Spindle

Brilliant

Don't over feed the pellets in this weather but they should still be a good bait. Use them on a bait-band for simplicity. Also, it's worth taking a blade from a hacksaw with you and cutting a groove roung the pellet before you put the band on it. The band will sit in the groove and stay on better. I caught my PB barbel on just such a method and pellet this year!

I haven't forgotten my promise to send you scans of any intrepid ads I've got in my big pile of 60's and 70's mags, Dave. I'll get my scanner for Chrimbo (Boxing Day, actually), so I'll see what I can do for you over the Xmas period. Glenn

I've just read it. And In My Opinion... it was, well, a bit pointless apart from anything else... Just a good excuse for some marketing stats, a few pages of the christmas issue of AT filled, and another excuse for them to tell us how good Shimano reels are. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Still, on the plus side at least their little "Carp" supplement, had a good piece on Donald Leney. So they can be forgiven Phew. Got that off my chest.

Paul To borrow a word from a friend of mine, the word I thinkyou were looking for with regards to the Sheffield is... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhmyeyesareburnin...

Am I right in thinking he went to work in the F1 industry? I'm rather hoping that he'll take up reel making eventually (perhaps when he retires).

They may have improved now but the Shakespeares' quality were a bit iffy - if you got a good Eagle fine, but if you didn't... Don't like the Okuma Sheffield - FAR TOO SHINY - made to attract anglers and scare fish! Not entirely in love with my Bob James 'pin anymore. Don't like Chris Plumb

Funny - majority of my fishing is with pins, and though I have some lovely modern ones, my favourite will always be my Match Aerial (and currently that Speedia is in a very close second!!). I'm not a glass-case collector, I'm a user through-and-through.

Garry Mills you are referring to. Bl**dy good engineer - website here: http://www.milltackle.co.uk Better to ring him though - he's happier with a lathe than a computer I think! Really nice bloke though - will talk "pins" for hours if you're not careful! He designed many of the Youngs range - the Purist was one of his I think. My Speedia is a narrow drum and though I know eveybody hankers after the wide drum deluxe, I'm happier with the narrow one! I love it!

Yep... and I'll never forgive him.... [cos this centrepin fetish is costing me a fortune!! ] Paul, I managed to get hold of a copy of your Wallis Cast article from "Angling". A very good article, slightly different style to the way Alan taught me. Alan (Roe) has his own style - if you can play my silly video (see link below - it's sometimes a bit funny with some media player versions) you'll see me *try* to explain the Alan Roe method. Interestingly I've just borrowed a Bewick (until mine arrives), and have just acquired an old Speedia. That Bewick is nice... but I really love that Speedia...!!! (oh, by the way, Paul - I'm Glenn Smith - we spoke on "the other forum" about trying to track down the name of FWK Wallis. Still not found out any more... ) [ 22. December 2004, 09:38 PM: Message edited by: Spindle ]

I think it's worth saying that general opinion (from others - I haven't handled either myself yet) is that the Aventa VT1002 (the "PRO" model which runs on ball-bearing races) is definitely the one to go for, compared to the more basic VT1000. The VT1002 is about £20 more but worth the extra money. Personally I really do like the Bewick though (but I accept it is much more expensive). [ 22. December 2004, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: Spindle ]

'tis the present I bought myself for Christmas this year Peter ) Very nice and light - perfect for trotting for grayling/roach etc. A lovely reel. Overpriced at RRP though - I won/bought mine from eBay for just over £100.

Have a look at the Leeds... ...and then buy an Okuma Aventa

Ah... now forget the ACA - THIS is perhaps the organisation we should all be joining

I wonder if PETA know he is PRO ANGLING?

Plenty of people go down the pub Christmas day, many would rather go fishing! Not for me - littluns to play with and self-bought presents to open! ) I have done when I was a lot younger - my parents live in a house that backs onto the Grand Union Canal so I've popped out "just to test my new optonics, Mum" for an hour!

Really? What an odd combination of ethics... Nah. How about Charles Jardine...? ( seriously ducks and runs for cover.... )

I think you could pass the best wishes of just about every angler in the country! (and a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year and so on). I think I was 13 when Go Fishing started and somewhere I still have that first series on video (from the very first time it was played on TV!). The Carp episode was the one I was dying to see (I was a young but clueless carp fanatic back then!), but it was the Roach episode that probably had the most profound effect on my life as it introduced me to a love of centrepins which I have to this day. So, you tell that man to look after himself. Go on. Do it now... [ 16. December 2004, 01:26 PM: Message edited by: Spindle ]

Steve Yes... if the people to blame are still in charge! I want to be sure that my £17 membership is being used to it's full potential to fight pollution, and not just a bit of it, with the rest going into in-house-politics, wallet-filling, ...and worse than anything else.... "crimes involving hoovers!" Hand on heart I think I will rejoin the ACA come the new year. I'm a trusting soul, and I hope that my money goes to help good people do good work for the benefit of fish, waterfowl, the countryside and EVERYBODY (including us anglers). But if this all turns on it's head again in a few months or years time, I for one will be very very disappointed. [ 15. December 2004, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: Spindle ]

And so this letter from Chris Tarrant, and resignations from others, leaves us back where we were a few weeks ago. What this needs is a completely independant investigation to find out EXACTLY what went on, who is or isn't to blame, and leave the ACA with a management team that is clean, trustworthy and above all accountable for it's actions. The ACA is fighting for it's members - people who willingly part with the money in the trust that it is doing good for angling, not just lining pockets of others. I wouldn't expect to hand over £20 to a charity like Cancer Research or Oxfam to see if mishandled, so why should the ACA be any different? You go believe the chairman if you like. His letter sounds plausible. But then again, so does the letter from Chris Tarrant. I just don't get it. We are back to square one. Who's right, who's wrong. Is the ACA now being run by trustworthy staff who care only for angling? Perhaps... or perhaps not. We have no solid proof. So perhaps I won't rejoin after all. It's a farce if you ask me... you can tell me who you believe but unless you have 100% proof you'll never be really sure will you.

If you're really worried Sheepy, pop down to the tackle shop and buy some oily-fish boilie dip, and leave it to soak in that!

Peter - do you have contact details for them?

I think that's the general problem with ABU (and Mitchell and all the other "pure fishing" stuff). Hate to say this but for reliability and back up Shimano, Daiwa and others are a far better bet. The Mitchells bug me - I bought a nice 300X Pro - with an "easy to replace and cheap to buy" concept spool system. What they forget to tell you is over in this country, spare spools for those reels are as rare as rocking horse doo doos....

OK - idea number 1 for the ACA. Sort your bl**dy website out and allow joining on-line. This IS the 21st century you know...

Playing Devil's Advocate for a moment: What "right-to-reply" do the James' have? (no, I'm not taking sides - just asking the question)