I want a float rod.

[chrisjpainter]

I want something to fish for silvers really. If the odd carp comes along, so be it, but really I want something that's designed for skimmers, bream, roach etc. on small stillwaters that won't bounce small fish off because it has too much oomph.

So many seem to have line ratings of 4-8lb, which feels like they're actually designed for carp on the basis that too much power is better than too little, which isn't really what I want! I can't really justify spending more than the around the £100 mark and it's not going to be used for pellet waggler tactics, so has anyone got any suggestions? Due to undergrowth entanglements, 11ft's really a maximum.

I saw Drennan's Carp Waggler Rod, which despite saying it's a carp waggler (not pellet), only has a rating of up to 5lb which sounds reasonable, but any other ideas or advice gratefully received.

 

[The Sogster]

I think most short rods are aimed at commercial fisheries, so tend to have higher line ratings.
Shakespeare do a couple of 11ft rods at around £60 superteam and sk concept which seem aimed at 'normal' waggler fishing. I can't vouch for them though.

Maybe second hand? Drennan matchpro ultralight 11ft is rated to 3 to 4lb, sadly long discontinued.

Or as a curveball what about a whip?

 

[Crystal Bend]

At that length and price bracket it'll be hard to find a light action rod.
You could look out for an 11ft Drennan Matchpro Ultralight \ Acolyte Ultra Rod on eBay with a broken top section or post in the Wanted Section.
Then you could cut it back 14" from the top & splice a Carbon Donkey Top into it from Guides n Blanks.
Once you cut the rod back measure the ope so you'll know what thickness Carbon Tip to order.
Then you could email them and explain what you are trying to achieve and they'll add the recommended eyes to your order to complete the job.
You can order your desired colour silk whipping thread from Pipers Silks as used by Graeme Pinkerton on the The Float Hut on YouTube.

This isn't my idea by the way, I read about it in the excellent must read The Rising Antenna by Jim Baxter.
In the Dave Frost's chapter on Long Range Waggler Fishing he wasn't quite happy with the action of his Drennan 12ft Matchpro Ultralight for Silver Fishing so he carried out the above which I think is a brilliant idea as you'll virtually end up with a Browning 11ft 3in Sphere Hot Rods Silver Edition Float Rod (CW 0-5g).
I have a 12ft Matchpro Ultralight Rod with 1" missing off the top & this is what I intend to do with it but might get somebody to carry out the work though as I'll probably make a bags of it!

https://www.guidesnblanks.com/p/carbon_glass_tip_sections

https://www.pipers-silks.com/420-fine-twisted-silk-100m

 

[John Aston]

My Acolyte Ultra 12 ft is just divine for silver fish. It's caught some carp and tench , and managed ok, but it's a rod where an 8 oz fish feels like an event , and a pounder a thrill .

 

[nottskev]

As suggested earlier, this one

11ft MatchPro Ultralight | Drennan International

At just 11ft (3.35m) the 11ft MatchPro Ultralight is perfect for all silverfish, F1s and small carp.It is particularly well suited to small, shallow commercial waters, especially where regular casting and retrieving is involved.Although the rod is crisp and fast it has a deceptively gentle shock...

www.drennantackle.com

is often held up as an excellent rod and fits the bill as you describe it. They weren't too expensive, and you'll find one or two advertised new for £75 -£80. Whether they are in stock, I don't know. I have one here, unused back-up, as I have something older, rarer and much dearer that I use for light floatfishing, and I suspect that I'd contrive to break it somehow if I sold the Drennan. They do come up on ebay, but none at the moment.

 

[ian g]

I have an acolyte carp waggler @ 12 ft , lovely rod though I would say mis named . I have caught silvers on it and enjoyed the experience . I had a match pro ultralight @ 12ft , managed to break it through my incompetence . This was also a great silver fish rod and worth looking out for on ebay etc.

 

[mikench]

Another nod for the Matchpro Ultralight. Mine is the 12’ . Other rods I could recommend are all 13’ or longer.

 

[markcw]

Drennan crystalite .
Line rating to about 2.8lb and hooklength to about 1.8lb
Brilliant action and will handle bonus fish .mines the 12' not sure if they did 11'
They pop up on auction sites .

 

[sam vimes]

If you are going for really light line fishing, especially in conjunction with barbless hooks, you might be well served looking for old "canal" float rods (or the exceeding rare more modern incarnations). The various incarnations of Drennan Crystalight also fall into this category. Reasonably modern "canal" rods are increasingly rare, most predate the use of screw winch reel fittings. I have 12' Normark Microlite 2000, Fox Mark Pollard Canal and Browning Sphere Hotrods Silvers Edition in mind. Tricast have a history of producing Canal rods, but I've no idea what their later offerings were.

The recent or current alternatives are likely to be the Acolyte Ultra and Matchpro Ultralight that many are mentioning. The snag, as in most cases, is that the Matchpro Ultralight is not current. As has often been the case in the last twenty years, really light actioned float rods that are currently available are very limited.

 

[markcw]

If you are going for really light line fishing, especially in conjunction with barbless hooks, you might be well served looking for old "canal" float rods (or the exceeding rare more modern incarnations). The various incarnations of Drennan Crystalight also fall into this category. Reasonably modern "canal" rods are increasingly rare, most predate the use of screw winch reel fittings. I have 12' Normark Microlite 2000, Fox Mark Pollard Canal and Browning Sphere Hotrods Silvers Edition in mind. Tricast have a history of producing Canal rods, but I've no idea what their later offerings were.

The recent or current alternatives are likely to be the Acolyte Ultra and Matchpro Ultralight that many are mentioning. The snag, as in most cases, is that the Matchpro Ultralight is not current. As has often been the case in the last twenty years, really light actioned float rods that are currently available are very limited.

I think there was a tricast vinnie smith canal road on flea bay this week

 

[chrisjpainter]

Update: In the end I backed off the price, deciding it won't be used that much as I mostly fish with the feeder. I bought a Daiwa Ninja match, which has been performing very nicely for a cheap rod. I've been able to hit the bites from palm width sized roach and rudd, but landed a 14lb rogue carp on it too. But it's a lot of fun with the 2/3lb tench and the bigger silvers, so it's all I really need right now!

 

[The Sogster]

Glad you're sorted.

Oddly I've considered your new rod as an option for a carp puddle I occasionally visit, what's the line rating and what are you using?

 

[chrisjpainter]

Glad you're sorted.

Oddly I've considered your new rod as an option for a carp puddle I occasionally visit, what's the line rating and what are you using?

It says 3-10lb, but I wouldn't load it up with anything beyond 6 really. Playing the 14lb common was an interesting experience. It took 20mins to get in and for a lot of that I couldn't move it. I could slow the runs and bring it to a standstill, but nothing more until the fish was properly exhausted. It took a good 5 minutes of recovery help to go back strong.

I have a power float as well and and that's got so much more backbone to it. This was the first fishing instance where I genuinely felt I was at the very limit of what the rod could do. But the trade is it does cast light wagglers perfectly acceptably and I'm not bumping off the smaller fish.

My mainline's either 4 or 5lb, I can't remember which, but the hooklength was 3lb. That seems to be a good fit for this rod.

 

[The Sogster]

Thanks Chris, not for me then. I had looked considering the higher line ratings sounds like your power float/ pellet waggler would suit better for me.

 

[jul3s]

I think if you don't want to break the bank, then I would seriously consider the aero X1 or the Diawa Matchman rods. for a lot less than £50 you get a cracking soft playing rod, with the backbone to play the occasional big one. I have had both and have played fished for silver fish over winter and landed carp up to 15lb on both. Although i have moved on from these rods, I still keep the Aero X1 for silver fishing on canals

 

[chevin4]

Drennan crystalite .
Line rating to about 2.8lb and hooklength to about 1.8lb
Brilliant action and will handle bonus fish .mines the 12' not sure if they did 11'
They pop up on auction sites .

Agree cracking rod which I had brought a friends when he was selling his. I think his was the later version built on IM8 carbon. Ideal for small stream trotting I guy I know has had several double figure barbel on his whilst fishing for roach

 

[alantherose]

Have you looked at the Cadence CR10 11ft #1? Jon Arthur has a video where he uses one on a canal, and there's a Cadence video where James Robbins fishes Grand Union with one. I have this rod and it is lovely for the sort of fishing you've described.

 

[mikench]

And there is one for sale and open to offers on eBay.

 

[chrisjpainter]

I'm actually all sorted. The cadence, whilst it looks like a great rod would probably be overkill. I'm happy enough with the Daiwa Ninja I bought