Dick Dastardly

Trout anglers swear by the importance of different colour tinted lenses according to light levels. Yellow in low light and Grey to Brown in brighter conditions.

I have as much mono BENEATH the float as the depth allows. BUT the float is mounted on the braid. Simply as mono is less conspiquos and easier to slide your shot about on but you want the float on the braid so that you have floating line immediately above the float for better contact/control and of course you get the float back if the hook link/mono below gets snagged and you have to pull for a break.

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Got a picture and price? And location?

Ive never found braid makes any significant difference to which style of cast is used.

Ive not had any practical experience with actually using (fishing/casting as opposed to putting on rods) so cant comment. As Den says for years and years the tournament casting world has played with different set ups (especially for fixed spool reels due to the "coil" effect) When I was right into it (80's) the two main trains of thought were having just three or four over sized rings (as Den says in line with the spool) to either allow the coils to pass through or "break them down" gradually. The other was to have quite a few small ring and to replace the butt ring with a "bazooka tube" This was basicly a funnel shape whipped on the rod. The idea being to break the coils down as quick as possible. As Den says it seems that the 3 or 4 over sized rings have won. That said though I believe the Microwave system was developed with braid in mind? For putting the rings on yourself do a search on here as Im sure my self,Dave (Sportsman) or Rusty have already done a photo strip type reply on re whipping rods. Or if your local to me (Ashford, Kent) Im more than happy to show you.

With the past few seasons reduced fishing Perch are one of my species that have definitely been ignored,Mad really with so many good waters around me!

Interesting but an awfull lot of work just to tip/trim a whipping. I just catch a length of the tipping material under the start of the main whipping and whip finnish as normal. That said when I was making rods in bulk if tippings were required I used car "pin striping" tape and once the Hi-Build is on you cant tell and its very neat and ultra fast. Put the tape on first then whip normaly. That said if your cack handed its a good way to still be able to put a thread tipping on not as fiddly.

I believe than the old maxim of choosing braid by using the same diameter as the mono you would is sound. Basicly it stops all the "problems" people seem to suffer with braid! The main issues being abbraission resistance and "manageability" You use the same breaking strain you end up with an ULTRA thin line that is difficult to control (ie tangles, wind knots etc) and ofg course poor abbraision resistance. BUT as Ian says you need to consider all of the materials properties. As much of a bonus they can all be they can equally be a problem! For example the lack of stretch. With big fish I allow for this by using softer rods. With small fish I have a "cushion" of mono built in. Its a matter of using the properties you need for the job and compensating for the ones you don't.

Andy said he was happy to convert mine for free as Im a "finger poker" as well and don't like handles. Just never got around to getting it to him as I was always using it! Ive had most of the pins and rate the AN one as one of the best. Certainly the best value for money. Don't know what the end RRP was but he certainly looked after us AN regulars.Hope Andy is well and still at it. Mr Waller! glad to see your still alive!

When I was forced to sell of my original pin collection a few years back (2004?) I sold a mint condition (I brought it new and only used it three times and didn't like the weight or poor start up) Dave Swallow for £200 (if I remember right about what I paid for it new) Think the guy is having a giraffe! BUT I have noticed a slow but steady trend of the prices of "modern" pins increasing and a lowering of classics. For Example our own AN Pins have risen in price on the second hand market while the price of "usable" Match Aerials has come down (yes pristine "collecters" example still fetch a good price but no where near the £300 I got for mine while £75 will get you a working but "naked" one!)

"Best time of day" Think its a bit like "Best bait" simply varies from water to water and in different conditions. Just to give some background, I always fish a mix of lives and deads (usually two of each rules allowing) Some waters are very good at first light whilst others need to "wake up"! Last knockings and a hour into darkness can be good as well (but I have never found night to be any good) In general I would say morning is better than afternoon but that may simply be because Im always there at dawn and so have caught any resident fish by midday! 90% of my Piking is done in the colder months and as this also means "shorter days" Im happy to fish an hour before light to hour after not only to find out if any "hot times" exist but to simply get a full days fishing in only 8 hours at its shortest.

Ian does it now not work out cheaper to fish the canal?

Simply Ken because its easier to blame it on pike anglers and their live bats! The ornamental trade is big business whilst we are just a bunch of guys who cant even show a united front between us!

Good point and I think for me maybe this is part way the answer. For the past couple of seasons Ive struggled to find new challenges (be it new fish,methods or venues) Seem to have got to the "Been there and done it" stage and cant find anything new to "Go there and do it"! Well not something to motivate me to the same extent at least. Practically all my fishing at the moment is "easy fishing" easy in that very little effort is required! When Im going Im certainly enjoying it, but it doesnt seem to matter if the trip is a flop or a sucsess Im still struggling to motivate to get out again. Went through a bit of a similar stage to Anderoo a few seasons back with the "mini campaign" thing. Dont think having to deal with fishing related stuff every hour of the day helps.Rather than firing me up like it used to it actually seems to put me off!

Nothing better than a couple of "stolen" fish! Nice one.Especially an upper double at that.

Should have added that with multipliers ceramic bearings are often run "dry" on the Tournement Casting field but for fishing its recommended that they are lubricated

Hi mate don't know if this is of any help. Only experience I have of ceramic bearings is in multipliers. BUT I use a pin a lot in saltwater for Mullet. I have found the best way to prevent SW damage is to simply ALWAYS flush the reel out under a cold running tap when you get home.I then (depending on amount of use) re oil every few trips.Every few months I do a complete strip/clean/re lube. I don't use any of my expensive pins for the job (most of these are true pins anyway and don't have bearings) but the Lewtham Engineering Leeds I use has bearings and never had a problem with them in over 30 years.

DONT PANIC! It happens. Just be paicient and it comes back. Had it a few times in my career. You've identified the problem though.

Yes that's a pretty plausible supposition

Not "Rubbish" but it was never in the same league before as the other big TR's BUT now not only is but is certainly on the cards to pass them....or will it?

Neil all of the big producers have similar if not greater biomasses so again we draw a blank!

"Far less" at Farmoor! another strange abnomilly in the TR Piking scene! One of the ressies did some lumps (netted) many years ago and they didn't let anyone fish it! The other has never produced pike and they opened it several times with ensuing rubbish results! Then let us fish the right one but (it seems) all to late! But as you say good water quality and plenty of food so why was one producing lumps (albeit not many) and the other nothing? After the amazing results of the Llandegfedd trials and the resulting Bough Beech ones etc a lot of anglers made the simple mistake of assuming that automaticly TR=BIG PIKE! many parted with a lot of big dough for nothing! As Ive mentioned befopre its the waters track record for producing big pike that's all important.And by this I don't mean one of lumps but several year in and year out. Before the triqals there was well documented and (in the right circles) well known knowledge of several 40lb + fish having been removed (got to remember its this "culling" by net etc that really gives you the gen on a waters potential) Every TR I know off and have bothered to have fished that has produced more than just the one of lump has had this "track record". AND equally important none of the "flop" waters have!

Sadly I have been involved in the transfer of thousands of pike from trout reservoirs to other waters (all non TR) NONE of these fish have flourished regardless of if they were 40's or jacks. They just don't seem to be able to adjust. Now I have no idea if non TR fish would do well or not if moved to a TR but very very much doubt if anyone would know as I just cant see the situation arising!

While it does indeed seem that Chew has developed a slightly more open minded view to pike fishing and its resultant revenue than most of the other big ressies I would very much doubt if this was the case Andrew. The whole thing is a political tightrope for the fishery management of a TR.Their primary customer (angling wise) and therefore their biggest income is after all the trout angler.Most trout anglers (and indeed TR managers) still regard the Pike as public enemy No1! they eat the trout and therefore should be removed at all costs! Yes I see what your saying (ie stocked on quiet to avoid upsetting the fluff chuckers) but very much doubt it. Things have improved a lot these days in regards to the pike and the resulting income they can produce off season being recognised by management but it needs to be remembered that this resulting income is still not (in perspective) that great and certainly wouldn't cover even the cost of the lost trout let alone loss of game anglers custom/trust etc. But the question still remains why Chew has bucked the trend!