CND Rods

[al44]

Anybody out there use CND spey rods? I've heard they have quite unique actions.

What's the general view / experiences ?

[zephead]

Strong as hell,powerful and a smooth action that will chuck a lot of line about is the verdict I have from a very reliable source.

This pal of mine used the 15'6" one on the Dee and really thought it was something else(he's a confirmed Sage addict but had a sore shoulder so used it to punch a line into the wind) and was raving about it.

He was saying they do an 18 footer which he thinks will be a serious sunk line tool.

PM me and I'll give you his details for a more detailed and technical viewpoint.

Regards

ZH.

[whitetrout]

al44
Have an 11ft 9/10 and have to say it is well finished and it does have a nice action, it is a saltwater DH but have used it on river and worked well. Haven't seen the longer proper spey rods in the flesh but expect them to be well finished too.
Whitetrout.

[castlikeaghille]

I spent half an hour casting with both the 15' 6" and the 14' 4" (?) over the last two Saturdays- NB that, IMO, is not the same as spending a day fishing with it, so these are merely impressions.

The manufacturer's big claim is that it combines an old style spey action (i.e. the bend is above the butt) with a fast recovery tip - "It breaks the laws of physics" - The Don

Well maybe so, but you have all that action (NB this is not the same as feeling the action work through to the Butt - the actual bend is in the 2' above the butt) coming to a sudden stop in the tip you do start to challenge the rules of inertia.

Some people think this is wonderful; I thought it felt like a casting car crash - about as smooth as Lemmy from Motorhead's face. According to the Don this rod has achieved the Holy Grail of rod manufacturer actions. That maybe so, but based on casting it this fisher would say, manufacturers don't waste your time seeking it. To my mind it was neither one thing or another. Ultimately it feels like a slightly odd Daiwa - perhaps not surprising given the heritage of the designer. However, as it is a relatively unusual rod I'd highly recommend you give it a try if you have the chance - it may be just the thing that floats your boat.

One final observation in the interests of balance. The above comments are based on spey casting and snake rolling, which I loathed. However, the action of this rod really lends itself to overhead casting. I could overhead cast both full lines and shooting heads a very long way with ease, and if that is how you predominantly fish this rod may be worthy of serious consideration.

Regardez

CLaG

[petersc]

Own four CNDs, the two ocean rods and two Solstice -- 14' 3" - 7/8 and 16' 1" - 9/10.

The two Solstice rods are both on the "moderate' side of the ledger, however the 7/8 feels the more tip-heavy of the two. the tip on the 9/10 is surprisingly light. They normally come with small, uplock reel seats, which is totally asinine. Fortunately I was able to get my 9/10 built with a downlock. The seat is also on the small side so even my Danielsson 11-14 is a tough fit. They should go back to the old reel seat that they used on their Customs.

The line ratings are on the heavy side, even by North American standards, with the 7/8 needing a DT-10 to work it and I'd suspect the 9/10 would need a DT-12. My I.G. 10/11 intermediate certainly didn't push the 9/10. To put these comments into perspective, I prefer my rod loadings on the light side.

I've also had to change my grip and casting stroke to adjust from an Underhand to a more traditional method. Normally I have my top hand only about half-way up the cork, but I've found the action on the Sostice needs a high hand position. Underhanding the 9/10 results in some nasty shocks running through the tip as the rod can't keep up with the acceleration generated by the stroke. Soon as I put my hand at the top of the cork and used more of it in the cast, everything settled down.

Fish fighting on the 9/10 was "interesting", but enjoyable, as I found that I couldn't generate quite as much pressure on the fish as I could with the 7/8. Both are an adventure if you plan to net the fish by yourself while standing in the middle of the river.

Fish hooking on the 7/8 isn't a problem, but it's clearly a work in progress for me when using the 9/10, as the slowness/softness/lightness of the tip in combination with my stiff rod reflexes, has resulted in a few lost fish.

The 9/10 doesn't have any problem digging the intermediate out, but I haven't had the Impact S1/2 on it yet to know what it's like with a more deeply sunk line.

Apart from the reel seat, I'm enjoying both rods as they're such a departure from my Guideline Le Cies. They make for a nice change of pace.

[sacha]

Tornament styled rod for big lines were my thoughts when i tried it. It does feel strange because i flexes above the handle and has a sitff four to five foot tip. For people with a strong and powerfull old styled spay cast with a big loop as it pushes the distance because it bends down at the handle.Must say unique style of blank and the colour is .... different.

[madkeen]

Was thinking of one of these rods(17ft 11in)for overhead work with shooting heads do you think this would be up to the job of throwing 12/13 weight sinking lines?

[z]

madkeen said:

Was thinking of one of these rods(17ft 11in)for overhead work with shooting heads do you think this would be up to the job of throwing 12/13 weight sinking lines?

I don't see it on the CND site but I have cast a 17'+ rod called the "Beast" and then one of 17'11" called the "Beastee". Both of them should overhead or speycast about any line you chose to put on them with ease. The Beastee was definitely the more powerful of the two and made the 16'7" Thompson Specialist, itself a very strong rod, seem like a toy.

....z...

[scottrod]

I have both the beast and the Thompson special 16,7 they are amazing rods true through action rods and very light.
The Thompson is one of the best rods in that length i have tried,and as for the Beast that lives up to its name (what a power tool),and a great fishing rod as well

[madkeen]

Thanks for the reply lads will try and cast one before i make up my mind.
Alan

[splash]

Cast Jim Jim's 15ft 6 version up on the Dee on Monday.It looks to me like a green (milbro green, remember them,as Zephead pointed out) garden cane with very little taper to the blank. It looks almost that someone has lopped a foot of the top. Its a powerful rod and could bang out a long line (all of a snowbee 2D plus a wee bit backing) but seemed heavy, pondorous and poorly balanced to me. If you are a B&W or Diawa fan it might just be your cup of tea though