Rod bags

I am referring to the free bag which comes with the rod as opposed to a hard case! Many have commented on the significant variances in quality from the rice paper thin bags with Darent Valley rods( brilliant rods but c****y bags) to the delightful Hardy bags! The latter are superb and it adds to the pleasure of using the rods just taking them out and putting them back!

My Tricast John Allerton, which I bought second hand, had no rod bag so I decided to treat it to one. A few members on here have recommended Ellen Lawrence for her bags and I have just taken delivery of a beautifully made burgundy bag with 3 defined columns and several straps including one to enable the bag to be hung vertically. It really is well made and at £7.50 inclusive of postage makes for a bit of a bargain and well worth having. I recommend these bags without reservation! You tell Ellen the individual measurements of each rod piece and she does the rest.

I have a bag off her and it's very good!
For modern match rods I like the bags drennan supply their rods in. I know Ellens bags will be much better quality and build though. I bought a second hand drennan bag off ebay to put my tricast Allerton rod in as the tricast bags are naff. I've no idea how much drennan would charge for a replacement bag but I would imagine it would be a few quid more than Ellens bags ! Ellens bags remind me of the older Daiwa bags.

Incidentally Ian I emailed Tricast to ask about a replacement rod bag which I was willing to pay for! No reply! It looks like I am far better off with Ellen's bag!

Decent rod bags are indeed very hard to source. As Mike says the DV rod bags are indescribably poor....I very quickly binned mine in favour of a half decent carp rod bag I had knocking about which takes both my DV rods comfortably.

The Drennan ones are not bad either but the Hardy Marksman ones really are excellent. I particularly like the neoprene/Velcro straps in place of a lace tie. So much easier/neater that I actually bought some and sewed them to the bags on a few of my other rods.

I've heard of but never used Ellen and everything I've ever read about the quality of her work has been full of praise. I don't actually think that's very much money for a top quality rod bag and some rods simply deserve a decent bag.

Unless you are one of those yobbos that carry their rods already made up.mg:

I too like the Velcro straps ; a touch of class imo!

mikench said:

Incidentally Ian I emailed Tricast to ask about a replacement rod bag which I was willing to pay for! No reply! It looks like I am far better off with Ellen's bag!

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Absolutely better off with Ellens bag Mike, the tricast one I got with my rod is naff, that's why i've put it into a drennan bag. I like the drennan bags because the rods are easily put in/taken out and there's no dangly ties flopping about due to it having a little piece of velcro to close it up.

By the way Mike....nice Avatar .

Cheers, Mike, I've a couple of good rods slumming it in shabby bags, but I've never got around to buying replacements.

I found contact details on a forum for "The Discerning Fisher". Love that "fisher", although I think of myself as more of an anglist. Or a piscator. Definitely nothing common, though, like a fisherman or an angler.

I'll measure them up and get them bagged in the manner they deserve.

mikench said:

I too like the Velcro straps ; a touch of class imo!

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A simple and brilliant idea. I'm surprised nobody thought of this before.

Treat them Kev! you just email Ellen with your rod details ie 2 or 3 piece and their lengths , choose a colour and she emails you when it's ready and sends you a PayPal invoice! Her email address is ellen.lawrence345@btinternet.com

It's always a case of swings and roundabouts with rod bags. I've never been overly impressed by the Drennan nylon things, though they are functional and last. The material on the modern ones isn't anything like as substantial as is was on older rods such as the IM8 Supers.

Modern Tricast have gone a similar way to most other manufacturers. Gone are the days of thick cotton and embroidered logos.

Shimano are all over the place, but have been like that for years. Depending on the model you buy, it varies from insubstantial ready rod bags to full heavyweight cotton and Cordura zipped tubes with various points between. All of them are better than the velour effect stuff that they occasionally used in the 90s. I recall a Stradic rod that had a red velour rod bag. It was rather nice when new, but it slowly went from normal, to rubbery, to stiff and brittle until it eventually just disintegrated.

Daiwa have also steadily reduced the quality of their rod bags, though they sometimes push the boat out on top line models. Long gone are the days of the iconic blue and white logo bags. They really were built to last. If they had been updated to use Velcro instead of ties, they'd have been the best ever.

I suspect that most of the tackle companies believe/hope that everyone is going to use a ready rod bag/sleeve or just store/bin a cloth rod bag. I certainly know quite a few people that do exactly that.

As it stands, the Shimano heavyweight cotton bags (with three Velcro tabs instead of ties) are probably my current favourites. When I've bought a rod without a bag, or one that's woeful, I've had Ellen Lawrence make me a quality cotton bag with Velcro tabs in a similar style as the Shimano ones.

Anyone care to pass on Ellen's details, I seem to have lost them?

mikench said:

Incidentally Ian I emailed Tricast to ask about a replacement rod bag which I was willing to pay for! No reply! It looks like I am far better off with Ellen's bag!

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That surprises me. Tri-Cast

See my post above Sam but here you go;! Her email address is ellen.lawrence345@btinternet.com

mikench said:

See my post above Sam but here you go;! Her email address is ellen.lawrence345@btinternet.com

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Already spotted, but thanks anyway. I got distracted while posting and your post wasn't there when I started typing.

I like Tricast and know the factory as I was raised in Rochdale

I sent an email to a general email address and it probably got lost! I am very happy with Ellen's bag and the rod within so no harm done!

S-Kippy said:

Decent rod bags are indeed very hard to source. As Mike says the DV rod bags are indescribably poor....I very quickly binned mine in favour of a half decent carp rod bag I had knocking about which takes both my DV rods comfortably.

The Drennan ones are not bad either but the Hardy Marksman ones really are excellent. I particularly like the neoprene/Velcro straps in place of a lace tie. So much easier/neater that I actually bought some and sewed them to the bags on a few of my other rods.

I've heard of but never used Ellen and everything I've ever read about the quality of her work has been full of praise. I don't actually think that's very much money for a top quality rod bag and some rods simply deserve a decent bag.

Unless you are one of those yobbos that carry their rods already made up.mg:

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Ha ha ha, I am a complete angling yobbo skip.

sam vimes said:

It's always a case of swings and roundabouts with rod bags. I've never been overly impressed by the Drennan nylon things, though they are functional and last. The material on the modern ones isn't anything like as substantial as is was on older rods such as the IM8 Supers.

Tri-Cast

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They're exactly the same Chris .

tigger said:

They're exactly the same Chris .

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The numerous Acolyte (three showing 0.15mm) and Matchpro Ultralight (0.1mm) rod bags I have are way lower quality material that the one my IM8 Super Crystalight (0.22mm) sits in. Sad, I know, but categorically not the same quality.

You must use a micrometer Sam!

mikench said:

You must use a micrometer Sam!

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Electronic Vernier. Not perfect, but adequate enough to confirm what my eyes and touch were telling me.

sam vimes said:

The numerous Acolyte (three showing 0.15mm) and Matchpro Ultralight (0.1mm) rod bags I have are way lower quality material that the one my IM8 Super Crystalight (0.22mm) sits in. Sad, I know, but categorically not the same quality.

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Maybe it's down to individual batches as mine are all decently thick, I think one may be a little thinner. I have several rods in older drennan bags and they're identical to the acolyte ones I have apart from the order of which the sections go in.

flightliner said:

Ha ha ha, I am a complete angling yobbo skip.

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Mick....at least you have the good grace to admit it. I confess I've tried it but it just didn't seem or feel right to me.

The only time I carry rods ready made up is when I'm sea trouting with the BF. Got one of them vacuum jobbies that sticks to the car which will take up to 4 rods. Now that is the nuts !