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Acolyte users??

Steve Sorrell

Steve Sorrell

Senior Member
Apologies if not really barbel related but I know a lot of you guys are all rounders, so........
I'm going to treat myself to a 15 foot trotting rod. An acolyte is the obvious choice but are there any others that someone could recommend?
Cheers,

Steve
 
I have to say as an ex match angler I used to love the normark range for all float work, they had a rod for everything but in those days not at 15ft. As a barbel/chub angler wanting a longer rod I have a 15ft acolyte specimen and for predominantly chub fishing a 14ft plus which is basically just a good solid float rod. Both have fast tips but are through actioned under load and both cope well with relatively fine tackle. Personally I think it would be difficult to ignore than, there are more exotic more expensive ( browning sphere, more chance of meeting an honest politician) ( freespirit hi s older models also rare) and very good rods out there but if you buy an acolyte then fancy something a bit more up market you will always find a buyer
 
Thanks Kevin.
The last Drennan rod I bought came with a lovely padded case. I heard that the acolytes only come with a normal bag.
Wonder if there is some sort of protective case I could buy?

Steve
 
Acolytes are fantastic rods, I love 'em but it's almost an occupational hazard that you will break the tips. Think I'm on my third for the Ultra.

The last tip broke trying to cast a big waggler into a head wind
 
Richard Bruton said:
Acolytes are fantastic rods, I love 'em but it's almost an occupational hazard that you will break the tips. Think I'm on my third for the Ultra.

The last tip broke trying to cast a big waggler into a head wind
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Almost an "occupational" hazzard that you'll break the tips......after using them since a few months of them being realeased and have never broke a tip section, so that statment is nonsense, kinda like scaremongering even.
I don't target gudgeon and small roach, dace etc with mine, althought I catch lots of them as a by catch, I target chub and barbel with mine and I catch my fair share of them, this is one of the fish I caught yesterday using a 13ft accy speci rod...

 
Steve Sorrell said:
Apologies if not really barbel related but I know a lot of you guys are all rounders, so........
I'm going to treat myself to a 15 foot trotting rod. An acolyte is the obvious choice but are there any others that someone could recommend?
Cheers,

Steve
Click to expand...
Hi Steve,

A 15’ Acolyte Specimen would suit you perfectly unless you’re very exacting about action etc. I have the 13’ and would probably like the 15’ too. Just ask @Chris Jones about his catches with the 15’er. It’ll do everything you need it to do (barring catfish or something daft!)

Outside of Drennan World, there’s Daiwa Connoisseurs at 15’ and Free Spirit Hi S. The Free Spirit stuff is far pricier, but ask @Richard Isaacs about them.
 
Alan Rose said:
Hi Steve,

A 15’ Acolyte Specimen would suit you perfectly unless you’re very exacting about action etc. I have the 13’ and would probably like the 15’ too. Just ask @Chris Jones about his catches with the 15’er. It’ll do everything you need it to do (barring catfish or something daft!)

Outside of Drennan World, there’s Daiwa Connoisseurs at 15’ and Free Spirit Hi S. The Free Spirit stuff is far pricier, but ask @Richard Isaacs about them.
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I wouldn’t recommend the newer version of the free spirits Alan and I’d only recommend the caliber of rods you mention there if the op is planning on targeting large specimen fish which hasn’t been mentioned.

@Steve Sorrell There are, imo better 15ft rods than the acolytes but sadly none can be sourced new today.
However whatever size fish or venue you want to target, drennan acolytes have you covered and they are currently the best available float rods that you can source for under £250
 
I've been using the old Drennan 13ft IM9 Classic for silvers and chib. Fantastic rod so I'm thinking more of the same (similar through action) with the Acolyte.
Sounds like I may need to buy a hard case though 😁
 
The specimen is a nice rod, I don’t think you can find a better one at that price range.

If the budget is not a problem, have a look of daiwa rods, the tournament range are great, I use the old 15ft bu model for most of my trotting. The air z ags rod is just amazing, it’s the reason I sold my acolyte. But they are much more expensive than acolyte, I was lucky to get them with huge discount, but at 200 range, I don’t think you can find a better rod than acolyte.
 
I have eight different Acolyte float rods. Despite this, they are not my favourite rods. However, they are available new, are better than any available option including the more expensive Freespirit Hi-S and Tri-Cast John Allerton. The Acolyte Specimens are probably my favourite Acolyte version. You may be able to get cheaper alternatives which may be preferable to some.

For the record, I have broken one Acolyte tip section and it was very recent. The rod was the 17' Acolyte Float and it's been well used for (a rather surprising when I checked) seven years.
 
. I’ve owned 4 different versions of the acolyte rods since they first were introduced and given them plenty of stick. Never had a tip section fail and like Ian I’ve no interest in catching bits n pieces.

The new free spirits are not great I had one break twice on me before having the money refunded never to buy one again.
The original however is a completely different animal. Mine has certainly proven itself to be the most capable float rod I’ve ever used regarding strength and power.
 
Chris Jones said:
For the record, I have broken one Acolyte tip section and it was very recent. The rod was the 17' Acolyte Float
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Gutted for you mate. Hopefully you get it sorted.
I really love the 17ft rod more so than the others. The action is awesome, very unique and deceptively capable
 
I've searched for a float rod with the action that the drennan acolyte specimen float rods have for many years and was very happy when drennan finally produced them.
I have numerous float rods which I very much like, but because of the weight, action and power of the speci acolytes I think they are my firm favourties.
I really don't think there are any float rods in any of the lower, mid or even higher price ranges that even come close to the speci acolyte float rods, obviously that's my own opinion because they suite my fishing style so well.
I find they are excellent for wally casting whilst using a centrepin reel, also, when mending the line on a trott and for being so fast on the strike....well done drennan for producing such a fantastic float rod!
 
Richard Isaacs said:
Gutted for you mate. Hopefully you get it sorted.
I really love the 17ft rod more so than the others. The action is awesome, very unique and deceptively capable
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I failed to mention that the break was 100% my fault. I made a mistake extracting it from a hardcase and heard something click. My fault entirely and no fault of the rod or Drennan. What's worse is that I only removed it to allow me to extract the other rod in the hardcase.

The plus side, I had a new top section inside two weeks. I'd already cut the broken section back and put on a new tip ring. However, I'd never have been happy to only have the shortened tip section available to me.

As an aside, I'm really hoping that Drennan produce a 17' Acolyte Specimen. I suspect it is wishful thinking, but I would be first in a fairly short queue to buy one.
 
I've had an Acolyte 15ft Plus for a few seasons now. No issues whatsoever with breakages but I have habitually checked for line wraps around the tip of all my rods for many decades. I would guess 80% of my fishing has been with a float rod for at least the past 20 years and have had several rods pass through my hands. For the price and availability, the 15ft+ is unbeatable.

Plenty of big chub from the D. Stour and H. Avon typically when both are in full winter trim. A few accidental barbel and silver tourists have also come my way. Pike are a frequent pain when trotting both those rivers in Autumn, usually relatively small but every now and then something bigger turns up. Here's an example of one earlier this season from the Avon. It took a while as it was most definitely a good barbel right up until I finally got it in front of me in the crystal clear water!

453741114_10160264442142253_8781114215570930576_n.jpg
 
Chris Jones said:
As an aside, I'm really hoping that Drennan produce a 17' Acolyte Specimen. I suspect it is wishful thinking, but I would be first in a fairly short queue to buy one.
Click to expand...
As a self confessed, long float rod fanatic I’ve been hoping for that day To come and would absolutely be joining you in that Que.

I was pretty gutted when the 17ft free spirit didn’t turn out to be a lot of use at all.
 
Alan Rose said:
I had a waggle with Dave Maddison’s 17/20 Spectron M2 on Monday, only at 17’ though. Nice rod.
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It’s one of just a few spectrons I’ve not handled. As a spectron fan they’ve obviously caught my eye but never been priced right for me to take a blind punt on. At that length it takes something quite special to not feel too heavy.
At 13ft and 14ft they obviously handle themselves very well.
At 17ft how did it feel in terms of being able to stand and hold for a few hours?
 
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