float Rod Advise

[Carpet Man]

Hi
As didn’t get any replies from my last post regarding the views on the Greys 13ft Prodigy TX Specialist Float rod, I can only assume that not many guys are familiar with this particular rod, can anybody recommend a reasonable float rod at a reasonable price to catch roach Bream etc
Many Thanks

[northern eye]

Arite Carpet Man. Aint used any of the Greys gear but the two rods I use for float fishing are good all round bits of kit. The Drennan Series 7 range are brilliant rods and the matching reels are spot on. Rods range from 70 - 90 quid and there are various waggler/feeder models and the reels are 30 - 35 quid, all well made and can handle all kinds of float fishing. I have the Series 7 Carp Waggler but there is also a 13' Silverfish Float model too and I can imagine this is just as good as the rest and perfect for your requirements - useful feature is they can be broken down to 11' or made up to a 13' rod. The feeder rods are also spot on if you are into feeder fishing or ledgering and I have the 11' carp feeder model. The other float rod I use is on the cheaper side, the Leeda Carp Match range and they are 30 - 40 quid a pop and handle light work or heavier waggler work easily. Hope this helps.

[Banana Steve]

click this blue link, Hi Everybody I am new

Hi again, might be worth looking at these two as i put on for one of your questions, they are good rods and even though they are not £100 rods, they are a good all rounder. Hope this helps

[northern eye]

Yeh forget to mention the new Drennan Red range, had a go and they are probably as good as the series 7's. I use Okuma reels and cant fault them at all - and a fraction if the price of Shimano whom I think make em??

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by Carpet Man

Hi
As didn’t get any replies from my last post regarding the views on the Greys 13ft Prodigy TX Specialist Float rod, I can only assume that not many guys are familiar with this particular rod, can anybody recommend a reasonable float rod at a reasonable price to catch roach Bream etc
Many Thanks

I use Greys Prodigy rods but have only used the Barbel & Specialist leger rods and therefore couldn't really comment on the Prodigy TX Specialist Float rod; although if its as good as the other Greys Barbel & Specialist rods then it won't be bad.
The rods I use for float fishing and can recommend personally are:

• For Roach and Rudd and smaller sized Bream (up to a max of around 4lb to 5lb) I use a 'Daiwa Amorphous Whisker 13ft light float rod' which was made to handle hook lengths down to around 8oz and up to around 3lb unfortunately this has no longer been sold for quite a long while, unless you can find one on eBay, but it is a brilliantly light and well balanced float rod.
• For either fishing deep swims of between 15ft to 17ft deep without having to use a slider, or for trotting tight against the far bank below the rod tip for large Roach and Chub on small streams and rivers I use a 17ft/20ft Shakespeare Annexe match rod.
  This is rated for lines up to the 4lb mark.
• For Tench, Crucians and slightly larger Bream (which I suspect the Greys 13ft Prodigy TX Specialist Float rod that you mentioned is also designed for) I use a 13ft MKIV Drennan Tench float rod. I also use this when trotting streams for Barbel.
  This has a surprisingly thin and responsive blank, which is made to handle lines and braids between 3lb and 8lb
• I bought the wife a 13ft Mitchell 'Commercial float rod' for £15 once at a trade show and despite the cheap price this has been a good rod for Tench, Bream and small carp up to around the 10lb mark plus I have also used it a couple of times for trotting the near bank for Barbel and Chub with no problems.

I would have no qualms about buying the Greys Prodigy Specialist Float rod if I needed a replacement float rod, or if I had some spare cash, a Harrisons 15ft float rod for trotting a float after Chub and Barbel.

As others have already mentioned; Drennan also make brilliant rods.

Good luck on your final choice of rod, there are some good ones out there to choose from.

Originally Posted by northern eye

Yeh forget to mention the new Drennan Red range, had a go and they are probably as good as the series 7's. I use Okuma reels and cant fault them at all - and a fraction if the price of Shimano whom I think make em??

Northern eye, re: the reels; I read somewhere that it was the other way round and that Okuma at one time used to manufacture reels for Shimano. I don't know how true it is though.
But I agree Okuma do make some excellent reels.

tight lines

Keith (BoldBear)

[northern eye]

Cheers Keith. I will check into the Okuma/Shimano thing - great little website by the way. A 20ft rod??? That sounds crazy - is that not a bit awkward to use?

[BoldBear]

Hi northern eye,
The shakespeare annexe 17/20ft float rod although a little heavy compared to a normal 13ft rod was one of the classic 20ft rods that were on the market and compared to most other 20ft rods it was lighter and more subtle.

I won several club team matches using it in deep 12ft to 15ft swims several rod lengths out because I didn't really like using sliding floats.

I was recomended to using it on small streams for hugging the far bank for larger Roach by 'Ray Daywalker Clarke' who held the british Roach record a while ago when I mentioned the rod to him.

Its use is limited but it still deserves a place in my armoury and has caught me several nice roach and chub.

[northern eye]

Sounds like an interesting method - I have seen old photos of matchmen using really long rods on rivers and wondered what the hell they were doing. I take it that having the length is for greater control of the float and less line trailing on the water? Be interesting to have a go - Can you still buy these extra long rods - would be usefull for chub on the upper Tees where there are some narrow but deep glides and overhanging steep banks.

[chazyboi]

we used to call them bolognaise rods great for trotting deep rivers map used to make a great bolo rod ,wen you think about it its only a pole with a reel attached lol

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by chazyboi

we used to call them bolognaise rods great for trotting deep rivers map used to make a great bolo rod ,wen you think about it its only a pole with a reel attached lol

It is not strictly the same as a bolo rod but its almost the same.

It is basically just an extra long match rod which enables the angler to fish without the need for a sliding float, it allows the angler to fish and cast with wagglers in really deep swims a few rod lengths out away from the bank and out of reach of a Pole plus use sensitive shotting to suit, instead of having to use a sliding float with its inherent bulk shotting.

As well as allowing the angler to use a waggler in deep water It also allows an angler to trot a stick/avon or balsa on the far side of small streams and keep their float tight against the far bank without their line being dragged away by currents moving away from the bank.

Because of its length It can be a little heavy compared to normal rods but can be worth its weight in gold if used for the right reasons.

I bought mine originally for fishing a series of matches on a particular venue where I knew that there were some deep swims where a lot of anglers struggled to catch fish because (a) they couldn't reach the most productive spots properly with their poles and (b) if they legered, in a lot of the swims their line would have to pass through thick marginal weed. plus I don't like using sliding floats.
I ended up winning two of the three matches and came 4th on the final match helping our team to win the series that year.

Mine doesn't see a lot of use now that I no longer fish matches and no longer fish the deep water I bought it for but very occasionally it still sees daylight if I need to trot a small stick/avon or balsa tight along the far bank where a pole is sometimes impractible because of the steep sloping bank behind me.