New Cadence rod...

[chevin4]

So there's a rod on the market with Barbel and 3lb on the butt? I don't want want one, but it doesn't bother me if some do. The phrase "barbel fishing" suggests it's always much the same thing, but in reality the conditions and demands can be worlds apart. I fished for barbel through the summer, and caught them on: an old but classy 13' float rod; a pellet waggler rod; an Avon rod; a 1.75 lb barbel rod; a 2lb + barbel rod labelled Snag and Flood, and a 10' 2.75 lb rod for places where the snags overhead are as bad as the ones in the water. I love it when you can fish "pretty" with the more lightweight gear, but, the gear has to match the demands and one size does not fit all. For just one example, in swims where the barbel live amongst and just past the rocks shoring up the bank, a rod that bends a lot, say a 12' 1.75 Torrix, generally a pleasure to use with its flexible top section, can become a liability, as it keeps bending as you try to stop the fishes first bolt, and this gives the fish the small margin it needs to pull your line across the rocks and snags and cut you off. The Chimera Snag and Flood, clue in the name, stops that happening much more effectively.

Just as I was looking at this thread, I noticed social media stuff from a group of anglers who fish a complex on the lower middle Trent that has a clutch of big pits and a prolific stretch of river. The posts show anglers have been fishing overnight for barbel, with the exception of a day or two at the height of the floods, throughout this long period of high water. The conditions are something else. An angler asks if his 5 oz leads will be ok, and gets answers that 10oz won't hold in some swims, but 8oz should do. There is no chance I'll ever go in for anything like this, but I'm not about to try and tell them what rods they should be using. It's an angling niche, and the 3lb Barbel Rod a niche product the vast majority can just ignore.


The debate around what gear barbel anglers should use comes around regularly

https://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/threads/has-barbel-tackle-gone-to-far.361278/

Very interesting thread which predates my time on FM. There is a probably an argument for a 3lb tc barbel rod on parts of the Trent but not for me. Its horses for courses similar to golf I guess where sometimes it's necessary to get the number 1 wood out the bag. I love float fishing for tench but if they fish are at range I will get the Drennan Bream Tench 2lb tc rods out the holdall

 

[@Clive]

I see that Cadence (and a lot of the other makes) no longer sell 1.5lb 12ft Barbel rods, but that’s probably because everyone these days has to have heavier and heavier test curve rods with very large feeders, so they just don’t seem to sell. I often go down to my 1.5lb Barbel rod in low and clear conditions and love using it.

Keith

I was looking for one a while back. My old Shimano Alivio 1.5 tc Barbel Quiver / Avon could do with updating. It seems 1.75lb tc is the lowest in 'Barbel' rods at 12 foot these days. Bobco have some Greys TXL 1.75lb at sixty quid which is an absolute steal.

 

[chevin4]

I was looking for one a while back. My old Shimano Alivio 1.5 tc Barbel Quiver / Avon could do with updating. It seems 1.75lb tc is the lowest in 'Barbel' rods at 12 foot these days. Bobco have some Greys TXL 1.75lb at sixty quid which is an absolute steal.

Harrison produce 12ft 1.5tc barbel rods. Also Free Spirit.

 

[@Clive]

Harrison produce 12ft 1.5tc barbel rods. Also Free Spirit.

The Alivio cost thirty quid new. I've had my money's worth

 

[Philip]

I see that Cadence (and a lot of the other makes) no longer sell 1.5lb 12ft Barbel rods

I belive Cadence do make a 12 foot 1.5 tc rod it just doesnt have a "Barbel" label assigned to it...check under their "specimen" range..

I recently chatted to Hugh about this rod, he didn't like the cork handle, I found it excellent, we are all different, my two gripes are this, the common one being the rod bag, which is pathetic, the other, more of a problem imo, is the ringing, I think that it could do with at least one, maybe two more rings on the tip as when float fishing and playing half tidy fish there is a noise which I relate to angles between the guides...

Actually its funny you mention that about the DV 0.75 rod as I am not a fan of the handle either …I think they got the length about right (I dont like too much sticking out behind my elbow when I have my hand on the reel seat) but I don’t like the feel which comes across as a bit cheap to me but of course they are building it to a price so I don’t really blame them for that. I am happy for them to skimp a bit on the handle if it means I get a better blank.

Regards the ringing I have not used it yet but one thing I did notice that I pointed out to the guys in the shop when I purchased it was that the tip ring I felt was too low set for my liking…the one on display in the shop in particular is really small. The one on the rod I purchased looks a bit larger but still too low I recon.

I purchased the 0.75 rod as was looking for a shorter rod to fish for some large Roach on the float on some small streams I know. I wanted something no longer than 11 foot (10 foot would have been even better) & light enough to handle a good Roach but also any Chub that may put in an appearance and this seemed about right so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Re the rod bag, yep the DV range is famous for the naffness of the rod bags! … but believe it or not I got the feeling they may have “upgraded” these slightly (its all relative of course) as the one I got with the 0.75 rod while still incredibly naff was different to the one I got with the 8 foot DV quiver rod a few years back which was even worse. …crikey now that rates as the worst rod bad EVER …literally a paper thin dish rag would do a better job. I think they do a more robust purpose built rod sleeve as an option.

One positive is that their claimed replace for life guarantee does seem to be honored…I snapped the middle section of the 8 foot quiver and the TB replaced that without question. On the less positive side is that it snapped through no obvious fault of my own, literally flicking out a tiny eighth ounce link ledger, no wrap round or anything & the top extremity of the middle section cracked & folded so I am not too sure about the longevity of the rods but for less than £50 I am not expecting miracles either.

 

[chevin4]

Harrison produce 12ft 1.5tc barbel rods. Also Free Spirit.

Have a look at the Drennan Duo 12ft 1.50 although it is classed as an allround specimen rod it should be OK for Barbel in many situations

 

[Alan Whitty]

I believe the Darent Valley rod is an excellent blank and I don't mean carbon content or anything like that, purely based on action, just a nice bit of kit...

 

[Philip]

I believe Kevin Peat had a big input into (most) of the range. If you ever are down that way its well worth having a chat with him about them.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I went there to pick mine up, I picked up their extending landing net handle too, that is a sound bit of kit too, not as light as the Drennan, but a darn sight more reliable...

 

[Philip]

I had one of those, landed alot of fish on that but I found it a bit too slim to grip properly so it twisted easily in a current. I ended up losing it in the river after I stupidly unscrewed the head to land a fish in an awkward swim and the current pulled the loose handle out of my hand and away it sank. I replaced it with a Drennan.

 

[Steve Arnold]

The Alivio cost thirty quid new. I've had my money's worth

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I bought that very same model when it was in the AD sale and it's a good rod, I sold it on to Alistair as his Decathlon rods were really cheap and nasty! He had a 31 lb carp on that rod after I phoned him to join me at a nice swim! Better action rod than the Greys barbel rod that I was gifted, but the Greys is a three piece which I find more convenient.

Going back to the OP and 3 lb TC barbel rods ......without trying that Cadence rod I have no idea what the action might be like, and how it feels.

But I have a Korum "Big Water" rod (a 3-piece) that I bought for when the river is really running. It's 2.75 TC but the tip is almost floppy, the top half actually does bend with 4 lb barbel and it sits well in the current showing bites better than any carp rod. The butt half though has the power to fight a good fish, this year I have caught carp of 21, 27 and 35 pounds on it. The first was in February I think, the river was running quite hard and the stretch shallow. That 27 lb carp had the rod bent into the butt, but always managed to recover as I pumped the fish back upstream.

So it is possible to have a bendy rod even in those high test curves, but in the summer my Greys 1.5 tc barbel rod is much more fun to use for barbel and has still dealt with carp to 29 pounds. For a couple of years after moving here I used a 9.5' foot spinning rod, TC around one pound, for my barbel fishing and I caught plenty.

Of course on a big, deep, rocky river the heavy rods have so many applications. When I started using heavier rods on the river I felt I was back sea fishing! But you sometimes have to match the tools to the conditions, I have quite a collection now!

 

[steve2]

Isn't a 3lb barbel just a carp rod with a different name on the butt. Many anglers still fall for this type of sales gimmick when it come to fishing tackle.

 

[@Clive]

Isn't a 3lb barbel just a carp rod with a different name on the butt. Many anglers still fall for this type of sales gimmick when it come to fishing tackle.

Don't show your ignorance! The Barbel rod will have a white painted tip too. And a few more guides.

 

[Steve Arnold]

Isn't a 3lb barbel just a carp rod with a different name on the butt. Many anglers still fall for this type of sales gimmick when it come to fishing tackle.

At least Korum went with "Big Water" with their heavy rod, not specifying any species. I think it's only the UK market,where there are so many barbel fanatics, that "Barbel" a selling point.

The Big Water rod is quite different from any carp rod I have owned or tried, how many carp rods have a tip that sits like this on the river.....

......and yes, it comes with a white tip but could do with a couple more (smaller) guides. I am guessing the guide set was chosen for all the dross that gets washed down when a river is in spate, so I can live with that.

 

[Philip]

I have a feeling you will like the old Shimano powerloop rods Steve. They are some of the most parabolic (bendy!) carp rods I have ever come across. They strike me as being perfect big water Barbel rods for the type of fishing you do. Not sure how available they will be anymore but if I am ever down your way I'll bring a couple for you to look at.

 

[nottskev]

Cynicism about marketing is often justified. But there are rods which are definitely barbel rods and not just carp rods in disguise. I have rods, and I know of others, which have been made with tip (as opposed to bite alarm) bite indication in mind - a bit like what Steve is showing above - and have actions very different to the typical carp rod.

Are there so many barbel fanatics around? In the OO's, when numerous rivers had good barbel populations, there were even specialist monthly barbel magazines, barbel dvd's, books and a wide range of barbel gear in the ts's. I'd say there's far less of this type of thing these days, and, not that my own experience proves anything, I've gone from fishing regularly for barbel on 4 rivers to fishing on one, which luckily has lots. Others tell a similar story. Anybody who casually comments that barbel are the new carp needs to notice that carp are everywhere and barbel aren't.

 

[chevin4]

Don't show your ignorance! The Barbel rod will have a white painted tip too. And a few more guides.

And an allround anglers name on the butt section Bowler Taylor etc

 

[@Clive]

And an allround anglers name on the butt section Bowler Taylor etc

Bob James endorses some that are recommended for April barbel stalking.

 

[chevin4]

Bob James endorses some that are recommended for April barbel stalking.

They also make a decent Allis Shad rod apparently

 

[John Aston]

Cynicism about marketing is often justified. But there are rods which are definitely barbel rods and not just carp rods in disguise. I have rods, and I know of others, which have been made with tip (as opposed to bite alarm) bite indication in mind - a bit like what Steve is showing above - and have actions very different to the typical carp rod.

Are there so many barbel fanatics around? In the OO's, when numerous rivers had good barbel populations, there were even specialist monthly barbel magazines, barbel dvd's, books and a wide range of barbel gear in the ts's. I'd say there's far less of this type of thing these days, and, not that my own experience proves anything, I've gone from fishing regularly for barbel on 4 rivers to fishing on one, which luckily has lots. Others tell a similar story. Anybody who casually comments that barbel are the new carp needs to notice that carp are everywhere and barbel aren't.

The only river anglers I see 95% of the time in Yorkshire- Ouse , Swale, Ure and Derwent - are barbel anglers. Some take strength in numbers and set up their bivvies and tripods 5 metres apart ... The side effect is that I rarely see another angler on waters not rated for barbel and/or involving a walk of more than 5-10 minutes .