Have you ever owned the perfect rod?

[no-one in particular]

Following on from one of Derek's threads and in his best tradition.

Have you ever owned the perfect rod?

Only once for me and it was it called the "Perfection Roach" by Hardy. It was beaten up a bit and beyond me to repair it so I sold it to someone who did a great job on it.
The point was as soon as I took it out of the bag, I knew it was the perfect roach rod; damage and all. You just knew it was perfect for the job.
Just imagine that the "perfection roach rod" and live up to the name. Never seen the perfect barbel, tench, carp rod, do they exist or is it something only the old craftsmen could produce?

 

[mikench]

No! However I will have one when this forum concludes which one it is. Rob will be along in a minute to tempt me:wh

 

[trotter2]

I think tackle including rods are better today than anything made in the past.
And there cheaper, perfect rod maybe an Allerton stick float rod, but those acolytes look and feel good I was very reluctant to buy one with all the horror stories about tip breaks but hopefully they have got this sorted out maybe I may take the plunge and purchase.
Another top notch rod is the matchpro which have been ok from day one lovely rod.

 

[tigger]

I don't think there's a perfect rod for any species but there's no doubt that there's some real good ones available, unfortunatly a lot of the best ones are now discontinued. Peoples opinions vary so much that a rod one person finds great the next person might dislike so it would be impossible to please everyone with one rod.
Regarding barbel rods, I think it's quite easy to get a satisfactory rod if your legering for them, if your float fishing for them it's a little more tricky as there's more subtle refinements involved, such as weight, action and length.
I have my own personal favourites but as I said others might dislike 'em.

 

[S-Kippy]

Quite a few of the rods I've owned were "perfect" at the time I bought them. Sadly...I was mistaken in almost every case but I did acquire some absolutely cracking rods along the way.

 

[sagalout]

No! However I will have one when this forum concludes which one it is. Rob will be along in a minute to tempt me:wh

Go to a Maver centre of excellence and have a waggle of an elite match/float/pellet waggler rod. Beware they are in the region of 115 guineas.

 

[lepirate]

Long time a go I had a split cane mk1V Avon, seemed pretty perfect back then.

 

[no-one in particular]

Granted, an all round perfect rod for any species is a bit difficult given the different methods etc. But that Hardy roach rod was for float fishing and I could not imagine a more perfect rod; you just would not go to any other rod if you owned one if you wanted to float fish for roach. And then there is the fact the roach probably does not have such a big weight range as some species which made it easier to craft such a rod.
So, its down to a rod for a specific species and specific method, with that in mind does perfection exist?
Disagreements will exist for sure but is there any rod that will get the most votes?
Might be a useful exercise

 

[Derek Gibson]

It's an elusive thing the perfect rod Mark. At best there are rods that will remain perfect in our eyes for periods in time. Then are superseded by other models as time goes by. I think that those which last the course for the longest period may have a claim.

I too have a soft spot for the original MK 1V in cane as it left an endearing memory of happy days. A bit like the ''Hardy perfect'' Trout reel that was touted as the epitomy of reels, only to be re-vamped numerous times. Hardly perfect then.

In short I suppose I'm saying that at any given period there will be rods and reels that for us endure longer that the rest of the pack, and be remembered. That's about as close as I can get to the perfect rod.

 

[mikench]

Remember Derek the saying of Proust:" a remembrance of things past is not necessarily a remembrance of things as they were"

However if you still have the rods....

 

[sam vimes]

I have many rods that I consider perfect for me and the particular things I use them for. However, I'm under no illusion that they'll remain perfect. New stuff comes along or you discover old stuff, that passed you by, that's better.

I enjoy buying gear, often the best I can find for a given task. I love finding stuff that's even better than what I already have, regardless of price, age or popular opinion.

 

[mikench]

Don't we all Sam! I have the gear to prove it.

 

[robtherake]

No! However I will have one when this forum concludes which one it is. Rob will be along in a minute to tempt me:wh

As is often said, it's horses for courses, but some rods straddle several disciplines. My pair of Youngs Ray Walton barbel rods are perfect for the small water carping for which they were bought. They have a nice soft tip, which effectively prevents hook pulls and a very pleasant progressive action with proper power in the butt section. They also balance just in front of the corks with a medium-sized baitrunner installed, so I suspect they'll get used for surface work, too. Best of all, they've been reduced from an "original RRP" of £190 to just £35 quid apiece. Sorry, Mike .

Edit: The rod got the ultimate test without wetting a line; something I meant to mention in my latest How'd you get on post. I set up when we got to the caravan park and only had a 50 yard walk to the lake, so I stupidly bungeed the made up rods to the top of my barrowload of gear. One of them slipped and dug in; by the time I noticed the increase in resistance the top section had doubled back on itself and the tip ring was only a few inches away from the blank. Miraculously, it didn't go bang and straightened itself smoothly (without any nasty noises) as I gingerly reversed the barrow. So, needless to say, it's given the green light to give it plenty without worrying how much the rod can take: it's already been comprehensibly illustrated. The afterimage still has me cringing and shaking my head, a week later.

 

[Bob Hornegold]

Never.

I have owned and fished with some good rods, the 11/2lbtc 12ft Harrison Barbel has been a brilliant rod, the Original Nash Whisker 21/4lbtc, the J B Walker three piece Avon Super, the Harrison Power Float for trotting for Barbel another rod that has stood the test of time.

But nothing is perfect, they are all a compromise and that is why I have so many rods ?

Bob

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Go to a Maver centre of excellence and have a waggle of an elite match/float/pellet waggler rod.

Looked at them on Sunday, very light, not sure about the gold plate on the butt though.
Haven't checked the weight but they feel comparable to the Acolytes..

---------- Post added at 19:43 ---------- Previous post was at 19:40 ----------

I have my own personal favourites but as I said others might dislike 'em.

C'mon Ian, spill the beans

 

[sagalout]

" a remembrance of things past is not necessarily a remembrance of things as they were"

or nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

 

[tigger]

C'mon Ian, spill the beans

Ok...
My favourite float rod that catches minnows to double figure barbel in style is the normark Avenger mkII. There are other nice float rods I have that have tried to de-throne the Avenger but good as they are the Avenger still wears the crown in my rod room .

A great all round rod is the Hardy marksman 11ft specialist avon, good to float fish with for chub and barbel on rivers and then switch to the leger if the fish go off a moving bait. The specialist avon is great for tench and carp fishing on still waters and again it's good for float or leger tactics. It's the only avon rod i've ever liked ! It's bigger brother is a belter also but can get a little heavy if holding it whilst trotting for a few hours.

 

[no-one in particular]

The list so far,

Allerton stick float rod -1
acolytes -1
elite match/float/pellet waggler rod -1
split cane mk1V Avon -2
Youngs Ray Walton barbel rods -1
11/2lbtc 12ft Harrison Barbel -1
Original Nash Whisker 21/4lbtc, -1
J B Walker three piece Avon Super -1
Harrison Power Float for trotting for Barbel -1
elite match/float/pellet waggler rod. -1
normark Avenger mkII. -2
all round rod is the Hardy marksman 11ft specialist avon -1

 

[steve2]

My perfect rod at the moment is my 7ft Shimano light-spinning rod. It is the only rod I have used this river season. Does everything I need in a rod at this stage in my angling.
Perfect rod in the past, my Drennan 14ft Ultra Light Waggler it as handled every thing from small roach to double figure Barbel and Carp.

 

[binka]

Perfect in respect of a single given task, no.

Perfect in respect of sweetness over a huge range of given tasks, yes, and it would the 1lb tc Hardy Ultralite Avons.

Truly amazing rods!

So enjoyable to use either on their own for just about any species and method or as a pair for specialist type fishing for anything from roach and perch to double figure barbel with an action that will both thrill you at either end of the size scale and cope with everything in between in a manner which puts a huge smile on your face every time you hook up.

If I had to get rid of all my different types of rods bar one then these would be the keepers without hesitation.