Aldi: All-round Telescopic Fishing Rod £12.99

[scanker]

http://aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_6105.htm

I'm thinking of asking for one of these for Father's day - just something to have in the car or take on holidays.

I think they've sold them before - has anyone got one? Got any opinions?

Cheers.

 

[hiho]

i have something that looks similar but mine came back from spain and i haven't used it yet or to the point know where it is.was pretty solid but the top ring came loose, but it did travel a long way and was not really protected.

 

[Damascus]

I bought one last year as a travel rod and have been using it ever since, considering the price very good value for money. going to buy another to take on holiday so i have a pair. They will handle carp of over 12 lb with no problems at all, not to good on casting weight above 2 oz but a good spinning rod none the less.

The landing net is good value as well bought the two last year a must when fishing, hope this is of some help.

regards D

 

[Doc]

I've just bought one - the 'All Rounder' at £12.99. I used to have a glass fibe Fladen Wilderness Allrounder which cost about £15 (and broke!), but the Aldi is very much superior.

Compared to the Fladen, the Aldi rod is longer (2.8m), feels more robust, is of carbon construction and has a cork handle. They both have ceramic rings. The Aldi does not pack down so small but is still easy to fit in a rucksack. The included reel has an aluminium spool and 3 ball bearings - it looks a bit better than most cheap reels but in my experience cheap reels don't last very long so I would not like to predict its longevity.

The only potential downside is the quoted casting weight for the Aldi is 40 to 80g. I would normally use mepps and toby lures of maybe 10-25 grams. So I may need to get heavier lures, but we will see. Has anyone tried one with typical 20g lures?

Real anglers frown on telescopic rods, but for canoe/bushcraft use, I think they are very useful. The Aldi rod looks a very good deal as you would usually pay rather more for a carbon rod alone.

 

[woodstock]

http://aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_6105.htm

I'm thinking of asking for one of these for Father's day - just something to have in the car or take on holidays.

I think they've sold them before - has anyone got one? Got any opinions?

Cheers.

Its a excellent buy very similar to the TFG starter kits we used to sell for around £40, at that price you cant go wrong even if you only got a seasons fishing out of it you would still be quids in

 

[Thijzzz]

Mmm, as a "real" angler, I indeed frown upon telescopic rods. The cheaper ones are clusmy, heavy and ill balanced. With experience, you can counter that. But for someone who'd just like to have a handy rod for the odd day out on the stream, it'll be a hassle to cast far.

Shimano and Cormoran make excellent travel rods: shimano makes them in telescopic as well as non-telescopic. The latter meaning that you have a rod "broken" in more pieces than ususal. I have a Cormoran travelling rod, 2.40m/8 ft long, in 4 pieces. Excellent rod, cost me € 40,- (without reel) and is very well worth the money!

Thijs

 

[mick miller]

Good advice but four piece (non telescopic rods) do tend to be more pricey though and to some extent the occasional angler has to weigh up use vs. quality. If you fish a great deal I wouldn't recommend a telescopic rod, rather I'd suggest you spend a little more and go for a four or five piece travel rod and separate reel.

If you only going to wet a line a few times a year, well this looks like a reasonable rod for very fair price and when it busts you hopefully have got your monies worth.

 

[mick miller]

double post

 

[preacherman]

I bought one and it came with a box of lures that would have cost as much as the price of this kit if I had bought them seperately. I've only used it once this year, caught only seaweed unfortunately.

Its a good beginners kit and you can always upgrade to better quality kit when the fishing bug bites !!!!!!

 

[Bimble]

I would urge caution when buying a rod from a super market! It’s a very hit and miss affair.
I have found some telescopic rods can be very good, and by this I don’t mean necessarily expensive, they have some significant advantages for backpacking over multi piece take a part rods with the only down side being that they are a bit lumpy casting due to the thickness at the large telescopic joints.

That said ,assuming that you are looking for a practical rod for general fishing then I would suggest that you stick to a Shimano Exchange STC 270M (circa £65) which is a take apart rod. At 270cm this size/length is just capable of some light sea fishing/spinning, while not too heavy for the lighter freshwater stuff, so a good all rounder for getting dinner.

The Shimano Exchange Mini (10g-20g one ) is ideal if you only fish for perch/trout for the pan. (The really small one is very specialist and not really practical)
If you’re going to buy a supermarket rod, or any rod for that matter, and I can’t stress this enough, test it!!!!

Take it out of its bag, set it up, bend it over fully by having a helper hold the tip, check all the fittings for quality by pulling at them and look at the blank carefully for any nicks or obvious defects. (Always beware of painted rods). If it looks sound, you might have got lucky, but cheap rods are just that, cheap, and have a habit of letting you down when your miles from a replacement.

If it busts, hand it back to the checkout girl and threaten to call claims direct 'cus of the nasty splinters......

A ‘good rod’, properly cared for (rinsed clean after every use and not pressed to do heavier fishing than it was designed for), will last the best part of a lifetime. This represents true value. Think of it as a ‘tool’ and you won’t be swayed into a bad decision.
Another thing, you will need a rod tube. So take this into account if your thinking of going ‘bush’ with your rod, if you don’t have one of these you will spend your whole trip acting like you’ve transporting plutonium.

These days airlines insist that you check rods as luggage incase you try to kill the pilot with one , there is nothing like finding your rods under a heap of suitcases (Cheers Stockholm Airport), when you’ve taken the time to mark them fragile from every possible viewing angle, to start a trip in a huff. Also wrap them in paper when you travel to make them less conspicuous as rods, they have a nasty habit of going walkies if you don’t.........

 

[Bimble]

Just checked the name is Exage not Exchange, old age setting in, memory not what it once was..

Quick look on net for Shimano Exage AX STC found this..

http://www.tackleuk.co.uk/shimano-exage-ax-stc-travel-spin-240270m-p-3055.html

 

[Thijzzz]

Just checked the name is Exage not Exchange, old age setting in, memory not what it once was..

Yep, that's the Shimano rod series I ment. And indeed, if you wet your lines only every so often, a cheap buy can be better. But: most edible (and tasty) fish are predators. Therefore, you have to cast a lure, or cast with lead or float. With lurecasting and no experience, it will be more difficult with a cheaper and bulky rod.

Anyhow, let us know how the fishing went.
"Tight lines", as we say in the business

Thijs

 

[Bimble]

Thijizz, you’re right. A lot of casual anglers don’t realise just how powerful some fish can be, and just how weak even expensive rods are!
Some basic pointers to ‘real’ novice anglers casting lures for dinner (at the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs for the rest of you):
1) If you snag your line, find a stick wrap it around your line, point the rod at the snag and walk/pull slowly backwards. Don’t ever be tempted to try to pull free using the rod. This was learnt at eight years old, but I’ve broken 3 rods over the last 30 years then being lazy!!! (Use a stick not your hand, you will also only ever do that once, unless you’re lazy and stupid like me and need a reminder every other season.)
2) If you put a lure on a line make sure you use a bite trace (stainless wire/Dyneema Braid). Numerous predators, especially pike, take lures meant for other species. Then subsequently break off taking your lure with them. More worrying though is that the fish now dies agonisingly due to the iron mongery now wiring its face shut. Trout in shallow mountain streams will not require a trace, but everywhere else it is a must.
3) When fishing lures, and especially out in the bush, always flatten the barbs on hooks before you leave home. This way they don’t get stuck in your kit or you!!! To a skilled angler with a rod, the barbless hook makes little difference if you keep a tight line and is a whole lot safer for you and the fish.
4) If in doubt use a rod/tackle slightly heavier rather than lighter for you intended quarry. Once you have gained some fish ‘playing’ experience you can go lighter. (There are always worrying moments when you hook a large fish, even with the most experienced anglers, when you wish you had more firepower.)
5) Never crank/winch a large fish with your reel. Fish should be ‘pumped’ and line wound in on the down ward motion of the rod. Even the most expensive reel will ware if you use them wrong.
6) Most fish are lost close in. Think of you rod as a shock absorber. Always hold it perpendicular to the fish for maximum cushioning when the fish is in close. Never be tempted to lift anything but a Tiddler from the water with you rod. (This goes for weed and old boots to.)........crack!
To make a point, (hope this image thingy works) this is my mate eating a fish, nothing spectacular there. Now look at his finger, the tape is plugging up a hole I made. Fortunately he had removed the barbs from the treble hook that I had to extract with a multi tool and a lot of squeaking from him. This is away from medical assistance, makes you think!

 

[kancho74]

Great advice Bimble, i've just started angling, mainly sea fishing but some freshwater and have noticed its the little things that make a difference. I got a cheap rod as a christmas present and in the last couple of months i've become quite addicted so want to upgrade rods. I do like my rod, its cheap but that seems to give me alot of response when I have a "big" fish biting, I caught a 6kg cod yesterday and it felt like a whale! Either way I have my eyes set on my next rod....

 

[Prophecy]

Great advice Bimble, i've just started angling, mainly sea fishing but some freshwater and have noticed its the little things that make a difference. I got a cheap rod as a christmas present and in the last couple of months i've become quite addicted so want to upgrade rods. I do like my rod, its cheap but that seems to give me alot of response when I have a "big" fish biting, I caught a 6kg cod yesterday and it felt like a whale! Either way I have my eyes set on my next rod....

My mate got a rod in a tackle shop the other day for £25 reduced from £32. The guy in the shop was telling us that it's one of the strongest rods for sale, possibly the strongest, beating a so many hundred pound (£) rod in a contest recently. I cannot remember the name of it, but it was 8', blue and black, and a clear tip which bent almost against itself! He also got a nice reel which I think was called 'Interceptor Pro' which was about £27, and it's a serious piece of kit compared to any rod I've owned.

You seem to get a lot of kit for your money with fishing gear!

 

[philaw]

Have any of you competent anglers ever improvised a rod? Do you think you could catch something with a hook and line tied to the end of a branch?

 

[mick miller]

Absolutely you could, although size of fish would be an issue as you'd be using either bamboo rods (as used in the original split cane rods) or willow wands (found close to rivers, lakes & streams). But you could catch perch. roach, rudd, skimmer bream, small eels, small carp or essentially anything else that is, essentially, small.

I think you'd struggle with pike, large carp, bream and large eels as the wand or cane simply wouldn't have the backbone lower down,near the hand grip with a decent fish it would fold or worse, snap. However the principle of fishing with a pole is well established and it can offer unrivaled presentation especially in still waters as it allows you to accurately place your bait; the compensation for a lack of range is that there isn't loads of slack line to take up before setting the hook and that's pretty much what the anglers 'strike', where the rod is brought up in a wide and sudden arc, is all about.

All that said, if your using sticks to fish with I'd have to ask why you wouldn't just use a handline? Unless of course you a) really do want that better presentation b) you only have a short length of line c) you don't want to fall foul of the law (I wonder whether a stick with line tied to it mono constitutes rod and line to the EA?)

I used a stick and mono as a kid once or twice and caught too, so I know it works.

 

[philaw]

Thanks for that, Mick. I meant it as a way of improvising a way to catch fish.In the past I've shoved a little bit of fishing line and a few hooks in my bag, thinking that I'd have a go if I was in the right place, and it was only a couple of grams of extra weight. It hasn't worked out that way yet, but I'm still curious to try it some time.

 

[mick miller]

Then it is by all means worth a go, as with all successful fishing trips 'first find your fish', after that the delicate presentation of a willow wand complete with mono, baited hook and self-made stick float should prove a winner!

 

[Damascus]

I was reading thru the threads and you mentioned improvised rods well from my army days and now when I go on my hols I always take line and hooks, tucked away in the box also I take a top ring made from a wire coat hanger and some braid (Heavy Line will do) to attach it to the top of a pole, stick or what ever I use as a rod. This now extends your distance you can fish and by attaching the spool the line is on, (Feed a peice of para cord loop thru and tie to the pole) you now have the making of a reel.


As they say Q E D

Try it its fun

Regards

D