I owned two titans 12ft beautiful rods to match fish with always used to use Racine tortue 3lb reel line ,down to 1 lb Bayer perlon didn’t used to fish with anything much bigger than an 18 my fave hook was hamechons 1219 b great for casters and hemp ,bought my rods from marks Marlowe tackle ,oh do I miss those days ,great memories thanks
@@MarkWintleFishing I think original titans mark ,from memory I paid about £260 for one and £200 for the other can’t remember exactly when early to mid 90s,they replaced my Bruce and walker XLT that was a lovely river rod when stick floating ,I stopped match fishing in late 90s took up fly fishing on natural spates in Yorkshire but now I’m on the commercials where I can park behind my peg but I really do miss the matches especially the winter leagues on the Trent and witham .John Dean was a legend so was Dave Thomas he could winkle a few Trent roach on bronze maggot ,we used to use a gallon sometimes in a match ,the waggler was my favourite method ,enjoy the vids mate tight lines
My favourite old B&W carbon rod was the John Dean spliced tip - I had two though one is missing a tip now - and it was a revelation at the time. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos, plenty more to come, and hopefully back on the water filming soon.
You'l be getting like me soon, but not quite like Chris Yates yet. I had an old Sealy Octofloat with a StrikeRight Questaflo c/p and a porcupine quill float. And - I caught fish! Old tackle still works. 🤣
Years ago, a float rod was the mainstay of a coarse angler's tackle. Now they tend towards stepped-up float rods (in old money), beefy waggler and pellet waggler jobs for carp commercials. Everyone else seems to go for an Acolyte, though some people say the tips are a bit fragile. The 2000s weren't cheap, about £1000 list in 2023 money, so decent value secondhand.
Your right. The tips on the Acolyte are fragile, I'm not sure whether this is a manufacturing fault or the material the rods are made of are at the limit of their engineering constraints. I sold my crack-a- light soon after buying it for a few reasons, one being I just lost confidence that the tip would break again. But this is no reflection on Drennen's other range.
@@andrewwing5086 I had a Shakespeare Mach 3 lite for about 15 years, and broke the tip through my own stupidity, not the rod's fault. It has made me wary of spending 200+ on a delicate float rod.
@Borderlands I couldn't agree more. I don't mind spending money on my gear but hate wasting it. I do wonder sometimes with rods reels, etc. Do you get to a point finacaly where it's like having strawberries and cream, very nice, but will more cream make it any better ?
I totally agree - get those old Normarks back on the bank. Best match rods ever made - I'm still using a variety of Titans, Avengers and Microlights. I also took a Norboron to the Warks Avon this winter and it was wonderful - slightly heavier but with a fantastic action. Great video.
I own 2 x microlight 13 ft 2000 & x1 13/15 2ft generic extension( optional extra) normark 2000 I Titan match since the very early nineties, Geoff Salisbury got these rods sock on at their inception, extensively used on the Yorkshire Ouse , swale ,ure & nidd , mainly matches …. I have owned (still do ) Diawa tournaments 14ft W ,Preston carbonactive 13w (first editions) Milo new era 20 ft ( 18 ft dolly butt conversion) etc etc … nothing has come close to the qualities inherent in these normark carbon blanks , each rod in the range perfect for their designed uses … just wish they had brought out a 14ft version before they stopped production…these rods will be buried with me to have for my next rime around 😀
They're a bit special aren't they? That said, with my customised handles, I have several fantastic other rods including a Daiwa Team Daiwa X and Tricast Allerton spliced tip.
I had a pair pf these but moved them on after discovering the Shimano Ultegra Response. The Ultegra had a very similar playing action but was noticably quicker on line pickup and striking, which I preferred.
I still have my Titan in 12ft. Honestly though my got-to rods now are the Shimano Beastmaster AX match in 13ft, and Shimano Catana BX float 12ft for heavier trotting. I take the titan out occasionally, mainly if I'm targeting roach on stillwaters.
According to the 1998 catalogue the 2000 series were Advanced LRC carbon with Fuji titanium S.I.C. guides, and the 1000 series were Toray MM carbon with Fuji Alu-oxide guides. The 1000 rods are fractionally heavier. Whether there are differences in the actions I cannot tell you. I waggled the Crusader rods but never impressed enough to buy one, not generally sought-after.
Ive never owned any normark rod, but heard good things, have any of you normark microlite owners ever fished with a daiwa amophous whisker superlite, if so, how do they compare, the superlite is my favorite for lite stick and waggler work, even more so than my acolyte. Some of the high end 90,s built rods take some beating, even now.
I have a Daiwa Amorphous Whisker Stick Float rod, it's good for the stick though some of the other rods I have are better. The Superlite is very rare; not sure I've even seen one. A 1997 vintage Daiwa Team Daiwa X 13ft is one of the best rods I have, especially now I've changed the reel seat.
I find the stickfloat Amorphous Whisker too stiff for my liking, the super light isn't spliced tipped, it's hollow, much more forgiving than the stickfloat version, it's rare for me to fish more than a 1lb hook length, so the super light is ideal.
When you say 1lb hook length, in the old days we'd be referring to 1.1lb Bayer Perlon which was 0.10mm and probably under-rated for both diameter and breaking strain. I use modern lines down to 0.08, some of which are again under-rayted in diameter and breaking strain but probably stronger than a 1lb. One rod I've been impressed with for light lines is an old Dave Harrell spliced tip rod based on a Harrison blank, and my Tricast Allerton rod is also forgiving when using fine lines. The Team Daiwa X is similarly forgiving: when my mate bought it in the late 90s I thought it was TOO soft but having used it many times I've discovered its strength, including the ability to tame very big fish on light gear. When I got my Bruce and Walker John Dean stick float rod I was used to a soft, slowish, actioned Sundridge Kevin Ashurst rod and the fast-striking action of the John Dean rod meant that the first couple of sessions I cracked off several times on 1.1lb Bayer until I adjusted to the new rod.
I beleve i can say this mark on your blog as you apper to have experienced followers who can give knowledgeable feed back. I had the 14foot drennan Acolyte. Yes hold it all day but just found it too chrisp and unforgiving in between tips breaking for no apparent reason. Sometimes cost does not always reflect how you expect a rod to feel. Fish by feel not by cost the trap i feel into.
The best match rod is one that's not expensive and gives you many days out fishing. Cost v's pleasure, it doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. As a kid i fished with bamboo rods and floats made out of bird feathers. still caught me many many fish. I dont get these fishermen that go fishing for the day and take their entire fishing tackle collection, Rod holders with 10 rods in it? What's that all about? got to be snobbery as why would you want to lump all that about? I strapped a rod to my bike. then threw on a back pack and had no problem. mind you i did have to be up at 3am and bike 14 mile.
Thanks Mark, another very informative and interesting video. Look forward to your video's more than most, please don't stop!
More to come!
Thanks Mark what a wonderful series you are doing any chance of doing a talk through on hooks ? Keep up your great work regards
I'll think about it. I think I did one on hooks for roach in my roach reflections series.
I owned two titans 12ft beautiful rods to match fish with always used to use Racine tortue 3lb reel line ,down to 1 lb Bayer perlon didn’t used to fish with anything much bigger than an 18 my fave hook was hamechons 1219 b great for casters and hemp ,bought my rods from marks Marlowe tackle ,oh do I miss those days ,great memories thanks
Were they the original Titans or the Titan 2000s?
@@MarkWintleFishing I think original titans mark ,from memory I paid about £260 for one and £200 for the other can’t remember exactly when early to mid 90s,they replaced my Bruce and walker XLT that was a lovely river rod when stick floating ,I stopped match fishing in late 90s took up fly fishing on natural spates in Yorkshire but now I’m on the commercials where I can park behind my peg but I really do miss the matches especially the winter leagues on the Trent and witham .John Dean was a legend so was Dave Thomas he could winkle a few Trent roach on bronze maggot ,we used to use a gallon sometimes in a match ,the waggler was my favourite method ,enjoy the vids mate tight lines
My favourite old B&W carbon rod was the John Dean spliced tip - I had two though one is missing a tip now - and it was a revelation at the time.
I'm glad you're enjoying the videos, plenty more to come, and hopefully back on the water filming soon.
I’ve got 3 titan 2000’s and a microlight. One of them I’ve owned since new in 1994
You'l be getting like me soon, but not quite like Chris Yates yet. I had an old Sealy Octofloat with a StrikeRight Questaflo c/p and a porcupine quill float. And - I caught fish! Old tackle still works. 🤣
Years ago, a float rod was the mainstay of a coarse angler's tackle. Now they tend towards stepped-up float rods (in old money), beefy waggler and pellet waggler jobs for carp commercials. Everyone else seems to go for an Acolyte, though some people say the tips are a bit fragile. The 2000s weren't cheap, about £1000 list in 2023 money, so decent value secondhand.
It’s sad to say this but most of today’s anglers wouldn’t know what a proper match rod is!!!
@@philiplancaster9682 True. However you can buy size 18 carp hooks!?!
Your right. The tips on the Acolyte are fragile, I'm not sure whether this is a manufacturing fault or the material the rods are made of are at the limit of their engineering constraints. I sold my crack-a- light soon after buying it for a few reasons, one being I just lost confidence that the tip would break again. But this is no reflection on Drennen's other range.
@@andrewwing5086 I had a Shakespeare Mach 3 lite for about 15 years, and broke the tip through my own stupidity, not the rod's fault. It has made me wary of spending 200+ on a delicate float rod.
@Borderlands I couldn't agree more. I don't mind spending money on my gear but hate wasting it. I do wonder sometimes with rods reels, etc. Do you get to a point finacaly where it's like having strawberries and cream, very nice, but will more cream make it any better ?
I totally agree - get those old Normarks back on the bank. Best match rods ever made - I'm still using a variety of Titans, Avengers and Microlights. I also took a Norboron to the Warks Avon this winter and it was wonderful - slightly heavier but with a fantastic action. Great video.
They're definitely made to be fished with!
I own 2 x microlight 13 ft 2000 & x1 13/15 2ft generic extension( optional extra) normark 2000 I Titan match since the very early nineties, Geoff Salisbury got these rods sock on at their inception, extensively used on the Yorkshire Ouse , swale ,ure & nidd , mainly matches …. I have owned (still do ) Diawa tournaments 14ft W ,Preston carbonactive 13w (first editions) Milo new era 20 ft ( 18 ft dolly butt conversion) etc etc … nothing has come close to the qualities inherent in these normark carbon blanks , each rod in the range perfect for their designed uses … just wish they had brought out a 14ft version before they stopped production…these rods will be buried with me to have for my next rime around 😀
They're a bit special aren't they? That said, with my customised handles, I have several fantastic other rods including a Daiwa Team Daiwa X and Tricast Allerton spliced tip.
Thanks Mark for another great film , that Mullet is a lovely fish .
Would you ever consider making some films on Mullet fishing ?
Itv was my best one at 6-10. I may have a go at filming mullet fishing, always lots of potential subjects on my list.
@@MarkWintleFishing Thats a huge mullet my best was 5 - 10 from the river Itchen estuary .
I had a pair pf these but moved them on after discovering the Shimano Ultegra Response. The Ultegra had a very similar playing action but was noticably quicker on line pickup and striking, which I preferred.
I still have my Titan in 12ft. Honestly though my got-to rods now are the Shimano Beastmaster AX match in 13ft, and Shimano Catana BX float 12ft for heavier trotting. I take the titan out occasionally, mainly if I'm targeting roach on stillwaters.
Excellent as always Mark. Would you know how the 1000 differed from the 2000. I also have a Crusader ultra match, a recent acquisition.
According to the 1998 catalogue the 2000 series were Advanced LRC carbon with Fuji titanium S.I.C. guides, and the 1000 series were Toray MM carbon with Fuji Alu-oxide guides. The 1000 rods are fractionally heavier. Whether there are differences in the actions I cannot tell you. I waggled the Crusader rods but never impressed enough to buy one, not generally sought-after.
Ive never owned any normark rod, but heard good things, have any of you normark microlite owners ever fished with a daiwa amophous whisker superlite, if so, how do they compare, the superlite is my favorite for lite stick and waggler work, even more so than my acolyte. Some of the high end 90,s built rods take some beating, even now.
I have a Daiwa Amorphous Whisker Stick Float rod, it's good for the stick though some of the other rods I have are better. The Superlite is very rare; not sure I've even seen one. A 1997 vintage Daiwa Team Daiwa X 13ft is one of the best rods I have, especially now I've changed the reel seat.
I find the stickfloat Amorphous Whisker too stiff for my liking, the super light isn't spliced tipped, it's hollow, much more forgiving than the stickfloat version, it's rare for me to fish more than a 1lb hook length, so the super light is ideal.
When you say 1lb hook length, in the old days we'd be referring to 1.1lb Bayer Perlon which was 0.10mm and probably under-rated for both diameter and breaking strain. I use modern lines down to 0.08, some of which are again under-rayted in diameter and breaking strain but probably stronger than a 1lb. One rod I've been impressed with for light lines is an old Dave Harrell spliced tip rod based on a Harrison blank, and my Tricast Allerton rod is also forgiving when using fine lines. The Team Daiwa X is similarly forgiving: when my mate bought it in the late 90s I thought it was TOO soft but having used it many times I've discovered its strength, including the ability to tame very big fish on light gear.
When I got my Bruce and Walker John Dean stick float rod I was used to a soft, slowish, actioned Sundridge Kevin Ashurst rod and the fast-striking action of the John Dean rod meant that the first couple of sessions I cracked off several times on 1.1lb Bayer until I adjusted to the new rod.
I beleve i can say this mark on your blog as you apper to have experienced followers who can give knowledgeable feed back. I had the 14foot drennan Acolyte. Yes hold it all day but just found it too chrisp and unforgiving in between tips breaking for no apparent reason. Sometimes cost does not always reflect how you expect a rod to feel. Fish by feel not by cost the trap i feel into.
Picking out the real gems of match rods isn't easy but they do exist.
The best match rod is one that's not expensive and gives you many days out fishing. Cost v's pleasure, it doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. As a kid i fished with bamboo rods and floats made out of bird feathers. still caught me many many fish. I dont get these fishermen that go fishing for the day and take their entire fishing tackle collection, Rod holders with 10 rods in it? What's that all about? got to be snobbery as why would you want to lump all that about? I strapped a rod to my bike. then threw on a back pack and had no problem. mind you i did have to be up at 3am and bike 14 mile.