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Barbel float rod recommendations

D

Danny Moss

Senior Member
Hi all
Can anybody recommend a good barbel float rod.
Was looking at the mark tunley but would like recommendations on others
ThanksšŸŽ£
 
A great deal is going to depend on your budget, the nature of the river in question (depth/width/pace) and the average size of the fish. Your idea of what may be deemed acceptably light is also a factor.
 
Chris Jones said:
A great deal is going to depend on your budget, the nature of the river in question (depth/width/pace) and the average size of the fish. Your idea of what may be deemed acceptably light is also a factor.
Click to expand...
Hi Chris
Mostly for wye and Severn
Budget is fine but not crazy priceā€™s
Ā£300 max but would prefer cheaperšŸ˜‚šŸŽ£
 
A 14ft daiwa xp is an excellent rod for a ā€œdedicatedā€ barbel rod and as Jon said above the conny is a real contender.

I think the second hand market and some patience is going to provide the best chance for you.

Some that Iā€™d be looking for would be daiwa conny or spectron in 14ft xp versions.
Daiwa tournament pro 15ft Bu Version.
Daiwa tournament pro RS power float 15ft
Free spirit original hiS special power float 15ft
New version HiS unlikely to come in under budget
Shimano match rods labeled SPC again Iā€™d look at 15footers personally. The ultegra, technium, Antares, and loads more are all great big fish rods.
Thereā€™s the current range of Daiwa connoisseurs available now in power float versions 3-8lb lines. I donā€™t know what they are like but Iā€™m told from reliable sources they donā€™t touch the original Z
 
Richard Isaacs said:
A 14ft daiwa xp is an excellent rod for a ā€œdedicatedā€ barbel rod and as Jon said above the conny is a real contender.

I think the second hand market and some patience is going to provide the best chance for you.

Some that Iā€™d be looking for would be daiwa conny or spectron in 14ft xp versions.
Daiwa tournament pro 15ft Bu Version.
Daiwa tournament pro RS power float 15ft
Free spirit original hiS special power float 15ft
New version HiS unlikely to come in under budget
Shimano match rods labeled SPC again Iā€™d look at 15footers personally. The ultegra, technium, Antares, and loads more are all great big fish rods.
Thereā€™s the current range of Daiwa connoisseurs available now in power float versions 3-8lb lines. I donā€™t know what they are like but Iā€™m told from reliable sources they donā€™t touch the original Z
Click to expand...
Thanks Richard
Much appreciated šŸŽ£
 
Danny Moss said:
Hi all
Can anybody recommend a good barbel float rod.
Was looking at the mark tunley but would like recommendations on others
ThanksšŸŽ£
Click to expand...
I picked up a 15ft shimano specimen match float rod from flea bay a couple of months agoā€¦.been really impressed so far, matched it up with a 5000 shimano x aero reel and it is surprisingly well balanced to hold for longer sessions. Used it on the Severn for and had fish to 8Ib on it in heavy flows, and also fun with chub. Got mine for Ā£75 but have seen them cheaperā€¦.worth looking out for. I wanted to make sure the float fishing for barbel bug really bit before splashing out on something more expensiveā€¦.it has, so before next season a free spirit rod will be on the list
 
Richard Isaacs said:
Thereā€™s the current range of Daiwa connoisseurs available now in power float versions 3-8lb lines. I donā€™t know what they are like but Iā€™m told from reliable sources they donā€™t touch the original Z
Click to expand...

I bought one of these (the current power float rod) a few days ago, thinking it might be a good general purpose, perch, chub and 'just-in-case-I-hit-a-barbel', type of rod... as alternative to an Acolyte Plus.

I was wrong - it's very much a power float rod, with little flex in the butt section and a mid-to-tip action. Lovely rod, but it takes me over budget if I then need a general purpose float rod as well.

I'm an absolute beginner with barbel, so take my comments with that in mind, but I'd say it might be a perfect barbel rod, and probably not so much fun if targeting other species under 3lb.
.
 
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