Drennan Acolyte rods

[Philip]

Its interesting to consider what is the best way for a rod to break down. I have a number of 11 foot avons that break into 2 equal sections...i guess this is probably the most common configuration for such a rod.

However a pet hate of mine is rods that break into uneven lengths, they can be a real pain to band together especially the ones that have a sort of removable handle section. I have a Diawa Avon rod thats like this ...11 foot but breaks down into 3 unequal lengths. Its a really nice rod but an utter pain to store made up. I think I know what they did it..it was to make it easier to store in the boot of a car however the short butt / handle section is too short so unless you use multiple rod bands its always swinging free. The other problem with the removable handle/butt is that its allot more prone to rod twist..the rod twisting rod so the rings become out of line. At the other extreme I recently got myself and Abu Diplomat rod thats 11"6 but breaks down into 5 sections and fits diagonally in a large suitcase.

I guess we all have our personal preferences but I quite like match rods that break into 3 equal sections.

 

[sam vimes]

I have a Diawa Avon rod thats like this ...11 foot but breaks down into 3 unequal lengths. Its a really nice rod but an utter pain to store made up. I think I know what they did it..it was to make it easier to store in the boot of a car

The reason they gave at the time that Daiwa produced them was so that they could produce a rod with only one joint in the rod where it would significantly impact on the action. However, it was way before the current obsession with leaving rods made up really got going. IIRC they did it with a few Avon variants, most notably the V Specialist, Powermesh Avon and Powermesh X Avon.

I much prefer a float rod that breaks into three equal sections. I wish I could find a modern quality 12 or 11'er made that way. The fact that most rods of 12' or less are two piece is the main reason I avoid 12' float rods. The couple of two piece 13' float rods
I own are the biggest PITA to transport. Their saving grace is that they are beefy as hell. Float rods they may be, but delicate they are definitely not. Though I may make a rod up on the bank and walk with it, I never transport float rods made up.

Rods with odd configurations are invariably irritating to me. As well as the two piece 13'ers, I have a couple of the Powermesh Avons. As much as they are good rods, I doubt I use them as much as I might because of the odd configurations. My experiences with them are the main reason that I have no desire to own any of the Drennan Acolyte Compact rods.

 

[Philip]

The reason they gave at the time that Daiwa produced them was so that they could produce a rod with only one joint in the rod where it would significantly impact on the action.

Thats interesting to know, it is indeed an older rod & I was trying to think of a reason why the heck they would chop it into 3 unequal bits. Given that each section breaks down shorter than a typical 2 peice 11 foot avon I concluded it was for boot storage reasons however now you mention it I do recall something in the dim and distant past about them doing it for the rod action. Good shout - thanks !

Having said that I must say however that it makes naff all difference to the action. Although its a nice rod and really a pleasure to play fish on I dont think thats down to the section configuration so I would not consider Diawas delve into rod chopping weirdness was their best idea.

I have a 9 foot spinning rod that breaks down into 3 sections and thats a very nice storage length, really compact. All the 13 foot+ match rods I have had have broken into 3 equal sections. It would be nice if more people made 11 or 12 foot avons that did the same.

 

[108831]

The Hardy 'smuggler' Avon rods break into 4 sections,retaining a good action(slightly more pokey than the 2 piece),a really handy rod as you can slip it in the back of the car and tuck it away with ease.The abbreviated handle rods were going long before daiwa sold rods in this country,I bought a Fred J. Taylor Trotter 11ft 4in by Hardy in the mid-70's,I still have it to be honest,don't know why,haven't used it in more than 20 years.

 

[tigger]

The Hardy 'smuggler' Avon rods break into 4 sections,retaining a good action(slightly more pokey than the 2 piece),a really handy rod as you can slip it in the back of the car and tuck it away with ease.The abbreviated handle rods were going long before daiwa sold rods in this country,I bought a Fred J. Taylor Trotter 11ft 4in by Hardy in the mid-70's,I still have it to be honest,don't know why,haven't used it in more than 20 years.

Your right about the hardy multi section rods being a bit pokier than the two piece versions.
I was once in Steve Harrisons factory and had a conversation with him about rods and the number of sections etc and he told me the less sections the better!
Obviously he's not talking transportation purposes.

My 12ft normark microlites used to be three piece and they where ok to transport....should never have sold them!
I still have a 11ft greys spinning rod which is also three section. I remember the greys barbel rod used to be 12ft and you had a choice of two or three section.
Since I do the majority of fishing on my own and so have the car to myself transporting two piece rods doesn't realy cause me any problems.

 

[Keith M]

I do prefer my rods to have fewer joints and I have no problems with carrying 12ft two piece rods in the car and I often carry 13 ft two piece Carp rods in my car without any problems; I just lower the rear seats and have my rods resting on my cars centre console at the front, and they don’t get in the way when I’m driving.

As I often grab an hour or two fishing local river and stillwater locations just minutes away from my house at very short notice; both the ‘12 ft two piece Specialist float rods’ and the ‘13ft two piece float rods (with the short add on handle section)’ come in extremely handy for me, I often carry them made-up in protective rod sleeves so that I can just unfold them and be fishing within seconds; and I have never damaged any of my ready made-up rods in the car carrying them this way either (famous last words ).

I make-up my ready made up rods at home and always have them ready to grab at short notice.

If I am going to be fishing for much longer or at a place where I don’t know which float or swim type I’m going to be fishing, then I usually take my three or four sectioned float rods, and I don’t carry these ready made up.

Keith

 

[jasonbean1]

I have all the acolyte float rods except carp and I still cant understand how the wraparounds happen. it seems that your line definitely has to be behaving if not your knackered from the start and once that's sorted you have to cast and finish to a tight line, the further the better...for example

Saturday pleasure fishing on the Thames 2 rods set up 13 and 14ft ultras both with 2.6 float fish with little wind. I was casting to boats on the far side that were more of a gentle lob away, quite often the float hit the water to slack line as it was landing perfectly next to the boat, on that session I regularly got a wrap around the tip before recasting...I'm used to it now so not a problem as a gently shake forward and it swings off.

Sunday match on a wider section of the Thames, rods set up identical, same conditions just chucking further out and always stopping the line to straighten the line out behind the waggler, barley had a wrap around.

also when I unhook a fish I unhook them to a tight line to the tip which has a slight bend in it as I'm sat on a box match fishing, this also tend to lead to wrap around before casting I think.

very strange, wrap arounds seem to happen more with any float rod I've ever used but saying that it wont stop me using them

 

[Mark Wintle]

I have all the acolyte float rods except carp and I still cant understand how the wraparounds happen. it seems that your line definitely has to be behaving if not your knackered from the start and once that's sorted you have to cast and finish to a tight line, the further the better...for example

Saturday pleasure fishing on the Thames 2 rods set up 13 and 14ft ultras both with 2.6 float fish with little wind. I was casting to boats on the far side that were more of a gentle lob away, quite often the float hit the water to slack line as it was landing perfectly next to the boat, on that session I regularly got a wrap around the tip before recasting...I'm used to it now so not a problem as a gently shake forward and it swings off.

Sunday match on a wider section of the Thames, rods set up identical, same conditions just chucking further out and always stopping the line to straighten the line out behind the waggler, barley had a wrap around.

also when I unhook a fish I unhook them to a tight line to the tip which has a slight bend in it as I'm sat on a box match fishing, this also tend to lead to wrap around before casting I think.

very strange, wrap arounds seem to happen more with any float rod I've ever used but saying that it wont stop me using them

Jason, take a careful look at the tip rings on the rods. The angle on the rings should be very slightly less than 90 degrees (a bit less than a right-angle). On some rods it's more like 120 degrees - more than a right angle. To correct it you heed to bend the tip ring very, very carefully to the correct angle. My local tackle dealer told me this tip when I bought a Shakespeare Boron Mach 2 back in about 1984 and I've followed this advice ever since.

 

[jasonbean1]

yes they're at the 120 degree angle but fixed as they have legs on them so cant be bent back. interesting on there feeder rod tips with no legs all the last eyes are at less than the 90 degree angle though.

 

[mikench]

One would imagine Drennan would know this and as this sounds such a simple and inexpensive "cure" for the perceived problem, surely new Acolyte float rods would have this modification! I don't have any of these rods and cannot find a protractor to check the float rods i do have!

 

[tigger]

One would imagine Drennan would know this and as this sounds such a simple and inexpensive "cure" for the perceived problem, surely new Acolyte float rods would have this modification! I don't have any of these rods and cannot find a protractor to check the float rods i do have!

Mike, i'd take no notice of that bud and ffs don't start bending the guides lol.

 

[mikench]

Dont worry Ian i won't ! I have to get the rod first!

 

[Mark Wintle]

yes they're at the 120 degree angle but fixed as they have legs on them so cant be bent back. interesting on there feeder rod tips with no legs all the last eyes are at less than the 90 degree angle though.

The presence of 'legs' doesn't stop me bending them back, trickier it's true but as a brutal rod modifier it's my way or the highway; pass the file, hacksaw, Stanley knife....

Mike's comment about Drennan 'knowing' how they should be rings true but isn't the case and other manufacturers get it wrong on so many levels when it comes to rods which is why I do so much modification on the handles of my rods and why they're so comfortable to use.

 

[108831]

Your right about the hardy multi section rods being a bit pokier than the two piece versions.
I was once in Steve Harrisons factory and had a conversation with him about rods and the number of sections etc and he told me the less sections the better!
Obviously he's not talking transportation purposes.

My 12ft normark microlites used to be three piece and they where ok to transport....should never have sold them!
I still have a 11ft greys spinning rod which is also three section. I remember the greys barbel rod used to be 12ft and you had a choice of two or three section.
Since I do the majority of fishing on my own and so have the car to myself transporting two piece rods doesn't realy cause me any problems.

But do you own a hearse????

 

[terry m]

The presence of 'legs' doesn't stop me bending them back, trickier it's true but as a brutal rod modifier it's my way or the highway; pass the file, hacksaw, Stanley knife....

Mike's comment about Drennan 'knowing' how they should be rings true but isn't the case and other manufacturers get it wrong on so many levels when it comes to rods which is why I do so much modification on the handles of my rods and why they're so comfortable to use.

I am not sure that I buy this theory. I would like to understand the science behind it, and would respectfully ask how come a guy behind the counter in a tackle shop knows better than established premium rod manufacturers when it comes to rod design.

In my simple mind a 120 degree angle would allow a potential wrap to slip over the end ring far mor easily than a sub 90 degree angle which is going to introduce a natural catchpoint that do not previously exist?

 

[Mark Wintle]

I am not sure that I buy this theory. I would like to understand the science behind it, and would respectfully ask how come a guy behind the counter in a tackle shop knows better than established premium rod manufacturers when it comes to rod design.

In my simple mind a 120 degree angle would allow a potential wrap to slip over the end ring far more easily than a sub 90 degree angle which is going to introduce a natural catch point that do not previously exist?

It's not theory but something borne out of many years of actual experience using many different match rods with 2lb line. The tip rings vary quite a bit, some have a 90 degree angle others have nearer the 120 degrees. At the time - 1984 - the tackle shop sold many match rods and the person concerned was a cut above the average shop assistant as he was an apprentice gunsmith working on top-end shotguns, now a top-class gunsmith. Whether he figured it out himself or whether one of the reps told him I don't know but his advice has served me well in the 34 years since. I suspect with much thicker lines like 10lb or above this wrap around isn't a problem as the line is so much stiffer.

As for premium rod makers knowing what they're doing, sadly many rods are still badly designed with not much more than the input of a couple of anglers in many cases, hardly ergonomic design!

 

[tigger]

It's not theory but something borne out of many years of actual experience using many different match rods with 2lb line. The tip rings vary quite a bit, some have a 90 degree angle others have nearer the 120 degrees. At the time - 1984 - the tackle shop sold many match rods and the person concerned was a cut above the average shop assistant as he was an apprentice gunsmith working on top-end shotguns, now a top-class gunsmith. Whether he figured it out himself or whether one of the reps told him I don't know but his advice has served me well in the 34 years since. I suspect with much thicker lines like 10lb or above this wrap around isn't a problem as the line is so much stiffer.

As for premium rod makers knowing what they're doing, sadly many rods are still badly designed with not much more than the input of a couple of anglers in many cases, hardly ergonomic design!

Mark, what on earth has gun smithing got to do with fishing rods?
Next time I want info on a rod maybe I should get in touch with Purdy or Holland and Holland?

I get the wrap rounds using 4 and 6lb mainline Mark, would you consider them to be fine lines?

 

[Mark Wintle]

I get the wrap rounds using 4 and 6lb mainline Mark, would you consider them to be fine lines?

Maybe you need to modify the flawed rings! 4lb and 6lb aren't fine but a lot finer than the 10lb line used on barbel rods which often have a tip ring with the angle set to 120 degrees.

The rod I originally did this to, the Shakespeare Boron Mach 2, had two incarnations, the first which was the one I modified which had Fuji SiC rings with the tip set at 120 degrees, the second which I bought later had hard-chrome rings and a different tip ring, still a Fuji but cheaper, that was set at 90 degrees and that one has never suffered wrap rounds nor been modified.

 

[mikench]

11/12' Acolyte Ultra or despite having several 13'rods , a 13' plus? ''Tis as deep a question as Hamlet's!

 

[tigger]

11/12' Acolyte Ultra or despite having several 13'rods , a 13' plus? ''Tis as deep a question as Hamlet's!

13ft plus is the answer....then in a week or two you can get the others .