Balanced reel.

[James Sproat]

Hi all.
I posted on here about the Drennan 13ft Acolyte Specimen float rod. Could you help me with some advice on what reels you would use to balance the rod please, would the Shimano Vanford VF2500A/VF3000A be a good match?
I fish rivers (small to medium) only.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Hi all.
I posted on here about the Drennan 13ft Acolyte Specimen float rod. Could you help me with some advice on what reels you would use to balance the rod please, would the Shimano Vanford VF2500A/VF3000A be a good match?
I fish rivers (small to medium) only.

On a 13ft float rod, especially one as light and balanced as the rod in question, it’s going to be pretty difficult to mess this up.

What I’m saying is don’t think too much into this or start to worry about reel weight figures too much because anything you put on that between 200-300g is going to feel great and feather light in your hand.

If I was choosing a reel for trotting and i didn’t want a centre pin I’d go with the biggest diameter spool as possible whist keeping the weight sensible. This could very well be a 4000 or 5000 reel if like vanfords the bodies are super light.

 

[Chris Belcher]

I have 13' Acolyte Plus & 15' Acolyte Specimen - for trotting both rods balance well with Shimano Aero XRC5000 (255g) & Daiwa 125M (298g) . . .I generally use the heavier closed faced reel on the smaller rod, but to be honest both set ups are so silly light compared to anything I use elsewhere (and in other angling) they are easy to use all day long . . .

 

[Carl Massey]

I would take your rod to a good tackle shop and try out the reels you quite like on your rod and see how they feel, and what you like. It's all personal preference in terms of looks and what you have to spend so you can go high end and spend a lot of money, but I think there are so many good reels out there in each cost bracket.
I have a few reels myself and like the Matrix HX Pro 4000 as it's a big enough spool and is supposed to be designed with trotting in mind. I also have some Cadence reels I recently bought when they were doing a deal and the CS10 and CS7 reels are good for the price. I was always a Shimano person years ago so their ranges are very good too. Daiwa Ninja range are very good value so try before you buy I say.

 

[James Sproat]

On a 13ft float rod, especially one as light and balanced as the rod in question, it’s going to be pretty difficult to mess this up.

What I’m saying is don’t think too much into this or start to worry about reel weight figures too much because anything you put on that between 200-300g is going to feel great and feather light in your hand.

If I was choosing a reel for trotting and i didn’t want a centre pin I’d go with the biggest diameter spool as possible whist keeping the weight sensible. This could very well be a 4000 or 5000 reel if like vanfords the bodies are super light.

I very much appreciate your reply. I do like the Vanfords and as you say, super light. I think my question was basically about what size it would be and I think you’ve answered my question perfectly. Thank you.