trotting rolling meat rod advice

can anyone recomend a good reasonable priced rod that i can use for rolling meat and trotting for barbel bear in mind i need something i can hold for fairly long periods but have the power to subdue barbel i will be using this rod with a centrepin.
thanks in response.
clive.

I think you'd be better with two different rods for these applications. For the float fishing something like the 13ft JW Young Specimen Float at around £60 and, staying with the same make,r their Ray Walton Barbel rod, which was designed for rolling meat, at around the same price. You can get away with alomost any avon rod for rolling meat, but I prefer an 11ft one as they are lighter to hold for long periods.

Sean

A couple of questions on the JW Youngs Specimen Float rod:

1. Do you have one and is it a good rod for the price? At £60 is it carbon or a c/glass composite?
2. What max line bs is it rated to?
3. What makes it unsuitable for rolling meat?

Matt

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) said:

Sean

A couple of questions on the JW Youngs Specimen Float rod:

1. Do you have one and is it a good rod for the price? At £60 is it carbon or a c/glass composite?
2. What max line bs is it rated to?
3. What makes it unsuitable for rolling meat?

Matt

Click to expand...

I don't have one, but I had a good play with one in a local shop and it is a good rod for the money. Youngs claim its a high modulus carbon rod and it certainly looks like a carbon rod to me - feels like it too. If I remember rightly it's rated at lines from 5lb up to 8lb. The only thing I didn't like was the reel fitting, but that's a matter of taste. The reason I suggested it is that they are being heavily discounted at the moment and it did feel like a nice rod. There are a number of similar specimen float rods around some of which are rated up to 10lb line, but I think that once you get to float rods this powerful you are into a pretty specialised tool. Personally I use a 10 year old Garbolino carp match rod which is rated about he same as the Youngs rod and has a similar action.

The reason I don't suggest using a float rod for rolling meat is that a float rod is always a compromise on power and in my opinion you're better using a barbel rod in these circumstances. I use my 11ft barbel rod for rolling meat and it works well, mainly because it's nice and light in the hand. I suggested the Ray Walton rod because it felt a decent rod when I tried it, would be fine for general barbel fishing on small and medium rivers and it's a good price.

There was also a nice symetry i suggesting two rods by the same maker!