malevans

Interesting, I thought Greys only introduced the life time warranty when the new range was launched and the brand "redefined" after it had been acquired by Hardy. We have 2 GRXs and 2 missionarys which came with the warranty, at the same time we purchased new (at a discount due to end of line) a 13ft Pilgrim Salmon rod for my wife, no life time warranty was offered on that rod.

Regal - S

Clever with Mullet must ge a great thing to be. I tried and tried in Crete with absolutely no look whatsoever. Threw in some bread which they fed on avidly, until i put a fly line on the water then they stopped, every time. Also on a sight seeing boat trip I watched with awe as a large fish 80cm to a 1m chased at high speed 4 to 6 oz fish and caught one or two which is wolfed down. Very forked tail, a bit Milk fish like in terms of profile. This whilst the boat was beached for a BBq and took place right at the shore. That was a day of coarse that I did not take the rods. Oh well it was absorbing viewing.

9ft #6 is ideal for starting from the bank on rivers and small stillwaters under all but the most adverse conditions. Mind you it has been so windy the last few weeks that I only switched back to a #6 from an #8 last weekend. Caught Ok on the #8 fishing dry daddies at distance.

Assuming you are getting on OK with casting etc, get yourself a copy of Matching the hatch. It will give you seven flies to be getting on with and explain why you are using them. (A binary chop through your fly collection is a bit hit or miss) Certainly will save you from the fate most fur flingers suffer....ending up 4 inches shorter due to the weight of the fly boxes you carry around Daddies are going well at the moment. Montanas are also going well where my wife fishes, either fished very slowly along the bottom or stripped back just under the surface.

Horses for course really. I tend to spend more on stuff I will use a lot, like fly gear and carp gear. I have amassed a fair amount of shakespeare stuff for the angling I don't do so often, like beach fishing sea fishing in general and swing tipping as it is acceptable at a reasonable price. |I do observe that other manufatcures are coming down into the shakespeare, silstar and Dam price zone. I always remember that my sons argos carp rod netted him double figure carp, pike, and also salmon. That arrived with the guides not even aligned. Unless you are paying a lot of money all the blanks probably come from the same factory anyway. Whats the real difference between a Jag X type and a Mondeo ? other than the zeros.

Having failed miserably to bag anything in Crete, I guested on my wife's ticket yesterday. Having caught several stock sized, but hardfighting I must admit, Rainbows, I bagged this one using a dry daddy long legs. I might get converted to stillwater fishing yet It was a very fat 59cm and took my backing out, first time a trout has done that to me.

The GRX is very good for the money and I use a Okuma, can't remember the model, cost 19.99, with it. Cheers

Cheers. I did wonder if that was how the US manufacturers might be doing it.

Hi folks, whilst I think the marketing literature and may be some anglers, place too much emphasis on things like; is one rod .1 oz lighter than another etc. I was wondering about the trading laws, especially in relation to american products. Recent examples include: A product review circa 14 months ago of 15ft salmon fly rods, where it was noted that not only did one rod (from an amercian manufacturer)weigh over an ounce more than quoted in the catalog but the weight actually stated on the blank reflected the same error. I have recently acquired two amercian brand rods. In both cases the retailers (I checked several both sides of the atlantic) quoted, in what looked like a supplied table, weights of 2.1 oz and 3.5 oz respectively. The rods in question weigh when weighed on electronic scales, 3.3 oz and 4.35 oz. In comparison and to check the scales I weighed two of my Hardy's and a greys missionary and got the pubicised weights of 1.95oz, 3.8 oz, and 2.6oz respectively, so the scales are fine. I contacted a UK retailer of the american rods, pointing out that whilst it is not normal for me to go around weighing rods, i was prompted to do so when I realised that rod supposedly weighing 2.1 oz felt significantly heavier than my 8ft 3 Greys missionary. The retailer appeared genuinely shocked and went off to weight their stock and rang back confirming my findings. Is there a different basis in US for stating a rod weight (actual weight) as the kind of understatement seems common to at least two premium brands and yet the claimed weights on the UK brands would seem to be accurate. 2.1 oz or 3.3 oz does not really matter in the scheme of things, but I am now very curious. PS. Having ordered both rods from the US I saved (including all customs taxes and UK VAT and delivery charges etc) 290UKP and 265UKP on each rod respectively. I did opt for 10 day delivery, which was true to its claim and the said rods arrived on day 10. Cheers

Hi Peter/Mark, my comments were based upon the majority of my saltwater fly fishing being done over a period of 10 years in the Northwest Highlands, I go three or sometimes 4 times a year. All the various spots respond to the technique of basic stripping back. Bloody good fun. I will confess that the 1993 trip was a lads trip to celebrate my 30th birthday, primary focus was beer, non of us had clue what we were doing, got the day ticket through pure fluke, when we rang up and found the river was free (got number from the little booket the rod and gun produce) as a let had been cancelled, we purchsed rods and reels from the rod and gun the morning we went fishing. Had not got a clue about salmon any of us, never dreamt we would fish for them, ever. Talking of dreams or should I say nightmare. I am here in the midlands at home with 4 kids, although at work during the day, and she is on the river in scotland and has had 48 wild brownies since Monday and has just reported in a nice twelve incher. Mind you I brought her a new rod and reel for her birthday and this is the first time out with it in anger, she dropped it on rocks and has scratched the reel quite badly, so she is not pleased. Tight lines

Fox bedchair is the answer Never go camping without mine. Kids get roll mats.

Ref the mountain goat dimension. Point 2 from Mark. I have had success from shingle beaches. However whenever marks are recommended to me including those in publications, I either read, or find out on arrival that some scramble down a cliff or over seriously high rocks is necessary, even if the destination is some secluded sandy cove, so I have to turn around and go back. Its a factual observation that Mark is not qualified to challenge as he has not been with me. I did not offer advice but made an observation based upon my experience. So thats that sorted. Closeness to River Trouting. A personal opinion that did not constitute advice. Most of my spinning/lure work involves swinging a food source imitation around in the current, allowing to sink then moving it again. So thats that criteria put to bed. The yellow thing the 6lb bass has taken does nothing to alter my opinion. However saltwater fly fishing, like Pike fly fishing, is fun and a challenge due to the additional constraints it allows to impose upon our selves. Stripping small shrimp imitations back through weed or along the edge of weed does work for Coalfish, Codling and Sea Trout. So this is sound advice for the venues I fish. As for crab flies well as initially indicated I think it was me who got hooked there, but fingers crossed for two weeks time. I do not believe I advocated their use. Now some really good advice always go fishing with expectation. My first attempt a SWFF produced 2 codling and a three coalfish, flies used were crazy charlies . First morning of my first attempt for salmon. 1993 was a good vintage ! Tight lines.

The crunch is the wording and its interpretation, not the intent. A fish when hooked and particularly when landed would seem to be covered by the sub sections highlighted. I measure by results and not intent, and in this instance that scares me silly.

Something is either alive, or dead, some might add a third catagory of virus. If alive it is either an animal or a plant, although some would add catagories for some single cell organisms and also fungi. If anyone at the moment thinks some bolt hole for angling exists because a fish is not animal then they are in for a very nasty shock. I will say that over years I have encountered many individuals who associate the term animal with furry and four limbs. Hopefully one government one day will sort out our education system. Still support Peter's view as I did in other threads. Its all about right to represent angling and exploitation of anglings critical mass for non angling causes that do not have that critical mass and are at an extreme end of the blood sport spectrum, given the dictionary definitions given above. However I have put my whole IQ point into considering the matter further. I suggest a convergence between the blood sports, particularly the hunting catagories, and angling. The point being that in exchange for our support and convergence both angling and the hunting communitiies will implement mandatory catch and release. Cheers

illusions even !

Hi all, very interesting thread. Saltwater fly fishing does seem to be growing here in the UK, with several people offering them selves as guides. Its an activity, like shorefishing in general, which is a holiday activity only for me. But basic tactics of pulling smallish flies back through weed works. One constraint I perceive in common with normal shore fishing, though reality may be different, is that the best marks require one to be something of a mountain goat. Given my problem with heights means my wife gets stuff in and out of loft as the step ladders are way too high for me, seems to be limiting. Pike flyfishing is good fun also and productive with plenty of fish upto 9.5lb, although nudging through the Dble barrier is proving hard for me. However I have no elusions Pike and saltwater fly fishing has more in common with spinning than it does with normal river trouting. But it makes a pleasant change. My saltwater rods and pike rods are common. A 9ft #8 and 9ft #10. I will confess to having some crab patterns for saltwater, they were so cute......far too pretty to let a fish munch on them. Mind you they are going to get wet in Crete. For highland loch pike the old mouse complete with little ears and a tail seems to do the trick. Down here I find big green and yellow tinsel things seem best. Size 6 and 8 Muddler minnows have worked for me when pike are fry feeding, have tried these in the salt but without success thus far.

Interesting phenomina. Highlight a potential threat to angling of significant magnitude and yes it was predictable, the angling community, at least in part, start arguing and squabbling between themselves. Lets hope the legislation does not turn out to have differing implications between branches of angling, the imploding anglers will be heard on Mars. :mad: "into the valley of death......" Hmmmmmmmm Was there any final conclusion or conscensous on whether the threat is as real as it sounded on TV ? My primary concern is that after all the review and protective measures etc, that somewhere deep in the text, the door will be open to interpretation and the basis for a test case. If the loop hole exists the judges will have little option in terms of the judgemnent given. Actually I concluded that I did not commit a crime after my last post, as catching a Rainbow trout and killing it for food cannot be deemed cruelty, any more than slaughtering a cow. Which means we can look forward to enforced: a) Lettuce based diet and a complete collapse in the Rainbow farming industry. (Good news is salmon farming is taken out at the same time) Expensive meats as factory methods of farming are made illegal and the costs of preslaughter councelling sessions for the animals kick in. c) Enforced carp sarnies (for weeks and months if the angler is good) for anyone catching such a fish. Cheers

Sounds promising. We depart for Crete in 4 weeks and I will take a fly rod and a lure rod, plus a few floats etc. Good luck to all those going on hols with their rods. cheers

Cloud was really weird as it moved down the great glen and then between the gap in the Nevis range. Just like when the ships appear in Independence day. Like an Iron on a long stalk.

Hi Jeff, Yes I took them on my last trip a couple of weeks ago. To me on the last one the mountains in the back ground looks artificial in terms of texture. It is not something that has nagged at me, but a very strong and initial reaction, even when viewed on the camera. The first pic is your truely (not exactly wearing camo LOL) eaking out a few trout from a burn up by Loch Quoich. The second is a photograph across towards Ben Nevis and Fort William. The last is again up by Loch Quoich. cheers

oops here is the rubbish one. cheers

Hi all, I had some strange effects when I took some photos with my digital camera. One pic particularly looks as if the mountains in the background are artificial and may have been added afterwards. Has anyone else experienced this. First picture looks mainly OK. Next picture of aliens landing looks fine This next picture is rubbish, but why ? Any thoughts welcome

I have been ill yesterday and today with some kind of bug. Anyway said reel is now in bubble wrap and will commence its journey tomorrow morning. cheers

Hi Jeff, when I started my son he was 9 yo and I started him on a wiskerfly 8ft 4/5. Generally learning to cast is easier with a longer rod. What about a slightly longer rod with a fighting butt which she can at her age treat as double hander. See my other post. May be a 9ft #4. cheers