Advice on longer float rods for river fishing please.

[rich66]

Morning everyone, I’m looking at buying a new or new to me float rod for river fishing.
At the moment I’m using a 13’ Harrier match which is fine but I’m thinking the longer reach might do me better. I generally fish for anything that comes along. But roach & chub are my favourites

I quite like the look of the drennan matchpro ultralight at 15’ or maybe a Preston Equis 15/17 ?

But no tackle shop local to me seems to keep many rods in stock to look at. Especially at that length.

Does anyone have one or recommend something different?

Thanks

 

[xenon]

Drennan Acolyte ultra (or plus, depending on what your target fish/weight is). Close thread.

 

[rob48]

Hi, the Browning Sphere spliced-tip rod is the best I've ever used for stick float fishing, I've got the 13'6" and 15'6".
I'd also recommend the Cadence 15' #1 for roach and occasional bigger chub, at only £130 it's a bit of a steal IMO.

 

[peter crabtree]

I have a matchpro ultralight 15’ and it’s very nice to use..
Plenty of power when needed and forgiving enough for smaller species.

 

[tigger]

I'm not too keen on anything over 14ft myself but if I where to get a 15ft rod then I would go for the 15ft plus drennan acolyte rod. I haven't used one but I have handled a few and for a 15ft rod they felt better than any other i've handled, deffo worth looking at one before buying any others.

Oh, I have used a 15ft matchpro and that was very good and would be my second choice.

 

[trotter2]

I have a 15 ft acolyte plus it's a nice rod .For me it is better than the ultralight 14 foot I had, but just my opinion.
Don't use it a great deal as I prefer a 13 ft rod . But its great for deep swims or hitting bites at distance long trotting.

 

[sam vimes]

Once you get to fifteen feet or more, weight (and balance) becomes a significant factor in a rod, especially for one that will be held all day. Some heavier rods can be OK, provided they are really well balanced. In the light weight stakes there are really only two horses in the race, the 15' Acolyte and the 15' 6" Browning Sphere.

If someone wants just one single 15' rod, expecting to use it in any scenario where a longer rod might be useful, I'd suggest that the 15' Acolyte Plus might be the best choice. However, as ever, a large dollop of personal preference plays it's part. Some won't like the action and will be happy with the extra weight of an alternative rod that has an action more to their liking.

 

[trotter2]

Sam do you find the 15ft ultra less tip heavy than the 15ft plus?

 

[sam vimes]

Sam do you find the 15ft ultra less tip heavy than the 15ft plus?

Ever so slightly, but the difference is barely noticeable in use. It's a minute difference between them that really isn't worth worrying about. The balance point (without a reel fitted) is about a finger's width further up the blank of the Plus. There are 13' rods that are more tip heavy than either.

 

[trotter2]

Thanks excellent reply,cheers Gary

 

[rich66]

Thanks for your insight folks. I’m leaning towards the Drennan matchpro don’t think I can run to a new acolyte.

 

[108831]

Imo rods longer than 13ft lose the leverage in a fight situation,like you experience with chub,again imo these longer rods cause fish to dive downwards when lifting the rod to net them,so shorter rods are my preference,of course presentation wise the longer rod scores highly,so roach fishing on clean banked rivers are perfect,bird cage swims are a no-no,as Sam says personal preferences will swing widely and will cause debate,if you buy one I hope it suits you as it's an expensive mistake if not,but one we all have to try out...

 

[rich66]

if you buy one I hope it suits you as it's an expensive mistake if not,but one we all have to try out...

Thanks Whitty, food for thought. I certainly don’t want to make an expensive mistake ! Hence I’m not bothered if I buy 2nd hand but longer rods seem few and far between on eBay etc.
Sadly tackle shops near me don’t seem to stock the longer rod either. Maybe because I assume a lot of people fish lakes etc

 

[sam vimes]

Imo rods longer than 13ft lose the leverage in a fight situation,like you experience with chub,again imo these longer rods cause fish to dive downwards when lifting the rod to net them

If that were the only concern, we'd all be using six foot rods! We know it's not though, hence 13' being considered the all round best compromise for float rod length for many years. However, even 13' is too long for many these days. Rod length will always be a compromise dictated by circumstance. There's no doubt that many don't see any benefit in using longer rods. However, I'd contend that there will be swims and methods that these people are simply avoiding, unless their choice of venues and swims is fairly limited.

The biggest issue I see with long rod use (provided the user isn't stupid enough to try using one in a parrot cage swim) is that many people fail to use a landing net handle of adequate length. They attempt to use the short handle that they've always managed with when using sub 13' rods. When they are having to over reach with a short handle, it leads to a loss of control of the fish. It also puts undue stress on the blank when they take the rod past vertical just to be able to net the fish.

My rule of thumb is to use as long a rod as is possible on a river. The main dictator being the surrounding flora if I'm fishing from the bank. That dictator chages to the depth of water in front of me if I'm wading. When fishing a stillwater the depth of water in front of me will be primary, with the surrounding fauna being hugely significant.

 

[rich66]

My main reason for wanting a longer rod is I’ve read they give more control over float/ bait presentation and pick up. One of the rivers I’ve started to fish on seems quite wide ( to me ) 40 foot or so. When I’ve tried trotting far over there’s a lot of line on the water and I’m missing bites.
It’s mainly canalised sections so bird cagings not an issue as much, and not overly deep either, this is one such section.
I’m hoping to fish more rivers in 2019 so hopefully the longer rod will come in handy.

 

[108831]

If that were the only concern, we'd all be using six foot rods! We know it's not though, hence 13' being considered the all round best compromise for float rod length for many years. However, even 13' is too long for many these days. Rod length will always be a compromise dictated by circumstance. There's no doubt that many don't see any benefit in using longer rods. However, I'd contend that there will be swims and methods that these people are simply avoiding, unless their choice of venues and swims is fairly limited.

The biggest issue I see with long rod use (provided the user isn't stupid enough to try using one in a parrot cage swim) is that many people fail to use a landing net handle of adequate length. They attempt to use the short handle that they've always managed with when using sub 13' rods. When they are having to over reach with a short handle, it leads to a loss of control of the fish. It also puts undue stress on the blank when they take the rod past vertical just to be able to net the fish.

My rule of thumb is to use as long a rod as is possible on a river. The main dictator being the surrounding flora if I'm fishing from the bank. That dictator chages to the depth of water in front of me if I'm wading. When fishing a stillwater the depth of water in front of me will be primary, with the surrounding fauna being hugely significant.

Sorry Chris but our opinions differ,landing fish in an efficient a manner as possible is a major concern to me and these days carrying extra rods to fish a tight peg or not doesn't happen,I personally find a way round the presentation issues of a long rod compared to a 13 ft one by shotting and float choice(as no doubt you would),when barbel fishing on the lead I prefer 11ft rods,better for playing fish so the six foot analogy pun seems wasted,certainly on me anyway,what suits the individual I suppose...

 

[108831]

My main reason for wanting a longer rod is I’ve read they give more control over float/ bait presentation and pick up. One of the rivers I’ve started to fish on seems quite wide ( to me ) 40 foot or so. When I’ve tried trotting far over there’s a lot of line on the water and I’m missing bites.
It’s mainly canalised sections so bird cagings not an issue as much, and not overly deep either, this is one such section.
I’m hoping to fish more rivers in 2019 so hopefully the longer rod will come in handy.

Sounds like a waggler venue to me...

 

[rob48]

Sounds like a waggler venue to me...

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[sam vimes]

Sorry Chris but our opinions differ,landing fish in an efficient a manner as possible is a major concern to me and these days carrying extra rods to fish a tight peg or not doesn't happen,I personally find a way round the presentation issues of a long rod compared to a 13 ft one by shotting and float choice(as no doubt you would),when barbel fishing on the lead I prefer 11ft rods,better for playing fish so the six foot analogy pub seems wasted,certainly on me anyway,what suits the individual I suppose...

But that's exactly what I'm saying, rod length is always some kind of compromise. If landing fish with ultimate efficiency was the only concern, we'd all be using short rods, much shorter even than 13'. The fact that we aren't means that other factors are coming into play. How much those other factors are an influence depends upon the individual, the waters they fish and the methods they use. I simply couldn't fish effectively, in much of the water I have access to, without using long rods. I float fish in places that other folks simply can't, or won't. My enthusiasm for them isn't just for the sheer hell of it. I'd also have no issue in saying that I find using them difficult if it were the case.

I perfectly accept that there are alternate ways to limit the requirement for a long rod. Sliders, float legering etc. I'll even use them myself at times. However, I see more than enough anglers that deal with such issues by simply avoiding certain swims. I also see a fair few anglers struggling with longer rods because they've failed to use an appropriate length landing net handle. I suspect that this is also contributing to breakages in long rods.

 

[sam vimes]

Sounds like a waggler venue to me...

Doesn't look, or sound, like a long rod venue to me either.
I'm hardly a canal/canalized river regular, but waggler with a shorter rod (with decent tip speed) would be my instictive choice.