The Jury is out

Whilst waiting to get my arse into gear and find and order a tip ring for my  remaining Drennan Tench and Specimen float for probably 6 quid delivered I did the most sensible (ahem) thing and bought an Advanta X5 Power Float as below.

On removing it from the cardboard tube the blank had an unusual unground finish and felt heavier in the hand and once  a reel was clamped into the "exclusive" reel seat it felt a tad ungainly but once I'd slightly twisted the "exclusive" reel seat to line up with the but ring (basics chaps) and adjusted my grip it felt a bit neater. Seemed very pokey on the first pull round of the line (like the waggle in the tackle shop and bending against the ceiling back in the day)  but I guess that's what I'd gone for. The iridescent blur whipping  looked nice though....

I got the swim going first with hemp and corn and apart from this one mostly small roach and hybrids, even on worm and corn cocktail. Oh and a prolonged but eventual fruitless battle with a decent pike which eventually bit through.

More bubbles and a bumped bream so out with the  Advanta and  a puddle chucked Source mini. It is ungainly casting a waggler with a heavier bait  at more depth but the loss of a foot of road length plus the pokier action seemed a hindrance  when compared to the Drennan  and a strange noise from the rod rings too. A decent dip on the float and  a tench was on. The rod seemed to liven up through the action, close in I was in the same situation as I was when I bust the Drennan as the tench bored into the right hand pads but this time perhaps the grunt in the rod helped though it was a relief when he went in the stink net with no splintering carbon.

I'm going to give the rod a go on Golden pond where the lack of depth means casting will be easier  with the chucker but I won't be rushing out to buy another to make a pair. Close in with a pin for zoo creatures may be the Advanta's niche  and let's see if my arse is engaged enough to fix the Drennan.