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Deadbait rods?

D

Dan Whitelock

Senior Member
Hi all,
With the cold weather looming and me being in danger of becoming dangerously obsessed with chasing the big barbel on my local river, I'm going to be needing the odd respite from it. I've been Piking for years but have always used carp rods. Now I'm all grown up and moved out, my Dad has inherrited my Pike gear and I'm left without. I don't fish vast distances on pits, most of my Piking is done in the Fenland drains or on the Middle Great Ouse, however I do have the odd session on stillwaters.

So can anyone suggest a half decent, but not budget busting, rod for deadbaiting? Most of the dedicated bait rods I've found are 3lb tc+ with a hefty price tag, I was thinking more 2.25-2.5lb tc for the type of fishing I do.

Ta muchly,
Dan
 
Hi Dan,
Why don't you have a word with Nev Fickling at the Tackle Shop Gainsborough.
Most deadbait rods are going to be 3 lb + TC,..Daiwa Mission, Greys Prowler Platinum, Drennan E- Sox etc. all retail between 80 - 120 quid but are all 3 lb TC.
Many years ago I used to build my own rods and brought the blanks and rod furniture from Trevor Moss who then owned the Tackle Shop.
I brought a couple of 2.25 lb SS5 through action North Western blanks from Trev. purely for small river - drain work, still using them 30 years on !
I,ve got 3.5 TC rods for pits, but still prefer the lighter rods for river work.
Another favourite river pike rod of mine is actually a Bass rod,.so it pays to broaden yer horizons a bit! ;)
dt
 
That's kind of where my problem lies with rods labelled as deadbait rods: they all seem 3lb tc+. It's bit of a minefield with cheaper carp rods as it's the through action I like coupled with the lighter test curve for smaller waters, most rods with carp written on the blank seem a bit pokey...... I went to my parents house the other night and dug out my old Wychwood rogues, they were cheap as chips and I don't mind throwing them in the back of the van...... They seem to have a reasonable action from what I remember so I might give them a few weeks and see how I get along. Wifey wasn't keen on me buying more fishing rods when we have a holiday looming and vehicle to get through its MOT!
 
Have a word with Marty mucullam of (wye valley angling) sure he'll be able to see you right, tbh 3lb is a good all round tc, consider side of baits your using and pike you may encounter. Good strong tackle 50lb braid (15lb mono if braid isn't your thing) min and show em who's boss! Why prolong a fight with a under gunned tc.
 
I dunno, 3lb tc seems way too much for the small waters I fish...... I've had 20's out of my local drains on my 2.75 carp rods and never felt I needed anything heavier when it comes to landing fish. Surely the test curve is more important for casting and the action more important for fish playing action?
 
dan I've sent you a pm.

the important issue with pike rods is the ability to transmit power in a progressive way whilst being able to support the combined dead weight of float/lead/bait etc.

most carp rods are a completely different beast, usually having a fast action and tapers that are designed to quickly load the tip under the weight of a lead and a small bait.

a dedicated pike blank will have a much slower progressive action and a tip taper/construction designed to support a higher dead weight.

hence you'll find most 3lb tc carp rods will hurl a 3oz lead and boilie into the horizon.... but hang a 3oz lead, pike float and a 6oz dead/livebait on it and you'll be limited to a soft flick before the tip will "fold" or the bait flies off the hooks.

to begin with forget test curves, its the action that's important and then a case of scaling up/down to suit.

certainly don't compare test curves of carp to pike blanks , they are two completely different beasts. (ie a progressive pike blank with a tc of 2lb will be much more suited to your needs than a 3.5lb carp blank)
 
Good post Marty
With the possible exception of drifting rods, progressive action every time.
When piking rivers and drains I often fish less than a rod length and that shock absorber action prevents semi barbed hooks from being dislodged.
Times change...as NW ss5's were once a recognised catfish rod!
dt:)
 
I used the 11ft 2.5lb Greys Prowla for my local rivers and found it brilliant. I also use a 2.75lb Drennan Pikeflex, 10ft, as a roving rod when im travelling far and wide on the river.

A lot of the Pike rods are designed for trying to chuck a 6oz deadbait far out. However, 99% of the pike I catch are caught within two rod lengths of the bank.....(and I've had a few over the twenty mark to an ounce off 25lb).

I've never felt the need for a 3lb blank
 
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