Need new coarse rods -build myself or buy s/h

[Paul King]

Hi all,
I am usually a fly fishman, but I have collected far too many fly rods and so I am going to try coarse fishing so that I can collect more rods!
I have got myself an Aerial centre-pin (currently being fettled by Gary) and am now looking out for some rods.
I make my own fly rods (glass, carbon and split-cane) and so I am considering building my own coarse rods.
I think I need a rod for trotting like the Drennan Acolyte Ultra float (which many seem to like) and then something a bit heavier like something on the Harrison Baby Ballista.
My winter ambition is to trot for Grayling and to catch barbel!

I can find Harrison Baby Ballista blanks easily, but what about an equivalent to the Dennan Acolyte Ultra Float? Anything equivalent in a blank?

Or forget building and just buy S/H - although I like to try and fish with rods I have build myself

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

Hi all,
I am usually a fly fishman, but I have collected far too many fly rods and so I am going to try coarse fishing so that I can collect more rods!
I have got myself an Aerial centre-pin (currently being fettled by Gary) and am now looking out for some rods.
I make my own fly rods (glass, carbon and split-cane) and so I am considering building my own coarse rods.
I think I need a rod for trotting like the Drennan Acolyte Ultra float (which many seem to like) and then something a bit heavier like something on the Harrison Baby Ballista.
My winter ambition is to trot for Grayling and to catch barbel!

I can find Harrison Baby Ballista blanks easily, but what about an equivalent to the Dennan Acolyte Ultra Float? Anything equivalent in a blank?

Or forget building and just buy S/H - although I like to try and fish with rods I have build myself

I don’t think there are many float rob blank available, only option seems is Harrison Gti, it’s a good blank, but I have to say, it’s out dated… really heavy in hand. Acolyte is much better.

Actually, I think you can try to build a float rob using fly fishing blank, maybe a #1 or #2?

 

[Paul King]

I don’t think there are many float rob blank available, only option seems is Harrison Gti, it’s a good blank, but I have to say, it’s out dated… really heavy in hand. Acolyte is much better.

Actually, I think you can try to build a float rob using fly fishing blank, maybe a #1 or #2?

I think you’re right about the Drennan. The issue with the fly rod is a 10ft is too short really and yet a 12ft in that weight is practically unheard of. And it would be a euro nymph type and not a very good action

Maybe i will buy float and build barbel

 

[Richard Isaacs]

I built my own float rod but I used a couple of donor rods to do this. In this case it was 2 very cheap and completely wrecked normark avenger 2000’s.

I made a twin tip, 13/14ft multi length avenger 2000 with both hollow and spliced tip sections for river and still water use.

That would be the way to do it and a normark blank would be the perfect canvas to build on

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

I built my own float rod but I used a couple of donor rods to do this. In this case it was 2 very cheap and completely wrecked normark avenger 2000’s.

I made a twin tip, 13/14ft multi length avenger 2000 with both hollow and spliced tip sections for river and still water use.

That would be the way to do it and a normark blank would be the perfect canvas to build on

Yes, I recently bought a very cheap avenger mk1, the blank is in good condition but the rings and handle both need replacing, it is not worth to find a builder to do the job, so I am going to try it myself.

 

[Paul King]

So I am liking the sound of the Normark 'basket-case' for a rebuild.
Can you help me out with which rods (blanks) are worth a re-build? eg; are some too old?
What are the best Normarks for me to look for?
Two of you mentioned Avenger, what about Titan?

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

So I am liking the sound of the Normark 'basket-case' for a rebuild.
Can you help me out with which rods (blanks) are worth a re-build? eg; are some too old?
What are the best Normarks for me to look for?
Two of you mentioned Avenger, what about Titan?

If acolyte ultra is the type of rods you want, I think you may want to look for normark microlite, microlite 2000 etc. Titan is like acolyte plus, avenger is another stepped up blank.

I don’t think these blanks are old, even the mk 1 blanks, yes, they are heavier than acolyte, but not too bad, action wise, I think they outperform most float rods today, include acolyte.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

So I am liking the sound of the Normark 'basket-case' for a rebuild.
Can you help me out with which rods (blanks) are worth a re-build? eg; are some too old?
What are the best Normarks for me to look for?
Two of you mentioned Avenger, what about

As huanzhou has said above.
Perfect canvas would be a mark 1 microlight or Titan. You could get one for 50-80 in reasonable shape.
Very outdated rods regarding fixtures and fittings but very very good blanks that are feather light and superb
They’ll better a lot of crap you buy in the shops today.
You could get a really cheap one with a broken tip and convert it to spliced tip. I did this with the avenger 2000.

 

[Paul King]

This from a 13ft 3-piece Normark on ebay. Does it mean anything to you experts?
"iT IS EITHER BUILT ON A NORMARK PROFESSIONAL OR NORBORON BLANK"

 

[Richard Isaacs]

This from a 13ft 3-piece Normark on ebay. Does it mean anything to you experts?
"iT IS EITHER BUILT ON A NORMARK PROFESSIONAL OR NORBORON BLANK"

Avoid….!
Thats no normark or if it is it’s one of the older budget models looking at the very satin plain finish of the carbon.
You’ll see a normark blank has the spiral carbon finish even on the old models and it’s always a gloss finish. I don’t know what that one is. I certainly wouldn’t give 50 quid for it

 

[Paul King]

Looking at ebay prices, I am coming to the conclusion that I might as well just buy new - the 'savings' secondhand are very slight on ebay at least.
I am thinking a 13ft Drennan Acolyte Plus would be a reasonable comprise for a first rod? Yes?
I was thinking Plus over Ultra to give a little more top end for chub etc? Or just Ultra for now and wait to get a heavier one later when I am ready to try for barbel - but realistically that might be ledgering rather than trotting anyway?

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

Looking at ebay prices, I am coming to the conclusion that I might as well just buy new - the 'savings' secondhand are very slight on ebay at least.
I am thinking a 13ft Drennan Acolyte Plus would be a reasonable comprise for a first rod? Yes?
I was thinking Plus over Ultra to give a little more top end for chub etc? Or just Ultra for now and wait to get a heavier one later when I am ready to try for barbel - but realistically that might be ledgering rather than trotting anyway?

Yes, the plus is more like an all rounder float rod, the ultra is a light float rod, I wouldn’t use the ultral for anything bigger than 3lb.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Looking at ebay prices, I am coming to the conclusion that I might as well just buy new - the 'savings' secondhand are very slight on ebay at least.
I am thinking a 13ft Drennan Acolyte Plus would be a reasonable comprise for a first rod? Yes?
I was thinking Plus over Ultra to give a little more top end for chub etc? Or just Ultra for now and wait to get a heavier one later when I am ready to try for barbel - but realistically that might be ledgering rather than trotting anyway?

Definitely go for plus.
It does everything the ultra can do and give you options if better fish are on the cards.

If you wanted to catch bits n bobs under 6oz all day, it would happily do this too on light lines and fine hooks. It’s a very versatile rod