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Before there were Barbel rods / older rods

Neil Blood

Neil Blood

Senior Member & Supporter
I recently picked up an unused original Drennan IM6 Medium Feeder Rod, which still has the clear plastic covering over the cork handle and info label tied to the first line guide. The rod is over 30 years old and is immaculate!

The info label made me smile, as the rod has line rating of 3 to 5lb and claims to be an “excellent Thames Barbel rod” 🙂

Around 1990 when I first got into Barbel fishing, it was on the River Severn around Shrewsbury. There were masses of Barbel in the 3 to 7lb range. The rod everyone aspired to own was the Drennan Big Feeder, which was rated at 4 - 6lb line! That rod served me well, but I remember my first trip to the River Dove with it, during the late 1990’s. I hooked a Barbel like nothing I’ve hooked before, the rod locked up and it was a case of goodbye Mr Chips! The power of that fish, just shocked me. The next day I walked into my local tackle shop to find Drennan had just launched the Super Specialist Duo 12’ 1.5lb TC rod. This became my first serious Barbel rod…..

Regarding the Drennan Medium Feeder rod, I also picked up another for £35 a few months back, which was in surprisingly excellent condition! During the last few weeks of the season, I used it to target Perch to 3.10lb and Chub to just over 5lb. I really enjoyed using the rod and its just so robust compared to modern tip rods. Thicker walled carbon and double legged line guides throughout. 2 bits of inner tube were also added above and below the sliding reel seats to prevent slippage. I can strap it to my rod quiver no problem, and wouldn’t dream of doing that with a delicate Vertex or Acolyte tip rod.

I note on Fishflix that Martin Bowler also raves about some of the old Daiwa and Tricast tip rods, again from the 1990’s.
 

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My first big boys river rod was the Silstar Traverse X medium & heavy feeder rods. Used to chuck 2oz feeder fulls of maggots right across the Wye and were great in the day but like you say, probably wouldnt cope with the bigger barbel now. We were getting big bags of 4lb chub with the odd 5lb barbel in between the bridges in Hereford
 
Just remembered another rod i used to love (for light quivertipping on the dane) was a 7ft rod which the spare tips were kept in the butt (an annoying rattle but a good idea when travelling light). It was a brown/bronze blank and was from Aitken or Aiken. Must be another manufacturer that disappeared for whatever reason. My rod bag at the time was the same make and rolled up like a tool roll!
 
My local tackle shop in the 80's and 90's was Daves of Middlewich so there was a range of home made rods (I think they had a rod builder in house) which included a 10ft / 11ft medium feeder. It had a dolly section so very handy, and also had an avon style tip, plus normal quivers. It had no name on it but was a reasonable carbon blank, grey in colour but it did the business. I used it everywhere from the Dane, lots of ponds and lakes in Cheshire and Shropshire, and even used it on the Severn as more a rolling bait rod.
Having donated it to the local fishing club as I was having a clear out I did get a more up to date model (Tunley 1.5 TC Multip Tip 11ft 6) but I really miss that rod as it was so versatile. I hope someone is getting some use from it now so sometimes it's the rod with no name that we cherished the most, or I did. Never found out who made the rods from Daves but maybe Nigel or Neil might know as think they are local.
 
Carl Massey said:
My local tackle shop in the 80's and 90's was Daves of Middlewich so there was a range of home made rods (I think they had a rod builder in house) which included a 10ft / 11ft medium feeder. It had a dolly section so very handy, and also had an avon style tip, plus normal quivers. It had no name on it but was a reasonable carbon blank, grey in colour but it did the business. I used it everywhere from the Dane, lots of ponds and lakes in Cheshire and Shropshire, and even used it on the Severn as more a rolling bait rod.
Having donated it to the local fishing club as I was having a clear out I did get a more up to date model (Tunley 1.5 TC Multip Tip 11ft 6) but I really miss that rod as it was so versatile. I hope someone is getting some use from it now so sometimes it's the rod with no name that we cherished the most, or I did. Never found out who made the rods from Daves but maybe Nigel or Neil might know as think they are local.
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No sorry, i’ve used Daves since they were in Lewin street and had a lot of their own branded items in the past including rods (i also had the burgundy & gold luggage set)Great shop with great people!
 
I have the same rod I picked a few years back, I love it very much, it's robust, and the action is just amazing. Only problem is when putting the quiver on, its not two equal sections, so transportation is a bit of pain, but on plus side, the quiver won't get damaged.

PS, Martin Bolwer also used this rod in some fishflix videos.
 
I've always favoured older rods than the latest models. Tbh I find the action and the overall feel of them much better. I've got a Drennan IM8 13ft Superfeeder, a pair of Drennan distance carp rods, 12ft, 2.75lb, and a pair of DAM Andy Little stalker rods, 8ft, 2.75lb. I'd sooner spend my money on quality and proven rods from the past.
 
Martin Hemington said:
Liked my Paul Boote rods 😊
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Still have the original Barbel 'Quiver' and the Barbel 'Trotter' though possibly Nick Whipp had taken over Graham Phillips Rod's by the time I bought that one. The Barbel Trotter is an excellent rod and I still use it quite a bit. Particularly good for trotting lumps of bread for Chub I find. At the other end I have caught Chub over 7 on it trotting maggots on an 18.
 
I have a 11ft im6 light feeder, I think its only been used twice since I got it new.
I like how the two tips are stored in the handle, held in place via a rubber handle cap.
I used a m8 of mines im6 medium feeder numerous times and it was great. I never had the im6 heavy feeder due to having the im8 feeder rods.
I had a im8 12ft superfeeder, but I gifted it to a m8 of mine as he wanted a pair.
I still have some othe older feeder rods but only have two of the older float rods.
I do regret letting my "original" drennan im9 13 and 14ft float rods go, along with a few other older rods.
 
Seem to remember Len Arbury landing a 14+lb Barbel from the Stour on either the medium or light version of that rod and 6lb line to win the Drennan cup around 1990. Maybe that was where the river Thames Barbel rod reference came from. I still have all three versions.
 
I was gonna post, there was an improve your coarse fishing article with Len on barbel fishing in the 90's and I'm sure in that piece he was using a Drennan 1.25lb and also the im8 bomb rod.
 
Mark Swaby said:
Seem to remember Len Arbury landing a 14+lb Barbel from the Stour on either the medium or light version of that rod and 6lb line to win the Drennan cup around 1990. Maybe that was where the river Thames Barbel rod reference came from. I still have all three versions.
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I think it was the light version.

2 mates of mine used the heavy version for a while - but stopped when they realised that they were losing fish on them because the action caused the rod to ‘lock up’ under compression and then pull hooks out. I remember watching one of them lose a big fish at Avoncliffe on the BA one night with that rod.
 
I've also got a IYCF in storage with Matt Haynes barbel fishing with the medium and heavy Drennan feeder rods and 8lb line.

Last night I also re-watched the go fishing episode on the Teme with John using his Avon quiver and a Mitchell 300 for Barbel. When Bowler revisits for fishflix it was 1.75 rods and 15lb line.

How things change.
 
The original Drennan Medium Feeder and Big Feeder, were very different rods. The MF has a nice through action, whereas the BF feeder was quite stiff and fast actioned. The BF was good for fishing at range with the carbon tip fitted, and with a bow in the line, waiting for drop back bites. A rod for small Barbel at best and if fished with heavier lines, beyond the stated line rating, it soon looked up! I used to fish with it on the Severn, using a 2oz Drennan oval blocked end feeder filled with hemp and caster.
 
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