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New rods

N

Nigel Whittingham

Senior Member & Supporter
As mentioned in another thread, i’m setting my son up for Barbel so have decided to give my Guru 1.75 rods which i think are great rods tbf.
If i’m replacing mine, i may as well upgrade slightly and was thinking of Freespirit Barbel Tamers 1.75 as they are about the limit i would spend. They also do ‘Helical’ which are a similar price to what i have now.
Any thoughts?
 
I have a pair of 10ft 3lb helicals and for the money, they're great. I wouldn't hesitate to buy helicals in the 1.75 or 2.25

The former come with two tops, avon and quiver.
 
I had the 12 ft 1.75 and also the 11ft 2lb….. I much preferred the 11ft but was fishing kings weir at the time so the 11 ft was perfect



IMG_1201.jpeg
 
Just had a quick waggle of a FS tamer in the car park at work and wasnt overly impressed tbh. Think i would have been a bit under impressed if i had ordered them. My Guru twin tips feel a better rod 🫤. The drennans dont look worth the money (sadly as i love Drennan gear) i had 3lb powermesh Pike rods and thought they were the worst rods i’ve ever used so thats put me off the 1.75’s…..
 
What is your budget Nigel? £150/rod?

Might be worth looking at the Cadence CR10 rods which get good reviews, but if you really want to upgrade then if I was you I'd be looking for to buy a pair of top class 2nd hand Harrison or Freespirit rods.

You will find lot of potential bargains on Ebay, particularly when the season closes in a couple of weeks.

Also keep an eye out for the Drennan Martin bowler rods which are excellent, and Daiwa infinity rods which are superb.
 
Cliff Turner said:
Basias ?
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No lol, i wont spend that sort of money tbh! One, i really dont think it’s needed & two, i fish for everything and have a garage full of rods and reels. If i fished exclusively for Barbel, i might entertain it but i might get sidetracked by perch or roach or Tench (etc) and not use them again all year!
I like nice gear but expect to find a good rod for £120-£150. I’ve had handbuilt rods in the past and paid a lot of money when i was mainly just fishing for big bream but apart from knowing that you’ve spent a lot of money and admiring them whilst they are in the rests, you’re not really getting much more if really honest.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
What is your budget Nigel? £150/rod?

Might be worth looking at the Cadence CR10 rods which get good reviews, but if you really want to upgrade then if I was you I'd be looking for to buy a pair of top class 2nd hand Harrison or Freespirit rods.

You will find lot of potential bargains on Ebay, particularly when the season closes in a couple of weeks.

Also keep an eye out for the Drennan Martin bowler rods which are excellent, and Daiwa infinity rods which are superb.
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Yes, £150 tops tbh. I keep looking at Cadence rods as they sound great (good marketing) but have never seen one in the flesh 🤷‍♂️
 
Nigel Whittingham said:
No lol, i wont spend that sort of money tbh! One, i really dont think it’s needed & two, i fish for everything and have a garage full of rods and reels. If i fished exclusively for Barbel, i might entertain it but i might get sidetracked by perch or roach or Tench (etc) and not use them again all year!
I like nice gear but expect to find a good rod for £120-£150. I’ve had handbuilt rods in the past and paid a lot of money when i was mainly just fishing for big bream but apart from knowing that you’ve spent a lot of money and admiring them whilst they are in the rests, you’re not really getting much more if really honest.
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thats fair enough Nigel
 
Nigel Whittingham said:
Just had a quick waggle of a FS tamer in the car park at work and wasnt overly impressed tbh. Think i would have been a bit under impressed if i had ordered them. My Guru twin tips feel a better rod 🫤. The drennans dont look worth the money (sadly as i love Drennan gear) i had 3lb powermesh Pike rods and thought they were the worst rods i’ve ever used so thats put me off the 1.75’s…..
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I agree about the new range of Drennan specialist rods, they are really poorly made. Had to return them as the eyes weren't whipped on straight and what ever they are using to paint the blanks with isn't very robust. Shame as l really like there stuff.
 
Just realised that the FS i quickly ‘waggled’ in the dark on the carpark at work was a 1.25 specialist and not a 1.75 tamer!
A different animal completely so am still interested in a pair. Cant really find anything better than what i’m using without upping the budget a bit!
The only other rod thats intrigued me is the Cadence but have never seen one so unwilling to order a pair online in the hope i like them…..
 
Let us know how they compare to the Guru rods when you get them.

From the specs the FS Tamer rods look a lot lighter and I'd hope better balanced, most barbel rods feel really tip heavy to me.

I was planning on getting a Tamer but never did get around to buying one. In fact I ended up with a Shakespeare Solitude Barbel which I quite like the action but I'm always open to a new rod.
 
Mark Evans 2 said:
Let us know how they compare to the Guru rods when you get them.

From the specs the FS Tamer rods look a lot lighter and I'd hope better balanced, most barbel rods feel really tip heavy to me.

I was planning on getting a Tamer but never did get around to buying one. In fact I ended up with a Shakespeare Solitude Barbel which I quite like the action but I'm always open to a new rod.
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Didn’t realise how attached i was to the Guru rods until i came to replace them. They’ve been great and done everything i’ve asked of them. They are well made, the guides are great and the action when playing a fish is sublime. They might be a bit soft for some people as they keep bending but have loads of power in the butt. I can chuck 3oz right across the Severn and swing out 4oz to the middle. I’ve not found anything that comes close in the same price range and fully recommend them. I just hope that the Barbel Tamers give me as much pleasure as they have in the new season….
 
The write up on the AD website for the Aventus float mentions v joint, which is Diawa and shows a union jack on the rod, suggesting it may be made in the uk.
As far as I know, only Diawa and Harrison make rods in the UK.
 
Nigel Whittingham said:
Didn’t realise how attached i was to the Guru rods until i came to replace them. They’ve been great and done everything i’ve asked of them. They are well made, the guides are great and the action when playing a fish is sublime. They might be a bit soft for some people as they keep bending but have loads of power in the butt. I can chuck 3oz right across the Severn and swing out 4oz to the middle. I’ve not found anything that comes close in the same price range and fully recommend them. I just hope that the Barbel Tamers give me as much pleasure as they have in the new season….
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Hi Nigel
You won't be disappointed with the Tamers. My mate still uses his in the summer, sometimes in preference to the Harrison's he has. Very nice rods to play fish on, will bend right through to the cork. Pic below to give you some idea of the rods action when a Thames lump is pulling in the opposite direction!
Screenshot_20250228-191657.png
 
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