barbelbarmy

I am a club bailiff, as such I cannot prosecute you. If I do not, after taking the whole situation into account, like your setup I can tell you to change your method, ask you to leave or raise a disciplinary with the committee. You also need to check your club rules, the EA may allow four rods but our club does not. There may be things I disagree with but, if you fish to the rules, I cannot say anything. Personally I cannot understand putting lots of rods out and rarely do so even when beach casting. As Martin said, its catching not fishing and is certainly not angling. But then I don't understand setting up bite alarms and then sitting watching telly or reading a book. I also think, in many occasions going to sleep in a bivvy is worse that what your doing. However, if your butts are 3m apart and you have casted in opposite directions, as long as you are not in a swim that is too small for two rods being out, and you are near enough to play the fish without it having time to swim all over the place, then you shouldn't have a problem. In other works, take into account the swim before putting more than one rod out. I have come across people with a rod in one swim and a rod in another, with trees in between. This is definitely against the rule and not fair on other club members. The round up is - depends on the situation.

This is a rule I do tend to enforce as a bailiff. However, the areas I control are mainly narrow river swims where an unattended fish can soon find it self tethered by the line in the tree it managed to get to before the fisherman ran to get to his rod. You also get more instances of deep hooking and fish swimming around without the fisherman even knowing they have caught. Not to mention the odd rod that has disappeared into the depths. Often you find people that think that because they have a bite alarm, they can wander off and leave it. The extreme was someone that had an alarm linked to their phone. He jumped up from his seat in the pub, exclaimed that he had a bite, downed his pint and ran out. However, like Chesters, you do judge each situation individually.

I have contacted B&W and am awaiting details. Went to look at the rod and came away with it. It is probably the best balanced rod I have ever picked up. Only 160g and 11mm at the butt. Has a tip action even though a hollow tip but if you increase pressure the action comes like through into the butt. Took it out today and had some lovely Grayling and a 4lb chub.

Thanks Tigger, I knew if I needed to know about one of these rods you were the person to ask. How much would you consider one of these is worth in good condition. It was dark and I noticed one guide bent, judging by other tackle not particular cared for but this rod looked hardly used so not as bad as the others gear. Bag was light green and blank also green.

Tigger, Is the Normark Avenger 1000 14ft anywhere near as good as the 2000?

Thanks Chester, this looks to have 16 single leg guides and two three leg. Full cork handle with sliding graphite reel fittings.

Mark, Thanks for that, I found the fly rods, is it possible that this is a fly rod made up like a float rod?

Hi, Does anybody know anything about the Bruce & Walker 13ft Powerlite match rods? I have the opportunity of obtaining one but have no knowledge of them.

Just read your link, god that bloke got some stick.

It might of been a bit of a problem if you did try to get your money back with the modifications and lost reel pouch. I hope this has sorted it for you, if it has then I think young's has been understanding and given good service. I have failed to get Cotswolds to replace a pair of leaking boots with a life time warranty on the Gortex due to a scuffed toe!! Did you unscrew and remove the line guard before modifying? If not I was wondering how you held it whilst you cut it. Now its working can we have some feedback on its use, I was interested in these specially as the Revolver was supposed to be so good.

would it be hard wearing enough if some grit got in there?

Sorry I actually got two Diawa rods for £20, the one I did up I used extensively last year and other anglers tried it and thought it was god. It has stand off Fuji guides and single leg guides on two sections with also a hook keep added. When I do the second one or get the Harrison I will sell this one too.

I have obtained an old Daiwa whisker harrier for £10 and stripped to replace all the guides. I also cut the top section and inserted a spliced tip. I want to get another and change the reel seat and cork to my own liking as well. I have done up a few cane rods and a fibreglass Henry W Aiken quiver tip ledger rod. I will be selling the cane rods soon and the Aiken rod to fund this project. I only really want what they cost me. For the Aiken about £15 plus postage. It is actually a nice rod, very light and sensitive. I have tried it and caught a 1.5lb chub with a 7.5lb pike attached. I have seen a few Dave Harrell Map rods which I am led to believe are Harrison rods, does anyone know if this is true?

Does anyone have any details regarding rod manufacturers that have used Harrison blanks. I was thinking of buying an old rod to refurbish as a cheap way of practicing my skills of doing this before buying new.

Saying that the BJ has never caused the line damage I get from some other rods.

Tigger, I agree that playing a fish causes this problem but, at least for my casting style, most damage is caused by the cast. I can, sometimes, have to remove a rod lengths of line 3 times during a session and can visually see it is the section at the rod tip when holding the rig, ready to cast, that is the worst part damaged. Also, still does it when I've blanked!! The Grey's does seem to damage the whole distance I have trotted for that session, I really need to get them guides changed. However, it is as new so thinking of selling instead.

Great Video clip Tigger, shame the Hardy team feel they have to change the guides to use the rods they took part in designing. I thought my Hardy Marksman had Fuji guides as they are identical, other than frame colour, to the ones I brought to re-guide another rod. Mine is one of the first batch made though.

If you set your rod up and pull it over the tip you will see where it rubs. Tiger have you checked your Marksman for any burrs, mine does it slightly but nowhere near as bad as the Grey's. This guide seems best. http://www.guidesnblanks.com/product/587 This one not so good http://www.guidesnblanks.com/product/588 Something will check with any future rod.

Just come across this listing on eBay - damn missed it. Anyway he has listed as a Normark blank. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bob-James-River-Twin-Tip-Rod-Normark-blank-/142171066029?hash=item211a0e4ead:g:BggAAOSwnbZYHcTg

I have mentioned this issue with the line on a couple of other topics but have always had the reply that others do not experience this. The worst rod for this, that I have is the Grey's prodigy float. What I have put it down to is that the insert for the top guide is too small or the metal frame around it too large. Consequently, when holding the rig, the way I do when casting with a centrepin, i.e. just above the drop shot, you are folding the line back over the metal frame which damages the line and same seems to happen when playing a fish under the rod tip. You can actually hear and feel the difference to the line once it gets worn. I have further proven this by pulling the line back and forth over the tip guide which makes it curl up, I have then switched the same line over to another rod and the problem goes. The Seymo guides seem to suffer from this but the Fuji don't. It does effect low diameter lines the most, Drennan float fish is ok, Bayer Perlon not so. Using the line floatation grease that you apply with a small sponge seems to help. I think it might be made by Mucilin.

They were a short lived range, quite apart from the John Wilson range which I think were poor quality at the time. I viewed one of these and it had unsightly lumps of varnish all over it. The BJ float was £350 at the time. I think they did a twin top Barbel rod and some travel rods. The float rod was specified as being up to 10lb main line. When I had the top section replaced I picked it up from the headquarters and I believe they told me it was an American blank but cannot be certain now. There was a husband and wife partnership making rods at the time that used the same blanks but unfortunately my memory is vague. I only saw the twin top once, at Stapley garden centre, it was by far the lightest Barbel rod at the time. It was on the basis of this that when my Daiwa Avon Specialist broke whilst casting I replaced it with the BJ. However, was not impressed with this at the time. The second top section broke after the line looped round the tip without me noticing. Subsequently it got put away till recently when I come across the first section, which was only short by the part going in the tip guide and I made a spliced tip rod out of the other broken section. It weighs 190g which only just above the Daiwa amorphous and the Grey's prodigy float. Not nice at 15ft though.

I have found a photograph from 2004 with the rod in use so must of been around this time that I got the rod, especially as the cork looks nice and clean.

Lutra, yes it is the BJ Float 13-15. I have never found out whose blank it is, someone did once mentioned a 'Sage' but have never known them to make coarse blanks. Would really like to know if anyone has any idea. Mine originally got delivered broken at the tip ring. Masterline gave me a new top section but this later also broke. I have gone back to the original as only 10mm shorter and have fitted a spliced tip to the other section which has proved great for increased pick up and faster striking. Am trying again tomorrow so will try smaller hooks and against a lighter float rod. Was using a size 12 last week so could fish with sweetcorn.

Well, tried again on New year eve, again with this and an older rod setup, some nice grayling and 5.4lb Chub on my old rod. When heading back along the river I packed all my tackle up apart from this new rod. Got into a good school of Grayling but unfortunately lost a lot under the rod tip. Very annoying, I tried a fresh hook but still kept losing them, I wish I had the other rod still set up as it has a much softer action which I have obviously become use to. The old rod is classed as a specimen rod so is one of my less forgiving rods anyway.

Well used it today and yes I did feel that extra weight. I set it up along side my old BJ Float and you could really tell the difference. Even more surprising when you consider that the BJ is for lines up to 10lb. One thing that seemed good was the casting accuracy, I did seem to have no problem adapting to this. Had some nice Grayling on sweetcorn, Young's describe this as a fast action rod, it didn't particularly seem fast action. I would class this as having a feel of a specimen rod even though it says a max of 6lb on the blank. Lets see how it fairs on Saturday.