Drennan Acolyte rods

[sam vimes]

Notwithstanding flaws, or damaged in shop transit, which should manifest early in a rod's life, I too expect a rod to be able to perform beyond it's stated capabilities. My Ultras have all done exactly that, as have the Pluses. I still believe that a fair too few Ultras have been bought by folks with expectations well beyond their remit. When a rod has on it that it's for 2.5 to 4lb (+, mustn't forget that rather ambiguous +) mainlines, 1 to 3.5lb hooklinks, and the average modern float rod is rated to 6, or even 8lb mainlines, you know that this is much lighter than the norm. I winced when I saw an early Drennan video suggesting that they could be used on commies, and I wince when I hear the way some use them. I've always winced, and stated so on here, when I hear of the way so many folks transport fully made up float rods (old style match float rods), of almost any brand, in ready bags with rods bands etc. In this respect, the Acolyte Ultras are no different to plenty of other unusually light actioned float rods, including the much vaunted Normarks, especially the lighter Microlights. Few seemed to bat an eyelid when these broke with monotonous regularity. The only difference I see (again, disregarding obviously flawed or transit damaged rods) is that few anglers thought to be able to take a rapier to a broadsword fight and expect to get away with it. I feel that there are more than a few anglers that expect to be able to treat a float rod as if it were an Avon or heavy Pellet Waggler rod. I don't treat my float rods with the kid gloves I, and most others, did thirty years ago. However, I do seem to treat them a lot better than many seem to.

All in all, having six of the damned things, I would have expected at least one to break by now if things were quite as bad as some make out. I'd have expected Tigger's to have broken many times over. Unsurprisingly, I'm less than convinced that all the breaks are purely down to flaws and bad luck, some, but not all.

On a more positive note, if anyone has a quite useless 11' Acolyte Carp Waggler rod lying around that they want rid of. I may be able to do you a favour and take it off your hands. Naturally, I'm not going to pay top dollar for such a POS!:wh

 

[markcw]

Everyone is raving how light rods are dependant of whatever brand, So if you want the lightest rod.. what reel do you put on it ? again reels can vary in weight, so surely this will affect the lightness of the latest must have rod.

 

[binka]

Notwithstanding flaws, or damaged in shop transit, which should manifest early in a rod's life, I too expect a rod to be able to perform beyond it's stated capabilities. My Ultras have all done exactly that, as have the Pluses. I still believe that a fair too few Ultras have been bought by folks with expectations well beyond their remit. When a rod has on it that it's for 2.5 to 4lb (+, mustn't forget that rather ambiguous +) mainlines, 1 to 3.5lb hooklinks, and the average modern float rod is rated to 6, or even 8lb mainlines, you know that this is much lighter than the norm. I winced when I saw an early Drennan video suggesting that they could be used on commies, and I wince when I hear the way some use them. I've always winced, and stated so on here, when I hear of the way so many folks transport fully made up float rods (old style match float rods), of almost any brand, in ready bags with rods bands etc. In this respect, the Acolyte Ultras are no different to plenty of other unusually light actioned float rods, including the much vaunted Normarks, especially the lighter Microlights. Few seemed to bat an eyelid when these broke with monotonous regularity. The only difference I see (again, disregarding obviously flawed or transit damaged rods) is that few anglers thought to be able to take a rapier to a broadsword fight and expect to get away with it. I feel that there are more than a few anglers that expect to be able to treat a float rod as if it were an Avon or heavy Pellet Waggler rod. I don't treat my float rods with the kid gloves I, and most others, did thirty years ago. However, I do seem to treat them a lot better than many seem to.

All in all, having six of the damned things, I would have expected at least one to break by now if things were quite as bad as some make out. I'd have expected Tigger's to have broken many times over. Unsurprisingly, I'm less than convinced that all the breaks are purely down to flaws and bad luck, some, but not all.

On a more positive note, if anyone has a quite useless 11' Acolyte Carp Waggler rod lying around that they want rid of. I may be able to do you a favour and take it off your hands. Naturally, I'm not going to pay top dollar for such a POS!:wh

I'm not really sure what this concludes though, other than that there are a significant number of dodgy Acolytes out there still on the market with little other evidence to suggest that a substantial number of them are not flawed.

Regardless of the theory that this only affected earlier versions (?) we still have people such as Nick recently purchasing an Acolyte rod which then went on to virtually disintegrate at the tip when threading the line.

The obvious conclusion is that this was an 'old stock' rod but was it, what evidence is there?

Was it actually a recently manufactured rod which has the on going problems with the poor quality of the blank and something which Drennan have failed to address??

Do Drennan have enough margin in the rod to happily replace flawed tip sections in self-denial of the reputational damage and irrespective to the inconvenience to the user???

I think it's about time that Drennan came clean and issued a statement.

I've landed, in the company of another well respected FM member, unintended Mirror Carp in excess of 17lb on a rod rated to 5lb maximum line strength (on a 2.6lb bottom!) and that was a few years ago now, the rod's still going strong with many similar feats of endurance being completed since and that hasn't broken.

I'm beyond any reasonable doubt that we can disregard the damaged in transit and user negligence theories in light of the sheer number and accounts of those who have had Acolytes snap on them, I reckon it's just an issue of whether or not you get lucky with a rod from the batch that you bought from.

 

[binka]

Everyone is raving how light rods are dependant of whatever brand, So if you want the lightest rod.. what reel do you put on it ? again reels can vary in weight, so surely this will affect the lightness of the latest must have rod.

Apart from the balance issue...

At what point do what are, in real terms, such low differentials in weight, become completely irrelevant and more to the point when do people actually learn to become less obsessed and consider the bigger picture in terms of all round capability and value?

Not that that would be of concern to the brands, who in turn would like us to buy one of their rods for every different direction of wind :wh

If I had a rod which weighed an ounce more than the lightest available but found that an issue I'd be more inclined to visit a gym rather than buy the lighter rod.

Sanity or vanity?

 

[sam vimes]

I'm not really sure what this concludes though, other than that there are a significant number of dodgy Acolytes out there still on the market with little other evidence to suggest that a substantial number of them are not flawed.

Was it actually a recently manufactured rod which has the on going problems with the poor quality of the blank and something which Drennan have failed to address??

Do Drennan have enough margin in the rod to happily replace flawed tip sections in self-denial of the reputational damage and irrespective to the inconvenience to the user???

I think it's about time that Drennan came clean and issued a statement.

I've landed, in the company of another well respected FM member, unintended Mirror Carp in excess of 17lb on a rod rated to 5lb maximum line strength (on a 2.6lb bottom!) and that was a few years ago now, the rod's still going strong with many similar feats of endurance being completed since and that hasn't broken.

I'm beyond any reasonable doubt that we can disregard the damaged in transit and user negligence theories in light of the sheer number and accounts of those who have had Acolytes snap on them, I reckon it's just an issue of whether or not you get lucky with a rod from the batch that you bought from.

Honestly, I'm not even trying to defend Drennan, but at least some of this stuff is pure conjecture based on little but Chinese whispers. You'd think that every Acolyte rod purchased is going to break at the drop of a hat the way some folks are going on. There's no doubt that Acolytes have broken. However, I remain very dubious to the extent, or cause, of the issue. Cracks and splits along the length of a rod tend to suggest crush/impact damage to me, and I suspect many tackle dealers, and manufacturers, take a similar view. Clean breaks across a blank are a bit more likely to indicate a flaw, or, if it's in the last few inches of a rod, possibly a wrap around. That's certainly the kind of thing I've heard from both reps and dealers in the past.

It doesn't help a great deal when some of the most vociferous of naysayers have never owned an Acolyte. Some of those that do own them won't use them just in case they break. All I can do is base things on the six Acolyte float rods that I do own, and have miraculously failed to break, despite plenty of use. If these rods are so fundamentally flawed, you'd expect that I'd have managed to break at least one of them by now. I find it difficult to believe that I'd be quite so lucky as to avoid a flawed rod out of six if flaws were quite so prevalent as some would have us believe. I can faithfully promise that I'm not telling fibs about having six Acolyte Float rods, nor am I pretending to never having broken one.

Realistically, I can only speak as I find from first hand experience. That experience suggests to me that many anglers should avoid Acolyte Ultras, to me, they are a bit bashing tool (dace, roach, grayling etc) . If you want and expect more, buy a Plus. However, even then, don't expect a Plus to be some kind of beefy Specimen Float rod, it's just not.

I can well understand a new buyer being put off. I can also understand someone that has suffered a break losing faith. I can't quite fathom why someone that already has one wouldn't use it. If it's still under warranty, get it used sharpish, and as often as you can. Put it to the test as quickly as possible. If it's out of warranty, get it used or sell it. There's absolutely nothing to be gained by letting it gather dust.

Regardless of the theory that this only affected earlier versions (?) we still have people such as Nick recently purchasing an Acolyte rod which then went on to virtually disintegrate at the tip when threading the line.

The obvious conclusion is that this was an 'old stock' rod but was it, what evidence is there?​

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You are mixing things up somewhat. The theory of "early versions" was only applicable to the early 15' Acolyte Ultras, which undoubtedly had a significant problem. If rumours are to be believed, breakages were rather prevalent. This problem was put down to the rumoured "whipping being too tight" theory. Unfortunately, this issue seems to have dogged every single type and version of Acolyte float rod since, though I rather suspect that as a percentage of sales, breakages since have not really been out of the ordinary.

I wouldn't ascribe the failure of Nick's rod to being old stock. For a start, it's a "Compact" version, which didn't appear on the market until well after the problems with the early 15' Ultras. As mentioned previously, I'd also put a longitudinal break down to crush/impact damage. As it's a new rod, that's most likely to be down to transit damage.

It may well be fair to suggest that Acolyte Ultras are a bit too delicate for their own good (as other similar light actioned rods often are), and for some, but it may also be the case that they just aren't being packed, or transported, with enough care. Perhaps my insistence on buying them from my friendly local tackle dealers has played a part in mine not breaking? After all, you rarely find Drennan stuff at a significant discount to make buying mail order really worthwhile. The one thing that all the dealers I've asked about Acolyte returns have in common, is that none of them do any distance selling. It would be fascinating to know just how many of the broken Acolytes have been subjected to the tender care of a courier and the variable standard of packing of a shop/mail order company.

Everyone is raving how light rods are dependant of whatever brand, So if you want the lightest rod.. what reel do you put on it ? again reels can vary in weight, so surely this will affect the lightness of the latest must have rod.

Don't confuse every mention of light on this thread to mean weight. In many instances it's in regard to action.
When it comes down to light weight rods, I'm only bothered by weight with regards to trotting rods, and especially those in excess of 13'. When fishing rods in rests, the weight of the thing is almost irrelevant.

However, when weight is a concern, and balance isn't compromised by using too light a reel for the rod in question, I have both fixed spool and centrepin reels as light as 8oz. In general, I'd choose a reel from 10 to 12oz, mainly because I often use long rods where using too light a reel will leave it feeling unbalanced and nose heavy.
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[tigger]

I've no idea whats happening with some peoples acolytes and them breaking as they have. I'm in the same mindset as Chris in that I think a lot of the damge is done by clumsy anglers and in the case of brand new rods the couriers going out of their way to damage things....especially if it looks like a fishing rod !
I can say with all honesty that my acolyte rods have been tested to the brink when hitting and holding lots of barbel up to 10lb plus. I don't know if many people have actually done that with a float rod but believe me those fish can put a seriously frightening bend in a float rod.
I 've done the very same thing with my heavier rods, my harrisom 1.75 chimeras and my hardy marksman specimen avon rod and they where bent to the limit also.
Imo the acolyte float rods are the best float rods in the shops today by a country mile, there's nothing that comes close to em!

Has anyone heard of any of the acolyte feeder rods cracking off at all?

 

[Phil Adams]

Interesting thread indeed, especially since I was thinking of buying a 14ft plus.

Just out of interest, what rods are direct competitors?

 

[Philip]

Interesting thread indeed, especially since I was thinking of buying a 14ft plus.

Just out of interest, what rods are direct competitors?

I'd say the 13 foot Cadence ...because it sounds like your going to lose a foot off a 14 foot drennan pretty quickly..

Joking aside I would also be interested in what people see as being the direct competitors. If we take price away is there a rod that people would consider "better" than the Acoltes and if so why ?

 

[sam vimes]

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Just out of interest, what rods are direct competitors?

Pretty much any float rod from around £150-£300+. You might even wish to include the Cadence rods at around £120, because they are up there with many rods costing at least £150. However, much depends on what your intended use is for the rod and whether you expect the weight of the rod to be similar. The only rods I've found to come close to the weight of the Acolytes are Browning Spheres. The snag there is that they cost the best part of £100(+) more. If you are not concerned about weight, things open up significantly, and for lower prices. However, I doubt you'll find anything with a similarly fast action for much less. Some of the Fast Action (FA) model Shimano float rods do have a quite similar action. However, the better ones tend to cost just as much as Acolytes and are usually heavier (in weight). They can also be difficult to find in shops these days.

If the rod is primarily for waggler fishing, especially stillwater waggler fishing, a slightly more through action may not be a bad thing. Ultimate light weight is also likely to be less of an issue for a rod that is likely to spend more of its time on rests.

Much like Tigger, and despite the tales of woe, I don't believe that there's much real competition for the Acolytes without costing a fair bit more (or paying similar amounts second hand).

 

[trotter2]

I have three acolytes now.
A 13ft ultra a 13ft plus and a new 11ft carp so far no breakers.
I use the 13ft ultra the most because the majority of fishing I do on North East rivers is for grayling and dace.
I may be tempting fate (hope not)
But so far all is well with mine
Like been said they are without doubt the best rods on the market regardless of price. Let's hope my views don't change overnight

 

[markv]

"we still have people such as Nick recently purchasing an Acolyte rod which then went on to virtually disintegrate at the tip when threading the line"

This happened to me with a 14ft Ultra,the rod was under very, very little pressure, hardly any at all. Didn't even get to complete tackling up and the tip went like rice paper. As much as I would like to have one of these dainty rods, and buy another, I just think i'd be foolish to do so after my experience and other similar reports. V Frustating. Normally rate Drennan stuff highly.

 

[S-Kippy]

That Acolytes have a worrying habit of breaking I think is beyond dispute. If, as has been suggested, this is at least part down to clumsy anglers and disinterested couriers then why does this seem to be a uniquely Acolyte thing ? A clumsy angler is a clumsy angler surely and is as likely to break any rod. You cant only be clumsy when you are using an Acolyte. Other rods break I know but not at the rate Acolytes seem to. The way they are transported to and from the bank is undoutedly a factor.

The rods are, in my opinion, inherently fragile and prone to breaking. To my mind that makes them almost not fit for purpose. Maybe people just dont get this ? Any decent rod should be capable of performing beyond its stated limits though I do totally accept that if you are banging out big heavy wagglers and targetting carp then an Acolyte Ultra is probably not a good choice.

But, as I said, despite all this we keep buying them. Its almost as if you must be seen to have one.....like the latest phone. I think that's probably how I ended up with one. Mug.

 

[jasonbean1]

all my floats rods are now acolytes after 30 years of using Daiwa. I only ever snapped one tip on a daiwa when I trod on it in 3 years of owning acolytes I've now snapped 2 sections. one a 17ft playing a fish at the net on its first outing new section immediately sent by drennan and the other week a tip snapped on a 14ft plus after threading up sliding a waggler on and then putting a bend on the tip to bite shot on. the tip broke on the 2nd eye right next to the whipping which is from speaking to other anglers is the most common place they snap. drennan changed that section even though I bought that rod 2nd hand and didn't know how old it was.

I know a lot of anglers that use them in matches and they are pretty much rated as the best small fish rod out there.....but a small number of guys have stopped using them because of breakages.

it does seem there is a problem in manufacture which is still there across the plus and ultra float range that shows up on a very small percentage of rods and I guess its down to luck whether you will get a bad one or not.

I own...
1 x 13ft ultra
1 x 14ft ultra
1 x 13ft plus
1 x 14ft plus
2 x 15ft plus
2 x 17ft

all these rods are well used and I pair them with a preston pxr pro 3000 reel which is very light and for me I am totally happy with this set up, casting a waggler with 2lb line on a 13ft ultra is about as close to perfection in tackle terms as you can get for catching small to medium roach and dace. the speed you can fish at and wind fish in without them coming off is incredible.

so would I swap them...no, even though ive broke 2 !

 

[mikench]

Until I read this and other threads on the subject my only fear when fishing was having a blank, doing something daft, falling in or losing a specimin fish! I never thought my rod might break! I recently bought a Drennan Matchpro Ultralight ( at a good price) in 12' and have used it just once. Apart from a couple of carp taking my maggot on small hooks and light hooklength and breaking the latter, The rod hasn't had much of a bend put in it! It did with one carp and handled the encounter with aplomb! I did however have a fear that the rod might snap and I handled it very carefully! It isn't an Acolyte I know and maybe nothing like but that nagging doubt surfaced! I feel sure that like Skippy I would worry if it was an Acolyte , perhaps unfairly, but not to use it renders it totally surplus so I would use it and if it broke other than through negligence on my part, i would take it up with Drennan!

 

[Richox12]

In normal use; If you have to treat a rod with kid gloves and be frightened to bend it too much while you are using it then to me it’s just not fit for purpose it’s as simple as that (unless it has been hit by a branch or trod on or something similar). A rod is just a tool that’s meant to be used, and certainly not mollycoddled in any way.

However when not fishing I agree that it should be well looked after.

NB: by ‘in normal use’ I mean used with sensible line ratings and casting weights

People can still break rods when using them with lines within their rating though. It just depends what you actually do with them. What is 'normal' to one angler might well not be to another. How many times have you heard 'It snapped. But i've always done that'. Yes, maybe they had but not with this bit of kit which is different.

 

[Richox12]

I totally agree. Too many of these bloody things have self destructed for there not to be some fundamental flaw in the design, manufacture or quality control involved. Some people have clearly been lucky but too many others have not. As I said earlier I cannot think of any other rod ever that has earned itself such a dreadful reputation.

I am a bit surprised that Drennan arent a little more concerned about the reputational damage this must be doing.....mind you despite everything we seem to keep buying them which begs the question who is the mug ?

And I would suspect and believe far, far more have been in use with no problems whatsoever. We don't hear about those being used day in and day oiut and just going about their 'business'. We only ever hear if something goes wrong. I would be that there are huge numbers of these around (I see them everywhere) and those that have broken (for whatever reason fault or angler) are in the VAST minority.

 

[sam vimes]

Until I read this and other threads on the subject my only fear when fishing was having a blank, doing something daft, falling in or losing a specimin fish! I never thought my rod might break! I recently bought a Drennan Matchpro Ultralight ( at a good price) in 12' and have used it just once. Apart from a couple of carp taking my maggot on small hooks and light hooklength and breaking the latter, The rod hasn't had much of a bend put in it! It did with one carp and handled the encounter with aplomb! I did however have a fear that the rod might snap and I handled it very carefully! It isn't an Acolyte I know and maybe nothing like but that nagging doubt surfaced! I feel sure that like Skippy I would worry if it was an Acolyte , perhaps unfairly, but not to use it renders it totally surplus so I would use it and if it broke other than through negligence on my part, i would take it up with Drennan!

Mike,
whilst I can understand someone being wary of buying an Acolyte Ultra, being wary of a Matchpro Ultralight just because it's a Drennan rod is preposterous. Rods can break, regardless of the type or brand. Chances are, at some point you will encounter that. It'll either be down to a flawed blank or an accident of some description. I've no doubt that there will be Matchpro Ultralights that will have broken, but there's absolutely no suggestion that there's any great chance of it happening to them. Get it used, ignore Chinese whispers and treat it no differently to any other float rod you might own. Just bear in mind that it's a light action, not a beast tamer, nor is it a carp rod that might cope with a load of handling abuse.

 

[tigger]

I took a hardy marksman 11ft avon smuggler rod out to do some float fishing and the tip just snapped off on a cast !
I've cast 1 1/2 ounce bombs out with my 14ft accy plus, draagged out very decent barbel etc etc with it and it's still there in working order.

After saying that cases like Keith and Jasons don't exactly fill you with confidence do they.
I can't weigh up Skippys negative responses about them since he doesn't sem to use his.
My advise to anyone buying a rod is to take it home (unless you do it in the shop) put your line through it and tie it to a solid object then bend it to it's limits in al directions. I always do that with a new rod so if it's gonn'a break in theory it should there and then.

 

[S-Kippy]

Ive got an Ultralight. Its been well used and based on that I have no concerns about it breaking "in play" though I do carry it tubed and am that bit more careful with it than some of my other rods. Why ? Because more Drennan rods have broken on me ( or have been broken by me) than all other makes put together. That's put a bit of a nagging doubt in my mind about the quality of Drennan float rods which the Acolytes have done nothing to dispel.

I dont think its fair to say that the problem with the Acolytes is chinese whispers. You only have to read this thread to see that too many have gone south for this to be simply down to bad luck or bad handling.

But its asking for trouble if you try to make the rod do something its not intended for. Personally I think the Ultralight is just about the most delightful silvers rod I've ever used and is also perfect for crucians, average tench etc. I wouldnt swap mine for an Acolyte Ultra as I cant see what the AU could do that the UL cant and the weight difference is, imo, not worth bothering about.

And I dont think I'm being negative. I am simply asking the question why is it that so many Acolytes seem to break if there is nothing wrong with them ? Its a bit narrow minded to say there's nothing wrong with them just because yours hasnt broken when so many other peoples have.

 

[jasonbean1]

we used to go in a shop pick up a rod off the rod rack have a good waggle with it and then the shop owner would grab the tip and tell you to pull as much as you can...I don't have shops local enough to me to do that that so either buy on line or order from y local shop then the first outing it gets is on the bank.

wonder how many acolytes would snap if we bought them how we used to buy rods?