Jump to content

robtherake

Members
  • Posts

    1358
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

robtherake last won the day on November 4 2013

robtherake had the most liked content!

About robtherake

  • Birthday 05/09/1962

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://
  • ICQ
    0

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Saltburn

robtherake's Achievements

Member

Member (3/3)

26

Reputation

  1. Well played. A brilliant report and a proper inspiration. The continuing story of your adventures on this water has me waiting with bated breath for the next instalment. I'm champing at the bit to get back on the Tees. Spent an afternoon exploring with light spinning and drop shot outfits, looking for perch, with just a couple of jacks and a few corporals to show for it. I'd walked a fair old distance and the light was going when I came across a swim that just screamed pike; one that looks to have promise in flood conditions. The longer I looked, the better it seemed; it took the onset of forecasted rain to snap me out of my reverie, so with a fair walk ahead I reluctantly packed up. Standing there, having a last lingering look around, you could have knocked me down with a feather when a huge spiky dorsal fin broke surface, maybe ten feet in front on the (so far) unfancied right-hand side of the swim. It was one of those blink and you've missed it moments. I was tempted to set back up, but the light had almost gone by this point. Never mind, I'd have an other opportunity in a few days - couldn't wait! Ahem... the best laid plans and all that...2 days later and I managed to damage my achilles tendon (very painful!) 2 weeks later and still hobbling around on a stick, my soul is tormented and your eloquently written and inspirational tale is NOT HELPING IN THE SLIGHTEST!!!
  2. I was sitting on the front step earlier today and there were loads of airborne insects. Plants that should be dormant are flowering happily. Last time at the vegetable plot, a couple of weeks since (I'm confined to base with a torn achilles tendon, and yes, it's as painful as it sounds!) the guard roses (nobody climbs over a rose bush, if they have any sense) are still pushing flower buds out. There's an article on the BBC news site showing a conspicuous absence of sunspot and solar flare activity. It's suggested that the reduction in solar output may result in the sort of winters that saw the Thames freeze over, so enjoy it while it lasts.
  3. I'd love to meet him. Truth be known, I like dogs better than people anyhow; if they've been brought up right they only have a good side.
  4. I wasn't impugning their nature, Ian; I've met plenty of them and can attest to their loving nature - beautiful dogs, even with strangers - but they are rather like a carving with fur on, solid as a rock. .
  5. The original report's been kicking around for a while - I remember looking at it last year (well, you'd not forget THAT, would you!) If you look at the hand positioning, then compare it to those pictures of the 10lb perch that was really a five, they don't look too different, size wise. Bearing in mind that the bloke's a carper and that the catch was incidental, I'm inclined to believe the stated weight.
  6. They're only a single bearing reel and very much bottom of the range. Knowing Okuma they'll be solid and functional, but this is a much better bet - no bids and only 2 days to go! : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OKUMA-Polycast-OPF-30M-Bait-runner-feeder-reel-c-w-2-spare-spools-/181301942666?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Fishing_Reels_JN&hash=item2a3670198a EDIT - just noticed the seller has no feedback, so bear that in mind. Might be worth messaging them. PM sent.
  7. Must have been a pleasant surprise, Ian. Nice dogs, those EBTs, but I prefer a mutt that's a bit more strokeable. There's a lovely one I see now and again when I'm out with stumpy and grumpy, my pesky Westies. Feels like he's made of oak!
  8. Compare the snaps of Ken Brown's Wilstone fish and it's obvious they're of similar size. Whatever the weight its a magnificent creature...we need a drooling smilie on here! https://www.google.com/search?q=ken+brown+perch+record&sa=G&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=29R_YAvyTwrhTM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcRX1Uxd9pUviuIRmFXxLYWBCMvTeVykjrYSWK522Fa6wYW_wIwM%253B600%253B440%253BUlnha8vQ016qvM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.foxint.com%25252Fnews_main.php%25253Fcatalogue%2525253D3%25252526view%2525253D76&ei=erPbUoS4NO-y7AbCpYC4Aw&ved=0CFwQ9QEwCA&biw=1440&bih=785#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=29R_YAvyTwrhTM%253A%3BUlnha8vQ016qvM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.foxint.com%252Fuploads%252Fnews%252F02-11-2011-01b.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.foxint.com%252Fnews_main.php%253Fcatalogue%253D3%2526view%253D76%3B600%3B440
  9. Good questions. Yes, Ayjay, it's metric; that's the first thing that came to mind. Gary, it's 4 strand, so not the roundest, in fact under a magnifying lens it does appear to have an oval profile. So you're right. Very sneaky of them. The Tacklebox must have measured the profile at its widest point; Berkeley, as you'd expect, at the shortest.
  10. I bought some 45lb Whiplash braid for piking duties. Diameter on the spool is stated as 0.15mm; the chart from The Tacklebox doesn't have a figure for this strength, but the 30lb (claimed to be 0.10mm) is measured as 0.26mm! Extrapolating from the information in the chart, you'd expect the 45lb braid to measure around 0.30mm. Comparing it (by eye) to some Berkeley mono, measured by The Tacklebox at 0.30mm, bears this out. I fail to understand how such a (presumably) reputable firm can get it so wrong; is it deliberate? Can't get my head round it...no wonder it was discounted.
  11. The Preston mould is far better than the Drennan, which can stick terribly. To get around this, between casts I leave the Drennan mould in a small baitbox filled with water (which also helps to keep your hands clean, so your gear doesn't get too cacky!). Fiddly, I know, and I like Rudd's dry groundbait idea better. Incidentally, I read that the Guru moulds fit the Drennan feeders and are far better than the Drennan ones. I keep meaning to get one, but once I enter the local tackle emporium with its multifarious baubles on show the old memory goes a bit funny...
  12. I'm purple with envy, and kicking myself into the bargain I'd seen the same rod (as you said, it's been there ages) and assumed - because I couldn't buy it there and then - that it'd already gone but they'd left the ad up for show. Bugger and double bugger! BTW, I know it's listed as a barbel rod, but from the blurb it's the lighter actioned Kevlar Specialist. Still, it's a complete steal at the price - well done, that man! Anderoo will be similarly gutted, I'm sure.
  13. It depends to a large extent what you're fishing for, and how you're doing it. The large, tri-lobed feeders can weigh 5oz or more fully loaded, so unless you're fishing at short range (where a lobbed cast suffices) a rod of at least 2lb TC, and preferably 2.5 or 2.75lb, will be needed. However, since the flat-bed method feeders were introduced - with a smaller weight and payload - almost any leger rod of medium strength and upwards will be enough as long as you're not going for the big cast. Flat-beds used with the supplied mould are aerodynamic and (again, because of the mould) the payload weight is the same each time, which gives you great accuracy. I favour the Drennan ones, which are supplied with a natty quick-change bead that fits snugly in a recess at the front of the feeder. I'm a fan of short hooklinks for the method - 3 or 4" max - which means that the fish feels the weight of the feeder as soon as it picks up the bait. This works very well on the venues I fish, although there are times when a longer link works better, perhaps because the fish are wary of the feeder in its neat little pile of bait. In or out? There are days when burying the bait inside the feed works best, and others where leaving the bait dangling outside will score better, although I always start out with the bait (and hooklink) buried inside. As the groundbait or pellets begin to fall away from the feeder it leaves your hookbait as a tempting bullseye on top of the pile of bait. A hookbait that's bright, or a contrasting colour to your feed can work well, as it's so visible - it pays to experiment. White and fluoro mini boilies in 6 and 8mm sizes have worked well for me this season, but there are times when a piece of corn or maize (real or fake), is just as good. Groundbait or pellets? There are now literally dozens of proprietary method groundbaits to choose from, but I've had better success using pellets. It's easy to prepare a few pellets just before starting a session. Soak them in lake water (you can add a flavour at this point, if you wish) for a few minutes, then turn the lidded box over to drain off the excess. Micro pellets need less soaking time than bigger ones, so it pays to experiment a bit. I find that a 4 or 5 minute soak is about right for a 4mm pellet, which is what I use most of the time. Don't prepare too many at once, as their texture and stickiness will change during a session as the water continues to penetrate. Keep them covered so they're less affected by wet or hot weather. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, they won't stick together properly. There are powdered "sticky pellet" products designed to overcome this problem, but just as good (and less expensive!) is the supermarket's own version of Horlicks. A palmful to a pint of pellets is usually enough - just add it in small quantities until you get it right, mixing it in thoroughly. Bites on the method are usually pretty vicious affairs. For that reason alone, I'll rarely go below an 8lb hook length and a 10lb mainline. Short mono hooklinks have no stretch so you need to compensate by upping the breaking strain to avoid being broken on the take. If you're using a softish feeder rod you might get away with 6lb as an absolute minimum. Baitrunner reels are a must if you don't want to see your rod heading for the horizon. A carp or tench of 2lbs or less will happily drag a rod off the rests when it charges off (seen it done, when I forgot to set the baitrunner lever after casting - just managed to grab my treasured rod by the very end of the handle!) This is really just the bare bones - the subject of baits and groundbaits alone gives endless scope for experimentation - and is just my own take based on personal experience. No doubt some of the other guys here will be along soon to add their own two penn'orth. Get out there and give it a go! EDIT - I've barely mentioned hook baits here, or the hair rig and it's use - I guess after such a long lay-off you may be unfamiliar with the hair rig and the knotless knot used to tie it. Let us know how much you're aware of and someone will be along to fill in the blanks.
  14. I agree that they don't feel as solid as the older reels, but mine's done about 3 seasons now and still runs like it just came out of the box. One to look for (now discontinued) is the Okuma Polycast 30. They're also front drag, but unlike the bottom of range Shimano 2500s they came with 3 alloy spools and feel like they're built to run forever. They don't seem to turn up on Ebay very often, and I'm not surprised - who would want to part with them? [/img] Uploaded with ImageShack.us
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.