PeterNE1
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Posts posted by PeterNE1
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Just to throw a spanner in the works: a carp match that I think many WILL have fun watching?
(Hmmm tried to do it the 'clever' way, unsuccessfully! Maybe someone would care to tweak this for me?)
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Posted on behalf of Chezz. Please add all replies to this thread:
No experience with this model, but have happily used other Mitchell models for years, without problems.
What sort of prices are you talking - they are doing the rounds circa 20 quid|:-)
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Great to read these reports and photos coming in from the Ukraine - keep it up!
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Hi John - unless you are considering purchase specifically for the side-cast facility, I'd be inclined to look elsewhere. You can pick up a good quality, used Adcock Stanton for not much more money off Ebay, and it will out-perform this reel in all respects by a country mile :-) Other options you may wish to consider might be the TF Gear pin, which now can be bought new for just £40 including postage, though personally I'd try to find an Okuma Adventa pro if you want to buy new: shop around and they are available for well under £60 now!
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No doubt others may disagree, but I think you may be going into the realms of overkill, using a lathe-like set-up for shaping cork handles.
Cork is a very soft material, and you are likely to remove large amounts of material using such an apparatus, even with fine grades of abrasive cloth, rather than tools.
Unless you are hell-bent on trying to produce a perfectly cylinderical handle, I'd seriously suggest that you consider doing this by hand using progressively finer grades of abrasive paper: it takes relatively little time and is a much more tactile process, allowing you to stop removing cork as and when the handle feels 'right' to your hands ... regardless of whether that produces a true cylinder or not.
I shaped my first rod handle like this neck-end of 40 years ago (still have and use the rod, as it was built on a very nice (fibreglass
) blank), and have been doing it ever since, most recently just a couple of months back. -
think most people on here know my stance on general fisheries but that one just takes the ****
Errrrrm ... have I missed something, or is the implication here that this place actually exists outside of the imagination of the OP?
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Are the roach still being caught from the Tweed?
Yep, they're still around in both size and numbers, just not often fished for specifically, so relatively, it's an untapped, little known source!
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Yup. Those baits & tactics sound promising and that is a great looking fish. I've ordered some "flexi weights" in ½ oz and 1 oz that should hopefully reduce snagging.
Of interest to Phone - I spoke to a friend and very experienced carper last night who said he'd fished a little below where I took those photos and out of the shallows. Results were 2 catfsh, a carp, 2 buffalo, and an unknown fish he simply could not stop. I'd love to see the fish he couldn't stop because I know the size of the ones he's caught over the years.
Flexi-weight
Hi Newt - have seen the flexi weights before online, though never used them, as they're quite alien, this side of the Atlantic.
What's the thought / logic behind them, just in case I'm missing something?
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Tight lines to all those braving the rain tomorrow
Rain? Wots that then? We had it forecast all day today (as of The Beeb website around midnight). Bright sunshine all day from a cloudless sky, temperatures were in excess of 20 degrees until about half an hour ago too!
Lake looks nice, though not too many fish in them fields
... F1's would be sacreligious! -
I'll answer you with a question Phone.
If chopped worms work, why bother using "chopped organ meat"?
Worms are easier to get, not as messy.
Having said that, I have used chopped liver, and minced meat, with liver or steak on the hook, and caught chub.
John.
Fair point Phone - I suspect it has to do with nothing more than a basic lack of creativity coupled with the perceived 'ickiness' of dealing with chopped 'organ meat' (by which I take it you are referring to what we would refer to as 'offal' - guts etc, perhaps throw in the occasional liver etc?)
John ... where on earth do you find it easier to get worms, compared to visiting the average butcher? - not to mention cost if you are actually buying worms, cos cheap they ain't!
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Hi all,
I know this is quite a broad question. I've recently been doing some chubbing on the river. There's a lot of weed, it's very shallow but if I can find a deeper bend I underarm a worm or cube of meat as close to the far side or a snag as I can. A good pike fisherman once told me that when deadbaiting for pike to never stay in one spot for more than 40 minutes. I didn't know if there was a rough rule when chubbing? I mean I like the roving approach, but how long would you stay in one spot? 5 minutes? 20 minutes? An hour?
Quite honestly I haven't had much luck so far, i've had far more success with a small straight waggler, but thought that a fat lob on the bottom may pick out better fish.
Thanks in advance.
Tight lines
I'm pretty certain that no two anglers are likely to give the same answer here
Personally, it depends very much on something intangible - whether or not 'it' feels 'right'. This could be down to a myriad of factors including (but not limited to) how 'fishy' the swim looks, previous history in that swim, the evidence of fish, personal confidence on the day, scenery, weather, the appearance of a large pike / cows / disruption on the bankside etc etc ... no easy answers I'm afraid :-) -
Bloody anglers, taking all our fish ... I'll show 'em!
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What do you guys think of these new metal , Fish shaped spinners
i am thinking of making some & adding them to my
french spinners i usually make
I am keen to give them a go
Would really love some feedback
Cheers guys
They look pretty enough, but it's the action of them in use that's going to influence whether or not anglers catch, no?
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I've no idea who but someone's telling porkies as i've seen more than two people posting on forums complaining about the reel they've received and that they where returning them due to their quality.
I don't think it would fill me with confidence if I was thinking of buying one.
My three won't have landed on his doormat just yet
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All that marking an item as a gift on the customs form ever did was raise the minimum amount at which you owed import fees (doubled the VAT limit I think) but once that amount was reached, import fees were the same as for merchandise. It also increased chances of the item being inspected I think.
It's basically a lie normally used by ignorant people who assume that gift = no import fees.
I agree entirely Newt, though I'm frequently surprised when stuff arrives at my door (usually from the Far East), when it IS marked up as a 'gift', without me making any mention of such whatsoever at the time of purchase ... it appears almost as though they do it automatically!
The only time I ever fell foul of this was entirely accidental, when a Japanese friend sent me an unexpected birthday gift: the first I knew about it was a request for a quite outrageous sum before the courier would release / deliver a small parcel measuring maybe 6" x 6" x 4" ... it was quite quickly and easily resolved when it could be shown that the contents were no more than a very nice watch ... but they had inadvertently marked the value declaration in UK pounds, when it should have been in Yen ... they were trying to charge me for goods accidentally marked with a value of over £30,000 (in a six inch square box!!!), when it should have read 30,000 Yen ... about £250 at the time, I think?
A practice I've stumbled across very recently here in the UK (within the last ten days) has me stumped though ... maybe someone else can enlighten me?
Long story short, I bought a batch of lures and a small, high quality spinning reel from a Chinese source online - apparently all above board / legitimate, and 'branded' stuff, rather than 3rd-party tatt. Payment went via Paypal, and it actually specified dispatch from China. Prices were silly-cheap (maybe 20% of UK prices ... AND post-free!)
Everything arrived together in a quite large package within about 3 days (much to my surprise!). A second, bigger surprise was when on closer inspection, I discovered that the package had actually been dispatched from Manchester, UK, using a tracked service (that required no signature from me) ... and inside, each individual lure (and the reel) was packaged up as though it was about to be dispatched from China ... individual packaging, customs stamp / declarations (not completed) etc! ... I'm still scratching my head over that one, trying to work out their business plan! ... Can't really suspect anything nefarious, as the seller has been in business for many years, apparently with a good international reputation
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This is called smuggling!
Dont even bother arguing about personal this that and the other - you are BUYING goods abroad and then importing them and therefore the full law applies regardless if they are for personal use or for selling within the european community.
It does not matter if they are carried by sea/air/overland/courier they are liable for import duty depending on classification and 20% VAT on the CIF price.
All importers must now be VAT reg and also need to apply for an EORI number to show on their customs declarations.
We know people have stuff sent marked as Gift, samples or various other guises but more people are now getting a calling card from their couriers telling them they need to pay duty/vat as packages have been checked by HMRC who keep a record and will investigate individuals suspected of smuggling.
I should know what I am talking about as For the last 20 years I have worked in the customs clearance dept for the UK's largest independant freight forwarding company and worked for another two for a few years before that and deal with several supermarkets, many large corporations / multinationals and alot of various other importers and have had to deal with endless HMRC audits and customs declarations.
PS I do import for several well known tackle companies
Cheers RUDD, thanks for that
Unfortunately you're making assumptions and have jumped into a rather mucky hole with both feet (regarding the smuggling jibe).
I came out of (very) early retirement to take a management job with HMRC within one of their 'secure' units, and worked there until I decided that I'd REALLY had enough of the rat - race, and retired myself again
Just to make the point transparently obvious, it's extremely likely that I know substantially more about smuggling, and the various aspects surrounding it, than most - including a lot of stuff that the public - you included - are not privvy to.
If you read my post properly, it was a request asking whether or not anyone had experience of over-the-counter prices in Japan vs the UK: I'm trying to buy a reel that so far appears to be unavailable to me by any normal means, as a purchase initiated directly from the UK. Apparently, it IS available in Japan (where I have extended family) so it's a very simple process for me to ask them to purchase on my behalf a reel, a particularly attractive option if prices happen to be better than in the UK. If I buy the reel personally over there during a visit and bring it back, I'm breaking no laws, and certainly not smuggling - the same situation applies if I have a family member make the purchase on my behalf, and either I fly into the UK with it, or they do.
At no stage do I make any mention or inference of buying in bulk or for resale, or make any reference to tax evasion: saving a substantial amount on the purchase price is another, totally unrelated matter.
This is called smuggling!Dont even bother arguing about personal this that and the other - you are BUYING goods abroad and then importing them and therefore the full law applies regardless if they are for personal use or for selling within the european community.
Wind your neck in and stop making ungrounded, inaccurate accusations: you're just making your self look like a prat
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Tell us more about this pin Peter and a pic would be nice
Hi Alan: the reel has been very recently re-named, and now carries the nifty title of a RAW II 463 Mooching Reel. It's a design definitely more modern in appearance than traditional, and although it is being marketed as a mooching reel, I've had my hands on one for a couple of hours and am seriously impressed - it runs as well / easily as any 'pin I've ever played with, but is of a much more solid construction than most, without feeling at all ungainly.
Based on what I've seen of the reel and initial impressions, I'd put it up there with the top Kingpins etc, but it's very 'bling' compared to most, so may not appeal to some anglers :-) ... runs as well as a trotting reel and would perform well even with a very light float, but with masses of built-in power too - I've a specific purpose in mind IF I can get my hands on one.
Downside is that dealers across the pond have this priced as a $400 reel, and from experience I know that in very general terms a by-the-books purchase from the US can end up costing the same figure, but pounds rather than dollars.
Unfortuantely (at this stage) it appears that Okuma Japan appears to be a franchise within a much larger tackle dealership, but as yet the Okuma part of their website is not complete or functioning.
I'm afraid the best I can do at this stage is offer a link to the international Okuma site ... unless I can persuade someone to part with their reel next time I see them :-)
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The okuma VS spinning reels where £199 each in the uk and direct from malaysia they cost me £50 so obviously if you could get a contact over there you'd be
I've got the contact, though in this case it's for mainland Japan (on the north island) - very much a case of dropping them an email with a request to purchase, then waiting for arrival when they are next in the UK, which is every couple of weeks maximum. Rods could be a bit of a problem due to their length, but pretty much anything else is good to go - just need a way of establishing prices first, as EVERY Japanese retailer I've found if invariably advertising in Japanese (naturally), with no English alternative, and Google translate etc is worse than useless!
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I posted in a recent thread to say that I had one of the Matt hayes Limited Edition pins but was not impressed with the quality. I particular, when I spin the spool it has a slight wobble and makes a grating noise and doesn't spin for very long at all.
A few people advised it was probably just bad luck and suggested getting a replacement.
well, now I have a different one and it has exactly the same problem and i don't think its a coincidence. When i spin the spool there is the same very noticeable wobble and the same grating noise.
I really regret wasting my money, but I suppose you get what you pay for! I sold my trusty TFG Classic centrepin to help pay for this - I'm kicking myself now as that was so much better in every respect.
Everyone be warned - it might look nice and it has the name of a celebrity angler but I would avoid these reels!
Just posted to your other thread, then noticed this one: seems appropriate to duplicate the post here so:
Hmmmm - the reels arrived a couple of hours ago: I've been having a play with them for at least an hour now, and I'm seriously unimpressed by both the quality of the reels AND the attitude of the company I bought from, who are currently playing silly buggers, and trying to make it awkward for me to return the reels, which WILL be happening, one way or another.
I realise that in this matter I have legislation firmly on my side, so in that sense it's no more than an annoying headache caused by an extremely bad attitude from the retailer (whom I'll keep anonymous just for now) ... but the main issue is with the reels themselves.
Now, I'm not going to knock what Chavender has said about the specific reel he has in his possession: he appears to have enough experience to give an educated opinion about the reel, and seems to have got hold of a decent example ... and therein lies what I believe to be the inherent problem with this reel: very poor quality control ... or perhaps even none at all!
As my previous post explained, I ordered three of the reels at a very good price, with the intention of 'gifting' two of them, and either keeping the third if I liked it enough, or adding that to someone elses tackle bag when the appropriate occasion arose.
First box opened, and immediate impressions are surprisingly good. It's a bit 'industrial' in comparison to some reels, and the finish quality is no-where near what you would expect / receive from even the cheapest Okuma offering. I'd suggest that it's biggest selling points at this stage are 1/ the endorsement of Matt Hayes (with which I've no problem whatsoever), 2/ the idea of owning an 'exclusive' reel - limited to just 1000, and 3/ (likely the most important factor for many?) the appearance of a spoked Aerial-type reel ... I assume that people will expect it as a given that the reel will function well, particularly when endorsed by Matt Hayes.
So, appearance aside, the first reel out of the box was OK.
Sort of .......
It spins smoothly enough when batted lightly, but stopped quite quickly - around 20 seconds or so at best. OK: I accept that this MIGHT improve if I did a bit of fettlin' ... cleaning, polishing and re-lubrication etc ... but if I do that it gives a retailer ammunition if a situation arises where I decide that a return is in order ... something for others to consider perhaps before they take that route, IF they suspect that a return might ultimately be neccesary.
In it's current state it's not going to make a very effective trotting reel unless I'm floating a Fairy Liquid bottle down a reasonably streamy stretch of water.
Of slightly more concern was when I rotated the drum by actually winding with the handles, applying a little pressure (as might be anticipated with any sort of respectable fish on the business end) ... rotation of the drum was no longer smooth and even, and though it didn't actually catch, it was obvious to the touch that the rotation of the spool was 'stickier' in some places ... reminded me of a cheap fly reel overloaded with line.
A relatively minor point, but the sound of the ratchet being activared by a fish taking line is NOT something I would look forward to with anticipation: a personal thing perhaps, but to my ears it just sounds 'tinny' ... a bit cheap and nasty.
Unfortunately, this reel was the best of the three: the second reel was catching as it was batted (though conversely was very smooth when wound under pressure!), and the third reel was simply a mess: when it stopped within 2 to 3 seconds of being batted, I looked at it no further.
Perhaps quality control is the issue here, though I strongly suspect it is more to do with a combination of build quality, cheaper components and indifferent assembly. It would seem that the reel has been built to a price, rather than to a standard - a belief that seems to be echo'ed by my retailer who's initial response when I told him I wanted a refund was: 'Well, what do you expect at that price?'
For me, one of the sadder parts about this is that Matt Hayes seems to have aligned himself with Dragon Carp (who are not exactly known for quality products), and on the evidence of this first offering in the new range, he may just find that people start associating his name with the quality expected from Dragon Carp, rather than associate Dragon Carp with the quality normally expected from products endorsed by Matt Hayes.
Now ... round two with my retailer
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Hmmmm - the reels arrived a couple of hours ago: I've been having a play with them for at least an hour now, and I'm seriously unimpressed by both the quality of the reels AND the attitude of the company I bought from, who are currently playing silly buggers, and trying to make it awkward for me to return the reels, which WILL be happening, one way or another.
I realise that in this matter I have legislation firmly on my side, so in that sense it's no more than an annoying headache caused by an extremely bad attitude from the retailer (whom I'll keep anonymous just for now) ... but the main issue is with the reels themselves.
Now, I'm not going to knock what Chavender has said about the specific reel he has in his possession: he appears to have enough experience to give an educated opinion about the reel, and seems to have got hold of a decent example ... and therein lies what I believe to be the inherent problem with this reel: very poor quality control ... or perhaps even none at all!
As my previous post explained, I ordered three of the reels at a very good price, with the intention of 'gifting' two of them, and either keeping the third if I liked it enough, or adding that to someone elses tackle bag when the appropriate occasion arose.
First box opened, and immediate impressions are surprisingly good. It's a bit 'industrial' in comparison to some reels, and the finish quality is no-where near what you would expect / receive from even the cheapest Okuma offering. I'd suggest that it's biggest selling points at this stage are 1/ the endorsement of Matt Hayes (with which I've no problem whatsoever), 2/ the idea of owning an 'exclusive' reel - limited to just 1000, and 3/ (likely the most important factor for many?) the appearance of a spoked Aerial-type reel ... I assume that people will expect it as a given that the reel will function well, particularly when endorsed by Matt Hayes.
So, appearance aside, the first reel out of the box was OK.
Sort of .......
It spins smoothly enough when batted lightly, but stopped quite quickly - around 20 seconds or so at best. OK: I accept that this MIGHT improve if I did a bit of fettlin' ... cleaning, polishing and re-lubrication etc ... but if I do that it gives a retailer ammunition if a situation arises where I decide that a return is in order ... something for others to consider perhaps before they take that route, IF they suspect that a return might ultimately be neccesary.
In it's current state it's not going to make a very effective trotting reel unless I'm floating a Fairy Liquid bottle down a reasonably streamy stretch of water.
Of slightly more concern was when I rotated the drum by actually winding with the handles, applying a little pressure (as might be anticipated with any sort of respectable fish on the business end) ... rotation of the drum was no longer smooth and even, and though it didn't actually catch, it was obvious to the touch that the rotation of the spool was 'stickier' in some places ... reminded me of a cheap fly reel overloaded with line.
A relatively minor point, but the sound of the ratchet being activared by a fish taking line is NOT something I would look forward to with anticipation: a personal thing perhaps, but to my ears it just sounds 'tinny' ... a bit cheap and nasty.
Unfortunately, this reel was the best of the three: the second reel was catching as it was batted (though conversely was very smooth when wound under pressure!), and the third reel was simply a mess: when it stopped within 2 to 3 seconds of being batted, I looked at it no further.
Perhaps quality control is the issue here, though I strongly suspect it is more to do with a combination of build quality, cheaper components and indifferent assembly. It would seem that the reel has been built to a price, rather than to a standard - a belief that seems to be echo'ed by my retailer who's initial response when I told him I wanted a refund was: 'Well, what do you expect at that price?'
For me, one of the sadder parts about this is that Matt Hayes seems to have aligned himself with Dragon Carp (who are not exactly known for quality products), and on the evidence of this first offering in the new range, he may just find that people start associating his name with the quality expected from Dragon Carp, rather than associate Dragon Carp with the quality normally expected from products endorsed by Matt Hayes.
Now ... round two with my retailer
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I'm just wondering whether or not there may be people on-site with actual experience of buying fishing tackle actually IN Japan (rather than buying FROM the UK from a Japanese seller)?
I'm trying to guage whether or not prices over there 'across the counter' are measurably different (hopefully cheaper!) than over here, primarliy on reels and lures, as it looks as though I may have an avenue open to me whereby I can have purchases made locally over there, then brought over to the UK FOC and without attracting import duty etc. Unfortunately, the person buying for me has no fishing knowledge whatsoever, so it's very much a case of me providing a specific shopping list
... equally it means there are unable to shop around and compare prices for me over there in any meaningful way.This came about after I discovered a VERY nice centrepin reel that Okuma manufacture, but absolutely do not bring into Europe - and all 'official' routes to try to obtain one have so far drawn blanks ... and the reel itself is a long way from being a cheap bit of kit, much more expensive than what is currently on offer here.
It's available in the US - apart from the fact that no dealer anywhere who lists them has yet been able to get stock (and even then, they are apparently 'forbidden' by Okuma to export the reels!!
So: this particular reel aside, can anyone tell me what to expect generally, comparing across-the-counter prices between Japan and the UK, bearing in mind that I'm looking primarily at reels and lures?
Thanks!
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Interesting to see that someone is already whacking these reels out on Ebay ... and that numpties seem hell-bent on paying well over the odds for the reels ... bidding is currently sat at £67 plus a fiver postage ... with almost three days left to go!
I've got a courier due tomorrow with three of them (at least two being destined for gifts, shortly), and even had them discounted to £149 for the three, including the courier
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At these prices, I'd start digging about on the Go Outdoors siite: IF you can find one near to you, the Okuma Aventa Pro is still available from them for about £54 ... the quality difference is substantial.
Pikeing without trebles
in Coarse Fishing
Posted
......... yeah, I'd be interested in the answer to that question too!