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Small rods just a faze?

Hi Terry.

No, not unless it was a very small stream. 10' across or so I'd happy use a 6' rod, look at YouTube, Carl and Alex fishing the upper Lea for barbel and chub. Six foot Scope rolling meat with just a shot on the line, 2lb t/c ideal. Really will open you eyes if you watch it.

But I'd be happy with a 9' 10' even on the Trent, again unless I'm trotting.

Cannot see any advantage in longer rods myself for river application. I'd just use a longer landing net? But that's just me!
 
Terry Simner said:
Re. your original question/query then.... so would you use 6ft rods for general barbel fishing?
Unless you're fishing in a jungle I can't see the advantage, or anything in their favour really.
Click to expand...

One thing is weight. If you are touch ledgering then a short rod weighs less. After 5 hours or so of touch ledgering you'll notice the difference!

Stephen
 
You would also be surprised at how burdensome and heavy 12ft rods feel after getting used to shorter rods. I was initially sceptical about the argument of shorter rods being more accurate to cast with...but they are indeed.
 
Stephen Bond said:
One thing is weight. If you are touch ledgering then a short rod weighs less. After 5 hours or so of touch ledgering you'll notice the difference!

Stephen
Click to expand...

Yeah, totally agree on the weight issue...though when I do touch leger I usually use a front rest/s. But for barbel I'm not a great fan of touch legering, I catch too many chub that way:) And yes, if I was fishing a (say) 10ft stream I'd use a much shorter rod than when fishing (say) the Severn. I have used a 6ft 'Stalking' rod on the Teme but found that, whilst it made scrambling through balsam easier, exerting any control over the direction of a hooked fish was greatly reduced. Barbel found refuge in nearside bank snags with greater ease when I used such a short rod.. I could get less of an 'angle' when angling, so to speak. Also at 6ft or so, the effectiveness of the rod as a 'shock absorber' whilst playing a fish is greatly reduced, compared to a 10-12ft rod...IMHO.
 
Gordon Bennet!. most club anglers back in 50s ,60s and 70s used either a light, medium or heavy caster, 7,ft or so of built cane for their lead and swimfeeder work, majority fishing thames or near london areas definately did so unless they were dedicated specimen hunters where built cane rods from around 10FT thru to 13 ft were used for special circumstances, the casting rods were more often than not displaying a positive set (bent or curved tip section) but most were still used and handled heavier fish well, nothing new here, in fact on riverwork in dark conditions before tip lights and modern alarms were available it was so much easier to spot the tiniest of knocks and movement from a short rod, especially with nice bright chrome rod rings and a decent torch stuck near the rod butt pointing in the air, short rods have their uses and modern spinning rodds can fit the bill quite well:)
 
Yes John, but I'd posit a guess that if those said Thames anglers of yore (60 odd yrs ago, before they'd invented colour :)) had access to 12ft carbon fibre rods, weighing a fair bit less than their 7ft rods, they would have only used the latter for bean-poles (even Gordon Bennet himself IMHO ;) ).
The 'good old days' are only "good" because they ARE gone now (sorry Loudon)
Surely its 'horses for courses'...but even more importantly, using what you actually enjoy using (well, unless you're a fashionista, then what's most important is.. what you're seen to be using)
ATBA
 
I have to agree with you Terry. If we go back 100 years instead of 50, anglers were using completely different rods again.
We all do the kind of fishing we enjoy using the kind of tackle we like fishing with.
If the guy in the next swim is using a 15mtr pole and not catching anything, I don't go up to him and point out he should be using a 10' feeder rod. Tomorrow he might be catching with his method and me blanking.
We all fish in a manner that we enjoy and that is all that matters.
 
well said mike, but remember built cane rods would never become popular unless they did the job, back in the early 60s glass rods were over heavy, ferrules become detatched from the glass rods then low and behold milbro brought out their enterprise ferruless rod around mid 60s and that changed a lot of opinions, me i have a fair few cane, early glass rods as well as my modern ones all perfectly serviceable:)
 
Whatever Mike/John... but I'll never go back to using a tank aerial. Remember those beasts :eek:
 
Short Rods

So
Someone said short rods were no good for Trotting, well I agree with that but for Rolling? no Way!!
I use a 10 footer for all my rolling and its ideal as I can hold it all day and its just the right size for feeling bites and following the line angle
 
Just brought a pair. The 9' 3lb for general stalking, and a 6' sawn off 2lb for my local river rolling meat, and small carp in a local lake. I have to say they are amazingly slim.

I had a 3 piece Harrison stalking rod, and this is just as nice if not better, slimmer I reckon.

Both have a good action, better than a pair of Greys stalking rods I still have. (will be sold.)If anyone doubt the strength of these rods, look at Nash video 2015 box dvd. River carp to 30lb stopped under trees twenties too. Amazing little rods.

Rolling meat on the 6' is so much fun. Tried it today what a blast.
 
I use a 10ft free spirit 2.25lb tc bank creeper and find it ideal , it is a very slim blank and plays fish very well. I was worried about the relative highish tc but as i tend to use 2-3oz leads and fish fairly close in the higher tc makes it spot on especially targetting biggish sized fish in fairly heavy weed, coupled with a daiwa ss2600 reel it all feels balanced and not overgunned , i still get to play fish not just winch them in so im v happy with mine, cant see me going back to 12ft again
 
Rolled meat again yesterday, and took 3 nice chub on the 6' Scope. If I'm being 100% honest a 9' rod would have been better, but managed well enough. Used one swan shot most of the time. No gizmos or gadgets, just old school fishing like in my youth.

With just the rod, reel, net waistcoat with leads and baits in. Bread, luncheon meat, and a pocket of mix pellets hemp and corn to use as ground bait. I roved all day, using the unhooking mat as a seat on the steep banks. Holding the rod all day no bank sticks or buzzers.

Met a nice guy fishing static and he had one fish and missed several bites.

Another guy had all his gear on a barrow, umbrella everything. Most of the swims are on such steep ground you cannot set up a chair, so how he managed I really don't know.

Interesting all my fish needed forceps to remove the size 4 barbless hook. It was cold and the river up a little, so not the best time to roll meat. But the little 6' rod was great fun to play fish on, and amazing to cast. I could put a bait on a sixpence under the far banks. Its one part of the small rod thing often missed by those that prefer larger rods, they cast much more accurately.

Please give it a go, its great fun. What a barbel would be like I'm still waiting to see?
 
Ressurect and old thread....

Has anyone used the new Korum xtnd range of 10ft rods ? Was looking at them the other day.

2.25 and 2.75 tc. I like using shorter rods just a little dubious if they would be ok on bigger rivers.
 
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