Trotting rod for the Arrow

Kevin aka Aethelbald · Dec 25, 2015

I'm looking for advice on a rod, primarily for trotting for grayling on the Arrow, during the game fishing close season. I'm NOT an experienced coarse fisherman.

It's got be a Drennan - I just like what i read about them, and the look of them, and they suit my budget of about £150-200.00.

I've got it down to the following - but all of them look like they'll do the job and I can't choose between them:

IM9 13ft Classic Float
MatchPro Float - either 13ft or 14ft
MatchPro Ultralight - either 13ft or 14ft
Acolyte Ultra - either 13ft or 14ft.

Please help!!!

PS. I'll consider used if anyone has anything suitable... and beginning with a 'D'.
.
.

john step · Dec 26, 2015

Nice problem to have! I am sure when it gets back to normal and everyone sobers up, someone will have an opinion.

sam vimes · Dec 26, 2015

mr cherry said:
IM9 13ft Classic Float
MatchPro Float - either 13ft or 14ft
MatchPro Ultralight - either 13ft or 14ft
Acolyte Ultra - either 13ft or 14ft.

The only way is for you to handle the rods and decide for yourself. An awful lot of people are absolutely head over heals for the Acolyte range of rods. They are stupidly impressive when you pick them up in a shop. Very light and with decent balance, even without a reel fitted.

However, despite the wall to wall praise, there are still some doubters. There always will be, not everyone wants the same or has exactly the same requirements. I keep looking at the Acolytes (and have fished with one briefly) but I'm still not convinced that I like them more than the Matchpro Ultralights.

Kevin aka Aethelbald · Dec 26, 2015

sam vimes said:
The only way is for you to handle the rods and decide for yourself.

I'd be interested in opinions here, before I go for a 'waggle', so to speak.

I think the only place nearby that might stock all of my shortlist, is Cotswold Angling, but they are closed (I hope only until Monday).

The impression I get from the grayling threads and forums is that any 11ft+ match rod will do. If I wasn't so fond of over-analysing everything

I'd just toss a coin.

sam vimes · Dec 26, 2015

mr cherry said:
The impression I get from the grayling threads and forums is that any 11ft+ match rod will do. If I wasn't so fond of over-analysing everything I'd just toss a coin.

Much depends on who you ask. Grayling can be a reasonably tricky proposition for a rod. There are an awful lot more float rods that I wouldn't want to use for grayling than there are that I would. However, this is where it comes down to personal preference. My own preference is for a fast action rod with good tip recovery and speed. The snag is that many rods that meet those requirements are a little stiff. Ideally, I want a rod that's stiff and tippy with no load, but is pretty soft under the load of an average grayling. For me, most of the float rods out there are primarily aimed at waggler fishing, they don't have a tippy enough action for me to be comfortable trotting with.

Though it wasn't bought with grayling in mind as its primary function, I've happily used an 11' Matchpro Ultralight as a small river/beck grayling rod.
I know plenty of local anglers that are happily using Matchpro Ultralights and Acolytes for grayling fishing.

tigger · Dec 26, 2015

mr cherry said:
IM9 13ft Classic Float
MatchPro Float - either 13ft or 14ft
MatchPro Ultralight - either 13ft or 14ft
Acolyte Ultra - either 13ft or 14ft.

.

Being realistic, any of the rods you've listed will be good.
I tend to go for a slightly stronger rod, so would prefer the matchpro float over the ultralight.
I have the acolytes in the plus models and they're equally suited to fishing for small fish such as grayling, roach, dace etc to larger more powerfull species like chub and barbel.
My favourite float rods for swimming the stream are normarks and they can be picked up on evilbay for no more expence than the rods in your list

.

Kevin aka Aethelbald · Dec 27, 2015

Thanks chaps. I'm wondering whether 13-14ft is too long for a small, relatively shallow, river. Asking about these rods in the context of the Arrow... I guess I'm asking not just which rod, but which rod for that river. I understand that a longer rod gives extra reach (not sure if that's so important for medium distance trotting) and allows you to float fish to the depth of the rod (I don't think the Arrow is more than a few feet deep, except in flood). A shorter rod might be more useful with bank-side trees to cast under.

So, would a 12ft rod be just as good? The IM9 and Acolyte (plus butt length), and the 12ft MatchPro's are two-part; does anyone have any opinions on whether a two-part rod is really an advantage (leaving it permanently set up between sessions, or breaking it down when moving along the river), or is it just marketing?

sam vimes · Dec 27, 2015

A longer rod is more about extra control rather than just reach. I love using long rods where appropriate. However, I've been happily using an 11' Matchpro Ultralight on small rivers and becks for grayling. I'd get away with longer in quite a few swims, but bankside vegetation and overhanging trees means longer can be a hindrance in many others. A longer rod can also be a pain if you are trotting tight on your nearside.

I don't give a monkeys about the Matchpro being a two piece rod. I never transport it made up. I prefer to check my line each time out. Having to thread it through rod rings is the ideal way to do it. When moving between swims on a small river, I simply carry the rod fully made up. Purely for transportation in the car, I'd actually prefer my rods to be three piece, especially if they're 12' or more.

binka · Dec 27, 2015

On the question of the amount of rod sections does anyone still give any merit to the theory of the fewer the number of sections the better the action through being more continuous and not interrupted by joints?

I used to think it fairly logical but I now think that modern advancements have largely done away with this, especially after using a six piece float rod quite a bit this season.

It's not a particularly high end rod either (Greys Rova Float 12') but there were no flat spots at all and the whole thing was very nice to use.

Just wondered if it might be relevant to the 2/3 piece question?

Kevin aka Aethelbald · Dec 27, 2015

binka said:
On the question of the amount of rod sections does anyone still give any merit to the theory of the fewer the number of sections the better the action through being more continuous and not interrupted by joints?

I'd be interested in a 'real world' answer to this one too. My dry fly rod is an 8ft 4wt four-piece Winston that weight 2oz. It's one of the nicest dry fly rods you'll find - with a parabolic action, soft tip, and backbone courtesy of boron in the butt section. It's both a casting rod (obviously, for a fly rod) and a fish-playing rod, with 'feel' all the way through to the handle. The fact that it's a four-piece seems immaterial to it being a great rod.

So, in comparison, I wonder why coarse rods have so few joints. Even 15ft salmon fly rods are mostly four-piece and can handle fish just as heavy and feisty as your average carp.

Cost might be one answer - decent fly rods tend to be more expensive than coarse rods... my Winnie would have been about £500.00 if I'd bought it new.

Answers on a postcard please...

sam vimes · Dec 27, 2015

I've not noticed flat spots and other joint issues, in anything but the cheapest float rods, for years. I'm quite convinced that the modern taste for two piece rods stems from little more than the desire to have rods ready made up. It's similar to the current drive towards rods of no more than 12'. Even Drennan has had to come up with their detachable butt to give some of their 13' rods a bigger market. I suspect that Drennan, same as me, believe that 13' is the optimum all round float rod length. If you never go anywhere but match type commercial, this may not be the case.

I prefer the portabilty of 3+ piece rods. However, my goes against the grain thing for long rods doesn't help in this respect. I'll happily use short rods when there's a genuine requirement to do so. Absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with being two piece and quick set up though.

Kevin aka Aethelbald · Dec 28, 2015

Ordered the regular MatchPro Float 13ft - good price from Fosters of Birmingham - delivery Wednesday. Chap I spoke to knows the Arrow really well.

Now for a centrepin! Got to be a JW Youngs.
.
.

Trotting rod for the Arrow

Kevin aka Aethelbald

Well-known member

john step

Well-known member

sam vimes

Well-known member

Kevin aka Aethelbald

Well-known member

sam vimes

Well-known member

tigger

Banned

Kevin aka Aethelbald

Well-known member

sam vimes

Well-known member

binka

Guest

Kevin aka Aethelbald

Well-known member

sam vimes

Well-known member

Kevin aka Aethelbald

Well-known member