weirwulf

Berkeley double sided digi. They weigh even in fractions of an ounce for those specimen tiny species and the accuracy seems spot on. Nice and compact and a good case with a pouch for things like spare batteries which incidentally I have not needed to change in 2 years. They turn themselves off to conserve power.

Wow a very interesting and technical post. I am always amazed at the amount of hidden knowledge and talent and that is why most forums are so worthwhile. I must admit that the Fuji tip ring I eventually got to replace my grooved one had a different shaped framework to the one I removed. I also seem to remember that Fuji stamped their name on all rings and there is no evidence of that on the rings of my Greys rod. As for cheap chinese rods well of course the Greys product is part of that group of products despite the high price tag but the blank at least performs quite well. Presumably the design is from experts even if they don't keep control over manufacture or couldn't care less about what they have sold you

Wow a very interesting and technical post. I am always amazed at the amount of hidden knowledge and talent and that is why most forums are so worthwhile. I must admit that the Fuji tip ring I eventually got to replace my grooved one had a different shaped framework to the one I removed. I also seem to remember that Fuji stamped their name on all rings and there is no evidence of that on the rings of my Greys rod. As for cheap chinese rods well of course the Greys product is part of that group of products despite the high price tag but the blank at least performs quite well. Presumably the design is from experts even if they don't keep control over manufacture or couldn't care less about what they have sold you

The Drennan Super Specialist is my top reccomendation. It is of the slide and lock type which makes the length infinitely adjustable It is made of pure carbon and extends to 3m. The best test of its durability is a 4.5 lb bass caught on a tidal river where the tide had gone out and a mate landed the fish at full extension and pulled it straight on to the bank above with hardly even a bend in it. last week I had to do an awkward lift of a double figure river carp which presented no problem for the handle. They are very costly to begin with but it is now the only handle I ever use whether specimen fishing or trotting for small fish in the winter and has been worth it's weight in gold. Virtually all my angling freinds who fish awkward river banks for barbel have followed after being so impressed with my purchase.

Sure thing lutra. I just wanted a really quick replacement for a rod that I hadn't then sourced a replacement top ring for. The thing is also that despite having such a messy tip ring there was no evidence of the line suffering at the end of the last season but you simply can't ignore those things can you if you take your specimens as seriously as I do. Having spoken to other anglers who use the same main venue as me it would seem I am not the only one who has had the problem and I am going to put it down to the severe amount of silt particles in the water acting as a rubbing compound especially when the level rises. The river is coloured even now! I guess that's why some of us call the Medway the mudway

Got me there Christy on the casting weight as just about all my barbel fishing is done by under arm casting, however the rod has an action very close to the £200 greys rod with its 1.5lb tip fitted and I use that in the close season for lake work and that chucks 2.5oz a good distance. I think I should add that one of my older rods is a Wychwood and that handles ok too but is a bit chunky and has fewer rings than my other barbel rods

Following my problems with the Greys rod rings I made an emergency purchse of a Fox Warrior XT. Having had a few battles in the past couple of weeks I have used it I am pleased with my purchase. This rod came from flea bay and was delivered for less than £80. (cheaper than the 2 "lifetime warranty" replacement sections from Greys)

It is the only Percy's Tackle I know of and of course locally we have Arlington Speedway so locally to us guys there could be plenty of coverage for the sponsor if that is the case

The subject of trotting line has indeed been covered before and I still use the 2 main products reccommended which are trilene XL and Fireline crystal both of which work well on the pin but the fireline is not much cop on the closed face. However I recently began trotting heavier lines for barbel with huge baits and had a similar experience to yours and have now traced it to the reel. The reel is that cheap shadowlanda which is great value for money and just what you want for a quick retrieve but the finish needs a bit of fettling especially where the spool joining pins are rivetted into the side plates of the spool. Thin line such as the floating braid I chose to use tries to go behind the shoulder of the pin and just catches it. This is enough to slightly weaken the line whereas my Trudex pin is a solid drum and has no issues. Not saying this is the problem you have but check it out

On no account rely on an alarm for surface fishing even though it would most certainly work . The fact is birds have an amazing habit of sniffing out baits on and even just below the surface and you stand a good chance of a pb goose. I can understand how a pb goose sounds tempting to some whose minds work in a funny way just as mine does but I had the ordeal once of unhooking a coot that had picked up my bait in 7 feet of water and it was no fun at all

Sometimes I have really cursed the way line lays and then found it is nothing more than me trying to spool it using the butt section of a rod with the new line in a bucket of water as often recommended, However once I cast the line the spool fills properly on the retrieve. If possible I would take the reel and a rod to a field and release the line and try to re spool it under a bit of tension by holding the line in a damp cloth between your thumb and finger. no promises this will work but sometimes does

I use it on a match spool for higher distance waggler fishing purely because it sinks so well and gives much less time for the wind to pick hold of it. It was especially good fishing the "Jungle" at Bury Hill because of the need to get really close to the snags which means there is no chance to cast beyond and then pull the line under to sink it. With normal line the combination of the wind blowing and the movement of the punt the line is much harder to control and takes too long to sink resulting in the float being moved out of position. I would agree for most of the time that is overkill but in situations where you want the line to sink quickly nothing surpasses degreased flourocarbon

Did I miss summat or was my favourite barbel line Fox Illusion not even mentioned and neither was my other often used product Grand max R. Perhaps I arrived at these 2 because I tried a lot of the other stuff and yes it was pants. Not so these 2 though

In my experience pound for pound a barbel far outfights a carp although a river carp has plenty of giddyup too. One fella landed a 26lb 5oz mirror from our river on the first day on his barbel rod so you can imagine the pleasure that gave! I suppose it depends on how you judge a fight too as some fish fight long and hard but don't make sudden rapid charges that require ultra fast reaction whilst others speed off in every direction. Catfish are awesome pullers for example but do they zoom off like a barbel? I think not unless I have only caught the whimpy ones

The blank is unquestionably very good indeed and that is what is so bizzarre. I own 6 barbel rods for various situations that I find myself in (2 of these are travel rods and get little use)and the Greys one has the best feel of all, however we have discussed quality on here and concluded less well applauded makes can perform very well too. The cheapest I own is a Wychwood and it works fine. Without being a tackle tart I like my fishing equipment to be as reliable as the tools I need to perform my daily job and grooved rings just don't add up to quality

For the time being its going to be Drennan for me and GREYS ARE NOT GOING TO GET A LOOK IN! (nor gardner now I know)

I have done just that watatoad simply because the blank itself really performs well. The tip ring was just £1.99!

This still does not answer the question of what replaces HB when it is ripped up. The "monoculture of balsam" surely becomes a deserted area and that does not encourage any insects at all. The HB in my area is always alive with bees and there must also be some other useful stuff in there as wherever I sit I get invaded with shrews and the like

Not a good thing to happen Tigger and I wish you well with tring to sort it. I think my first port of call would be the seller especially if they have a good rating. It does raise the question of what and who can you trust in a world of ever cheaper products and of course the net has had very little use and is obviously faulty or older than the seller would like you to believe. You may recall my post a couple of weeks back where the rings on my Greys rod had become grooved and getting a favourable response from them has not been possible. Did you know that each section now costs £40 to replace under the "Lifetime Warranty" ? I get the feeling these tackle firms really have us by the short and curly's

An ongoing discussion within our local club is the removal of HB and there are far ranging views. My own view is that if you remove HB something will replace it and finding my way to a swim through stingers or brambles does not appeal. Bees love the stuff and we need bees desperately. It is a very attractive looking plant which is easy to hide away in due to it's height and in turn offers a reason for Kingfishers to settle on my rods. It hangs over the water and offers shelter to the fish and if a chub does pull your line into it you still have a good chance of recovering the situation. It has been a feature of my river bank memories for over 50 years. So why are we so desperate to be rid of it? Well I gather it helps to erode the soil but then so does flash flooding and other inclement weather assisted by poor weir management. Does it harbour disease or other destructive influences? Not that I am aware of so why interfere now after all these years?

Just the N Butyric acid should do it unless you have a woman who relishes bad odours

The upper Medway is looking fine at the moment and fishing perfectly well for me so far. There is an extraordinary amount of colour in the water which obviously helps with catching especially in the bright weather we have had recently. The majority of fish seemed to have spawned also

I was on the river Medway here on the Kent and Sussex border last night where I had just caught a Barbel when I got a call from a mate from Berkshire. He reported that the barbel on the Upper Benyons (Kennet) were still full on spawning and he had so far not had a take this season. The fish I caught was completely spawned out and fighting fit.

An amazing link and really very good to see that free fishing for all still exists.

I fished from midnight till 6am and banked 8 chub. The first graced my net at a minute past midnight! I did have what had to be a barbel take as the 1.5lb tip pulled a full 3 feet but there was absolutely no resistance when I picked the rod up which sometimes happens with the hook sunken into the bait. no more chances now for at least a week.