jaypeegolf

Has anyone got any experience of servicing the drag on a rear drag reel please? I have a few reels where the drag has become rather 'jerky' and not at all smooth and with so much time on my hands wondering if it was possible to service the drag? (Shakespeare Mach 3 by the way) I've searched online but can't find any instructions that are relevant so any advice/help gladly accepted. Thanks in advance John

I have a Harrison 13' SU and a Mach 3 13ft Match. Unfortunately the Mach 3 snapped whilst trying to tame a barbel a couple of years ago hence why I purchased the SU. The Mach 3 is much lighter and easier to hold for longer sessions but as my boredom threshold is usually about 3 hours I can cope with the added weight of the SU. I love the Mach 3 but as the majority of my fishing is now in barbel territory I feel more confident with the SU. Good thread guys.

They're like buses these barbel!! 7lb 13oz & probably as big as I like to handle on my float rod! (I'm no Keith Spears!)

Thanks Chris, It's been a long slog for me on the Warks Avon for me, an impatient angler. I didn't know whether or not I'd ever manage to find a barbel of any size on my float set up, not having the patience to sit behind a tip for one! But, at last, with some bankside vegetion dissapearing I've manage to 'find' a new swim. Lovely it is too! Thursday evening I turned up with the wrong rod, a standard 13' Shakespeare Match rod, which when I hooked into a barbel was clearly undergunned. Hence the breakage just above the middle joint. Friday I brought my stepped up Harrison float rod which proved to be the one! Fish in net! Back for some more later in the week when the rain may have spiced things up a bit too. Hope you're well and catching on the Kennet. John

Having enviously read Tigger's posts about his trotting expliots and the fantastic results he yields I have been desperate to try and create my own success. Fishing the Warwickshire Avon I have be trying to catch a barbel whilst trotting with my centrepin. Last Thursday, I nearly succeeded but unfortunately my rod snapped! I returned on Friday evening, armed to the teeth, and finally prevailed. it was a struggle in a fast paced swim, on a 'stepped up' float rod, with 6lb line, but I managed to land a beautiful fish of 5lb 130z. My arm was still shaking when I got to the pub an hour or so later. There were also some great chunky chub to round off a brilliant 2 hours fishing. Hopefully there's many more where that came from.

Can anyone shed anymore light on these creations please? I've seen some very appealing photos on Facebook but can't seem to find out anything more! Does anyone have any info please? Cheers J

Tigger, May I ask which river it is that you have been catching all these wonderful fish from. Don't need to know where! Just which one! JP

Hope you don't mind me asking, but what rod is that in the photos? JP

I've got one and love it. Wouldn't swop it for a plastic box for the world. It's comfortable, carries everything I need and just reminds me of my youth when 'every' angler I watched appeared to have one.

Thank you Alan, Big help! J

Would anyone have any information on the specification of a Shakespeare Ariel CTB Match rod by any chance? I'm interested in knowing it's weight, line rating/test curve please. Thanks for any help you guys can offer. J

I'm making a trip to the Wye tomorrow, between Ross and Monmouth, hoping to target some nice chub and bonus barbel on the float. I made some tentative enquiries to a 'well known river angler' who suggested that pellets were the way forward. Whilst I'm in no doubt that this method has reaped rewards to someone with far better skills that me I'm feeling that I need to take a 'familiar' bait, maggots/casters with me in case I can't make the pellets work for me! Anyone have any thoughts/suggestions? Cheers JP

...meanwhile, back on the 'trotting for barbel' forum post...!!

I've got a couple! One old one, lives in the garage and is purely for fishing now. It's been reproofed and is still a good coat. The other one's a bit more trendy and is for going out only! Wouldn't be without them. JP

I went to the Warwickshire Avon at Stratford, the Lido section, on Friday afternoon. Patience was running thin and I stuck it out for 2 hours, up to my calfs in the river, until my hand was imovable on the rod due to the cold! 1 bite, 1 fish! A chub of 4lb.

There's some spare 'burners' on our favourite internet auction site, Zippo one's but I've got a feeling they'll do the job? Good luck JP

Hi Rob, 'My stretch' of the Blythe has always produced at least couple of 'decent' chub for me, even in the depths of last winters snow. It's close enough so that I can pop down for an hour after work for a quick fix and get back home before anyone's noticed I'm not home!! I fish other rivers, the Warks Avon, the Arrow, the Kennet too, but in all honestly, they do not produce the consistency of fish that I can find on the Blythe. Sure, there's no barbel (but I have heard rumours that they are further downstream near Coleshill, but from your reply this may just be heresay?) but I always enjoy catching chub. The perch I've had have gone to about a pound and recently I've caught some beautiful roach to almost a pound, there's also the odd trout! At times it seems daft to travel further afeild when this little gem is so close to home. Very few anglers appear to bother with it, all blindly fishing the nearby commecial water. If you drop me a PM I'll happily tell you more!! JP

I just wanted to share with you all one of the most productive 2 hours I think I've ever had on the river bank! Saturday afternoon left me with a couple of hours spare, in between child minding duties, so I crept off to my local river, the Blythe, in Solihull. It's a small river, resembling not much more that a stream in most places, but it always throws up a fish or two regardless. I bought half a pint of red maggots, which for the Blythe, is quite an extravagance!, as usually I pop out with nothing more that a couple of slices of bread, and headed down. I was armed with just my float rod and usually a static bait is the method of choice here so I wasn't sure what the results would be. Anyway to cut out any more rambling, after almost 2 hours I'd caught just under 25lb of fish from the two swims by trotting a float with 2 red maggots. Almost all were chub but also included were a few small perch and a roach. 7 chub were between 2lb 14oz and 3lb 2oz which appears to be the biggest they go to in this stretch of the Blythe and given how 'intimate' the river is, tremendous sport. I'd never really tried maggots at the Blythe before and expecting to be inundated with 'small stuff', was surprised at how successful they were over my usual bread approach. Can't wait to try it again soon. Delighted of Solihull! JP

Will you be taking your feeders with you too? Thanks Neil, Yes, I will be taking a barbel rod with me and will probably have a sit down in the afternoon, once I've worn myself out trotting, and watch the tip! Whether or not it moves is another discussion! I'll let you know how I go. Had some great sport on the Arrow so far this season, mainly with chub, not really targetted the Barbel specifically, but my friend has had loads out up to 9.5lbs! Hope your catching. John

Sorry Close to Holme Lacey

Afternoon all, Just received notification that I'm going on a day's fishing to the River Wye. Now, I particulary want to target chub on the float and wondered if there were any specific tactics and bait (for the Wye) that I should be considering? I fully intend to take my waders and without any advice will be taking bread and maggots/casters. Anyone got any other ideas that they know go well on the Wye. Thanks for any advice tendered. Cheers JP

"A centrepin may be a handicap as light floats cast long distances in shallow swims preclude the heavier rigs more suited to the pin" Thanks Mark, I'm not quite sure I understand this sentance correctly? Are you saying that I should be using lighter rigs/tackle which precludes my 'pin? Cheers John

I've managed to wangle a day trip to Royalty/Throop (hopefully) whilst on a family trip to Bournemouth for a christening and am looking for a few pointers please. Next Saturday is the day in question and any tips and hints for trotting for chub would be welcome. (Centre pin and match rod) Do I bring some bait, bread, from home, or should I just stock up at Davis Tackle on the Saturday with maggots?? or something different? Is there any water on the river at the moment? We have had some rain since the last report I read. (I will be taking my waders too if that should influence anyones suggestions!) Is it worth bringing a feeder rod too? Thanks for any help guys JP

Classic roach setup then!!

Good report Lyn, Nice to hear the river fishing well. I've not fished Manor Farm, usually perferring Anchor Meadow in the middle of the Manor Farm pegs, but having read this report will certainly give it more consideration. Can you give me a rough idea where the roach came out, and what bait it fell to? Well done!