Quiver tip rod used as float rod

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Would a stiff quiver tip be OK to use in s tip rod as a float rod or would the action not work

 

[nottskev]

Very much depends on the what and where. I was chubbing on a little river a while back and I only had a quiver tip rod on me - a Shimano Technium Specialist. I moved to a swim that asked for a float and trotted a Drennan Crystal Thingy with it. It wasn't ideal - the line flow through the titchy rings on the tip wasn't good - but I got one, and the action of the rod was neither here nor there. That said, I can think of lots of places where it would be a dog's breakfast and best left untried.

 

[Keith M]

I should think it should be fine as long as you are fishing your float fairly close and your swim isn’t too deep and your hook is really sharp, otherwise I suspect that your striking or pulling into your fish might be a bit feeble.

Keith

 

[sam vimes]

I'm a firm believer in using a rod that's appropriate for the task in hand. I won't make do if I can possibly help it. However, there are times when the perfect rod is not available and you've got to make do with whatever is at hand. I wouldn't go fishing with the intention of using a quiver tip rod for float fishing. It wouldn't stop me trying if it became necessary and there was nothing better available at the time.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

I was thinking of the odd occasion when I want to travel light and take one rod and have the option of float or tip

 

[Philip]

If thats the case & you want 1 rod to double up then as long as your keeping things light and not intending to use big feeders and so on I would be inclined to go the other way round ...use a float rod as a tip rod rather than a tip rod as a float rod...does that make sense ?

Nowadays I use quiver tips much less than I used to and touch ledger most of the time so a nice avon rod of about 1.25tc will cover most of the situations, float or ledger, on small to medium rivers.

 

[Keith M]

Or you could fit a screw threaded tip ring on the end of a float rod and take a short threaded quiver-tip or a Swingtip with you if you can get one. Just like a lot of us oldies used to do many years ago.

Keith

 

[peterjg]

I apologise in advance because this post is going a bit off topic but:

I do a lot of quiver tipping, they work and a feeder rod casts nicely. However; especially with difficult species like roach that don't tolerate resistance standard quivertips are wrong because as the bite develops resistance suddenly increases. That's why a swingtip or a springtip can be better (depending on venue). The early screw-in quivertips were made of parallel fibreglass and actually showed bites much better than a tapered one. Experiment and see for yourselves. The problem being that they were horrible to cast with. I've even made tapered quivertips which fitted back to front, they showed bites really well but the casting was awful. I'm sure there is much room for developing a range of parallel quiver tips.

I also very often use a bobbin with a feeder rod. I experimented in the garden (the neighbours must think I'm potty) and proved that there is far less resistance when using a bobbin with a very soft feeder rod than using a bobbin with say a standard Avon rod when casting 90 degrees downstream. The curved soft tip on the feeder rod bends thus reducing a lot of the friction. On fast rivers like the Kennet I often fish with a very soft feeder rod and a balanced bobbin, the bites are bigger and you have more time to react! Also you can use a buzzer and relax and not constantly hover over the rod.

I have also altered standard tapered tips by sanding down a section of the tip near the thick end to try to emphasise and slow bites. Eventually an enterprising tackle firm will introduce a specialist range of feeder rods with "adjusted" newly invented tips.

 

[@Clive]

I find that it is the hinge that often causes problems with swing tips. Assuming that you have 2 guides on a 9" - 12" swing tip, use a length of strimmer cord to attach it to the rod or screw adaptor. You can get away with latex tube on a small swing tip, but if you use a longer one the tip can rotate and twist. It is also important to lightly feather the line during the whole of the cast.

I agree with the comments above about using a float rod for quiver tipping rather than the other way around. As Philip says, quiver tips are counter productive on shy biting fish. I have an old ten foot 'glass Avon with a screw in tip ring that I have taken to using for swing tipping. When roach fishing on small rivers with a maggot feeder I have a clip on butt bite indicator like you used to see in the 1960's. It is perfect for the job.

 

[Keith M]

I find that it is the hinge that often causes problems with swing tips. Assuming that you have 2 guides on a 9" - 12" swing tip, use a length of strimmer cord to attach it to the rod or screw adaptor. You can get away with latex tube on a small swing tip, but if you use a longer one the tip can rotate and twist. It is also important to lightly feather the line during the whole of the cast.

I used to make my own swingtips and I found that If I placed the first ring of the Swingtip (nearest the rod) right up tight against the flexible rubber connection then I didn't get the problem with the line occasionally wrapping over the rubber hinge part, which some of my friends occasionally had.

Keith

 

[Golden Eagle]

Definitely a light float rod for legering would be my preference rather than the other way round.

 

[stevejay]

Several of my mates used a Team Normark No 2 Quiver rod as a float rod in canal matches I fished in the pre pole era. That was when super soft float rods were the norm for small roach and skimmers on delicate hooklengths, so depending on the target species and venue I think it could work.

 

[xenon]

I was thinking of the odd occasion when I want to travel light and take one rod and have the option of float or tip

Better in that instance to quiver with a float rod? Sensitive tip of a match rod is not a million miles away from a quiver and would be a better float rod than a quiver?

 

[lakhyaman]

I am no expert on this, but The Tackle Box, Dartford, sells an 8 ft specialist quiver rod with two quivers under the Darent Valley brand, one of which, they say, is ringed to be used for float fishing. I have one of these little rods but have never used them for running water float fishing, but I suppose they work. They have other lengths and strengths of rods with quivers ringed with stand off rings which I presume allows them to be used for float fishing.

All the best

Lakhyaman