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Not all spliced tip rods are equal. I accept that the spliced tip rods that appeared at the beginning of the carbon era were definitely for enabling the use stupidly light hooklengths. However, that concept has stuck with so many anglers as being the only reason for them. I suspect that more...

Three marks on the Titan and one (that's not as obvious) on the Avenger. To me, it looks like some plonker touched the blanks before the varnish had dried properly.

Much depends on what you consider to be modern. I have a few rods that are more modern than my (early) Mk2 Normarks that have butt rings as tall. Without checking, I know that my Browning Sphere Match, Rive R Waggler, Maver Nanolith and Daiwa Connoisseur G all have a very high stand off butt...

This might interest a few and irritate a few more. https://www.acquaazzurranews.it/prodotto/canna-inglese-milo-titan-2024-match/ Whether they are ever officially available in the UK is another matter. They aren't even on the Milo Italian website any longer. I understand that a few UK anglers...

To add a little extra confusion, I've seen the occasional 1st incarnation rod (full cork, sliding reel fittings etc) with "Mk 2" (or II) in the decal. I've no idea what might have made them different from the Mark 1 rods.

I said they were available at the same time, not that they were introduced at the same time. Your suggestion that the Prodigy was the forerunner of the X-Flite suggests an evolutionary link. If that were the case, it seems unlikely that they'd ever have been available concurrently. Semantics no...

The original Prodigy Barbel rods were available at the same time as the X-Flite Barbel rods. I also have both but I got the X-Flites first. As I got the 1.5/2lb version of the X-Flites, I bought the 1.75lb Prodigys to fill the TC gap.

For anyone with any doubts, Andy is a cracking seller of excellent gear. Thanks for the opportunity to cross another long term want off my extensive list.;)

I don't doubt the leverage theory, but I believe it's only part of the overall picture. The "shorter" lever will undoubtedly be easier on the angler and exert greater pressure on the fish. However, the shorter the lever, the less the angler can alter the angle to the fish. This results in less...

I'm not convinced that there have been any huge developments with carbon fibre technology in many years. It all seems to be about finessing the use of the same basic material. When it comes to float rods, pushing the limits of wall thickness, to minimise weight, seems to be a current trend. For...

Yes, I had another centrepin about six months later. Just in time for the river season opening. What can I say, sometimes I'm prone to fits of pique and stubborn as a mule in equal measure. Unless you are lucky enough to take to it like a duck to water or have a decent teacher, a good dollop of...

I can't lay my hands on my Baitrunner Aero GTE-C 5000s at the moment, but almost definitely not. I'm reasonably confident that the spools of the old style 5000 Baitrunners will not be as large as the 54mm diameter of the Aero XR C5000. My memory is entirely unreliable, but I suspect that a 5000...

Andy, I'd love to see some pics first, but I'll relieve you of the Bowler pin..

I have both. For my money, the FS is not as powerful as I expected. It's also a bit more through actioned than I like for a trotting rod. As things stand, I intend to use the Acolyte Specimen for trotting and the FS for stillwater Waggler. However, that may change as I've yet to try the Drennan...

The prospect of limiting myself to just three different float rods provokes a feeling of existential dread. I might be able to manage with as few as ten, but I wouldn't be happy about it.

After what seems like an eternity trying to shake off a nasty cold, I finally managed to get out and try a Gripz Match hook. The intended quarry were grayling and I managed a meagre three. I also had a trout and a very unusual (on the stretch I was fishing) chub. I had five bites, hit them all...

If anyone else is interested. I was interested to see that the sizing and pattern of the Pallatrax Gripz Match and the Browning Beasts are very similar.

I bit the bullet a couple of days back and bought some in 18, 16, 14 and 12. I'd noticed the wide gape and shortish shank that fits my usual preferences. Being a specialist brand, I'd sort of assumed that they'd be on the large side. The biggest issue is that I don't particularly like any...

Paul, can you confirm that are you talking about using the spade end Gripz Match hooks? I know some folks love the eyed Gripz, but I've yet to see anyone mention the spade end match versions.

I can't say I remember the Sphere specs, but I do know the figures for my own. Having just checked the PDFs of the old catalogues, I've put the spec weights in brackets. 13'6" = 161g and 158g (150g) 15'6" = 182g and 182g (175g) 13' = 144g (149g) 14' = 161g (157g) 11'6" = 129g (127g)