much as you do long rods. But I'm not above acknowledging that my dislike of Shakespeare is illogical. There may be some corking Shakespeare rods, both past and present, that I'll never bother to even pick up. If anyone catches me out saying something negative about a Shakespeare rod (other than the old Omni Carbon Match from the early 80s), I'd strongly recommend that they ignore me entirely. Chances are that it's not born from genuinely applicable personal experience.

For someone that might share such dim views of longer rods, your views may be taken as gospel. There are any number of long rods that I'd not wish on anyone. There are even more that I'd shy away from suggesting to someone with similar views to your own. Not for one moment will I ever try to suggest that all long rods are any good at all. In fact, I'd say that the bulk of 15'(+) rods I've encountered are bloody awful. I only persisted with them because I can see the advantages they can offer in some situations.

However, as I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before, there is at least one 14/15'er that I'd suggest to anyone with a similarly dim view of longer rods. Most people's complaint about longer rods is that they are too heavy. The rods I have in mind are lighter than many 13' rods that people rave about. Provided, people don't screw things up by adding a reel that's way too light, they won't feel too tip heavy either.

In essence, this is, in a nutshell, the very problem with making rod recommendations. It's something I'm increasingly wary of doing. Only the fact that most of the stuff I own is out of production makes things a bit easier. I'm painfully aware that my likes and dislikes when it comes to rods will be different to the next bloke's. I'm also painfully aware that the requirements of my venues may not be so applicable to others.

Chris....I didn't take it personally. I just didn't want it to appear that I'm on a crusade against long rods when I'm not.
And I'm not sure its really fair to say I have a dim view of long rods. That suggests I will not have them no matter what and whereas that might be true to a degree NOW I didn't arrive there overnight. I have tried to get on with them for over 30 years but I just don't. I think that's being fairly open minded about them....at least to the point when I realised it just wasn't going to happen for me. I fully accept that my dislike is [ to a degree] illogical but to me its valid none the less.

And, as you rightly point out, I don't think they offer me that much of an advantage on the waters I fish now so I see no real reason to keep trying to find a reason to like them.

 

[chub_on_the_block]

Wouldnt it be great if you could toddle along to some fishing tackle fair by a river and try out the "best" - the Carbotec, Marksman, latest Drennan or whatever and feel the differences in hand that are offered by each. I suppose the alternative would be for Sam to hire a van and host an FM tackle trial!!

Nice thread. I have limited experience of recent rods as mine are all pretty much pre mid 90s - i have a quirky preference for old fashioned cork handles with traditional reel ring fittings. Of that era some of the Normark (Titan, Microlite) or Daiwa (eg Amorphous whisker, Tommy Pickering lines) stand out for me, being light in hand, thin profile with delicate tip action. Drennan waggler rods being a little sloppy and less crisp actioned by comparison. But no doubt these will have been blown out of the water by more recent developments.

 

[sam vimes]

Wouldnt it be great if you could toddle along to some fishing tackle fair by a river and try out the "best" - the Carbotec, Marksman, latest Drennan or whatever and feel the differences in hand that are offered by each. I suppose the alternative would be for Sam to hire a van and host an FM tackle trial!!

I'd be no help with the Hardys, those I've laid hands on didn't impress enough to persuade me to part with my money. Much the same with the recently released Daiwa Tournament RS. They felt rather nice, but not £350-£400 nice! I can't help with Carbotecs either. I'd really love to try one, but the second hand prices are that bit too much for me. Other than that, I quite enjoy handing folks rods to try, regardless of their reaction. As long as they are open minded enough to actually give 'em a go, it's all good.

Nice thread. I have limited experience of recent rods as mine are all pretty much pre mid 90s - i have a quirky preference for old fashioned cork handles with traditional reel ring fittings. Of that era some of the Normark (Titan, Microlite) or Daiwa (eg Amorphous whisker, Tommy Pickering lines) stand out for me, being light in hand, thin profile with delicate tip action. Drennan waggler rods being a little sloppy and less crisp actioned by comparison.

My experience of Drennan rods is that they are often much lighter in action than their contemporaries. That can translate to them feeling a little sloppier, especially in the cheaper models.

But no doubt these will have been blown out of the water by more recent developments.

Don't hold your breath in that respect. The lightest weight rods I own are Drennan Acolytes and Normarks. When it came to buying really light actioned rods, I found that there's not a great deal of choice in the current market. Beyond the Drennan Matchpro Ultralight, you are looking at rods that are long discontinued. The late eighties and early nineties seemingly the heyday of light actioned match/canal rods. Arguably, this period is probably the heyday of what I'd deem "proper" match rods.

 

[tigger]

Regarding long rods,I have several 14 footers and they are great to use but i'm not really interested in anything longer....maybe a 15ft acolyte plus will come my way some day.
After saying that it's a case of horses for courses really as long rods have been designed for specific purposes and there's times/methods where a long rod will come into it's own.
I think on the whole for the average UK angler a rod over 15ft isn't of much use....unless of course they just like them .

 

[thames mudlarker]

I agree with those thoughts, Sam. I don't know how many float rods I've owned or fished with over the decades, upwards of 40 I suspect that I could name and a few I've forgotten. All of them will catch fish, some with more pleasure than others. When I match fished a long time ago a better rod would maybe gain a margin of 10 to 20%; feeding, presentation, tactics, floats, skill, experience, bait all counted for far more (same goes for reels - far less influence on what you catch than these other factors), presenting the bait a bit better, hitting more bites, losing less fish could mean the difference between winning and an also ran.

Fishing with say, an ABU Mk 6, a top of range rod from 40 years ago feels unwieldy now yet (I still own and use one occasionally) back in the day I won matches/caught a lot of fish with this rod and even set a river match record at one point so it (or at least the user) could be used/wielded to good effect.

Back in the Autumn when I was helping Swizzle to trot - hoping to resume lessons once I'm recovered - it helped for him to have a go with different rods that I could supply to understand the differences between a tippy stick float rod and more through-actioned rods as well as appreciate why some top of range rods are rated so highly.

Absolutely agree mark, completely took the words out of me mouth and couldn't of said it any better,

As good as rods and reels maybe it's also a big part in yer lines, hooks, delicate and finesse rigs that are incorporated along with the feeding and all of the other IE weather conditions and general location of fish

I love to use quality rods and am quite happy from using 9-10 ft rods on very small upper reaches of chalk streams to 15 ft rods when I'm trotting at low water wading out on the vast open expanses of the tidal Thames :thumbs:

As mentioned previously by a few others that to me rods are a very personal item and what 13 ft float rod I may like many others may not,

Rods are all a tool that is specifically designed for a specific purpose, I can well remember a few years back where many of us who used to regularly fish the stick would generally use rods that were splice tipped including meself in me early years but as rod designs progress over the years they've certainly changed since those earlier days and in fairness definitely for the better :thumbs:

---------- Post added at 17:47 ---------- Previous post was at 17:21 ----------

The late eighties and early nineties seemingly the heyday of light actioned match/canal rods. Arguably, this period is probably the heyday of what I'd deem "proper" match rods.

I'd say you've cleanly hit the nail on the head Sam, I've got a few very good Daiwa armorpharas whisker, Normark and even some of the high end Silstar rods, I got these when I was working in the trade at the time and these rods I wouldn't swap for nothing, you just can't put a price on some rods like these......well to a degree

I'm also inclined to agree that the late 80's to early 90's where definitely the hey day for quality high end rods,

Trouble is with a lot of today's rods many are made out in the Far East to try and cut out the middle man so to speak and a lot of these rods I must admit do look the nuts / bees knees but the quality of materials are well hidden and don't perform the same as some of the proper top end rods.
I now think that there is really only a handfull of companies that are producing the top high end rods that are really worth looking at.

Speak soon

 

[davebhoy]

Where were the blanks for all the classic float rods that seem to be a talked about a lot these days manufactured?

 

[thames mudlarker]

Where were the blanks for all the classic float rods that seem to be a talked about a lot these days manufactured?

Daiwa, Preston, Drennan, Tri-Cast, Normark, Silstar to name a few

 

[barbelboi]

I'm far easier pleased than some - rarely look beyond my 12' 2000 series Titan or Microlite and 14' Acolyte Ultra for trotting - Sold the old sliding rings 15' GTI as it was starting to feel a tad heavy.............

 

[Philip]

Good thread and nice write up at the start. I can’t get excited about rods. I’d like to but I can’t.

My fishing took a big step forward the day I stopped looking at what was written on the label of a rod and started looking AT the rod itself. I ask myself is it suited to the type of fishing I am doing ? Do I need a long rod ? or a short one ? through action ? or fast ? etc etc .
Once you do that you can find some amazing rods at discount prices that do the precise job that you want rather than buying a rod with say “Floodwater Barbel” written on it because someone else has decided that’s what it should be used for.