[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

Hi Martin. I got out for the first time on Saturday and gave the swinger an outing. I also fished with a second rod with a standard Quiver tip - not a single bite. Not even a little knock or pluck - nothing.

 

Still, the weather was good and the scenery was not bad at all. Better than being stuck indoors for the day!!.

 

I'm heading out again this weekend and will give it another go on a local club lake which is said to be heaving with Bream and Tench as well as the ubiquitous Carp, so with a bit of luck it'll swinging both ways all day long.

 

I'll be sure to let you know.

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

Martin, the tip and nuts arrived today - many thanks indeed. I'll be out on the local pond next weekend to give it a try and I'll let you know how I got on.

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

Martin, thanks indeed for this. I shall be keeping an eye out and will let you know when it arrives.

 

Pete

[Texas rig]

Excellent stuff Ken. Couldn't be more clear.

 

I have to say that I've noticed from your catch list that you clearly didn't do so much travelling in 2015. Where the hell did you catch a Terrapin though? Was this an illicit visit to Seaworld with a folding travel rod concealed about your person, or did you plunder the local Aquatic supply megastore? It certainly is the standout species in an otherwise thoroughly domestic fishing year.

 

Do tell.

[Texas rig]

I too have been thoroughly bemused by the various rigs for Perch fishing. Drawings or diagrams are good. I like diagrams. They make sense. Diagrams please.....

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

I've just had another look at 'old tatty rod' as she's become known and it's not an Avon. It's a Daiwa Powermesh X 12' Barbel Specialist, with 1.5lb TC and Go-faster scratches. The scratches are particularly important as without them you can't catch millions of tiny Roach and Gudgeon. Also, the current lack of decent bite indication is also essential if you want a relaxing afternoon on the river - none of this "I'm halfway through pouring a cup of coffee when a fish starts to show an interest" nonsense. Just pure, uninterrupted, totally fish free chilling out.

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

Zed, there are screw in quiver tips and swing tips available on e-bay. There was even a rod builder on another site who was making up bespoke swing tips, I can try to dig out his details if you wish ?

That would be much appreciated Bartman. I've got some rods that were rescued from a garage that are damaged in several places and it might be worth getting them repaired. Possibly something he would be able to help with.

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

Not being pedantic, but a 1.75 t.c is not really an Avon, mind you they have been made under many guises recently, I think I am right in saying that a true Avon is just 0.75lb t.c. Might be worth checking the model number of the Daiwa, they are very much sought after by the 'tarts', it could be you are in fact poncing around putting the Nash boys to shame....

Had a look at my swing tips, I have few more somewhere but what I have found look ok, but are minus the screw, an easy fix. I could send if you pm me details,, I have a load of gear that I don't use, and a few reels that you might want, don't want anything for them.

I've sent you a PM

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

Whatever I have got you can have, don't want anything for them, happy that someone might have a use for them....do you have a rod that can be used as a 'swinger'?

I do indeed - a Daiwa Avon Specialist type thingy with two different end sections - one full length but threaded for a swinger, and the other abbreviated to take push in quiver tips, of which I have a small assortment. None of them were originally designed for the rod so it looks like a bit of a mongrel once set up. I've been using it with a totally buggered Abu Cardinal reel dating from early 70's by the look of it.

 

It's a 1.75lb TC and although I got it second hand and it's a bit beat up cosmetically I've already grown quite attached to it. It's caught me my biggest fish so far in my short and unspectacular angling career - a very pretty 9lb 13oz Carp from the Medway about half a mile downstream from the Leigh Barrier. It's sort of my lucky rod, but no doubt that will change when I catch a bigger fish on a different setup.

 

I quite like the idea of adorning it with a floppy bendy bit - it can't really draw more derision than it already does, and I quite enjoy setting it up next to the 'hardcore' River Carp Army who seem to change their gear every time every time Fox or Nash bring out a new bit of kit. I see it as the antidote to being a tackle tart. I guess that makes me more of a tackle 'bag lady'.

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

Hi Zed - I believe it's you who'd like these??

 

I also have a swing tip (1) you can have for nowt' - I'll never use it again, I'll even foot the postage to save messing about.

 

Put a quid in a shop's a charity box - That'll do for me!!

 

The screw thread is in the BA range of threads (6 or 8 BA I think- because I borrowed a tap from work once to clean one out)

 

One of the very few perks of being an Engineer by trade + I get to make some bits & pieces now & again, being on afternoons - when it's quiet.

 

If you're interested - can we do it early new year?? - I've a lot on just now, + going away soon.

 

Martin.

 

Martin, you are a true gent indeed sir. Obviously happy to wait until new year - I'm unlikely to get to use them until early spring anyway - I'll be busy going after the feral Carp in my local farm pond - they haven't been caught for several years but I KNOW they're still in there. They were never stocked into the pond but since it's stream fed I guess they've found a way in, along with the swarms of 1lb to 2lb Perch.

 

I'll PM you with address details and start dunkin' loose change in charity boxes in your honour.

 

Pete

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

I have a couple of old swing tips that I used on the Cotswold Water Parks years ago, and managed to bank some nice tench with this method.....but the method is very limiting, distance and the constant 'your rod's broken mate' jibes....A good quiver tip is far better, imo, if you would like the swingers, then just let me know.

Neil, if you don't want the swingers I'd be more than happy to take them off your hands - PM me and let me know what you want for them and we'll sort something out.

 

Pete

[Am I too far gone, to ever return?]

A bit off subject but for the last couple of years the time I have spent fishing has been very limited which in turn made me change the way I fish as it is all short sessions.apart from a holiday every year to a stunning little fishery in Devon where I started to experiment again using swing tips albeit for good sized Carp. Anyway the point is that I had forgotten how good and exciting this method was so I started to look around for a pair of dedicated tip rods for general fishing but capable of handling decent fish such as Tench and Chub. I had decided that what I wanted would be no more than 10 feet long but could not find anything existing in the market at the time. I also looked for suitable blanks to build my own and also whether any of my existing rods could be modified. To cut a long story short I came accross the Shakespeare Sigma specialist range which have a threaded end ring and although very cheap appeared to fit the bill and at at £25 a rod would not be a disaster if they were no good. A pair of 10 Foot specialists were ordered and they turned out to be ridiculous value for money to such a degree that I ordered a further pair of the 11 foot versions as well. I would have been hard pushed to rebuild a handle at what was the price of a rod and In practice they have proved to be excellent, handling fish from small up to low doubles with a nice progressive action. These have been mainly been coupled up with Preston Banjo feeders and pellets which has proved to be a very effective combination. I must confess to be a fan of Preston /Korum/Drennan products as they virtually cover every situation you may come up against. A 13 foot 1.5lb rod I think may prove to be difficult to find unless it was purpose built but like Andrew and others have said there is a huge amount of end tackle available that is designed for all types of fishing. Get back into it John and enjoy it. Tackle is personal and what suits one does not suit another. All that matters is that it suits you.

 

I'm looking at these particular Shakespeare rods with great interest - the question I have is where have you found a set of tips, both quiver and swing that fit them. I can't find any info online as to the diameter or screw thread size, and don't want to end up with a rod that I can't use properly. Would love to know if anyone has got one and found a supplier of appropriate tips.

 

Pete

[Rising depths on rivers?]

I've just been reading an article in one of the mags - Angling Times or the Anglers Mail that says that in winter the fish are often too busy keeping out of the flow when the river starts to rise, adn when it starts to 'fine down' (whatever that actually means) they will often start to feed again to replenish the energy expended fighting the flood current.

 

The notion makes sense but as I have almost no practical angling knowledge or experience I can't say either way. I will log it away for future reference though.

[Some advice required]

Chesters, funny you should mention Saveloys. I was only yesterday discussing the rather contentious issue of Frankfurters vs. Saveloys. My opposition was intent on stating that they are one and the same thing - clearly a fool!!

 

Just in case you have suffered from a case of mistaken identity I CAN recommend the finest Frankfurters available anywhere (including Frankfurt). They are made in Paddock Wood in Kent, just down the road from me by a company called the Franconian Sausage Company. I don't know if they take PayPal, but they do allow bulk orders.

 

If it actually is Saveloys that you're after, I'd suggest your local Chip Shop - they probably buy them from Bookers or some other Cash & Carry type shed.

 

Originally Saveloys used to be made with pig brains - much more interesting than the battered pink logs you find in chippys these days.

 

On a side note I'd just like to point out that a discussion that started with me asking for advice on legering for Chub has now evolved into a sausage advice thread. You see how easily these things happen? Sausages and fishing - made for each other in my view. I guess I'd best take some of the afore mentioned Frankfurters out on my next day session and do a review for the blog.

[Some advice required]

Nice blog Zed, you are a wordsmith that's for sure and pretty useful with the Box Brownie too, but for all that is Holy why did you not attach a bit of Tesco's finest bangers to a hook and seduce a Chub or two?

 

Enough of the 'poncy' lure chucking thing, it's just not Cricket, God knows what the Hunt must have thought.

 

Anyway those Perch are a pretty sight, and are at their best just now, just add a float and a 'pin to the scene, and it will be picture perfect.

Thanks for the kind comments Neil.

 

To address your questions:

 

1. Firstly the issue of using the days rations to seduce a Chub - it genuinely never even occurred to me to be honest. Once the frying of the bangers was underway my thoughts quickly turned to my own sustenance and sod the fish. Once I'd scoffed the lot and started to think about the day ahead it was too late. I do think however that those particular examples of the snagmakers art were far too good to be throwing into a muddy river.
2. The 'poncy' lure chucking thing - from that comment I can only assume you're from the 'hard as nails, coal miner by day, flat cap wearing fisherman at weekends' school of angling. You never wear more than a string vest to go fishing, even when it's snowing. Crouching over a grey sluggish canal, crumpled roll-up dangling from your bottom lip staring at a home-made float slowly making it's way through the turgid waters. Hoping to see the tell -tale dip of the tip so you can reel in your prize 9oz Roach, club it to death with the heel of your hobnail and take it home to feed the wife and eleven children. Maybe, maybe not. Chucking lures is a big plus when it's freezing cold. I do feel that i slightly let the side down though. Of the Huntin' shootin' and fishin' holy trinity I was the least well dressed of the bunch. Top hats and all that jazz for the huntsmen, plus fours, shirt and tie and tweeds for the shooters and then there was me - resplendent in dirty Korum waterproof trousers, a very manky fleece that glitters with fish scales and dried on slime no matter how much it's washed. Top it all off (literally) with a grey woollen beanie hat that makes me look like I should be on some sort of national register and you can see that the Angling community was not well represented in the sartorial stakes.
3. I certainly will be back to fish that little spot again - probably in the summer. Just after it is a shallow (1ft max) run for about 200 yards with a gravelly bottom. I don't know if thats likely to be good for anything in the summer but I'll enjoy sitting there for the day watching the waters flow by.

[Some advice required]

Hi Zed, you may be interested in this Link - Allums of Wakefield.- West Yorkshire.

 

The Sausages - any variety are to die for - A proper Pork & Pork Pie shop & can be ordered online. (Near to where I live - so no need to for me)

 

They do everything & it's all "Top Drawer" Not just Pork products!!

 

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi1p7CmlbbQAhVIIMAKHVI6D1EQFggmMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allumsbutchers.co.uk%2F&usg=AFQjCNHsVm-rQ7dg0puq74OktqkFWh3Vng&sig2=VySgZxdWLsTXzowObNMNPA

 

Click on the Sausage Link (Pardon the Pun!!)

Martin, thanks for this - really! I will most definitely be placing an order with these guys soon. All I need to do is work out how to best make it up to £50 to get the free delivery (I'm a bit of a tightwad). Their sausages will definitely get an outing to the river soon and a subsequent review on the blog.

 

Cheers.

[Some advice required]

I really appreciate so many of you offering your advice.

As it turned out for one reason and another I ended up lure fishing and catching a couple of nice little Perch.

I won't bore you with the details here, but if you're interested you can take a look at the write up on my new blog at www.fishingforluckies.com

 

Next weekend I'm hoping to get on the Medway at Hartlake bridge so I'll ask around the tackle shops to find out where the Chub are biting and have a go for them on Saturday or Sunday.

[Newbie]

Chris, I've sent you a pm

[Newbie]

Hi Pete, thanks for the reply, sounds like a plan. not sure i can pm either as a newbie

 

I think that probably there has to have been a certain number of posts before the freedom to pm is given. I've just realised that I'm not having my posts checked prior to posting by the moderator - maybe I've arrived at 'trusted' status - we'll see.

[Some advice required]

Thanks everyone.

 

The gear is now packed and ready. All advice has been duly logged and memorised. I'll let you know how it goes - what worked, what didn't etc. I'll probably have a photo or two showing the usual massive haul of 4 inch Gudgeon, but fingers crossed for the odd Chub or two.

 

Watch this space.

[Some advice required]

Thanks for the replies guys (I assume you're both guys, although that's possibly a tad sexist and presumptuous of me).

 

The particular stretch of river is hardly fished at all, so the fish aren't really used to seeing things like meat or corn in the water.

 

As for line strength, my reel has a couple of spare spools which are loaded with 6lb and 8lb - I'll have them both in the bag with me. If I mange to get anything even remotely bigger than I'd expected it's only five minutes work to beef up the line.

 

I'll also have hooks up to size 4 with me (with the exception of a size 10 - every time I've been to the local tackle shop they've sold out of 10's!!)

 

I also do have a fairly potent lump of home-brewed cheese paste festering away in a dark corner of the fridge, so that can be added to the tackle bag. I'll also take along some bread to make sure i've covered all the bases.

 

I suppose the biggest question then is do you suggest casting upstream and then tightening the line down onto the weight, or cast downstream and let the current tighten the line?

 

Or am I talking utter rubbish?

[Some advice required]

I have a trip planned for Saturday to a lovely little stretch of the Eden River near Penshurst in East Sussex. Being somewhat new to this lark we call fishing I'm not too sure that my tactics are sound. I fully realise that even the best anglers can draw a blank now and again, but I'd like to be sure that at least I'm not totally wasting my time putting a rod out.

 

I've heard that the spot is good for Chub, and that meat is a useful bait for getting past the myriad small Gudgeon and Bleak. So the plan is to use a simple bomb rig, with the lead running free. Hook length would be around 30cms using a size 14 or 12. I'd be using a Drennan Series 7 feeder road with either 2oz or 3 oz tip, a Drennan FD4000 reel loaded with 4lb line and a 1oz weight clipped onto a feeder bead . To connect my hook length I use one of the Preston quick-change beads. So thats the rig.

 

I'm not sure if I should be casting upstream or downstream, sinking the line or not, rod tip low or high - all of this I'm sure can make a difference.

 

Any help or advice would be very welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Pete

[Newbie]

Chris, I'm in Tunbridge Wells, so not too far. I'd be more than happy to share my tree catching techniques with you. I also cook a mean bankside sausage. For some reason I can't use the PM feature - maybe because I'm new to the forum - my posts have to be checked by a moderator before going live, so you may not see this for a while. If you're up for it we'll get in touch and get something in the diary.

 

Pete

[Newbie]

Hi Chris. I'm also a Newbie, both to the site and to fishing. I used to fish as a boy growing up in Dorset. I was spoilt for choice with the rivers available and of course the sea fishing from the beaches, the Harbour at Poole and getting out in boats as often as possible.

 

I've returned to fishing at the grand old age of 48 (trying to re-capture some of those nostalgic memories of a carefree youth!!) and am having to re-learn everything.

 

If you want to get together for a session on the rivers let me know - I can't pretend I can teach you much if anything but I do know how to catch endless Bleak, Gudgeon and baby Roach. I am also extremely proficient at catching bushes and trees, both from the opposite bank and from just behind and to the right of where I'm fishing.

 

I currently am hatching a plan to try and extricate a chub or two of a decent size from the Eden River. It involves (among other things) rancid cheese, liquidised chicken feed and bananas.

 

Watch this space....