klonker

Nice one Rob - hope they work for you! It's been a long time since I used plastics; if I don't get any takers for the other Storm Pike, come June I'm gonna give 'em a go myself. Cheers, Raif

Hi Rob, Countdown has gone. See PM. Raif

Just to say, I've added some spinner/buzz baits to the list above »

Good point

Done. Good luck with the project! Maybe post a picture when you're done...

I've got enough hardware so I'm selling this lot and more: Click here for a PDF file or here for a MS Word file listing a range of hard, soft, and hybrid lures for sale. They’re all new and in their original packaging from Rapala and Storm. I’ve put in some prices based loosely on Ebay auction sales, but may be open to offers for ‘bulk’ buys, for instance, I’d let the lot go for £160 ono + P&P. Postage would be the least I can make it i.e. (for small orders) jiffy envelope at cost plus Royal Mail stamps. In the files I’ve included web addresses and catalogue page numbers for reference. The images are direct from the manufacturers (some of the images don’t show lures with hooks though the ones I’m selling are complete with hooks!) and apart from the Rapala Husky, show the actual product in the colour version I’m selling. (I can provide photos of the lures in their boxes and blister packs though the colours are hard to see through the packaging.) Cheers, Raif

Two reels come to mind, one from Orvis and one at the site mentioned above. Orvis CFO Peerless Traditional Trout Reel Otherwise old Hardy Marquis are relatively easy to get hold of and reasonably priced. Small shops like Walkers of Trowell, Nottingham, carry second hand and vintage tackle: If you can stomach eBay then you may find some deals there. Or, try putting a Wanted Ad in the classifieds here (assuming AnglersNet has classifieds?) and at Fly Fishing Forums or UKFlyDressing.

Whatever loop you go for, you should check its integrity before every trip, and on a busy day you could do worse than check it once or twice during the session. Braided loops can have a tendency to hinge which fatigues the fly line/loop junction. I've noticed this especially when using a sleeve to secure the braided loop (These days I like to needle knot my leader directly to my fly line.). You can whip the braid loop to the fly line or for a smoother effect you use a braided tapered leader and whip that to the line. Alternatively, Rio manufacture lines with end loops built-in, as do a couple other manufacturers (Orvis for one?). Talking DIY... There was an article in FF&FT a few seasons back about using shrink tubing and a flame to form your own welded loops....

I'd say if you actually used the rod in the salt and you got on fine with it, then you'll be fine with the Orvis. But it kinda depends on where you're going to fish for pike and with what kind of flies. Like most things, the devil is in the detail... Take big flies at short range for instance, say on a canal or medium/small river - I'm of the Tim Holschlag school of thought on this one - overlining your rod is a good idea because it enables you to load the rod quicker and more easily, helping you overcome the timing issues caused by the weight and air resistance of the flies. Using a tip action rod you may find yourself having to open up your casting stroke to give you the right loop - tight pointy loops may be the order of the day when presenting a fine dry fly or nymph, but if you try and employ the same technique with a large double bunny you could end up in all sorts of trouble. For instance, if (or perhaps I should say when?) you develop a tailing loop, you have a good chance of dinging the tip of your T3 - with a big old pike fly that could be your rod's undoing!?

Just in case someone gets on the wrong track: Can I suggest the capacity to cast greater distances may not be a good 'yardstick' to judge a rod. A quality rod wont deliver this on its own - the rod only holds potential - distance, like accuracy, comes down to casting technique. While a very poor rod might hinder your cast, a quality one wont necessarily improve it. I waited over twenty years before I felt I could feel the difference between an average rod and a top quality one, twenty years and a number of casting lessons. Yep, I said it, "casting lessons." Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks I wonder if the rod that Gary is looking for is for river fishing? The Sage SLT is a very nice rod for a relaxed approach - an 8.5ft 4 or 5 weight makes a nice all-rounder - buy something lighter for small fish. Scott make some interesting rods. I wonder if you've considered cane? There are some lovely small bamboo rods for river fishing.

Orvis Frequent Flyer, Redington Wayfarer, Greys Missionary are all OK though I'm not sure I'd try out fly fishing buying a rod for over £100. Shakespeare used to make a TravelFly that was fine and cost £45. If the Odessey is anything like it that would probably be a good place to start. Don't rule out 4 piece rods. These aren't necessarily classed as travel rods, but none the less pack down quite small. This might open up your options. If someone offers you a rod nice and cheap, say£20 to £30 - perhaps the Whisker ? - perhaps you should buy that just to see how you get on with it. If you get the fly fishing bug you can invest in something a special. A rod suited to saltwater and to mountain lakes is a bit of an ask. A 6/7 is probably a minimum for saltwater and a 7/8 is more realistic. While these rods will cast allow you to cast to mountain lake trout, the fish which average quite small will not put up much of a fight....

I fish a Sage XP 9'3" 5#. It's a lovely rod. I did ding it once with a heavy bead-head (not very clever) and later, while hauling a good length of Airflo Intermediate, the section broke - other cheaper rods I use have proved more durable. Importantly however, Sage are very good for their guarantee - I got my replacement section for free, shipped and delivered in one week! When I broke another mid range brand rod, it took a month or more to get my new section and it cost me 20 or 30 quid. These days my inclination is to buy cheap-and-cheerful or buy top notch. My experience with reels has been the similar...

An Ondex is a great all-rounder and works for chub, perch and pike. Mid to large sizes will aid in casting distance and by no means put off 'smaller' fish. The Ondex fishes nice and slow. Tom Saville's sell spinner making kits as does Steve Parton. I like to make my own with a single hook dressed with an orange feather. Plugs, spinnerbaits, softbaits (rubber worms, grubs, tubes etc.) will all work on their day. I should say I've caught very few perch on plugs - though the plugs I fish are 'pike' sized. Good luck.

SW, any good fly shop should be able to help. A basic set might consist of: RIVER Nymphs/Wet flies sizes 18-12: Bead-head GoldRibbed Hares Ear - natural and olive Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph (Non-bead-head versions of the above) Partridge and Orange Snipe and Purple Shrimp - olive, olive with hot spot, pink (weighted up to size 8) Dry flies size 20-14: Pheasant Tail GoldRibbed Hares Ear Tups Thorax Blue-winged-olive Ginger quill Blue dun Black gnat Klinkhamer - various colours Reservoir/Stillwater Streamers any legal size: Woolly Bugger - unleaded and bead-head - olive, black Cats Whisker Boobys - various colours Humungus - various colours Minkie Muddler Wets/Nymphs 14-10: Diawl Bach Corixa Cruncher Montana Epoxy Buzzer - brown, olive, black, red Daddy Dry flies and Emergers 16-10: Shuttle-cock buzzer - various colours Hopper - various colours Bobs Bits Daddy Hawthorn Klinkhamer - various colours That would be a reasonable place to start Of course there are thousands of patterns to choose from with variations in size and colour (even weight in some cases) for each pattern What I've listted should cover the bulk of situations. You can build up a collection to suit the watres you fish using these flies as a basic working set of 'tools.' Good Luck

I've never seen one and no one has ever mentioned them to me until now... Reported by IYCF to be "the biggest threat to British fish" they've been in Europe since the 1960s. Have you come across Topmouth Gudgeon (other than in a fish tank ) or fish affected by the infectious disease they carry?