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Small river barbel rod

Simon Rolph said:
Davis Tackle Harrison Avon rod. They do a 1.25 Avon which is 11ft and a Stepped up 1lb 10 0z version. I have the stepped up version and it’s superb for smaller river / chalk streams and for hit and hold fishing. They are built by Harrison’s for them
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I have a pair of the lighter rod, which are labelled 1.4lb (which is nearer 1lb 6oz than 4oz), they will stop anything. I even use them in high water on the Loddon and Kennet; landing fish to 16lb+. I have never felt under gunned, but to anyone watching it would appear so; the rod is at times is looped to the handle.
To quote Damian
'Harder on you - easier on the fish' perfectly describes the misconception of power in a rod when it comes to playing a fish.
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Mark Tunley gets it right... a shorter all through action rod puts more pressure on the fish. It feels as though we aren't putting anything at our end, but the pressure lb's at the other end..........
When using my 12ft 1.75lb Torrex, it feels as though I am piling the pressure on, yet the fish always feel as they have more control!!!!
 
Really like the seeker su blanks, just a shame the factory builds are very hit and miss quality wise. Had a 1.5, 1.75 and 2lb 11 foot torrix and just don’t like the blank in any weight for some reason (however i also prefer freespirit carp rods to harrison). Have now got a seeker su built by john hennessy for the loddon and kennet and love it and can’t see me ever changing it.
 
Paul Deans said:
Hi David,

I fish the Nidd for barbel most weeks.
Absolutley endorse the Torrix 11ft 1,75.

Used it for a good number of years, enough grunt to handle some 9+ fish
and great fun with the smaller splashers, fun with the chub also.

Also excellent with those super tight swims.
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Thanks Paul.
 
Watching this thread with interest . I currently use FS Barbel tammer 11 ft 2lb tc for Nidd but looking at upgrading next season to Torrix 11 ft ( Da ve Lumb ding the 2lb)
 
Richard Isaacs said:
It’s certainly not Harrison’s biggest seller.
The 12footer i believe goes out the door a lot more often.

Why?? ……. I’ll never know 😂
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The 12' 1.75 is a very good stillwater rod, it's a very good casting tool and used by a lot of roach, tench and bream anglers for feeder work. As such it does make a good all-round specialist rod. It wouldn't be my choice as a dedicated barbel rod though, the C2 beats it hands down, imho. It's all subjective though.
 
Hello David

Your quest to find the perfect rod probably comes down to your personal choice and lots of good rods have already been mentioned.

I prefer a more through action rod of ten to eleven feet (a GTI 1.75 and a centrepin) when playing a fish in tight situations. Sudden movements are absorbed which reduces hook pulls. You can pile on pressure when needed but a big fish will probably kite into a snag whatever rod you are using.

I often use 15lbs Hydro Tuf line due to the abrasion on the line when a fish runs across gravel and mussels or through cabbage and rushes etc but I will ignore a ‘suicide’ swim where the likelihood of fish injury is high.

You could argue that my tackle is not balanced because the line is too heavy but my priority is landing the fish and I do not want to be cut off and leave a fish tethered or trailing a length of line. A rating of a pound and three quarters is relative and it is only an indication of the rods power. It does not indicate the playing action or the actual load it can apply to a fish when bent.

Every swim has hazards and it is easy to ignore the probability that the fish will quickly find a snag. We need to realistic as to whether we can land the fish using the tactics that we are using.

Fred Crouch used to fish a friend of mine at Kings Weir which is quite a small weir and everyone can see what is happening. The old weir supports were a tackle graveyard and the fish would sit in the timbers waiting for freebies. He would fish an unpopular swim and draw the fish out by careful feeding. The number of barbel he caught was amazing.

I may have come away from the point of your post but other factors may need top be considered when choosing the best rod for the job.
 
Garry Hall said:
Hello David

Your quest to find the perfect rod probably comes down to your personal choice and lots of good rods have already been mentioned.

I prefer a more through action rod of ten to eleven feet (a GTI 1.75 and a centrepin) when playing a fish in tight situations. Sudden movements are absorbed which reduces hook pulls. You can pile on pressure when needed but a big fish will probably kite into a snag whatever rod you are using.

I often use 15lbs Hydro Tuf line due to the abrasion on the line when a fish runs across gravel and mussels or through cabbage and rushes etc but I will ignore a ‘suicide’ swim where the likelihood of fish injury is high.

You could argue that my tackle is not balanced because the line is too heavy but my priority is landing the fish and I do not want to be cut off and leave a fish tethered or trailing a length of line. A rating of a pound and three quarters is relative and it is only an indication of the rods power. It does not indicate the playing action or the actual load it can apply to a fish when bent.

Every swim has hazards and it is easy to ignore the probability that the fish will quickly find a snag. We need to realistic as to whether we can land the fish using the tactics that we are using.

Fred Crouch used to fish a friend of mine at Kings Weir which is quite a small weir and everyone can see what is happening. The old weir supports were a tackle graveyard and the fish would sit in the timbers waiting for freebies. He would fish an unpopular swim and draw the fish out by careful feeding. The number of barbel he caught was amazing.

I may have come away from the point of your post but other factors may need top be considered when choosing the best rod for the job.
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Thanks Garry. I'm edging toward a through actioned rod myself fishing 12lb nylon and capable of casting/lobbing around 4- 5oz when needed in flood water, but that wont be very often i don't think. I'll check out the line you use as i hav'nt heard of it before.
 
David Robson said:
Thanks Garry. I'm edging toward a through actioned rod myself fishing 12lb nylon and capable of casting/lobbing around 4- 5oz when needed in flood water, but that wont be very often i don't think. I'll check out the line you use as i hav'nt heard of it before.
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The GTI is not the tool for 4oz leads unless you are literally dropping them off the rod end
It is perfect for big fish in small venues and it has a lovely through action but it doesn’t have the rigidity in the blank to propel heavier loads like your talking about. If your wanting a rod to do both your probably going to have to make a sacrifice on the softer action and get something like a Torrix.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
The GTI is not the tool for 4oz leads unless you are literally dropping them off the rod end
It is perfect for big fish in small venues and it has a lovely through action but it doesn’t have the rigidity in the blank to propel heavier loads like your talking about. If your wanting a rod to do both your probably going to have to make a sacrifice on the softer action and get something like a Torrix.
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Agree….I use GTIs on the Ouse and they are superb, great stopping power and lovely to play fish in. But chucking out anything more than a couple of ozs you lose all finesse and accuracy and probably risk an expensive accident
 
I've used 11ft 1.75 gti's for over 20 years (incidentally more powerful than the 12ft version) on small and big rivers, even the Trent with 10ft of extra water on; always with a c'pin; have had barbel to 18+; have never used more than 2oz
 
Paul Rogers said:
Forgot to mention above, I use a centre pin too, as Mark Swaby said earlier, you can wind against pressure and have so much more control than relying on a drag of the fixed spool.
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I used a pin once whilst stalking, everything was fine and enjoyed the fight catching a 9lber. After returning the fish safely, I remembered my hand was smarting a bit, looked at my knuckles and realised the pins handles had wrapped them. Bloody hurt! 😂😂
 
Paul Whiteing said:
I've used 11ft 1.75 gti's for over 20 years (incidentally more powerful than the 12ft version) on small and big rivers, even the Trent with 10ft of extra water on; always with a c'pin; have had barbel to 18+; have never used more than 2oz
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Got the GTI's arriving soon, Roger apparently whipped the wrong eyes on so has redone the job... 🙄
 
Some really excellent posts on this thread. The wealth of knowledge, through experience, is quite staggering. Keep it up, Gents, as it makes wonderful reading. Actually surprised this thread has kept going - usually a closed-season topic!

I have nothing to add other than catching a big barbel using a 'pin on a through-actioned rod is really like nothing else. So much control and 'feel'. One can almost anticipate each run of the fish. I use braid, which, in my humble opinion, accentuates all in the previous sentences.

I spent a small fortune during the closed season on a pair of custom rods and two new shimano fixed spool reels. Albeit lovely rods (Evoke blanks made up by Andy Sliwa - who I can't recommend highly enough) and super smooth reels - I've used them twice this season out of three sessions, and felt like I'd almost betrayed my soul! Anyway, enough of that! 🤣
 
Richard Parsons said:
Some really excellent posts on this thread. The wealth of knowledge, through experience, is quite staggering. Keep it up, Gents, as it makes wonderful reading. Actually surprised this thread has kept going - usually a closed-season topic!

I have nothing to add other than catching a big barbel using a 'pin on a through-actioned rod is really like nothing else. So much control and 'feel'. One can almost anticipate each run of the fish. I use braid, which, in my humble opinion, accentuates all in the previous sentences.

I spent a small fortune during the closed season on a pair of custom rods and two new shimano fixed spool reels. Albeit lovely rods (Evoke blanks made up by Andy Sliwa - who I can't recommend highly enough) and super smooth reels - I've used them twice this season out of three sessions, and felt like I'd almost betrayed my soul! Anyway, enough of that! 🤣
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Ive bought myself a RW Rolling Pin for the same reason, when i eventually buy the right rod that will complement it.
 
David Robson said:
Ive bought myself a RW Rolling Pin for the same reason, when i eventually buy the right rod that will complement it.
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Let us know what you buy, David. Sounds like the GTI is a prime suspect. I use a Hexagraph Avon No 2 (Ray Walton version). There are so few about and no longer made, so I can't really recommend it.
 
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