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12ft tip action with 2lb TC

S

Steve Lewis

Senior Member
Any suggestions?

Wanted for pike fishing. I'm rarely going to be in a position in which I'll need what's typically available with pike rods these days - minimum 2 3/4lb TC - and the same for carp rods.

I know there are lots of 12ft 2lb TC rods around that are for barbel, or generic "specimen" rods, but they're all through or progressive action. I need something quite tippy for deadbaiting.
 
Unless you intend chucking a bait to the horizon, medium / through action rods normally suit river piking in my experience Steve.
2 1/2 lb test covers most of the bases, also softer action rods put less stress on softer bait hook holds coupled with the ability to cushion a tail walking head shaking pike trying to throw the hooks.
I still use my Northwestern SS5's 2lb tc for river piking. The through action makes the corks creak when under strain,...love it!;)

Ps My favourite river pike dead bait rod was actually marketed as a bass surf rod. 2 1/4 tc, med action, 12ft with cork handle and winch reel seat. It pays to look beyond the standard fare offered in the usual directories. In my case I got the best of both worlds!
 
Hi Steve,

I'm surprised you want a tippy or rather fast actioned rod for piking, most properly designed pike rods tend to have a fairly stiff tip to prevent the tip from folding over on the cast - like a typical modern carp rod would.

Dave Lumb probably knows more about designing pike rods than any angler I can think of: D.L. Specialist Tackle - Rods His pike rods are built to last and generally regarded as the best in the business - good value compared to other custom builds as well.
Have a look at the reviews his rods get on the Pikers Pit Forum - particularly the P2 (2.75) rod - it's like a stepped up Chimera 3 in action.

Anyway, worth reading this article by him:
D.L. Specialist Tackle

Cheers,

Joe
 
Dave - the combination of not casting hundreds of yards (I'll be fishing the drains on the Somerset levels) and preventing softer baits coming off is exactly why I don't want a heavy TC. I figure the lower test curve will off-set any harshness of a tippy rod, and also allow for closer in/margin fishing.

Joe - whilst I generally exclusively use through action rods for most of my fishing, I've previously had 2 and 1/2 and 2 and 3/4 TC through action rods for the pike and I frequently had problems getting hooks set properly, particularly early pike season, because there wasn't enough rigidity at the top - they were too forgiving on the strike. I borrowed a mate's tip action heavy specimen rod (which I think was actually 1 3/4lb), and it was a different world, in a good way. Unfortunately Dave Lumb's rods are a bit too rich for my wallet, and, in my experience, even 2 and 1/2 TC is too heavy. Admittedly, part of that could be because when I was last fishing in the 90s, 2lb TC was the average for both carp and pike and anything above that was considered to be for long distance, or where you knew the big fish outnumbered the little ones, only. I don't even think 3lb TC coarse rods existed back then, at least outside of the custom world. They are, of course, very common place and the norm now. Which is ridiculous to me, in the same way that 2lb rods are now routinely sold for barbel. But there you go - your mileage may vary, and all that.
 
I agree re all-through actioned rods, too sloppy for setting hooks and not the best for playing big fish on, on the other hand though, test-curves can be very misleading, as Dave Lumb writes in his article:

'This is a major problem in trying to describe rod actions and power in print. A fast action rod with a two pound test curve might feel to have a similar power to a slow action rod with a three pound test curve!,

Perhaps the 2.2lb Korum Xpert rods might fit your requirements, I use the 1.1lb for roach and it's very well built. If it will handle 6oz feeders it should be fine for piking on drains.

Xpert Rods - Korum, Fishing Made Easy
 
Ps - re setting hooks, braid really helps in that respect. I use 50lb power pro - the same line has been on my piking reels for several seasons now, it really does last.
 
Hi Steve, ive always favoured tip action rods, just don't like the feel of through action. My first ever barbel rod was a Greys Prodigy 2lb tc. Tip action, and a joy to use. Ive still got the rod and would never part with it. They pop up in the classified section from time to time, or e-bay.
 
I picked an old Drennan Pike Float Rod on eBay - I think it's a 2.25lb tc. but is great for short/mid range work. I think there was a Deadbeat version that had a faster action but i've never had an issue with it for deadbaiting.... Only drawback is that the detachable handle makes it tricky to leave it rigged up if that's your thing.
 
Thanks for all the responses chaps.

Joe - the Korum rods you linked to do indeed seem to tick all the boxes. Given that I'm quite a fan of Korum's products, I'm surprised I hadn't spotted them before. More than I can afford at the moment, but it's certainly an option. Also, on the braid front, I have swapped over to braid mainline for spinning, but otherwise I've yet to be convinced about braid's qualities as a mainline (note that that's purely down to the fact that I have literally no previous experience with braid in any form - I've only recently started using braid hooklengths, but have yet to catch on them).
 
Steve,

Worth dropped Jamie Armitage a line to see if he still has this pair for sale: https://barbel.co.uk/site/vbulletin...ed/12304-2-x-korum-xpert-2-2lb-rods-sale.html

Braid - I only use it for spinning, piking and for long range bream fishing. I don't think I'll ever use anything else for piking now, it's just so much better for bite indication, setting hooks and it's long lasting. It's not for everyone one I know. I've yet to use it for barbel fishing - I can see why it's low diameter might be good for floodwater fishing - not sure I'd want play a big barbel on it though!
 
"Admittedly, part of that could be because when I was last fishing in the 90s..."

Were you using braid as a mainline back in the day? If not, you'll find it far easier to set the hooks when using it and may not have to rule out some of the rods/TC's mentioned.
 
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