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Choosing a
Barbel Rod I have been accused of being too deeply involved and
emotional when it comes to choosing rods. I’m sure that there’s a certain
truth in this, but I prefer to remove the word too, which takes out the
pejorative element in the sentence.
For anyone with a hint of feeling for the lovely business of fishing,
rod selection is a decidedly touchy-feely meeting, perhaps leading to a
partnership that will last a life-time. A dedicated angler may spend more of
his life holding his fishing rod, than he does holding his wife. Neither is a
marriage that should be entered into lightly. I own perhaps two-hundred rods in varying stages of
completion, but I choose to actually use only about a dozen of them. I have
many gleamingly restored rods that I
have never used, preferring to stick my chosen partners in life. Occasionally
a rod comes alive in my hand, and there’s the strange feeling that it has
chosen me, rather than my choosing it. The critical thing about barbel rods is that we
spend a lot of time holding them. They don’t sit in rod-rests, like carp
rods; we nestle them under our arms whilst feeling for that first electric
pluck of a bite, or even the tearing wrench that threatens to drag rod and
angler together into the water. So much time spent in such close proximity
requires that the partnership be well founded. Beyond that really important stuff we arrive at the
practicabilities of the matter. The
plain fact is that no one barbel rod will do every job well. The angler who
has to poke his rod be between the overhanging branches of knitted alders may
need a poker-like 8’ rod. The angler who Wallis casts float 30 yards over a
near-bank torrent to reach the far-side slack, may need a lithe
twelve-footer. An anglers’ ideal specification for a barbel rod will vary
from river to river, and season to season. A late summer fourteen pounder
from a fast and weedy Hampshire Avon swim, requires a lot more rod than a
feisty three pounder from the Swale in winter. Unfortunately, many anglers have to consider the
cost of all this. If I have to offer any advice it is, just for goodness sake
pay for what you want, provided you can afford it. Don’t be stingy with
yourself. If you can’t afford it immediately, wait until you can afford what
you really want. You will discover that this is one purchase in which you
will never regret extravagance, and may ever regret expedience. Never walk
away from something wonderful. One achingly perfect rod is better than two
mediocre rods. This is not a land of discounts and barter, it is a land of
wonder, and privileged stewardship. The first question the angler should address, is
whether the barbel rod will be used for float fishing, or for legering. The
important thing to remember is that stand off rings are not suitable for
legering, because the matching off-set tip-ring puts a heavy twisting moment
into the tip section cane, and this soon results in a nasty ‘set’, or worse,
splitting of the cane. Stand off rings are ideal for float rods because they
encourage line to slide through the rings when the rod is wet. Low cradle
rings allow line to stick to the blank, and this inhibits casting with float
tackle. Rod actions vary enormously. For casting very heavy
baits and leads, a robust tip is essential. A robust tip on a modestly-built
mid and butt produces a forward heavy rod with a through action. But, against
that seeming disadvantage must be set the fact that rods are normally set
into rests, so the weight distribution is less important. Big rivers, such as
the Wye in flood conditions, require very powerful rods. Such rods do not
show delicate bites on the tip, but then, under such conditions delicate bites
are pretty rare. At the other end of the scale, stiff butted rods with
sensitive tips show bites very well. The tips of such rods should not be used
to play the fish. It is therefore necessary to drop the angle of the rod, and
play the fish off the mid and butt sections. The Judd Senior Wizard is an
example of this type. Look for some weight at the thick end of the mid
section. It’s here that power seems to be required. There are any number of
taper variations, but I am generally impressed by the abilities of rods that
have a fairly steep mid section, or compound tapers that allow steep steps up
in blank diameter. Avoid floppy rods. Steely action is what you need. A
good cane barbel rod feels really quite stiff, and when given a waggle it
stops moving around very quickly. Yet, when put under pressure the apparent
unyielding stiffness becomes a lovely springy curve, and it’s that which puts
pressure on the fish. Among traditionalist anglers the early B. James’
whole cane butt Avocet has, for many years, been considered the perfect
barbel rod. It’s not a particularly powerful rod, but I suppose it probably
is as close as man may come to the best all-round barbel rod. Unfortunately,
with so many disgracefully caged in collector’s showcases, there are very few
to be had, and the odd good one that emerges seems to fetch a King’s ransom.
Avocets vary quite a bit in their whole cane section. The best are of larger
diameter, and quite powerful. Those with serrated female ferrules are made
with smaller diameter cane. They are lovely rods, but they are less powerful
than the few made with unserrated female ferrules. The split cane sections
for early Avocets were not made by James themselves, but by Bob Southwell of
Croydon. These rods (pre. 1956) are overwhelmingly better than later examples
from the James’ workshops. Southwell also made Avocets to sell under his own
brand name The Captain, and these are finds of
seismic importance.
CONTINUATION OF ARTICLE The whole B. James cult thing has obscured the fact that several other manufacturers also made The |