Tigger

Very nice George !

I'm not to keen on that model. I don't like the star back for a start or the line guard or the holes in the drum......

Hook line and sinker

This has always been really good for bottoms 190361577819 on ebay. 4.6lb and at a diameter of 0.12 is pretty good . This one 230411292777 at 6.6lb is only 0.18 !

Yeah that was the same on waters round here when I was a kid, but they where mainly still waters that I used to fish back then and not rivers. In those days a 18's hook was huge lol. Budgie, I always talk breaking strains and not diameters n'all m8.

I've not had chance to use them yet but have just got a pair of the DL 2500 mini's and they look and feel spot on. The drag is great also and tightens right down for shark fishing if need be Lol. I've just noticed i've already said this earlier in the thread..never mind....

Judging by the number of people on here using quite light breaking strain lines I would think they mustn't be fishing at the distances i do(due to heavy strikes) or in rivers with any ammount of weed or snags. If I was to use lines of less than 4lb I'd loose most of the fish I hook other than small species like Dace, roach etc. Even the 2lb chub i catch would give me a problem with less than 4lb line so I usually always stick to 6lb straight through which if snagged on a solid object allows me to straighten the hook with a controlled pull. Also if a fish gets bedden in weed I can put enough pressure on to pull the hook without the line snapping.

I use floats taking 4 to 8 bb's most of the time on my local river.

I usually fish straight through and use 6lb sensor. I can't say I've noticed the thicker line has stopped me catching decent numbers of fish of a number of species. I think fishing a river with no snags and plenty room to play a large fish the lowest I would go would be 3lb and I'd fish direct (straight through).

I got one of the waterproof sealskinz one's you modelled for us Elton........very good too !

Bloody hell Brian....your a professional....you must be....that float really does look great !

I also have both and I do like the sheffield, but saying that I like the Bewick n'all. Which is best....I suppose it's personal preference.

For 200 notes you can get one of the finest match rods ever made.....the Normark range Avenger, Titan or the microlite . Just keep your eye on the bay !

Funny that...about your Bewick I mean. I really like mine and think it's good for small or large river alike. Maybe your's had been damaged some way before you bought it ?

Never had a problem with that to be honest. I'd stick with a carbon rod.

I'd be lookin at this.....280448644060 on ebay.

Is there not a problem with line twist using veined floats ?

Rusty, his reels are just as in the pic's. I love em and he should have my copy of the 1915 aerial pretty soon . On my stantons all the pins are screwed like Chris's.

I use the shimano 5000 gte's and the 5010's but I've just got some of the shimano DL 2500 mini baitrunners today. I've not used them yet but they look and feel great.

Mmm....I'm not to sure. I've got a scotton long trotter on order but those old Allcocks reels are the dogs ! I've got a 1915 allcocks 12 spoke aerial and it so smooth and takes the slightest pressure to turn the drum. It's smoother than my sheffield after even all those years. The build quality is pretty amazing, I wouldn't have beleived it unlees I'd seen it myself. I think it's my favourite reel by far !

Just looked at my little spots and they look inviting Funny I've been spouting my opinion about fishing after mid day and I noticed in a old'ish book last night it said "in winter the best times to fish are from mid day to 3.30pm". That's from when the sun reaches it's highest to just before it gows down. That's when I've been catching my chub so it seems like it's hardly worth bothering venturing out an earlier than dinner time.

Maybe an alloy corracle

My m8's land rover is the Discovery and is good on and off road. OK it's not as good as the land rover but it's not far off. Problem with all these 4x4's is the cost...deisel,tax, tyres etc...I'll stick to my Vauxhall astra estate. It's got loads of room, cheap on tax, great on juice and the heaters a corker !

My m8's land rover is very good and does actually work great off road unlike a lot of 4x4's

In cases like that more often than not they get netted or electro fished to remove most of the skimmers as a quick fix and then the resident pred's start to starve and try to feed off the fish that normally they wouldn't consider as food. If the water has sufficient pred's then it should balance out in not to distant a future. Maybe there really is a shortage of pred's, that's what it sounds like to me. Also pred's like pike will always feed on other pike which should keep them at a balanced level if not interfeerd with. Cormorants would sort it out ....seriously!