Saltwater Fly Rods ( Bloke Fly Rods )

[The Thunderstick]

If any Fly Chuckers out there need a Cracking bass fly rod then check out the Bloke Fly rods Saltwater range..... absolute gems when put to the test.
theres a local rep on their website who will advise on availability

the link is www.bloke-rods.co.uk/salt.html

Hope this helps
tight lines

[fester]

The look like nice rods, although a bit pricey to say the least. But I guess you get what you pay for?

[kastonfly]

I use Bloke rods (my back up is a Sage RPLXi) and recently due to poor casting in the dark resulted in my rod separating and snapping the tip of the second section of the rod . . So I sent it back to Bloke Fly rods for repair. All Bloke Rods have a life time guarantee in common with most quality fly rods and the service from Bloke is exceptional with repairs and replacements normally done within days. I called Bloke rods and spoke to the owner Mick Bell to explain what had happened and the conversation got round to the fishing. It was then that he mentioned that he had just produced a UK Bass Special rod in conjunction with well known South Coast Bass fishing guide Justin Anwyl

Mick asked would I like to try one of these new rods as a replacement for the 8# Bloke XL50 and I agreed to give it a go ;D

A few days later as promised I received a brand new Bass Special Bloke fly rod inside a custom made carbon fibre tube to keep it safe and sound.
A fantastic looking rod finished in dark blue and fitted with high quality components including an aluminium reel seat with an attractive blue and silver finish and 3 sexy looking stripper guides lined with blue Alconite. The rod is 9ft and rated for an 8/9 line and has a fast action with lots of power in the butt to handle big fish.


So how does it fish? - First outing at the weekend at a favourite North Wales mark. The conditions were calm and very warm and expectation was for Mackerel and Bass. The rod has a fast action but not so demanding as to make it unfriendly and was a joy to cast producing nice tight loops and had no problem casting a 5” deceiver fly a long way. For those familiar with the Sage range of rods the action sits between the Sage RPLXi and Sage XP faster than the RPLXi but slower than the XP and as such should be able to cope with the conditions we encounter around the UK.
First hook ups were a few small Mackerel, never really going to challenge a rod like this but fun all the same and certainly more fun than the same fish on a heavy spinning rod or a beach caster. Later in the day a nice Bass around 4.5lb took the fly and allowed the rod to show its true character ;D ;D The rod came a live as the Bass took the loose line from my stripping basket allowing me to play in from the reel. As the fish dived it put a nice curve in the top third of the rod giving very smooth control. It felt as if there was lots of power in the butt to control the fish but with lots of feed back unlike some of the broom handles that are sold for saltwater use.


In my opinion and I am no expert this is a very good rod comparable with a lot of the expensive rods (£500+)from the USA that does exactly what it is designed to do - UK SWFFing, having said that it would also be a cracking tool for chasing Stripped Bass on the east coat of the USA, something I hope to do one day!

I have no connection with Bloke rods other than a very satisfied customer. If you want to see a rod or give it a try and live in the North West/North Wales - no problem just send me a PM


Kevin

[fester]

Hi Mate

I am no expert

I reckon you are probably one of the most Expert on here regarding SWFF! Great reading there mate! Even though I generally buy quality tackle, I can't justify spending £300 on a fly rod! Only because I'm not familiar with that style yet.

When you talk about value for money, I have just spent £30 on rings for a rod that is probably worth a tenner today. This rod is an ABU Conlon 800, Specimen rod for Pike etc. probably 20 yrs old and is carbon fiber. A cracking rod!

I could have bought a modern equivalent for £30 but the nostalgia, history and fondness for that rod meant I couldn't part with it!

It is now as good as new, with single legged eyes, although a bit floppy, it's ideal for mullet with their soft lips ( biggest 5lb, will find the photo!) ...................found it



and also float fishing off the rocks.

So, buy the right tool for the job and you won't be disappointed, and my money is on Kastonfly for a reliable review on Bloke rods!

Cheers mate.

Fester.

[tobasco]

Fester,

Bloke rods are spot on, basically a Sage blank. However, you do not need an expensive rod to fly fish in the sea. You do however need a rod with a bit of back bone to cope with the wind that you will normally encounter, and you can pick one of these up for under £80.
What is worth the money though, is the no quibble life time guarantee that comes with a rod in that price region.
Regarding reels for SWFF I use the £10 - £15 specials. The only purpose of the more expensive reels IMO is the fact that they look sexy and can handle serious runs, etc, from big powerful fish of the likes that we are not very likely to encounter here in the UK. A quick wash and a squirt of magic juice and they are as right as rain.

Steve

[kastonfly]

Steve

Total agree with you regarding not needing to spend a lot of money to get fishing and I would not recommend that anyone spends hundreds of pounds on their first fly rod. You can SWIFF with any rod providing you can get the fly to the fish. Anyone who has seen Mike Ladles video Fly fishing with a Pinch of Salt will have seen Mike using a 6# trout rod and a cheap plastic reel to land Bass and Mullet and enjoy every second of it. It’s just a matter of personal choice. It’s like cars, an old banger and Porsche will both get you from A to B but the experience is completely different. So it is with fly rods more so than any other type of rod, fly fishing involves lot and lots of casting and the experienced is enhanced by a very light precision rod (typicaly around 3 to 4 oz) that allows you to cast a large fly into a strong wind but at the same time is responsive and sensitive when playing a fish. Expensive maybe but if you consider a £300 rod is less than a £1 a day for the first year and then free for life I would say that’s a good deal.
The blanks used in Bloke rods are custom made in Japan and unlike any Sage rod I have ever used although they appear to of similar quality for £200 less that Sage.

With regards to catching large fish you do encouner them and yes you need the backing. This is a 9.5lb Bass caught by my fishing buddy last year.



Kevin

[tobasco]

Kevin,

Good old GH. I bet if any else asked him where he caught that fish, the reply would be "In the Sea". Cracking fish though!!
Regarding SW fly rods; I fish with a Beulah #8, I got mine for an absolute bargain though as it was a proto-type sent to someone for testing/showing. The good thing with those rods is that they not only come with a life time warranty for the original purchaser but also come with a spare tip section which is the most likely piece of the rod to get broken IMO.

All the best,
Steve

[kastonfly]

Steve

Did you get the Beulah from Austin, aka barramundi ?

[fester]

Wow, Kevin,

That is a serious fish on a fly! How long did it take him to land it? I bet things got quite hairy at times?

[tobasco]

Kevin,

No it wasn't from Austen, I got the rod from Mike Botha (aka - Gogga, Squatter, Zulu, Klamatho and many other user-names) a few years ago.
I was actually with Austen last weekend at Shell Island, bloody long trip for him though - all the way from Cornwall.

[kastonfly]

Fester

That beauty took around 10min to land and made quite a few runs taking lots of backing There was no chance of the fish being lost this guy has caught much bigger fish overseas and if anyone can be called an expert he can. We have a bit of friendly rivalry to see who can catch the first 10lb+ Bass on fly. ;D ;D

[labraxpg]

Can any of you fly boys answer my question. Why do you all get hungry after you've landed a bass and start to eat your rods, wouldn't a mars bar or a simple pork pie do

[kastonfly]

Salt, fish slime and cork you can't beat it

[labraxpg]

When you say it like that Kev with a little pepper that would do for me. Geoff will have to give out the recipe.

[stuartbond]

kastonfly,

I live in N. Wales and am keen to check ut the Bloke Rod. Are you coming over this way any time?

p.s. Didn't quite understand what PM meant - so I have replied to this post in the hope that you'll get it.

Cheers,
Stuart

[learner]

Stuart PM is a personal message. It is better for some replies as it is like an email (but only on this site, when you log on the site it comes up as an email type thing). It is used so that others dont see what you are putting i.e. phone number.

To send one there are a couple of ways, this is the easy one click on the persons symbol that looks like a letter coming out of a printer (on the left hand side of their post just under their pic and go from there).

As not all of use go back through our posts and some times they are added to months after we posted them. The PM works better for this.

Hope this helps