hpint

I'm with you on the moving water and float fishing! You won't ever get bored because you will be busy all of the time: 1: Throw out the float 2: shoot out some hemp/castors/maggots 3: mend the line 4: feed the line 5: wait for the float to dip under That is a lot more exciting than leggering...

Hey there I'm planning a fishing trip to BC (Canada) and hoping that some of you might be able to give me some tips on where to go. What I would love to do is catching salmon on the fly in one of their lovely rivers. Which are the best rivers to go? This is part of a year around-the-world trip for me so I will be on a budget. I will be arriving in BC sometime in the beginning of August. I would appreciate any help regarding rivers, where to stay, fishing tips, etc. Thanks!

Hey John You can find a lot of help and tips on the internet regarding how to tie pole rigs. I would suggest you find a canal somewhere in London (I'm sure there would be one near you) and start fishing there. You would be amazed by the amount of people that would stop and ask questions or either give advise. Otherwise go for a walk (or cycle) on a weekend next to the canal and you will quickly find some anglers who will love to help you out. Ask them lots of questions, most anglers are very friendly and would love to give you advise. I live in London and have done lots of fishing of various kinds but these days I'm just too busy at work to be able to help. Try and join a fishing club (as suggested earlier). That is the quickest way that you will learn. Good luck!

Just thought I'd keep you all updated...I just bought my rod this morning and I ended up going for the Shimano Exage 7ft BX STC. This is a lovely lightweight rod and it comes with a carry tube which is about 50mm diameter and about 600mm long which will be ideal for travelling. The casting weight of this rod is 10 to 30 grams. When I did the "pull" test I really gave it some beef and this rod just keep on bending! The rod also gives a nice smooth through action so I can definately recommend it. I also looked at the 8ft rod and it is also a lovely rod. The carry case of slightly longer but not by much. Originally I thought this was one rod- a 8ft with a 1 ft extension which can make it a 7ft rod but this is NOT the case. You will either have to opt for 7 or 8ft. I compared these rods with the 8ft ET rod. The ET rod has a very nice blank with a beautiful finish. This rod is heavier than the Shimano and feels a little top heavy. I'm sure the rod would be nicely balanced with a reel on. I might have gone for the ET rod but the only thing that kept me back is the reel seat which feels like it's made of cheap plastic. It's a shame really because the rod has a lovely blank. My verdict: Go for the Shimano! Leightweight, durable, strong, small carry case and you're buying from a well established company which has been around for ages.

You have my full attention on your travel rod! I'll do some homework on that rod. I spoke to a Daiwa agent last week and he didn't mention that particular rod. Who knows, maybe it's been discontinued? I'll let you know what I find out, thanks! PS: That is one seriously disturbing profile picture lol!

It does seem that there are a few travel rods out there. Have a look at these: http://www.etpredatortackle.co.uk/search_r...p?section=17290 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shimano-beastmaster-...=item2559e1df6a Have any of you fished with the Shimano Exage spinning rods? I'm quite interested in them as they fold into either 4 or 5 pieces and they seem to tick all the boxes I'm after.

Thx for all the replies so far! @KenL: I'm not familiar with the rok-max make...do you know of any shops that store them in London? I don't want to buy something that I havnt felt before @Jeepster: I think the rod that you've got might be Daiwa Wilderness 9ft travel rod? @JV44: I had a quick look at that link. The rod seems to have a very nice action but again it seems like they only come in 9ft. Do you know if they do them in either 7 or 8ft 3 or 4 piece? I really don't want to go longer than 8ft. Have any of you ever fished with a ET rod before? I know The Friendly Fisherman stocks them and apparently they are really good. They come in an 8ft 4 piece fixed spool rod in a round travel tube.

Hey! I'm looking for a good quality spinning travel rod that I want to take along for my travels. I looking for a medium spinning rod for catching mainly pike and zander. I've got a Daiwa Exceller Pro 3000 fixed spool reel (with 30lb braid) that I will be using with the spinning rod. The rod needs to be able to fold up in either 3, 4 or 5 pieces (ideally 3 piece) so that it is compact and so that I can either strap it to the side of my backpack or put is inside a suitcase or for taking it on a plane as hand luggage. I've fished before with a Daiwa Exceller 7ft spinning rod (2 piece) and it was a brilliant little rod. The only thing is that Daiwas don't make a 6, 7 or 8ft rod that can fold up in 3 pieces or more. It is only then they are 9ft or longer that you can actually get them in 4 or 5 piece. Do you know of any other rods which I can buy that is simmilar. It needs to be a durable and sturdy rod that is not going to break on me when I'm in the wilderness somewhere. I'm not that keen on a 9ft rod as I will be doing a canoeing trip soon and it might be a little bit long for the boat. (I'm looking for either a 7 or 8ft max rod) Can any of you recommend a good rod? Also, I'm not a big fan of telescopic rods but I might want to take a small, strong one along for back-up. Any ideas? Thanks

Hey Greg and OT Thank you very much for the replies. I think you've actually nailed it on the head! The line that I usually use for my leader is 6lb Snowbee Magic line. This is a non-tapered leader and very thin and soft therefore must have been causing the tangles. I never actually thought about using a stiffer line before and used to think that the X represent the amount of flies you could tie on those manufactured tapered leaders... So by using a 6wt line on my 6wt rod with an stiffer, tapered leader (calculated by OT's unconfusing-straight-forward-user-friendly formula) and smaller beads I should have a much more relaxing day at the water? It all makes sense so I will definately give it a go As to a day on the banks with OT, Badgerbunny, Big Al, alcohol and lubricant...Wellllll...why am I suddenly thinking of Deliverance and hearing the dualing banjo's in the background

Hey! I've only been fly fishing on and off for about a year now. Really enjoying it and still learning all the trade secrets as I go along. I've always fished from the bank but recently hired a boat for the day to give it a go. I fished at Hanningfield reserviour my last fishing trip and was lucky enough to catch 5 fish that day. My tackle outfit is a 9'6 Orvis 6 weight rod with a 5 weight WF floating line. The way I try and fish is with say for example a goldhead green damsel (or orange blob) at the bottom and 2 or 3 buzzers on the top. That way I can let the leader sink and cover a wider depth range. The thing that really broadens and ignite my colourfull vocabulary and verbal abuse towards any innocent objects/humans/wildlife is the tangles that keep occuring when I'm trying to cast a 12 to 15ft leader! I have it that long because of the amounts of flies and of course to be able to fish deeper on a floating line. Yes, I know I can fish with an intermediate or fast sinker with a shoter leader but I need to learn how to do it properly (just like the "old timers" there on the lake who makes it look so easy). I'm not fishing with a tapered leader so would that make a difference? I watched one of the older boys and saw that he pull the rod back at a 2 O' clock position and then flick the rod forward at a 12 O' clock position. I tried that and it definately worked better for me. Before I used to cast forward and backwards in a 12 O' clock position only... I would really appreciate some advice and any tips from you experienced fly fisherman. Thank you very much!

I've been doing some research on good reels for popping for GT's from a boat. The recommended reels so far is the Shimano Stella and Daiwa Saltiga. Both reels are really expensive and in the £500/600 plus region. I'm more of a freshwater fisherman and won't be doing this sort of fishing often therefore a bit hessitant to splash out that amount of money for a reel. Are there any other good value for money reels for this type of fishing or should I resort to beans on toast for this month and just buy one of these reels?

Hey guys I finally got some more information regarding the venue and fishing. The place where I'll be fishing is located on a "spear head" on the Mozambique coast where you have the sea in the front and a river/estuary at the back. The lighter tackle is recommended for catching the kingfish in the river (they avarage 4-10kg) and then heavier tackle for the sea casting poppers/spoons/lures up to 230grams (8oz) Now just to find a good shop to buy the tackle...

Hey Tony Thanks for the reply and info. Much appreciated! I will have a look at the rod you suggested...

Hey there I will be going on holiday to Mozambique for a fishing holiday and trying to do some research regarding tackle, fish, etc. We will be fishing off a boat and the species we are going to target will be king and queen macarel, kingfish, wahoo, pompano, bonito, couta, etc. Have any of you done this sort of fishing before? If so I would appreciate all info, especially concerning tackle. From what I've been told a 7/8 ft Daiwa Exceler rod with 2500 Daiwa Exceler reel is a good combo. The rod weights recommended between 28-80g (half oz to one and a half oz) but not sure if that is a bit optimistic and maybe a bit too light? Also, do any of you know a good site/shop where I can buy some tackle at a reasonable price? The tackle is going to be fairly expensive so I'm looking for a good online shop (or good shop near or in London) Thanks

Hey Tony Thanks for the reply and yeah I should have posted this on the sea section...dope! Anyway, we are going to have a boat so will be trying to fish for some big ones. Buying new tackle can be quite expensive so I want to be dead certain that I buy the right tools for the job. The lighter tackle was recommended by some friends but I think they might be a bit optimistic... From the suggestions you made regarding the tackle it sounds that you have fished Mozambique before?

Hey there. Just wondering if any of you has used the daiwa exceller and know of a good website to buy them. Also, can you recommend any good spinning rods for casting weights from half oz to 2 0z weights. I know i prob have to buy 2 diffirent rods to cast both weights but just need some opinions on good spining rods. I'm going on a fishing trip to Mozambique and going to do drop shot fishing for king and queen mackerel, kingfish, wahoo, bonito, etc. I havn't done this type of fishing before and would appreciate all info . I read somewhere that the daiwa exceller is a good reel for that type of fishing... Thanks!

Hey there. I would like to go and catch some serious catfish in the Ebro river in Spain. Just wondering if any of you have been and can recommend a company that is reasonable and reliable. Thanks

Don't worry you're not alone! I've had an entire container of maggots that crawled out in my fridge. My girlfriend was not amused cause she found some in her lettuce. The rest found their way out of the fridge and all around the house...In a couple of weeks there were flies flying all around the house and believe me, you will have the same Good luck!

Nice fish Sportsman! Well done! Its been a while...you still building that rod for me?

Thanks for all the tips Greg, five bellies and sportsman

Hey Greg. Thanks for the reply. Makes sense to just fish a longer leader and a floating line. I fish various waters and one of them fairly deep. What would you do though if you are fishing from the bank on a really sunny day with the fish on the bottom and say on a really deep reserviour (in winter time)?

I've had some problems when fishing with a sinking line. The line just drags the fly down all the way to the bottom and when I get the fly out its usually covered in weed. A faster retrieve does work in summer time but in winter when the fish are slow it doesn't. Have any of you experienced the same problem and how do you overcome it? Floating fly on short leader? Caught my PB trout this weekend at Rib Valley. 6lb 9oz. Thanks very much to John for taking a picture and sending it to me via email

Hey Vagabond Thanks for the reply. I know its going to be very expensive but hey, you only live once they say. Spoke to someone who did a kayak trip. They were tenting at night and kayaking during the day. Might also be a better and cheaper way to see Iceland.

Hey. I'm thinking for my next trip to go to Iceland. The land of fire and ice...Just want to know if any of you have been there and have any tips? I've read a couple of articles about fishing there and you can get some good salmon, trout, sea trout, etc. Just always difficult to know where to go and what to do. Would any of you be interrested in maybe going? Thinking of getting a couple of people together. Always more fun that way. I know a friend who knows a guide out there but not sure how good he is. Any info would be appreciated. Cheers

Hey SeaDooDavid Sorry for the late reply. Internet was down after the bad weather...Yeah, I did take my rods with me but it was a major pain in the as*. I've got an adapter on my camera that fits on a bankstick to take photo's. I had all my rods along with the bankstick in a long plastic tube with endcaps on. Got stopped and inspected 3 times because the scanners pick up my dangerous "weapon" in the tube. Only used my fly rod for the trout which is a 3 piece 7weight 9ft6 rod. It fits nicely in the tube and is protected by a rod bag that came with it. For the kayak fishing you will def need shorter and stronger rods. You can get some of them in 6ft lenths (the tube I had was slighty longer that 6ft) or even 2 piece rods. We fished with Seeker rods (American make)but he also had some Shakespear Uglystick rods (20-30lb weight) for the bigger fish. The guide gave me all the takle that I needed for the kayak fishing so didn't even use mine in the end. He was a really nice guy. Check out he's website: http://www.yakfishalaska.com/photos.htm. He's biggest fish is a 183lb halibut from the kayak!!!!! Check out the photo's. Good luck with finding your fishing gear! Ha ha you just don't know what went on underneath the water