Chris Yates Merlin

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TraditionalAngling
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by TraditionalAngling »

Not having a Merlin for a few years now.Is the handle weighted as this may make the diffrents between rods.There are around a number of older trotting rods that are a lot lighter and longer that have a fine tonkin whole cane butt and middle with a split cane tip.The weight of the rods run from approx 12 ozes for a 12ft.being a foot longer . That makes a great trotting rod.

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Lea Dweller
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Lea Dweller »

Rusty, I must confess that if I were in your position I would return to Mr Barder and explain my dilemma. If you have paid a substantial amount of money for a rod that is not going to be suitable for trotting, you would be better off letting him sell it someone else and start again. It would seem that he has a waiting list for his rods, so the only down side would be that you would have to wait for another or go elsewhere. I just cannot see the point of holding on to a rod that is not what I was expecting, it is a mistake that could be made by anyone, but with the cost of the rod and your disappointment, you need "damage limitation". It is pointless blaming yourself at this stage, I am also sure that Mr Barder could say with every justification that you "waggled" an example of this rod and seemed happy to order one. No, I would accept that it is not what you wanted and start again.
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Beresford
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Beresford »

As my grandfather would say 'don't do anything hasty.' Having waited goodness knows how long for the rod you might come to regret selling it so soon. I'd find yourself another rod for trotting and keep the Merlin for now – you may find another use for it before too long.

If you genuinely need a rod/reel combo for trotting that is light in the hand then you'll not find that with any cane rod.
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Michael
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Michael »

This is the biggest bonus for going to a rod maker like Edward. Explain to him what type of rod you want, and he will assist you. I remember suggesting using the Merlin as an all purpose, ie trotting to Edward and his reply was, it wasn't suitable and use a decent 14ft c*rbon rod. It is in his interest to do so. One could you use variety of rods for trotting, but it doesn't mean they are all suitable, a trotting rod is a different beast to an Avon type rod.....

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Rusty
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Rusty »

Thanks for the responses everyone, I’m pleased that the rod is as it should be.

Just to be clear I’m not unhappy with the rod in any way, just disappointed that it may not get the use that I had intended, I don’t often fish static baits with the rod in a rest. When I viewed the other customer’s Merlin a couple of years ago I took along some centrepins to check the balance and feel of the setup, at that time I remember thinking that it would be perfectly feasible to trot with it all day and so I ordered one. Perhaps my grey matter is failing me or I misunderstood the rod’s forte but now I don’t have the same impression that I had two years ago. The upside is that the rod is clearly a powerful thing able to deal with much larger fish than I thought it would be able to.

Lea’s point is a valid one and I’m sure something could be agreed but of course I haven’t tried it yet so I’m reluctant to act until I’ve confirmed (or otherwise) my initial thoughts, I could be completely wrong. Its first outing is in a couple of weeks and I’m very much looking forward to that.

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Santiago
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Santiago »

Just a suggestion, have you tried re-positioning the centrepin further down the handle to see if you can get a better balance? That will make the rod feel lighter! To fish with the rod as you planned you might need to re-adjust where you fit the reel etc.

If you're currently fitting the reel near the top of the handle then the rod will feel heavier than intended by the maker! To find the best reel position for rods I use for trotting I adjust the reel's position until the rod balances on my index finger just a few inches above the handle and then try to adapt my trotting style (reel management etc.)! That way the rod is only slightly tip heavy yet feels lighter!

I would be very interested to know how many inches from the handle's top the balance point is when your centrepin is fixed at the top of the handle and how many inches it is when you fix the reel in your preferred position!?
"....he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy"

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Lea Dweller
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Lea Dweller »

Just a thought Rusty, it might be a good idea to inform Mr Barder of your intention to use the rod to see if it is suitable. Taking a worse case scenario, if you did use it for trotting and found it too heavy, might he be reluctant to sell it on as it may be deemed to be secondhand?
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Rusty
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Rusty »

Santiago wrote:I would be very interested to know how many inches from the handle's top the balance point is when your centrepin is fixed at the top of the handle and how many inches it is when you fix the reel in your preferred position!?
My preferred reel position is quite near to the top of the handle, on my usual Harrison GTI 15' trotting rod (which also has sliding band reel fittings) this gives a balance point about 4" above the top of the handle. With the same reel in the same position on the Merlin the balance point is about 12" above the top of the handle so I think I'd have to move the reel a long way down to achieve a better balance, trotting would become a two handed operation.

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Santiago
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Santiago »

If the balance point is 12" above the handle with the reel in your preferred place then that sounds terrible for trotting! And it's not surprising it feels too heavy for trotting! But before you give it a miss I'd experiment with the reel much lower down, you never know you might get used to it and even like it!
"....he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy"

Hemingway

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Bobby Marlene
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Re: Chris Yates Merlin

Post by Bobby Marlene »

I measured this on my Chapman 500 (which is only 10 foot):
balance point without reel fitted: 11.8" from top of handle
balance point with Trudex fitted at top of handle: 6.3"
Rod feels very light in the hand
Would be very interesting if someone of the lucky owners of a Merlin could measure and compare with Rusty.
Best, Bobby

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