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13ft Normark Avenger Float Rod (original)

E

Eddie Bray

Senior Member & Supporter
Would a 13ft Normark Avenger Float Rod be any good for fishing a stick on the Lower Severn or is it too stiff at the tip.

It has handled some large Carp but not sure if the tip would be a bit stiff for trotting on the Lower Severn.

TIA, keep well, Eddie
 
Eddie. Never handled one but I tend to use a fairly stiff rod for a few reasons.

I use anything over a 4gr float, sometimes up to 8gr. This is quite a fair weight for many trotting rods.

I often trot 40 yards or more, especially when after chub.
With the amount of line and end tackle weight to pull the hook home through I want good firm contact.

You never know what you might hook!
 
Thanks for that info, I have a BAA ticket and also have a Barbel Society membership to Pixham Ferry.
 
I reckon stick float fishing for Barbel on the lower Severn would be a challenge. It's the sort of thing you don't see a lot of down here.
 
I have 2 avengers, original and Mark 2 ( green trim on whippings) and use them as all round float rods. Fantastic rods ( do prefer my mark 2 though, bit lighter and more responsive). I also had a titan but sold it because I just never used it.
 
I have a normark camaro 12’ 6” specimen float rod not used it yet though I acquired it just before the lockdown
 
If anyone is after any normark rods let me know I have a mate who has around 20 normark rods in various guises for sale
 
Could any users of these Normark float rods compare them with a Drennan Acolyte equivilant ? Weight, Acton , line b.s etc. Would hate to miss out on something good.
 
Paul Collins said:
Could any users of these Normark float rods compare them with a Drennan Acolyte equivilant ? Weight, Acton , line b.s etc. Would hate to miss out on something good.
Click to expand...

The 13' Acolyte Plus is 151g and 11.42mm diameter at the first non-whipped area above the handle/hook keeper I could measure. Quoted lines for the Plus are 4 to 6lb+ mainlines and hooklinks of 3 to 5lb. The rings on the Acolyte are relatively low and of indeterminate make.

The 13' Normark Avenger MK2 (early version) is 188g and 11.46mm diameter at the closest equivalent measuring point as I could manage on the Acolyte. There are no given line ratings for the Normark. The rings of the Normark are high stand off Fuji Titaniums.

The Normark Avenger has a slightly more through action than the Acolyte Plus, but there's not much in it. Nothing really worth mentioning when it comes to blank diameters. The handles, to the rear of the Fuji reel seats are within millimetres of being the same lengths. The power of either is broadly similar. I don't consider either to be out and out power or specimen float rods. Much of the overall weight difference of 37g can be accounted for by a 28g difference in the weight of the butt sections. I suspect much of that difference is down the Fuji rubber butt cap fitted to the Normark. However, the butt cap will also alter the overall balance of the rod. You can certainly discern the weight difference in hand, but it's not quite as significant as the bare weight figures might suggest.
 
Chris Jones said:
The 13' Acolyte Plus is 151g and 11.42mm diameter at the first non-whipped area above the handle/hook keeper I could measure. Quoted lines for the Plus are 4 to 6lb+ mainlines and hooklinks of 3 to 5lb. The rings on the Acolyte are relatively low and of indeterminate make.

The 13' Normark Avenger MK2 (early version) is 188g and 11.46mm diameter at the closest equivalent measuring point as I could manage on the Acolyte. There are no given line ratings for the Normark. The rings of the Normark are high stand off Fuji Titaniums.

The Normark Avenger has a slightly more through action than the Acolyte Plus, but there's not much in it. Nothing really worth mentioning when it comes to blank diameters. The handles, to the rear of the Fuji reel seats are within millimetres of being the same lengths. The power of either is broadly similar. I don't consider either to be out and out power or specimen float rods. Much of the overall weight difference of 37g can be accounted for by a 28g difference in the weight of the butt sections. I suspect much of that difference is down the Fuji rubber butt cap fitted to the Normark. However, the butt cap will also alter the overall balance of the rod. You can certainly discern the weight difference in hand, but it's not quite as significant as the bare weight figures might suggest.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, exactly what I was looking for. I'll keep on with the Acolyte for now but if I run it over again I'll definitely consider the Normark if I can find one. The only thing I don't like about the Acolyte is the single leg rings.
 
Paul Collins said:
Thanks for that, exactly what I was looking for. I'll keep on with the Acolyte for now but if I run it over again I'll definitely consider the Normark if I can find one. The only thing I don't like about the Acolyte is the single leg rings.
Click to expand...

Like the majority of post mid-90s match type float rods, The Normark MK2s have single leggers or all bar the butt ring. I've got the odd recent(ish) match type float rod with two doubles (butt and first ring on mid section or two on butt section), but they are relatively unusual. A float rod with doubles throughout is likely to be an older match rod or an out and out specimen float rod. In either type of rod, there's likely to be a fairly significant weight penalty in comparison to an Acoloyte.

I have three float rods with double legged guides throughout. Two are out and out Speci float rods. The third is an early nineties match rod.
The Freespirit Specialist Advanced 13' 1lb 6oz weighs in at 229g. The Catana CX 390 Float (not to be confused with match rods of similar names) weighs in at 241g. Finally, the Daiwa Tom Pickering Matchwinner Waggler is 198g. In my experience, Daiwa rods tend not to be the lightest in their class, regardless of their cost or vintage.
 
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