Rod and reel recommendations

kevoffthetee · Sep 1, 2013

Hi all, am in need of a bit of advice please.

I'm just about to get into fishing and was given a cheap and cheerful 12ft Fladen chieftain match rod and cobra reel. Ive used it 2or3 times over the last 2 years but I'm thinking I might treat myself if the upgrade warrants it.

I'm going to be fishing at Felton fence fishing lakes in Northumberland and will probably start off with float fishing, maybe moving onto feeder fishing. I could use 2 rods if the fladen would do the job for float.

Does anyone have any recommendations for rods and reels for silver fish or small (to medium) carp. Would a lightweight carp rod also cover for silver fish? Is there such a thing as an all rounder rod

Thanks, kev

tonybull · Sep 1, 2013

TFG Banshee 3pce 13ft Match Rod is good for the money about £40 is you look around.

Use one myself for Silvers but had plenty of Carp up to 7lb and big Bream.

Not easy to get anymore, but the Fox Santos 2700 FD is a nice little compact reel. Got a couple mysef, but got 6 spools at the time. Use these for my float fishing, pellet waggler and feeder work on commercials.

They keep getting dearer, but look about you might get one for £50.

kevoffthetee · Sep 2, 2013

If you had to replace the one of them first, which would it be, rod or reel

MarkTheSpark · Sep 4, 2013

For me, it's all about the rod. You might also look at the Drennan Red Range stuff - usual Drennan value for money.

pidgergj · Sep 4, 2013

i recently bought the TF gear compact all rounder, its a great rod comes with an avon tip and 3 quiver tips. i use it for everything! the reel i use with this is a shakespeare sigma. comes with 2 spools. i have one loaded with 4lb line for float fishing and other with 8lb for feeder work. the rod cost me £49.99 and the reel £21.99 cant fault either so far. iv only used them 3 times but i float fished and had a huge bag of silvers one week and fished a method feeder the week after, having carp 5-9lb.

jacksharp · Sep 6, 2013

I recently bought a Drennan 3000FD reel and one of the things that convinced me is that it comes with 3 aluminium spools (I don't like the spare spool being plastic/graphite) of different diameters that are rated to take exactly 100 metres of a set diameter of line. I like the concept - why do you need to load a waggler reel for tench/bream/silver fishing with 300m+ of line that will never get used? Line lay is great, front drag is excellent and smooth, gear ratio is around 5:1 and the spool is oversized to minimise loops/line memory. Lovely bit of kit, well thought out, like most Drennan tackle, and around £50. Also available in 4000 size for feeder fishing.

kevoffthetee · Sep 7, 2013

Hi jack,

That's one of the things I like about the shakespeare mach 3 reel, with having 3 aluminium spools.

Am gonna see how I get on today, but tonight might see a mini spending spree

jacksharp · Sep 7, 2013

Hi Kev, Shakey gear is often underrated and dismissed as budget, but I have a lot of time for it. Currently I am getting VERY interested in the Drennan Matchpro Ultralight Waggler rod in 13ft. I am a big Drennan fan and this rod, although not cheap, looks like it could just be the Holy Grail of waggler rods (for me anyway)

kevoffthetee · Sep 10, 2013

Hey guys

I've been talking to a few lads on the waters edge and they agree shakey gear is decent for the money for beginners. I've chosen the mach 2xt 10ft wand and matching spool. All for a grand total of £47 delivered

I'd read a few reviews first and it is said to be a decent rod for trying float, ledgering and feeding and for the money if it doesn't work out then I'm not going to cry about it.

Cheers for the advice, I'm sure there'll be more questions to come

jacksharp · Sep 11, 2013

Have a look at secondhand Kev to get real value for money. I have just picked up a Fox Warrior XT 14ft Match rod for £30 and am absolutely delighted with it. Thoughts of Drennans and Prestons at £150+ are now merely distant memories.

Rod and reel recommendations

kevoffthetee

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tonybull

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kevoffthetee

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MarkTheSpark

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pidgergj

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jacksharp

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kevoffthetee

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jacksharp

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kevoffthetee

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jacksharp

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