"Compact float reel"

After a lot of rummaging around the internet I have decided to buy myself a Drennan Acolyte Ultra 13ft Float rod for roach, perch and other silvers fishing in the river and also on stillwaters. I already have several heavier float rods, so I am looking forward to the finesse of this quality rod.

In the write ups for the rod Drennan constantly refer to pairing it with a "Compact float reel" What does that mean? I have a nice Greys GFS30 reel that I use with my other float rods. Do you think this would be okay to use with the Acolyte or do I need to look for something else?

Ralph.

perfectly ok...I have the gfs reels and acolyte rods.

the gfs reels were a very good reel for the price for how they perform and they are light...I thought they had stopped doing them but I think they are coming out again.

I have reels 4 x more expensive which are built more robust and will out last the the gfs's but they should for the price.

whatever you do don't buy drennan fd's

In that specific case they are probably thinking along the lines of their own FD-300 reel which they just happen to describe as being "a compact front drag reel designed with float fishing in mind". The reality is that the overall weight of the reel is what really matters.

Without a reel fitted, the balance of the Acolyte Ultra is such that there's little to be gained by fitting a heavier than average reel. Anything 12oz or less should be OK, though lighter can be better, especially if the rod is going to be held all day. However, I feel that anything smaller than 2500 size is usually unnecessarily small.

When it comes to reel sizes, it's worth bearing in mind that a small indicated size does not automatically mean it'll be lighter than alternatives from other ranges or manufacturers. The lightest reel I own is a Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 2500 at 8oz. However, a Shimano GT-RD 2500 is 11.75oz. The significant weight difference can be partly attributed to one being front drag and the other rear, but materials make a huge difference.

In a similar vein I have a more directly comparable modern Shimano Twinpower Ci4 4000SRA at 11.5oz. The old equivalent Shimano Stradic GTM 4000 is 13.5oz. The Twinpower Ci4 3000SRA is 10.25oz and old Stradic GTM 3000 is 13.25oz. In these cases, the physical size of the reels are pretty close, though the spools are bigger on the modern reels. The significant difference is in materials.

I have no qualms about using any of the modern sub 12oz reels with the 13' Acolyte Ultra. However, I don't tend to go as small as the little Stradic Ci4+ 2500, unless the rod is 11' or less. Using a reel with a larger diameter spool can be an advantage for casting/trotting which often outweighs the benefits of going ultra-light but with a smaller spool.

Have a look at the ABU 506 ( around 10oz) or earlier derivatives and you have a different type of reel for general float fishing or trotting!

I would have thought your Greys reel would be perfect !

mikench said:

Have a look at the ABU 506 ( around 10oz) or earlier derivatives and you have a different type of reel for general float fishing or trotting!

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You may want to check that, my 505 is coming in at 12oz. I can't see the 506, which shares a lot of common parts, being a full 2oz lighter.

Why not use it and find out before splashing out on a new reel. I know we all like new shiny toys because my tackle shed is full of them, most now unused.

This is with the plastic spool on, just a tad under 11ozs.



If you ever want to try one Ralph, as always, the offer is there.

You'll so enjoy fishing a river with that rod but the choice of real can be very much down to the individual.

I matched mine to a closed face Diawa and think its a perfect combination however I'm sure many would disagree

fishplate42 said:

After a lot of rummaging around the internet I have decided to buy myself a Drennan Acolyte Ultra 13ft Float rod for roach, perch and other silvers fishing in the river and also on stillwaters. I already have several heavier float rods, so I am looking forward to the finesse of this quality rod.

In the write ups for the rod Drennan constantly refer to pairing it with a "Compact float reel" What does that mean? I have a nice Greys GFS30 reel that I use with my other float rods. Do you think this would be okay to use with the Acolyte or do I need to look for something else?

Ralph.

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If I'm still alive and fishing by the time you finally move down this way, I'd find it interesting to compare my 13ft plus to an Ultra.

Thanks for the replies guys, I will use my existing GFS30 with my new rod, when I get it.

s63 said:

If I'm still alive and fishing by the time you finally move down this way, I'd find it interesting to compare my 13ft plus to an Ultra.

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It has been a funny few months, I haven't fished since the last time we fished the weir pool but I am planning to go a bother some perch down at Beaver on Wednesday... It will be interesting to compare the two rod when we eventually get down there

Ralph.

sam vimes said:

In that specific case they are probably thinking along the lines of their own FD-300 reel which they just happen to describe as being "a compact front drag reel designed with float fishing in mind".

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Being the owner of said reel I can confirm it is indeed a compact float reel & I suspect this is indeed the reel Drennan would like you to team it with. However it has one drawback - its rubbish so dont touch it with a barge pole.

Plenty of other alternatives out there that I am sure would do a good job. The Diawa Ninja for example seems to be well thought of on here.

Philip said:

Being the owner of said reel I can confirm it is indeed a compact float reel & I suspect this is indeed the reel Drennan would like you to team it with. However it has one drawback - its rubbish so dont touch it with a barge pole.

Plenty of other alternatives out there that I am sure would do a good job. The Diawa Ninja for example seems to be well thought of on here.

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Don't for one moment think that it was a recommendation!

Philip said:

Being the owner of said reel I can confirm it is indeed a compact float reel & I suspect this is indeed the reel Drennan would like you to team it with. However it has one drawback - its rubbish so dont touch it with a barge pole.
.

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I'm interested to know why you think FD 3000 rubbish?
I purchased one and use with my acolyte, being the first modern dedicated float reel I had, I thought it great - but hadn't much to compare it with!
Since then and given more experience I am starting to find little niggly faults with the reel (especially wear and wobble) after not much hard use and am now looking to upgrade the reel for next season. I'm genuinely interested on what you find fault with it, to help me find an alternative - that will hopefully last many years.

I believe the 506 is listed as being 288 gm. I have the 507 which is heavier but which feels perfectly balanced on a 13' rod. I also have a 501 which i guess is lighter

fishplate42 said:

Thanks for the replies guys, I will use my existing GFS30 with my new rod, when I get it.



It has been a funny few months, I haven't fished since the last time we fished the weir pool but I am planning to go a bother some perch down at Beaver on Wednesday... It will be interesting to compare the two rod when we eventually get down there

Ralph.

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Don’t fancy piking yet Ralph?

Molehill said:

I'm interested to know why you think FD 3000 rubbish?
I purchased one and use with my acolyte, being the first modern dedicated float reel I had, I thought it great - but hadn't much to compare it with!
Since then and given more experience I am starting to find little niggly faults with the reel (especially wear and wobble) after not much hard use and am now looking to upgrade the reel for next season. I'm genuinely interested on what you find fault with it, to help me find an alternative - that will hopefully last many years.

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I’ve had an fd 4000 for a few years and I’d alsob interested in why people don’t rate it, it’s been fine for me

s63 said:

Don’t fancy piking yet Ralph?

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I do but I don't fancy stillwater piking on dead-bait. The thought of sitting about all day waiting for a bite that might not happen, talking to the wildlife, does not have that much appeal in this weather. I don't have a suitable spinning rod setup at the moment so lure fishing would be a compromise.

I think I would rather go bother the perch. There is also the option to fish the catfish lake for silvers, at this time of year, as all the moggies are supposed to be asleep...

...I will talk to the guys at the fishery to see where my best bet for catching a stripey is.

Ralph.

davebhoy said:

I’ve had an fd 4000 for a few years and I’d alsob interested in why people don’t rate it, it’s been fine for me

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i've had 3 FD'S, one went in the bin and the other 2 I gave to a friend. The main problem is they are definitely not built to be used and abused on rivers where they may get fully duncked in the water, constantly casting wagglers or winching feeders back from the other side of the Thames. They appear to be well built but the problem I found was the bearings just don't last, the reel slowly tightens up then the bearings fail causing it rumble. you can strip and grease them very easily but once the bearings have failed they never recover.

for light use, well looked after and kept dry and I'd say they would be ok but that's not how I use my reels.

the greys gfs's have performed better, I use them for roving because they are light and cheap and if I fell on them and broke them I wouldn't be too bothered.

I've used preston pxr pro reels for the last 2 years for match fishing and they have been very abuse resistant

GT56 said:

You'll so enjoy fishing a river with that rod but the choice of real can be very much down to the individual.

I matched mine to a closed face Diawa and think its a perfect combination however I'm sure many would disagree

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Not me GT56, I am with you all the way. I went through the ABU phase last century. Now, for most of my trotting I use a 125. Except when I get a yen to be a kid again and slip on the Allcock Ariel. Pete.

Molehill said:

I'm interested to know why you think FD 3000 rubbish?
I purchased one and use with my acolyte, being the first modern dedicated float reel I had, I thought it great - but hadn't much to compare it with!
Since then and given more experience I am starting to find little niggly faults with the reel (especially wear and wobble) after not much hard use and am now looking to upgrade the reel for next season. I'm genuinely interested on what you find fault with it, to help me find an alternative - that will hopefully last many years.

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I just really dont get along with it. They made the handle too thin that it flexes under pressure, the bale arm only flicks over when you turn the handle in a small range of the full rotation so it forever jams & you have to manually flip it, the line lay is average at best, it wobbles on a fast retrieve, there is too much play in the gears when its in anti-reverse, the shape is wrong (for me) and is too dumpy while still sitting quite high off the rod, the clutch is nothing special, the line clip is naff and last but not least, I don’t like the colour.

As for what reel to go for, I am probably not the best person to advise on which float reel as I am more of a spezzie type angler than a match/float angler & use a Centerpin more often than not for float fishing nowadays.However if I had to recommend one it would be the Diawa Ninja. I stress I have not used it myself but had a play with a couple in a tackle shop. I’ll be honest and say although I saw nothing wrong with it, I didn’t see anything that special either, however its had some positive feedback on this forum from some good anglers whos opinion I trust so if I was buying I would go with that.

PS best float reel I ever had was a cheap little DAM reel, brilliant little reel for the money but I don’t think they make it anymore.