Best Feeder Rods: Our Top Picks 2023
Traditionally, when you think of fishing, one key item of tackle that springs to mind is a fishing rod. However, in most recent years, particularly Coarse or Match fishing, you far more likely to see anglers using a fishing pole rather than a rod. I have a great article on recommended fishing poles too.
While pole fishing has far exceeded the traditional rod and reel form of fishing, there is, and always will be, a place for at least a couple of decent fishing rods in your arsenal.
Feeder rods, also known as Leger or Quiver tip rods, are probably the most popular type of Coarse fishing rod. This is the case because, in many scenarios, anglers often fish two rods, a float rod and a feeder rod, or a pole and a feeder rod or even two feeder rods simultaneously.
The feeder rod allows you to fish on the waterbed without using a float, so there is no need to worry about the depth, this why an angler would use both float and feeder rod at the same time.
A feeder rod would usually come with interchangeable quiver tips which offer different optimal casting weighting.
The quiver tip can be categorised by either light, medium or heavy; or you may see them listed by the test curve, ranging from 0.5oz to 6oz, although, in the UK you typically wouldn’t often see a test curve greater than 3oz.
The heavier a quiver tip is, the stronger and firmer it is. The firmer the quiver tip the less sensitive it is to bites, but would be required to handle larger fish. Conversely, a lighter quiver tip is more sensitive and is more suited to handling smaller fish.
Fishing rods range quite dramatically in price; from as low as £20, for a low-end budget rod, to exceeding £400 for professional standard match rods. Even a high-end match rod is a fraction of the price of a high end 16m pole, so if budget is important to you, rod and reel may be the best way to go.
You can read about my recommended reels here – Best Fishing Reels: Top Picks 2018
Top Picks – Budget
Shimano Beastmaster CX (Click to check current Amazon price)
The range features a multi-feeder and a multi-float rod. These rods can be between 9ft and 11ft in length and come supplied with multiple tip options. This makes these rods exceptionally versatile and they are the perfect tools for anglers who like to visit different venues up and down the country.
All the feeder rods in the range have been designed so you can leave the feeder on the rod in transit without damaging the rod itself. All the rods are fitted with tapered butt section and wide eyes.
Check Price of Shimano Beastmaster CX
Top Picks – Mid Range
Drennan Medium Feeder Combo (Click to check current Amazon price)
A wonderfully versatile feeder rod ideal for everything from rivers to commercial carp lakes. It is equipped with four tips . The length can be changed without ” breaking down” simply by removing one intermediate butt section and replacing it with the other. The rods semi through action can be used to play fish gently or to pile on the power and steer bigger specimens away from snags.
Check Price of Drennan Feeder Combo
The elements of a Fishing Rod
There are a number of elements that make up a fishing rod, the term rod is the culmination of all these elements combined.
- Blanks – The blanks of a rod are the tubular sections (often 2 or 3 sections), that make up the ‘back-bone’ if you will, of the rod. Usually a carbon or carbon-composite construction.
- Guides – The guides are rings that are attached to the blanks and are which you thread your line from the reel to the tip of the rod.
- Reel Seat – The section of the rod that the reel connects to. These are usually produced in one of two styles, DPS or Fuji style.
- Handle – The section of the rod that incorporates the reel seat and the part that you hold. The handle is often constructed of either EVA or Cork. Cork is more traditional where EVA has growing popularity due to its durability and the ease of which it can be moulded in to more comfortable designs.
Key Features of a Good Feeder Fishing Rod
- Length – Feeder rods tend to be between 9ft and 12ft; as with all rods, the longer the rod the greater the distance you can cast. Feeder rods are also slightly thicker than float rods, with larger guides.
- Weight – A feeder rod, while not overly heavy, are heavier than float rods as they don’t need to as delicate and nimble for the accurate casting.
- Power – Feeder rods are designed to be quite powerful in order to handle larger species as well as small.
- Versatility – Although many feeder rods are advertised as being designed for a specific method of fishing, such as “Carp Feeder or “Method Feeder”; a decent feeder rod will be capable of fishing all feeder methods.
- Responsiveness – The responsiveness is how the tip of the rod responds to bites on the line. Stronger rods tend to be less responsive meaning that it can sometimes be difficult to “feel” the play of a fish if it has taken the bait. A good feeder rod would have good responsiveness and strength combined.
- Line rating – Line rating is the recommend weight of the main line used with the rod. This is also an indicator to the strength of a rod. The higher the line rating, the stronger the rod.
Where to Buy
The obvious choice, and first stop for most people with any purchase, would be Amazon. Amazon often have some great deals, especially around holiday seasons, such as Christmas and New Year. Amazon is also a great place to read reviews from other buyers.
AnglingDirect is also a personal favourite of mine when shopping online, they stock a huge range of all types of fishing tackle, including hundreds of poles.
If you prefer to shop in store rather than online, then I’d certainly recommend your local tackle shop. You may pay a higher price in store, but you get to actually get a feel for the reel, attach it to a rod and see how the weight fares etc. While a tackle shop may not stock as many as an online store, in most cases they will be able to order in a product if requested. Plus you have the added benefit of supporting a local business.