Shakespeare Skp Solitude 12ft 1.75lb Barbel rod review

LOTS of anglers reckon catching a proper wild river barbel or two is one of the very best ways to spend a day’s fishing. I base this purely on the numbers of rods pointing heavenwards along the banks of my local River Trent.

When you come to think about it, it’s little wonder that barbel are quickly becoming the new carp. And whisker-chasing is very much the domain of the day-ticket pleasure angler, too. Why? Let me explain.

These fish fight like demons and are generally in A1 nick. They don’t set you back a king’s ransom in bait, and the tackle you’ll need is pretty minimal.

But maybe the single biggest deciding factor for the rise in popularity of barbel fishing is that you don’t need to join a syndicate or pay an extortionate sum for a ticket to fish a water that’s got more rules than fish.

There can be no denying that available day-ticket stetches of barbel rivers including the Trent, Severn and Wye are massively popular. One of the best on the Trent is at Collingham, run by Collingham AA and covering more than 300 swims from Cromwell Weir downstream, with access and parking behind your peg available in many places.

Here, for the grand sum of £10, you can sit in the peace and quiet of the countryside, soaking up nature and all she has to offer, and with more than a fair chance of getting your string pulled.

All of which brings me nicely on to this week’s Live Test, that just happens to centre around one of the best all-round tactical barbel rods that I’ve come across in quite a while. It would be ideal in nearly all normal barbel fishing situations. I’m talking about Shakespeare’s 12ft SKP Solitude Barbel with a 1.75lb test curve – although there’s also a 2lb tc version, should you want an extra bit of casting punch.

This classy old-school-looking rod is liveried in a low-profile olive green, but there its nod to the past ends. It’s built from 24 tonne and 30 tonne carbons, resulting in a slimline two-sectioned blank. The softish top section is spot-on for bite detection and boasts reassuringly cushioned fish-playing properties, but the mid-section is sufficiently beefed-up to pile on the pressure when it’s needed.

The rod will cast feeders and leads weighing up to 5oz without a care in the world.

Now, it’s fair to say that there are plenty of sensibly-priced barbel rods around these days, some of them very good.

But how many of these can cope with everything a moody river, or one you’re not familiar with, cares to throw at you? Or, for that matter, provide enough feeling for you to appreciate every nuance of the fight, rather than just skull-drag the fish in?

The rod can handle mainlines up to 12lb with matching hooklengths, so it’s well capable of taming that fish of a lifetime.

The cork handle is of the abbreviated type found on most modern carp rods –a little bit Marmite, perhaps, for a barbel rod, but it does allow you to generate a touch more casting power and exert a little extra control over a hooked fish.

Further features include lightweight but robust double-legged Seaguide rings, a super-secure reel seat, and a neat little keeper ring to round things off nicely. But best of all, if you shop around, you should be able to find it for less than the recommended retail.

So, what’s the 12ft SKP Solitude Barbel rod like to fish with? Unfortunately, the test trip to the day-ticket section of the Trent at Collingham coincided with the hottest and brightest day of the year, which put paid to a bumper Bertie day.

However, there are so many fish in the Conveyer stretch at Collingham that by scaling everything back I did still manage a few smaller ones.

Even in the sweltering heat, these summoned up enough energy to put a bit of a bend into the rod, which proved its worth by taming hard-fighting fish on mere size 14 hooks and light 8lb hooklengths.

Casting a 2oz cage feeder also proved effortless for the rod, while the tip end provided decent enough bite detection – although, let’s be honest here, it’s difficult to miss a proper barbel bite even when it’s a twang and drop-back.

Well-built and nicely furnished, with quality double- and single-leg lined guides throughout, the parabolic action duly soaked up the lunges even the most diminutive of barbel tend to throw at you as they near the net.

All in all, then, the 1.75lb test curve SKP Solitude Barbel is close to being one of the best off-the-peg barbel rods on today’s market.

Tech Spec

Price: £72.99, www.shakespeare-fishing.co.uk