Dear All,

I have decided I am going to bite the bullet and get myself an outfit for fishing my local canal and small rivers for what ever I can catch really, but I guess mainly perch, chub, rudd, roach etc. I already have 6/7wt and a 7/8 wt outfit for reservoir fishing and I guess this will be ok if I decide to go for the small pike that are plentiful in these waters. I was thinking about a 3 or 4wt set up, not too sure about the length maybe a shorter rod would be better for avoiding the overhead obstructions? Does any one have any suggestions for rods, I don't really want to spend over £100 (ideally around £130 for rod,reel and line), I notice the Greflex M2 is on offer at the moment and I have 1 in the 6/7 size which performs very well. I have also seen a guideline AWM rod on sale for 80 quid and for an extra 20 you get an airflow balance reel as well, anyone have any knowledge of this rod or reel? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Jamie

Hi Jaimee,
I fish canals for roach & chub with a 2 weight but it does get difficult if you have wind or plan to use weighted nymphs. I have used a 4 weight in the past but found it a bit overgunned for small fish hence the 2 weight. Suppose it depends on what you plan to target. I don't think a 3 or 4 weight will be a good idea for pike though.

I got an Airflow Delta Classic 4w for my small river stuff. It's a fantasic little rod for only £60 and it works perfectly for the Dace and Chub I catch. It's excellent value for money and I can't really fault it for the price. I've had chub up to 4lb but it's soft enough for the smaller fish as well.

Jamie, I got a fladen vantage 8' 4# for about 20 quid off ebay and it works great. My largest fish with it so far is a 51cm carp so it is light yet can handle a larger fish if need be and it is in your budget range.

Cheers, Dave.

Get yourself a Trion outfit like the one I'm using in this report...
Mixed bag from a little Brook.
I've used it for small silver fish on the cuts, river chub and stillwater carp.
Nice little rod worth way more than its retail price.
Dee