Whats makes a bomb rod a bomb rod
- Thread starter nova12
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B
binka
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Just my opinion but a bomb rod is a much lighter and finer affair altogether.
It should also be a pleasure to use, free of the stiffness and backbone required to chuck feeders which often nullifies the feel when targeting smaller fish but, with the right action, perfectly capable of banking the bigger ones.
Out of all the tip rods I fish my Ultralite bomb rod is by far my favourite and, dare I say it, a close contender to fishing the float in terms of finesse and pleasure.
It should also be a pleasure to use, free of the stiffness and backbone required to chuck feeders which often nullifies the feel when targeting smaller fish but, with the right action, perfectly capable of banking the bigger ones.
Out of all the tip rods I fish my Ultralite bomb rod is by far my favourite and, dare I say it, a close contender to fishing the float in terms of finesse and pleasure.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Bomb rods are for those hard winter days when the last thing you need is to use a feeder. Best used with a small bomb eg arlesey bomb usually lighter than an ounce. Tip sections are generally half to 3/4 oz and extremely sensitive to shy bites. Very handy for when it's too windy for float or pole fishing....
robtherake
Well-known member
They're generally supplied with lighter quivertips - some as puny as 1/4oz - which work well with the lighter approach. The very best ones (IMHO) have several tip sections with spliced-in quivers, although such rods are thin on the ground nowadays. The 90s Drennans(10'6" and 11'6) and Shimano Technium bomb rod are good examples of the spliced-in type.
I suspect that more recent bomb rods are a little beefier than their earlier counterparts, being more suited to catching winter carp on commercials than scratching for the shyest of bites. The genuine ultra-fine bomb rod is a dying breed.
I suspect that more recent bomb rods are a little beefier than their earlier counterparts, being more suited to catching winter carp on commercials than scratching for the shyest of bites. The genuine ultra-fine bomb rod is a dying breed.
I cannot remember what decade they were all the rage or how long I have owned it but the Shakespere wand was the bite finder to use. They were glass and came with 3 or 4 VERY sensitive tips.
I have been using my old wand on stillwaters since the temperatures have dropped and it still shows the bites brilliantly. Half and three quarter ounce arleseys are the order with a max of 4lb B.S line.
They now do a modern carbon version with screw reel fittings for the same price as the old one sold at the same price for however many decades ago it was.
I wouldn't go fishing in winter without it in the holdall.
PS I have just googled it and the proper name is Sigma Wand and it goes for under 40 quid. The year of the first one was 1983.
I have been using my old wand on stillwaters since the temperatures have dropped and it still shows the bites brilliantly. Half and three quarter ounce arleseys are the order with a max of 4lb B.S line.
They now do a modern carbon version with screw reel fittings for the same price as the old one sold at the same price for however many decades ago it was.
I wouldn't go fishing in winter without it in the holdall.
PS I have just googled it and the proper name is Sigma Wand and it goes for under 40 quid. The year of the first one was 1983.
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slaphead
Well-known member
I have a Map Carptek 10ft Bomb rod which I use with 1/4oz weights, ideal for commies.
robtherake
Well-known member
Had my best-ever chub on an original Sigma Wand; winkled out from under a bush in a little pool on a Swale tributary. The softness of the glass was very forgiving and made up for any clumsiness on the part of the angler. However, I found the shorter of the Drennan bomb rods at a car boot and have never looked back.
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The Browning's made of sterner stuff than the old wands, so I'd imagine that the extra weight of a cone of pellets won't be a problem. A 3-4lb maximum mainline was usual with the genuine ultralight wand/bomb rods, and recommended hooklinks down to 12oz.
B
binka
Guest
I think I can remember the whole Sigma range John, quite highly regarded back in the day when Shakespeare and Daiwa were the two main players.
IIRC my mate had a Sigma float rod which was an almost translucent amber colour and had a lovely action.
B
binka
Guest
I've just read your other thread, is your question aimed particularly at commercial fisheries nova?
Only asking as it might influence the reply you get
robtherake
Well-known member
Not necessarily. If you cast around, fanwise from right to left, or vice versa, until you see line bites, then you've found the line the fish are on. Then it's just a case of shortening-off a bit at a time until you get bites. If you've come too far back you'll stop getting indications altogether.
You can still feed over the top with a catty, just not so regular that it brings the fish up in the water. Corn is one of the best winter baits anywhere you'll go - a full tin will sometimes last for several sessions. It's sometimes worth drying off a few pieces and making up a tiny PVA mesh bag to hang on the hook.
---------- Post added at 22:20 ---------- Previous post was at 22:09 ----------
That was the Alpha float rod, Steve. I had the ABU Mk.6, but one of my mates bought the later Alpha float rod and it was so much sweeter - lighter, better balanced and more forgiving in the middle. They're a bit of a cult item these days, within a certain clique.
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B
binka
Guest
Thanks Rob.
Amazing really given that thirty years on, with the myriad of todays brand names, these still ring a fairly common bell
Amazing really given that thirty years on, with the myriad of todays brand names, these still ring a fairly common bell
Keith M
Well-known member
I had a 13ft Shakespeare Sigma match rod and I'm fairly sure that it was a dark blackish brown colour if I remember correctly. I eventually got my hack saw out and made a bait thrower out of the handle section for maggots and particles.
I'm sure that I still have the bait thrower that I made from it in the shed somewhere, with the Sigma logo still on it.
I also have a couple of matching Sigma reels in the shed; which I won from The Coarse Fisherman magazine when David Hall was the editor.
I'm fairly sure that it was the Shakespeare Alpha match rod that was the one with the amber colouring.
Keith
I'm sure that I still have the bait thrower that I made from it in the shed somewhere, with the Sigma logo still on it.
I also have a couple of matching Sigma reels in the shed; which I won from The Coarse Fisherman magazine when David Hall was the editor.
I'm fairly sure that it was the Shakespeare Alpha match rod that was the one with the amber colouring.
Keith
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B
binka
Guest
Thanks Keith.
The consensus seems to be going with the Alpha as the amber rod and I am mistaken.
In the very earliest of days I had a rod made by the local pet shop who also supplied a limited range of fishing gear, we used to joke that their maggots were bred off the dead rabbits which never got sold
The earliest recollection of Shakespeare was another mate who received a Shakespeare Strike for his Christmas present, we all drooled over it until we realised its use was regulated by the Whaling Commission
The amount of fish he dragged in on that rod without realising they were on
The consensus seems to be going with the Alpha as the amber rod and I am mistaken.
In the very earliest of days I had a rod made by the local pet shop who also supplied a limited range of fishing gear, we used to joke that their maggots were bred off the dead rabbits which never got sold
The earliest recollection of Shakespeare was another mate who received a Shakespeare Strike for his Christmas present, we all drooled over it until we realised its use was regulated by the Whaling Commission
The amount of fish he dragged in on that rod without realising they were on
robtherake
Well-known member
Thanks Rob.
Amazing really given that thirty years on, with the myriad of todays brand names, these still ring a fairly common bell
All the best gear sparks a swathe of good memories, Steve. I acquired a 12 foot Alpha float rod much, much later, as part of job lot gifted to me for selling a quite large collection. Even in the noughties it was an excellent piece of kit and I sometimes miss the soft-but-firm nature of a good glass rod - they seemed so much more forgiving when playing fish on light lines and tiny hooks.
B
binka
Guest
Interesting and consistent comment with those, including myself where sensitivity at closer range is required, that prefer glass over carbon tips on quivertip rods
Hang on...
Did we go backwards somewhere along the line?