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2.25 tc rods

Stephen Bond said:
I'm curious if have either of you have fished the Thames when it is raging in winter flood?

Personally, I was fishing the lower Thames this January with an extra 6' of water and ten times the flow rate of current levels. 2.25lb rods are not over the top in my option with 8oz leads, raging flood water and double figure barbel that I encountered.

All the best,
Stephen
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Fished the severn, trent and thames in flood with 1.75tc rods and four ounce feeders max . Quiet why you would have to step up your gear is beyond my thinking. When its in flood the margins are rammed with fish, or behind a tree/ bush in the slacker water.
Do you fish in the main flow in floods???
 
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for the reply. Usually in the summer the fishing on the Thames is done anywhere from a third of the way across to the far side, but much of it in the middle where the flow is greatest. Less than 2oz is generally all that is required to hold even with a long cast.

Come the floods, it is impossible to hold anywhere near the middle and of course, the fish aren't to be found in the maelstrom anyways. I was fishing the slightly wider parts of the river where the flow is a little slower and anywhere from under the rod tip to probably a few rods out at best. Even with 8oz watch lead it was not staying in position for long. If one chooses an open feeder then more lead is required to hold due to the action of the flow on the feeder. Also, a large open feeder loaded with goodies can likely weight and extra couple of ounces over an empty one.

I have tried the slacks but not had any success and found the barbel to be where there is steady flow.

Of course, there are floods where there is a large amount of water in the river, usually in the winter and then the kind of floods we have been seeing more often in the last decade or two with the river well out of its banks and right across the fields. I guess it is with the latter in mind that Luke is thinking of some heavier rods.

All the best,
Stephen
 
Stephen thanks for the reply. I'm still not convinced either. I've cast 6oz feeders with 2 -3 ozs of feed with my drennans and not had problems. I have the old model as well with the extra 2lbtc tip but never found the 1.75tc wanting
 
Patrick Cooper said:
Fished the severn, trent and thames in flood with 1.75tc rods and four ounce feeders max . Quiet why you would have to step up your gear is beyond my thinking. When its in flood the margins are rammed with fish, or behind a tree/ bush in the slacker water.
Do you fish in the main flow in floods???
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Patrick I fished the lower Severn last season when it was in flood and at times struggled with 1.75 tc rod and at times I struggled with 4 ozs of lead . Because it would not hold and came it close to the side and got snagged up .So I switched to a 2/25 tc rod and was using up 6/8 oz leads .
Its ok fishing the margins as you say if you know what lays below the surface and you are not casting straight in to a snag because you cant see due to all the flood water
 
Hi Joe.
Thanks for the reply, if you let out twenty yards of line after you hit bottom and then rest the rod you will be able to fish with lighter leads. This is a technique i use on the Bristol channel which is the second highest fluctuating tide in the world.
 
Last time i went uptiding in the Mersey i was using 6oz. :) Test curve is not the definitive guide to a good flood rod. I've used 2.25's as my standard barbel rods for the last 5 seasons or so on the big rivers simply because they can do everything i need of them from plopping 1/2oz under the rod tip to chucking a 5oz loaded feeder 50yds. There are loads on the market like this, Daiwas like the Theory, Twilight, Whisker all coming in around the £100 mark that make great all round big river rods. However, compare those blanks to the 2.25 Chimera 3 that Dave's selling and there nothing like - the Chimera is a much more powerfull beast. I picked up a pair of old Normark carp rods, 2.25's that have a very similar action to the Chimeras, perfect for flood work and rung with 10 intermediates so more like a standard barbel rod, even more so with new cork handles. With rods like this you can fish mid river in a flood if you want to and catch all the barbel that the guys fishing down the edge can't get to. :) I'd look around the classifieds on the carp forums for the older 2.25 carp rods which can usually be picked up cheap as most carp anglers want 2.75's or above these days.
 
I would agree with Andrew on this one, although my fishing is done mainly on the Ribble and Trent, I use Fox Floodwater duos, sometimes with the lighter tips, sometimes with the full blown 2.75 tc tips, depending on the location, and water levels...the heavier tips are for me a must when fishing the very rocky areas, I use them simply because I want a rod capable of getting the fish out of the snags, before it gets its head down and ends up tethered.
Conversley, when I am boat fishing off the Leyn in Wales, I can use a much lighter rod than I use on the rivers, just because of the nature of the bottom, sandy and snag free.

Horses for courses really.

As Andy says, there are lots of good quality second Hand Carp rods around if you want one, I managed to pick up 2x mint top end 3lb tc Rods for £20.00 the pair last week, just for piking, I am a bit rough on pike rods, and they will do me OK for the next season. Lots on the ' bay .

Dave.
 
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im like andy ,2.25 lb tc rods are perfect all rounder rods, ;), mine are carp rods , with cork handle put on, nice:D, but my chubb rods, feel more stiffer, than my diawas, but they do me,:D
 
In have used pair of cheap, 30+ 2.25 carp rods for most of my long range feeder fishing for a few years and they fine, Despite me breaking one in the car door and repairing it with a fiberglass insert.
I was going to sell them recently as I have come across a nice pair of 2lb Torrix barbel rods for the same job but have decided to keep them to use on a local park lake which has a bit of a reputation for muggings after dark. One of those places where you sit hidden in the bushes behind your swim and let the bad guys help themselves.
 
Patrick, given that there is an unhealthy problem with unwanted muggings you may need the healthy body... fight or flight methinks.

Dave
 
Why not try a heavy feeder rod such as the Shakespeare Mach 3 XT. It will do a great job and will not break the bank for something that may not get a lot of use. I use Superteam 12-14ft heavy feeders which are no longer made but should still be around somewhere. these can easily fish 6oz + on the Wye.
 
David Craine said:
Patrick, given that there is an unhealthy problem with unwanted muggings you may need the healthy body... fight or flight methinks.

Dave
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Knowing Patrick as I do I don't think I would have any problems with him along as a fishing mate. The lad is a man mountain, 54" chest and 22" neck with the skills to match.:eek:
 
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