Greys Prodigy Barbel Rod
Introduction
After a lot of standing around in a tackle shop , playing with various rods,
I took the plunge and bought a Greys Prodigy barbel rod.
To be honest - I have not seen a rod of this test curve advertised on the
Greys website - just one up to 1& 3/4 lb tc , with tips of 2 , 3 and 4 oz.
So far I have only used the 4 oz tip as the river flow at present is not too
much above normal levels. All of the eyes on the tips are lined and the flow
of the line is clean and smooth. I am currently using braid main lines and
find the flow of line on both the cast and retrieve to be as smooth as silk.
I have not had to cast very far with the rod, either just a gentle overhead
of under arm flick is sufficient for most situations. The real beauty of the
rods is the clear bite indication - yeah I know - mainly it just slams round,
but I have been sat watching the tip jump about when they have been brushing
past the line. This is a situation which requires immense self control, waiting
for a 'proper' bite. The rod does come into its full potential when playing
the fish, It takes on a very nice smooth curve, which allows plenty of power
in the lower 1/2 to 2/3rds of the rod, enabling large barbel to be brought
to the net nice and gently. So far since purchasing the rod in October I have
been fortunate to have landed 3 barbel over 10 and , most recently at 12lb
13oz.
They say that at the heart of a good fisherman is confidence in his gear -
I feel very confident with this rod. The only complaints about the rod are
:
(1) Like many tip rods , it is only the last 2-3 inches that have bright colour
painted indicators. Why can they not make the whole tip white, making them
more easy to see in low light conditions.
(2) Why does it not come with a whipped on beta/nightlight holder?
Chris Brown
November 2004
