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17/18ft float rod

Chris Fogg

Chris Fogg

Active Member
Looking for float rod recommendations.
I have an acolyte 14ft plus which I love but would like a little extra lenght sometimes 🤭.
If drennan did a 17ft plus then that would be top of my list. Was looking at the Daiwa connoisseur or Cadence no.2, anyone had any experience with those?

Need to handle big Chub and Barbel casting floats up to 8g.

Thanks.
 
Hi Chris,

I’ve got a 17’ Acolyte. I have caught barbel with it and would probably be happy to do so deliberately in the right circumstances (lots of water, no snags). If you are planning on targeting bigger barbel then you’re looking at Free Spirit or Daiwa Connoisseur. @Richard Isaacs had a 17’ FS and @David Maddison has a 17/20 Daiwa. They may chip in with their thoughts.

Cadence #2 would be no more powerful than the 17’ Acolyte.

Frankly, it’s much easier to get your hands on a 15’ rod for the job- are you certain you want or need 17ft?
 
Alan Rose said:
Hi Chris,

I’ve got a 17’ Acolyte. I have caught barbel with it and would probably be happy to do so deliberately in the right circumstances (lots of water, no snags). If you are planning on targeting bigger barbel then you’re looking at Free Spirit or Daiwa Connoisseur. @Richard Isaacs had a 17’ FS and @David Maddison has a 17/20 Daiwa. They may chip in with their thoughts.

Cadence #2 would be no more powerful than the 17’ Acolyte.

Frankly, it’s much easier to get your hands on a 15’ rod for the job- are you certain you want or need 17ft?
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Thanks Alan, yes definitely need 17/18ft.
Standing in the Wye waist deep fishing the far bank with my 14ft acolyte + the extra 3 or 4ft would have been alot easier.
Edging towards the connoisseur, need to find somewhere in stock to go have a waggle.
 
Understood. Tricky to find long rods in stock, but worth a go. The current 17’ Connoisseur isn’t a power float model, so you may be better off waiting on a second hand Spectron. I’ve seen a few in the last 18mths or so.
 
The Conny/spectron 17/20, was rated at up to 10lb mainlines. It's quite tippy and will.suffice for roach etc, then the middle and buttsection kicks in for the power. At 17ft which is it's best length, it's perfect for Barbel. Not everyone's cup of tea, but at 17/20, I cant think of a better rod?
 
Jon Frisby said:
The Conny/spectron 17/20, was rated at up to 10lb mainlines. It's quite tippy and will.suffice for roach etc, then the middle and buttsection kicks in for the power. At 17ft which is it's best length, it's perfect for Barbel. Not everyone's cup of tea, but at 17/20, I cant think of a better rod?
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Thanks Jon
 
Chris Fogg said:
If drennan did a 17ft plus then that would be top of my list.
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They do.

The current Connoisseur's are also lovely rods, but at 17ft I'd probably want the lightest I could get and when I was handed a 17ft Acolyte Plus in AD a few months ago I couldn't believe how light it felt when held horizontally. I briefly owned the current 15ft Conny power float and it felt somewhat tip heavy, so I went back to an Acolyte.
.
 
Kevin Steele said:
They do.

The current Connoisseur's are also lovely rods, but at 17ft I'd probably want the lightest I could get and when I was handed a 17ft Acolyte Plus in AD a few months ago I couldn't believe how light it felt when held horizontally. I briefly owned the current 15ft Conny power float and it felt somewhat tip heavy, so I went back to an Acolyte.
.
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Apparently the acolyte 17ft sit somewhere between the ultra and the plus, the recommend reel lines are up to 5lb.
 
Chris Fogg said:
Thanks Alan, yes definitely need 17/18ft.
Standing in the Wye waist deep fishing the far bank with my 14ft acolyte + the extra 3 or 4ft would have been alot easier.
Edging towards the connoisseur, need to find somewhere in stock to go have a waggle.
Click to expand...
I have a brand new...unused 17ft Acolyte for sale. If interested send me a pm
 
Dave Brooksbank said:
What Acolyte did you go back to Kevin?
I'm pressuming the Specimen.
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I had both the Specimen and the Plus in 14ft, but I sold the Specimen pretty quickly and have literally just sold the Plus. Acolyte's are great rods, but the Connoisseurs feel more 'alive' somehow... and I find the extra weight reassuring somehow.

But don't take much notice of me - I've only been targeting barbel and big chub this year - others know their stuff better than me... I've just been trying this-and-that to see what I like best.
.
 
Alan Rose said:
. @Richard Isaacs had a 17’ FS
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I did.
It was a lovely rod Alan but it broke twice both times with the first fish I hooked on it so …..roll the dice I think with those.



Another consideration…..
Tricast John Alerton premier match rods

I had the 15ft model and it’s a powerful rod definitely capable of dealing with big fish
Not as light as the accy 17 but probably lighter and or better balanced than most other brands offering 17ft rods.

I will say that when it comes to rods of 15ft long it’s advisable that you try before you buy and when it comes to rods of 17ft or more it’s essential you try before you buy. Some of them are simply unbearable for any more than an hour or 2.

The Daiwa tournament 17ft bu is another one to consider if you can find and look at one. Rated for the same sort of thing as the spectron 17/20 and at 235g it’s not a bad handle either. Not easy to come by.
 
Michael Brindle said:
If that's true Drennan take my money now! Would be ideal for a number of scenarios for my fishing.
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The other Acolyte 17ft was mentioned in a Drennan Grayling article. It was only referred to as a 17ft prototype.

Personally I’m hoping its more of a Plus model, as want it for my river Perch fishing.
 
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