Socksy Squirrel

A SL30SHV with mag brakes, perfection

Profits on these magazines are small due to the tiny print runs. The big money spinners are the big circulation women's mags.

Welcome back Tuggs and YFN, Happy posting Best wishes, Squirrel

This should be a good place to talk about sea fishing. Faster and more informative than the magazines, it should be great. Please think before you post, try and be civil to each other and do not respond to provocation. Hopefully we will get back on an even keel before long.

quote: ... and I'd be happy to catch a dogfish (or what ever they get called now). I was quite happy to catch my FIRST dogfish. Many dogfish on, sometimes a dozen or so in one night I am not quite so happy. Mind you it is nice to drop them back in to the water and watch them swim away. [ 09. March 2005, 05:47 PM: Message edited by: Socksy Squirrel ]

It is difficult to make direct comparisons of intelligence between species and here we are dealing with two different families of animals. Large fish have some learnt behaviour, they can be taught to come to the surface and feed from the owner's hand etc. The chickens have a distinct pecking order, woe betide the chicken that goes on the wrong perch. They recognise the feed bucket and the cocks will scratch things up for the hens to eat and call them over. Some birds are smarter, they will use a piece of stick as a tool etc. In my opinion, large fish are not just instinct driven automata like insects but your pet cat is way ahead of the average tweeter.

Having kept various large tropical fish I would have to say that they operate mainly on instinct. However large predatory fish have a bit of intelligence. I suppose I would put them at the level of a fairly thick chicken

Other fish are quite smart as well. Wrasse mark out a territory, build a nest out of seaweed amongst the rocks and care for the eggs until they hatch. This compares pretty favourably with the breeding habits of Mr and Mrs Bass

I am fishing for conger when I use this type of hook. A big hook in a heavy gauge wire with a strong mono trace is required to hold the big bait and prevent the conger straightening the hook or biting through the trace. A big bass has about as much chance as a blenny if it swallows the 1lb pouting bait

Call me a suspicious old squirrel but I doubt that a Mustad 3406 dissolves in less than a month or two. I have some old ones on discarded traces lying around and they are very rusty but a quick rub with a file and they are pretty sharp. I have pulled up strings of old mackerel feathers, the swivels are shot and the feathers are all rotted away but the hooks are still strong despite the fact that the points are gone.

Here is the spider hitch, http://neilmackellow.sea-angler.org/knot4.html and here is the standard leader knot but tied with a spider hitch for extra strength, http://neilmackellow.sea-angler.org/knot6.html Fiddly but it is a nice low profile knot and immensely strong.

That is not a lot of doggies A lot of doggies is; 1) When you you pull up three on the same paternoster, 2) You throw out a pennel rig and it comes back with doggies hanging on the top and bottom hooks. 3) Time to go home is when three doggies come in on a paternoster and two of their chums are swimming alongside, only peeling off to go home when you start to winch their mates up the wall. [ 08. March 2005, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: Socksy Squirrel ]

That seems about right, they would still have made a small profit I would give the rod a waggle, if you are pleased with it, keep it. If you do not like it then phone them up and politely point out their mistake. I think that is called a win, win situation

Just how much difference is there in price? They may have not had the rod in stock and upgraded your order rather than order one and wait for it to arrive.

Make sure you have your Weetabix before trying to bust out 40lb mainline spider hitched to 80lb leader though. Also find a good place to brace yourself and use gloves. I suggest the use of disposable weights and a rotten bottom as well.

I did it myself on my first multiplier. It was a 6500 Sports Mag, I took the right hand plate off and had a look at the bits, no problem. Then I had a go at the left hand plate, could I get it back together, no. So it was down the tackle shop with the bits. There is a trick to getting it to fit back in. Assemble the reel correctly and then with the left hand side pointing upward lower the end plate down with the external slider set to 4, it should fit into place with a bit of wiggling. Slide it off to 0, you may hear a slight click as the bits fit into place and then up to 8, there should only be a slight resistance if everything has slotted back into place. Do not force it as you can damage the reel, take it apart and try again, That is probably as clear as mud, but when you have done one it is easy.

You could always try asking the nice people at http://neilmackellow.sea-angler.org/ Thay are always taking their reels apart so they might give you full instructions on how to get it back in again.

Hi there, That little clip is tied in with getting the magnetic brakes to work. I think you will find that without it the mag brakes no longer work. Try spinning the reel on 0 and then on 8, I may be wrong but there will be no difference. Getting it back in is easy when you know how. I suggest you go down to your friendly tackle shop, confess all and hopefully they will pop it back in for free. I would always advise opening an Abu on the winder side, using the little finger screws, for changing spools, brake blocks etc. [ 08. March 2005, 11:32 AM: Message edited by: Socksy Squirrel ]

The sea down here is really cold at the moment. You would not catch me wading in for any fish. You must be determined

I thought it was reminiscent of baby poo in appearnce and the smell was a bit like moist dog treats. It was quite tough and fibrous and survived casting quite well, it came back in one piece on most occcasions

I am heading in the opposite direction. I am off to France for Easter

Personally I always use small pouting, easy to catch in quantity, no size restrictions and the conger and rays seem to like them as much as anything else.

It looks like it might have a future as a dog treat though

Have a look at the salted squid thread for a field test of Smart Baits Peeler Crab

Conditions were F5 winds with intermittent hail storms. I was sheltering in the lee of the pier and nipping out to pull it in when I thought I had a catch or every fifteen minutes or so to rebait. Sorry, I was not really looking out for bites. [ 08. March 2005, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: Socksy Squirrel ]