Coarse & Match Fishing Rods

Rods must be one of the best known tackle items in the industry and they have the privilege of being the internationally recognised symbol of angling. However, when you think about coarse or match fishing, a rod might not necessarily be the first item of tackle to come to mind. This is because of the incredible popularity of pole fishing in the sport and, whether you’re popping down to the bank for some pleasure angling or you’re headed off for a hard-fought competition, chances are you’re likely to see anglers with a pole rather than with a rod and reel. Although fishing with a pole is generally the more popular option, heading down to the bank without a rod and reel in your arsenal could be a serious mistake. There are plenty of incredibly rewarding ways of catching coarse fish using a rod and having a few rods options in your collection could really make the difference between match victory and disappointment.

We, here at Angling Direct, can’t even begin to count the amount of times a top quality rod has saved our skins during a match fishing session. This isn’t even to mention the joy we get reeling in a tench, bream, or chub after our tactical decision has more than paid off. This is why you’ll see that our shelves are stocked with a huge variety of rods which have each been designed with coarse and match fishing in mind, ensuring that you can make the very most of your time on the bank. There are three main types of rod in this section of our site and each has been designed with a specific tactic in mind. This can make picking the ideal rod for your needs a little confusing, however, we’ve collected together all the information that you’ll need to make the perfect decision for you.

Key Features

Across the range, no matter what tactic you’re looking to use to target the fish at your peg, there are a few key features that you need to watch out for to ensure that you’re getting a rod which is perfect for your needs. The first thing you’ll want to look at is the material from which your rod blank is constructed. Nine times out of 10, this will be some form of carbon fibre construction which aims to offer you the perfect mix between casting power, fish playing potential, durability, and low weight. As you might expect, different rod companies will employ different materials and construction methods to ensure that their rod excels in all areas. This is why you’ll find that some rods offer a complete carbon construction whereas others use a carbon composite. More often than not, though, brands will refer to the carbon used in their rods using in terms of its modulus rating. This refers to the stiffness of the rod and the higher the modulus is the stiffer the rod blank will be. A stiff blank ensures that your rod will offer you the kind of responsiveness that you require to identify positive bites with incredible accuracy.

As well as the rod blank, you’ll want to pay attention to the furnishings on your coarse and match rod. Much like other rods, these blanks will be fitted with guides and a reel seat. Since most coarse fishing scenarios will require you to cast short to mid range distances, your line guides will often start with a 40mm butt ring and will peter out between 16mm and 14mm. Since you’re most likely to be fishing with a fixed spool reel when you’re match fishing, the reel seat on your rod will most likely be in the DPS style. You’ll find that some brands will exclusively use Fuji line guides and reel seats, whereas others will use their own specially designed options.

Finally, you’ll want to consider the handle on your rod. You’ll usually be faced with a choice between EVA and cork. Cork is the more traditional of the two and it is popular because of its heat retention and exceptional grip in even cold or damp conditions. EVA is growing in prominence, however, thanks to the ease with which it can be moulded into ergonomic shapes as well as its improved durability. Now you know the sorts of things to look out for across our range of coarse and match rods, you can begin to narrow down the kind of rod that you’re looking to fish with.

Feeder

Feeder rods are also known as quiver tip rods or leger rods and these are the most popular rod option in our coarse and match fishing range. A feeder rod is used for fishing with bait on the bottom, without the use of a float. This makes this rod type an ideal choice for the coarse angler who is looking to target larger commercial carp, as well as a huge variety of other bottom feeding coarse fish. As the name suggests, a feeder rod is best suited for use with a feeder system, whether you’re using an open cage feeder or a modern method feeder. However, it can also be used to present your hook on top of freebie coarse and match bait in different ways.

Feeder rods tend to come supplied with between one and three quiver tips. These will usually be differing in their optimal casting weighting. This provides you with a changeable sensitivity, giving the rod great versatility and ensuring that you can target a variety of venues and water conditions. For example, if you’re fishing in a river with a strong flow then you might wish to swap to a heavier quiver tip setup, as the current might cause issues with the bite registration were you to use a more delicate tip. Conversely, if you’re fishing on a match venue without a current then you might prefer a more sensitive tip option. Equally, the size of fish you are targeting will have an impact on the casting weight of the tip you chose. A bigger fish, such as barbel or carp, will require a tip which is able to handle a heavier terminal tackle setup and the opposite is true for smaller fish. The quiver tips which are manufactured from carbon fibre tend to have a much stronger rating than tips which are manufactured from fibreglass. Fibreglass tips can have test curves between 0.5oz and 2.5oz, whereas carbon tips tend to offer test curves of between 2oz and 6oz – although most UK rods won’t get much higher than 3oz due to the size of the fish you’re likely to be aiming for. Tips can also be classified with terms such as ‘light’, ‘medium’, and ‘heavy’. Once again, these relate to the weight of the terminal tackle you’re putting on the end of the rod as well as the size of the fish that you’re aiming for.

The overall rod length can range between 9ft and 12ft. This allows you to cast with accuracy over a whole range of distances with confidence. As with all rods, shorter rods are better suited to close range angling, so rods of 9ft or 10ft are ideal if you’re looking to target the margins of your venue or you’re not looking to punch out to larger distances. 11ft or 12ft rod options are ideal for intermediate distance fishing, with the longest rods ideal for the longest distance. 

As you can see, there’s a lot to take into account when choosing you ideal feeder rod, but luckily we’ve done most of the work for you! As we only select the best products from the best brands in the business, you can be confident that whichever rod you choose will more than suit the job at hand. This is why we stock Shakespeare rods, Shimano rods and rod offerings from specialist coarse brands such as Korum. With these rods, you know you’re getting products from the cutting edge of angling technology and with Angling Direct’s price checked sticker (which can be found on the product page) you can be confident that you’re getting your tackle at the best possible price, too. Not only this, but we can offer exclusive deals across the Daiwa range, including its exceptional feeder rods, as we are the UK’s leading stockist of Daiwa products.

Float

The next most popular rod type in our coarse and match collection are float rods. As the name suggests, float rods are used when you’re fishing with a float – whether that is on the surface of the water or you’re using a float to register bites lower down in the water column. There are two main versions of float rods available in our tackle range. The first of these is the traditional float rod, which is sometimes referred to as a match rod or a commercial rod, and the second is a pellet waggler rod. These rods have been especially designed for waggler fishing, when you use a float to distribute pellets through the water column.

Across the range, float rods are typically long and thin. They have been designed to ensure that you can cast reasonable distances and all float rods tend to be 10ft or longer. As with all rods, the longer the rod the greater the casting distance you can achieve. These rods are especially light in weight, to ensure that they are delicate enough to hook and play a small fish without causing it harm. The power in these rod blanks are also capable of negotiating larger species, too. Float rods are available at a wide variety of price points, making them as popular among novice or junior anglers as they are among anglers who have a lifelong dedication to the sport of coarse and match fishing.

Angling Direct stocks a full range of top quality float rods that guarantee performance, no matter the price tag. The popularity of float rods extends into our team, and we’ve produced our own float rods for our Advanta brand. As passionate anglers ourselves, we constructed the rods to meet our exacting standards, and they have all been produced with the Angling Direct ethos of providing unrivalled value for money tackle.

Avon

The final category of coarse and match rods are known as avon rods. These are typically intended for smaller barbel, bream, and chub and they were born from anglers fishing the river Avon – hence their name. Traditionally, these rods have a test curve of 1lb, in order to ensure that they are perfectly geared up for the smaller species. However, in recent years the test curve has become slightly stiffer, and today test curves of 1.25lb or greater are more common. This development has made the avon rod very versatile, and it performs well across the disciplines. Much like feeder rods, avon rods come supplied with different tip options which help to improve the versatility of the rod’s performance. Most avon rods come supplied with two tips, the classic avon tip and an additional quiver tip. This dual set up opens up a range of possibilities for fishing with the avon rod and it is now known as a good general purpose rod, although many anglers still say it performs best with the barbel, bream, chub, and tench for which it was originally intended. Indeed, some avon rods are billed as barbel rods exclusively, although of course this doesn’t effect their performance with other fish. Length wise, an avon rod tends to come in between 11 and 13 ft.

Avon rods are, then, good all-rounders for all anglers, and Angling Direct stocks avon rods from brands including Drennan, Shakespeare, and John Wilson, among others. With brands such as these, you can be confident that you’ll love whichever rod you choose.

Rod Protection

You can also find a small number of rod bands and tip protectors in this section of our coarse and match fishing store. These are small and lightweight rod protection options which are either designed to hold the rod and tip together in transit or to protect the tip and butt section of a fully made up rod. Many anglers choose a more robust luggage option for their coarse and match rods but these rod protection options are ideal for the angler who likes to travel light.

As you can see, whether you’re looking to use feeder tactics, float tactics, or anything in between, we, here at Angling Direct, have the tackle to ensure that you can perform to the very best of your abilities. Not only this but we also stock a complete range of completely coarse and match reels, as well as a whole array of line choices and terminal tackle in order to allow you to complete your match fishing setup.

Angling Direct: Serious about your fishing…