I have noticed that there are some recurring questions that pop up on the Cadence Fishing UK Facebook page. One of them is what size reel should I use with a particular rod? This type of question is often asked and there is usually lots of helpful advice from contributors, mostly with one word answers.
Likewise, when I have been on the Cadence Fishing stand at angling shows such as The Big One, one of the first questions I get asked is, which products would I recommend from the Cadence range?
The first things I ask people are along the lines of, what type of fishing do you do? What size and species of fish are you hoping to catch? Are you a match or a pleasure angler? Do you fish rivers, lakes, or both? Do you float fish or feeder fish?
The purpose of these questions is to work out what that angler will be doing with the tackle they are purchasing, and to ensure they are buying balanced tackle. Tackle that suits their fishing situation and their intended target.
If the answer is float fishing on a narrow river for silvers, with a chance of the odd larger fish, for example, my recommendation would be a CR10 Match Rod between 11ft and 14ft, with a stiffness of #0 or #1. Coupled to this would be a 3000 sized reel.
If we’re talking about a wider river, where the angler has a chance of larger bream, chub or barbel, then I’d recommend a longer rod. A CR10 Match Rod between 15 and 18ft with a rating between #0 and #3 would be perfect. Due to this being a longer rod, to get that balance, I’d recommend a 4000 sized reel. It balances a longer rod better.
As a rod gets longer, the blank is bigger in diameter and is heavier. The leverage between the reel seat and the tip gets more tip heavy. When holding the rod in your hand, this exerts a greater downward gravitational force. A larger, heavier reel, helps to counteract this force and the rod feels more balanced when you’re holding it. Therefore, it is comfier, and you’re putting less strain on your wrist.
The important thing to notice from the above recommendations is that this applies when you’re holding a rod for trotting on a river.
If you are waggler float or feeder fishing on still waters, where the rod is placed in a rod rest, the reel size is not so important for balance. You’re not constantly holding the rod, the rod is in the rod rest most of the time and only picked up to cast, retrieve or play a fish. One thing to consider though is that line strength, in particular, the line’s diameter and line twist now comes into play along with rod length.
If the angler is looking for a carp waggler rod on commercials with small to medium match fish, I would suggest a 10 or 11ft match rod coupled with a 4000 sized reel. My reasoning behind this is that many commercials and club waters have trees and bushes around swims, overhead foliage can be a nightmare and the shorter length rod helps reduce the chances of getting tangled in an overhanging branch. The bigger reel size means a larger diameter of spool and less twist of line. All Cadence rods have a progressive through action, so, sometimes, a softer rod is better to absorb the lunges of fish when close in. This softer action also allows you to use a smaller diameter line, so you can cast further.
When it comes to tackle balance, there are many things to consider, when selecting your choice of rod and reel combinations. There are many useful videos on YouTube dealing with these various balanced tackle options. Cadence Fishing TV has numerous videos where balanced tackle is discussed. Furthermore, the famous £1 Challenge Episodes are fantastic for seeing two entirely different methods fished side by side.
If you want to discuss things face to face, then Cadence Fishing run a number of Open Day/Evening events across the country where you can meet our Brand Ambassadors and talk to them about advice on the best setup for the type of fishing you’re doing. Make sure you check out the Events Section of our Facebook Page and sign up to our Newsletter, where we post details of each event. We also attend most major tackle shows throughout the year. All of us love to discuss fishing and give advice, and we hope to see you at a show very soon!
