ThePiker

Mick Brown, after just snapping his line while reeling in a big fish.." Fer Fox sake" Captain Kirk..." Bream me up Scotty"

Well, while were plugging good tackle shops, Here's mine.Two Guys of Basinstoke,found them by accident and they will beat any-ones price on big stuff like rods,reels,bivvy's. Secondly,Tackle Box ,Kent.I know they are top prices,but the range they carry is second to none,and they give you free,the best thing an angler could hope for,good solid reliable advice! They're ability to get the stuff to you in double quick time is superb....Des

Wanted: 2 x stainless steel banksticks.Size around 20inches,good condition.Fair price paid.

GULP!!!!!!!!!!...And my wife thinks I spend way far too much on my Pike and Tench tackle?.. Phew!!!!!!!!

Glad you enjoyed the day Robert,only next time it's a double for ye!.We'll have to break that new rod'n'reel in with it...Des.

Thanks for the reply's.I stil have to give them a go though,If I didn't there would always be the " I should have tried them train of thought". Any-one recommend a company, SBS,Richworth etc etc?

Hi all you Carpers, Was speaking to my mate yesterday with regards to getting 10kilos of CSL pellets.Having checked all the mags for different companies,prices etc etc they are a tad expensive.Now I'm no cheapskate,but if i can get it cheaper ,or an alternative is available thenI'll use it.Have read that Ewe nuts are basically(if not exactly) the same.Is this true?, and can CSL be bought in liquid form as well from Animal feed shops.Cheers in advance for all the replies....Des,and on behalf of my mate Des. ( some-one once asked me if every-one in Ireland was called Des)!!!!!!

No Peter,not him,but you'll be getting a good neighbour.Will be sad to see him go.Although saying that,he did invite me over for a spot of Pike fishing when he's settled.Mmmmmmmmm luverly P.S. I wont be "hunting" for the 40lber [ 13. January 2003, 12:25 AM: Message edited by: ThePiker ]

Peter, a friend of mine who lives in Co Leitrim is planning to move back to The Broads from Southern Ireland in the near future.An Englishman who moved over here because the fishing was so good once.Is he gonna pay big money for a place ..WOW, thats serious money...

Well,was using two of the reels today fishing for Pike.No problems at all with them today,no dodgy drag,or spool shuddering.In fact the clutch worked well playing the 25.12oz .So it could be just a faulty batch,or your friend was just really unlucky in that he just got 3 really bad reels from the one shop.

Hi Johnboy, well I had the rods/reels out tonight re-tying knots,checking traces etc etc,so as I said, I checked the drag on all 3 reels.I screwed 'em up tight( ooh 'er) and gave the line a fair old pull( double ooh 'er) and the drag didn't give way.Then i tried to move the spool by hand and it did turn, but very begrudginly.I would'nt class that as a fault,but as in my last post I also mentioned the spool shudder,I will have to suss that one out while actually fishing.Will let you know.To be honest,after having the reels a few months,they are a lot smoother than their predecessors,but there's something that tells me the build quality is just not the same.This is a personal view,and i would love to be proved wrong.Time will tell!

Thought I'd bring this to the top as it's quite an interesting post( to those that have bought the new baitrunners anyway,and those who are contemplating buying them). I got 3 new ones in September( 6000 GTE),and didn't notice any problems,untill i was out on Sunday.While reeling in a 2oz lead and a big roach ,the reel seemed to be under strain,and the spool was shuddering.Now I have had this happen on the first baitrunners I ever had but they were 3 year old, and you do expect a bit of wear,but on reels that are not 5 months old yet?, don't think so.Will get the reels out and check them for the drag though,and swap the spools around to see if it happens again at the week-end.Will check 'em carefully and will update this post. If I do notice any prob's ,it's back to the shop were they came from for replacements.

Totally agree with the sentiments on the Harris Huntsman net.The spreader block is plastic( ABS,polystyrene,nylon) not sure,but i am waiting on it breaking.The mesh is fine,apart from small fish in the 2-4lb bracket as Peter said( actually landed my 31.10 in it,so overall not that bad.)I will replace the spreader block with a metal one,as soon as I find the time.Did i see a website for Sharpes of Aberdeen who do nets that would be suitable?...Hang on a mo!... yeah sharpes do have a site, http://www.sharpes.net but it doesn't work. :mad: Have seen on other forums the nets from Sharpes getting good reviews for Pike fishing from a boat.Go to http://www.summerlands.co.uk they sell them on-line...

Last Summer it was 2.40 "I think" for a pint of maggots complete with a lot of bran etc ,casters were a lot dearer and quality was not great. Continental groundbait went up to 2.80 -3 quid depending which shop you went into. Is it the same in England where you have to specifically order maggots,casters just to make sure you get them for a week-end session?.We have to over here in N.Ireland.There are times when I've had to go fishing without them,simply because I didn't put in an order mid-week.

Firstly Duncan,nice one,will try it and let you know.Secondly,Reel Deal,thats interesting,will speak to you soon about it. Now Peter,I've been fishing a fair few years for Pike and to be honest I never thought of doing that(DOH!)...It's a simple but bloody good idea. I would usually put out two deads,and then lure fish around the boat,always keeping an eye on the floats.Although,probably not the best ,but have seen others who do the same and they catch.But for me it doesn't just work.it is going to take a big effort to ditch the baits,even if it is for one session,but i will do it soon.Cheers all for the reply's. The result for my 3 rods today was...I blanked,ahhhhhhhhhh :mad: :mad: :mad: Mate had a 24.1 to a sardine(jammy bugger) only joking..

Hi Duncan, afraid it's not cork but split duplon handles.The rod in question is a Daiwa Powermesh deadbait rod.Taking into consideration the lack of use they get nowadays,i may just persevere with it,and will get round to getting it replaced sometime.Many thanks for the offer though,but I'm probably a couple of hundred miles from Kent,over land and water.

Hi all, having just taken out my 12ft deadbait rods, after having them stored for nearly 2 years( yes it is that long,as i have been fishing from the boat with my 10 footers))one of the reel seats is buggered.It takes a great deal of effort to screw it up tightly to hold the reel in place. Once there it seems fine.Now i think that it "may be on the wrong thread" making it difficult to move by hand.Apart from getting it replaced,any ideas how to fix it.I have tried the usual WD40,candle wax etc etc...Any ideas greatly appreciated....

Oh don't worry I will be doing that,just thought I'd start early and get as much info as iI could. Des... P.S. I'm still gonna get some of those pop-ups off ye!!!

Alan,long time no here from... anyway, I'm sure we will all be keeping an open mind.Would be nice to get a few Tench,but if the carp come along they will be most welcome. I'll have some of your Solar pop-ups if u don't mind,just in case....

Cheers for that Gaffer, will do.We can have a good ol'natter over a brew...Cheers again, Des.

There must be some-one who has fished Manor Farm. If you don't want to spill any beans in a public forum,you could always P.M. me,or send an e-mail. Any info greatly appreciated...Des.

Hi all, there are 5 of us heading over to Manor Farm in June for 4-5 days.I have been on the their Site a few times,and will visit again for more info nearer the time,but I'm sure a few of you have fished the place before, so can you give me any pointers that I can use,and also pass onto the other guys.Info that I would be interested in would swim selection,depths,worthwile baits,rigs that work well etc etc.This is my first fishing trip outside Ireland( led a sheltered life me!!!) Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance [ 27. December 2002, 10:30 PM: Message edited by: ThePiker ]

Could be worse I suppose, she could have used a Tesco bag for me clothes!

Well, after all the good things I heard about Fishrite Tackle,a big brown box arrived yesterday full of the stuff.What's in it? Haven't a clue!!.Gave the wife a list of things from their catalogue,and told her to pick something.Hopefully she heard me wrong,and ordered the whole bloody lot. Any-one from Swifty's here, who can tell me what she ordered?.....only joking....

Mikey, Check out the Krill lamps.These are very small Luminous lamps just slightly bigger than a cigarette lighter,and are available in different colours.Enough light to read with etc etc( and anything else you wish to find in the dark).They are safe because they are powered by batteries,2 AA's so there's no chance they'll set you or the bivvy on fire.Batteries should last a summer if not used in excess. When you do have to leave the bivvy and step into the darkness,you don't get that blinding effect as you would when you use white light.Check 'em out,you wont be dissapointed.