Spliced tip rods - limitations?

[ben10]

Hi all,

I recently came into the possession of a daiwa connoisseur g 13ft spliced tip match rod.

seems a nice rod, 2-6lb line rating with a crisp action and nice soft tip.

Just wondering what people’s thoughts are on spliced tip rods? I can understand why stick float anglers like them for line pick up and protecting light hooklinks but I wondered if there’s any cons to them? I haven’t had a chance to use it yet but thought I’d ask people who’ve used similar over the years.

Is there any reason not to use them as an all round float rod? For say waggler fishing as well ? Are they more prone to snapping when pinging a waggler out? Or do they suffer badly from line wrap?

spliced tip rods were out of fashion by the time i was old enough to really start fishing seriously so unfortunately have never used one!

im wondering more if it’s worth me moving it on to someone who would appreciate it and use a more general hollow tipped float rod? Maybe an acolyte ultra or similar?

thanks all!

 

[markcw]

I had a Harrison 13' GTI spliced tip rod, I had low double figure carp on it using light line. Spliced tip rods are stronger than you think.
I sold it on and the lad who bought it it still uses it, not bad for a 30+ year old rod.

 

[ben10]

Yeah I mean the rod itself in terms of power feels perfect as an all round rod.

I just mean from my understanding, the spliced tip was generally designed for flicking out stick floats and protecting light hooklinks - just wondered how they fair with decent wagglers and proper casting etc.

as I say, I’ve never used 1 and didn’t fancy cracking a tip using it for something it wasn’t designed for ?

 

[markcw]

Yeah I mean the rod itself in terms of power feels perfect as an all round rod.

I just mean from my understanding, the spliced tip was generally designed for flicking out stick floats and protecting light hooklinks - just wondered how they fair with decent wagglers and proper casting etc.

as I say, I’ve never used 1 and didn’t fancy cracking a tip using it for something it wasn’t designed for ?

This had a decent loaded waggler on it , I was casting around 30 yards with a piece of floating crust.

 

[sam vimes]

I appreciate that a lot of anglers repeat the "only for light hooklinks" mantra. However, I have never truly subscribed to this theory. There are spliced tip rods that are suited to really light line fishing and there are some that are just not. The big advantage of a spliced tip in this type of rod is all about the action rather than power.

When it comes to mainlines and hooklinks, I'm afraid that I treat the spliced tip "stick float" rods I own no differently to their equivalent match/waggler variants. There's usually very little between the power of a standard waggler rod and a spliced tip (stick float) rod of the same (Daiwa) range of rods. Spliced tip canal type rods are a different kettle of fish, with a different action and much less power. Spliced tips in this type of rod really are about light lines, but they usually have a totally different action.

Whilst there is nothing to stop you using a spliced tip ("stick float") rod when fishing a waggler, I don't. I'm afraid that the action is wrong for chucking wagglers about. If you try it, you may disagree. Go steady and you aren't likely to break it. However, the sheer number of second hand spliced tip rods with an inch or two missing does suggest that many owners do break them.

You may also find that, whole and undamaged, Your spliced tip Conny G might be worth a reasonable amount. I've not seen one offered for sale in quite some time to gauge the potential price. However, I doubt it's worth less than £80. If it's little/un used, it may be worth a whole lot more. A similar vintage (mint) Spectron M2 sold for a considerable sum this summer. As much as I'd have liked to own it, it was far too expensive for me.

 

[ben10]

I appreciate that a lot of anglers repeat the "only for light hooklinks" mantra. However, I have never truly subscribed to this theory. There are spliced tip rods that are suited to really light line fishing and there are some that are just not. The big advantage of a spliced tip in this type of rod is all about the action rather than power.

When it comes to mainlines and hooklinks, I'm afraid that I treat the spliced tip "stick float" rods I own no differently to their equivalent match/waggler variants. There's usually very little between the power of a standard waggler rod and a spliced tip (stick float) rod of the same (Daiwa) range of rods. Spliced tip canal type rods are a different kettle of fish, with a different action and much less power. Spliced tips in this type of rod really are about light lines, but they usually have a totally different action.

Whilst there is nothing to stop you using a spliced tip ("stick float") rod when fishing a waggler, I don't. I'm afraid that the action is wrong for chucking wagglers about. If you try it, you may disagree. Go steady and you aren't likely to break it. However, the sheer number of second hand spliced tip rods with an inch or two missing does suggest that many owners do break them.

You may also find that, whole and undamaged, Your spliced tip Conny G might be worth a reasonable amount. I've not seen one offered for sale in quite some time to gauge the potential price. However, I doubt it's worth less than £80. If it's little/un used, it may be worth a whole lot more. A similar vintage (mint) Spectron M2 sold for a considerable sum this summer. As much as I'd have liked to own it, it was far too expensive for me.

Yeah I did wonder if this was likely to be the response. I enjoy running a stick float but finding areas to do so regularly near me isn’t always the easiest so I often end up fishing a waggler on the river so having a rod that will comfortably do both makes more sense.
As much as it seems like a lovely rod, I think I’d be trying to justify using it rather than actually needing it in my holdall.

After seeing the price of the spectron you just linked it may well find itself on fleabay soon ?.

 

[Mark Wintle]

I still own six and two thirds spliced tip float rods (broke the tip on one of my old B&W John Dean rods) and four of them are fine for fishing a waggler - the unbroken John Dean, two Shakespeare Mack 2 rods and a Tricast John Allerton. The two Daiwa rods, an original Tommy Pickering Connoiseur and Harrier Amorphous are a bit too tippy. The most modern rod by far is the current John Allerton rod which can do it all, a bit like the John Dean rod.

One thing I will say is that spliced tip rods fish much better with light lines, 2lb is ideal, 3lb a maximum.

 

[markcw]

I must say that when I was catching carp on mine and using large waggler with floating crust. It wasn't by design as such.
I was in a bread only match on a large water. I picked the wrong holdall up from my garage. The one I picked up with the Harrison and light feeder rod and spare pole was more for commercials or canals.
The one I should have picked up had a carp waggler rod ,heavy feeder and another pole in it. Also picked wrong carry all up with light line reels in it
So I had to improvise, funny enough I won the match.

 

[108831]

Personally all the spliced tip rods I had were better suited to stick float fishing,you could do anything with them,but that is what they were suited to imo...

 

[RMNDIL]

Borons were quite powerful rods from memory. I say that because when fishing a national practice match on the Severn back in 1987 (I'm sure it was 1987 - the national when it rained & rained overnight and was a fair few feet up on the day) a team mate forgot his feeder rods and so set up his pair of Borons instead and did rather well on them !

 

[markcw]

Borons were quite powerful rods from memory. I say that because when fishing a national practice match on the Severn back in 1987 (I'm sure it was 1987 - the national when it rained & rained overnight and was a fair few feet up on the day) a team mate forgot his feeder rods and so set up his pair of Borons instead and did rather well on them !

I think Silstar brought a boron rod out at around that time.
I know Stu Conroy was using one one the Bridgewater Canal, not sure if his brother Steve had one as well.
Had a look at Stus liked the look of it and the way it performed and felt right.
So I ordered one from Taskers in Liverpool.
My 3 piece rod came In 5 pieces , it wa damaged in the post.
Sent it back and never bothered re ordering one.

 

[Mark Wintle]

Silstar did a Boron rod that was supposedly the same as the Shakespeare one but cheaper though it was actually very different in action, much more powerful.

The Shakespeare one I've got and still use from time to time never felt quite right for fishing a stick but was excellent for far-bank chub fishing on the waggler and it seemed to absorb the lunges of big chub on fine (2.2.5lb Racine hooklinks) well enough to pull them away from snags, and conversely it was good for canal fishing with 1.5lb mainline and 12oz hooklinks as long as you were gentle as the tip did the work.

 

[RMNDIL]

These were Shakespeare's. I don't think Beez would have been seen using Silstar float rods (Feeder rods like Traverse X yes, but float rods.......).