weirwulf

DO SIGNAL CRAYFISH COUNT?

Depends pretty much on what you intend to target and whether you are wanting to use it in a river or a stillwater but here it is from the hook upwards. Hook (either hair rig or direct hook) tied to hooklength and tied to a swivelat other end. Above this goes a buffer bead and a quick change clip type link swivel left free running on the mainline. Simply use the quick change clip to attach either a feeder or a ledger weight according to what you want to do. Nothing fancy and fish safe. Simples!

I spooled some on a closed face reel and some on a pin. The line on the closed face reel beds in more than a normal mono but there is too little of it on the pin to worry about. I would say however that the properties of the line make it spot on for trotting and give a better feel to catching small fish on light tackle. It is a bit un nerving retrieving a decent chub in the flow on a light rod though!

We used to have them in tributaries of the Medway though I haven't seen one for many years and an EA person I spoke to a few months ago said some had shown up whilst sampling the very upper reaches

Snobbery may exist and certainly human nature can be very hard to understand sometimes but for most of the time I merely witness friendly rivalry. The only kind of angler I dislike is one who grizzles because he hasn't caught anything but is then adamant it was "the conditions" and not anything he has misjudged in the approach. Mind you I am still much better than anyone else!

Watatoad, the magazine that described making a reel was probably Practical Mechanics. It was a really good mag and for months it gave a step by step plan of building a model working steam loco. I remember making a pin in about 1965 and to cut down on materials the spool had a wooden centre with ally sides. The mag was quite futuristic at times too.

Man alive! lovely. A good angler is one thing and a lucky one is another. (he said jealously)

Got to admit I am much more concerned about the damage a cormorant or signal crayfish can do to the lower eco system though I guess a crayfish tastes better than an otter!

Sometimes it's not the river but the angler. During the course of this season I have heard plenty of gripes about how difficult the river has been and "I won't be joining next year". Ha ha, the river is fine and has produced some good fish to those who spent time studying it and learning it's ways. Judging by some of the discarded tackle in trees (and in fish) it is little wonder some have not done well!

I wish Iwish! Medway looks more like Mudway again(and floodway)

Tackle this and Tackle that!

Just expanding the thought here a bit and dividing the pastes into 2 types but both very cheap and successful. The first paste is a summer paste and will catch almost everything. Simply add boiling water to some SpecialG green groundbait and stir with a spoon. leave for a few minutes for the mix to absorb the moisture and then add either more water or more of the mix until the paste is quite sloppy but just holding together. Fish a 20mm blob wrapped around a piece of corn to hold it in place for chub carp tench etc or for smaller species just nip it on the hook. A full bag of groundbait will make several large balls of paste enough for several sessions. The other recipe is for a really cheap mix. Just blend together plain flour and water until the mix just stops sticking to your fingers. Then flatten it out and blend in a small amount of marmite and work it back into a ball. Or just flour and water if you want really cheap!

I have bought 2 products from Dragon carp. A carp rod years ago that still gets used occasionally as a beachcaster and a chair. The chair lost 2 of its rubber feet in the mud but otherwise was great. It's true you get whet you pay for but those 2 products were very useable.

Could be you have a point there Anderoo things have moved on. I don't actually fly fish but I do use flourocarbon hook lengths for waggler and light feeder fishing made from Grand Max soft plus and it even withstands a knotless knot. Not sure if it is pure flourocarbon as it is extremely supple. It was recommended by a very experienced angler and I think his choice was well made.

My first trials of flourocarbon were disastrous using from memory a product called vanish. It certainly did vanish every time I had a run!. I scrapped the whole 20 quids worth after the first session. I now wonder whether the knot recommended on the packet was the right thing to use and perhaps if I had used the palomar it may have been more successful. I was very sceptical about using flourocarbon after that but a mate persuaded me especially as his catch rate had improved no end. The Fox Illusion mainline has been extremely tolerant of all abuse including severe shredding when barbel have run through snags but it will not tolerate knots other than the palomar.

Firstly you can still get a shock with fiberglass rods if they are even slightly damp. I imagine Askari still have fiberglass rods for sale but I don't know for sure. A good second hand model would be a Hardy Matchmaker which was comfortable to use and had quite a nice action

What an intriguing and cumbersome looking device. Agree the small exit hole makes it more suitable for lures than for trotting

Started the noughties in January 2000 with a pb perch 3lb 14oz from the same venue as the british record now or at least I think it still is. Also caught a better one but not weighed or witnessed but I imagine this would have been at least half a pound heavier..The next year a pb carp which is likely to stay a pb due to lack of interest! 2003 decided to try for my first cat and smashed all expectations banking a stunning 7 cats and 6 sturgeon in 24hrs and have never fished for them since. 2004 decided to try for my first barbel and 3hrs into the first session had a 8lb 2oz boris. Each year for the next 3 years kept increasing the barbel pb until 2007 when a fish of 14lb 9oz graced the net and now just trying to catch from all sorts of unexplored areas just to see how wide spread they are on our tiny river. In fairness I think the noughties will have seen a great many pb's because most species are generally packing on weight like never before. Not much to go for now although I am still to catch a zander.

I use and recommend Fox Illusion which is pure flourocarbon for all my barbel fishing with bottom baits. I could find plenty of reasons for justifying my choice but the main 2 are that it sinks rapidly and is extremely abrasion resistant. I normally use it without a seperate hook link and no hair rig or other fancy set up. I have a short, say 4 inch long link attached via a drennan grippa stop that acts as a means of attaching a weight when required. The link is made from the same line and can be slid up the main line to present the weight at any distance from the hook. Held only by the grippa stop a fish can't get anchored if it gets to a snag as the link can pull free. The point I am trying to convey is that the line is so good at pinning to the river bed on it's own there is no need for leadcore or other hook lengths. Only drawback is poor casting if that is a consideration and the need for every knot to be a Palomar. My catch rate has improved since using it so what better reason? (can fish see it or not?)

99.9% of my barbel fishing is in a tight snaggy river and I use 1 rod with a Shimano Exage 4000 with fighting drag and the drag really helps to control the fast decisions and react to changes very effectively I sometimes use 2 rods and when I do the upstream rod is usually baited using a hair rigged bait of some sort so I use an old Shimano Aero 4000 baitrunner. The Exage is the one I would always reccomend purely on the basis of the fighting drag which has helped me out of countless situations. Line lay and long casting is seldom the issue but good gears and smooth drag could prove to be a good friend.

Nearly as important as the type of reel for trotting is the type of line. This means a good line for waggler fishing is usually going to be a bad line for trotting. Whether you choose to use a pin, a fixed spool or a closed face you will need to find a supple floating line. A couple mentioned within these forums are both made by Berkeley and are metre for metre very expensive but quite honestly worth the money. I have a preference for using a closed face reel simply because I lack the skill to use a pin to its full potential and I spool up in the main with Trilene XL which leaves the reel like a dream and is tough and reliable. Some on here like the Fireline Crystal which I have now tried and agree is great on a pin but beds in on a closed face but in either case very sensitive. My shortened advice would be to try a pin if you can but if you can spare some dosh for a brand new reel go for a closed face such as the Daiwa 125m and load it with some Trilene xl remembering not to put too much on the spool. (90-100 yards of 4lb is about right) Very simple to use and the spare spool can be loaded with your favourite waggler fishing line

A nice little grayling. first cast of the year, first bite of the year,first fish of the year

When you get used to a closed face reel and for most the learning is quicker than with a pin, you will come to really enjoy the speed and ease of it. I have a preference for the Daiwa version because the drag is so very good and allows me to respond easily on my small twisting river. If you get in the doldrums because your fishing has taken a turn for the worse just remember, what you focus on expands. In other words if you keep focussing on the bad then more will surely follow. It is all too easy to analyse yourself and conclude you are rubbish at something and want to give up and I think most of us go through periods like that but they pass.

Second that! The place looks lovely but after walking the dog along my intended stretch today I think I might just get away with some ledgered cheese paste chubbing myself tomorrow or even the odd trot for the grayling

I would imagine that the combined efforts of cormorants and polluters has accounted for a greater decline in stock than all the fish taken for the pot