chavender

must of been a west country otter " 'ere ,get ouff mi land ! ,i'll 'ave you i will "

well fishfinder ,i'm sorry if my review of the reel convinced you too buy one ,it does seem as though they are suffering the same fate as the early batches of marco contessi reels ,i guess dragoncarp are rushing the order out (pre-releasing this reel before the launch of the full range) ,without getting the factory too do proper quality control or they themselfs are failing too check once they arrive .sad really because the one i recieved was perfect ,and i judged it on face value .dragoncarp do themselfs no favours by rushing out products before they're checked or ready ,and have marred what otherwise is a great little aerial . i guess i was just lucky ,as i could of quite easily of gotten a bad one .mind you i was lucky with the marco contessi ,i was brought one for christmas when they came out ,that too was virtually perfect ,i think i had to bend the spring to hold the pawl in better ,otherwise apart from being a bit fugley it was ok ,although i don't think i ever used it (its not to my personal taste ,as wasn't the origanal x-pin design) i ended up putting it into a fundraising auction at a traditional fishing forum meeting .if i was a real gentleman i might of offered you mine as a gesture of good will ,but mine might be the only good one ,so i'll be holding onto it . demand your money back .

pin tastic

it'd be a shame ,if it does turn out too like the contessi ,as they're a nice reel .but quality control is a simple matter to do ,just stick someone on testing them ,theres only 1000 shouldn't take too long to do a quick function test ,quick spin ,look & listen .then weedle out any suspect reels too be checked over properly .

take the spool off ,use a cotton bud and have a whipe around the inner edges and inside the spindle housing ,just in case some particle has got in through the open back ,and if its still unsatisfactory send it back ,use your consumer rights ,get a replacement or refund ,as for feeling cheap ,well thats a personal judgement & expectations thing.afterall its no chris lythe ,but its not trying too be .

take the spool off ,use a cotton bud and have a whipe around the inner edges and inside the spindle housing ,just in case some particle has got in through the open back ,and if its still unsatisfactory send it back ,use your consumer rights ,get a replacement or refund ,as for feeling cheap ,well thats a personal judgement & expectations thing.afterall its no chris lythe ,but its not trying too be .

you could save yourself a £10+ and get the same thing from dragoncarp http://www.dragoncarpdirect.com/products/C...ng-Station.html

woodhall farm ,bilborough/bullwell http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File:Woodhal...041067.jpg/-/en Woodhall Lakes, (Coarse) Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, Tel: 0115 9771365 or 0777 3454723. Day ticket. just off A6002 just off one off the little round abouts is a layby thingy / industrial estate ,in the left hand corner is blenhiem lane ,little more than a track really but it leads too the fishery . nicley located ,two or three ponds ,small pond suitable for kids ,with good mix of fishing ,i've not been for a few years so not sure of current dayticket prices

i don't think gary's that impressed they've based the design of the aerial part of the spool on the youngs design ,rather than design their own aerial style . as requested more detailed photo's ,in this close up of the inside/rear of the spool ,if you look carefully you can just see the second (top) bearings rim the top bearing sits just under the two brass slides (release latch slide & the drag slide) ,the spindle housing seams too come in three parts ,at the bottom is the coller (this centrolises the turret and the screws in the ratchet cog connect into this too hold it all together ,the cap with the spokes and all the other attachments fits onto the central turret somehow . the top and bottom of it all ,showing how its a hybrid of the x-pin design and the youngs (bearings) aerials foot :youngs aerial foot type front of spool :youngs aerialish turret/spindle housing:youngs aerialish rear of spool :x-pin (marco contessi) back of real :x-pinish line guard:x-pin/marco contessi mkII et all this is the best of both designs all wrapped up in a single reel ,and as bearings run centrepins goes theres not a lot between this reel and a youngs aerial in performance ,in aesthetics only the heritage is better looking .technically the youngs is probably made of better grade materials but the user wouldn't know or care .i wasn't that bothered about the rods etc that'll be in the matt hayes range ,but having tried this reel ,i'll be taking a look at them when the rest of the range comes out .

well as Confucius once said "you cant knock it ,until you tried it" .you can make a snap judgement on first sight but need to give these things a chance.

mine worked perfect out the box ,yes its definatly from the same makers but is ¼" bigger ,so at some point there will probably be a 4½" marco contessi MK III ,or another aerial /x-pin clone without matt hayes name on it ,i think because of matt hayes's involvment and the problems with the marco contessi MK I .they might of upped the quality control .i too would of prefered a solid back but that said with this aerial design its a simple job too pop off the spool to wash out the innards if needs be ,if dirt gets in. i did use mine with the line guard fitted (forgot to take it off) and was able too still wallis cast using it ,but because its a little too far forwards did feel it ,everso slightly hindered the line flow as i started the cast ,i'll either remove it completly or just drill two new screw holes a little further back so the guard lines up better ,the wide drum is nice and having a flat face makes for a very nice spool .i put 75m (half of a full reel of new line) of blue Power Pro super slick 8 braid on it .a line i've been playing with as a possible replacement too fireline crystal . its probably the best centrepin dragoncarp have sold so far ,just pipping the rotorglide & tritinium sheffield clones . mine was numbered 473 ,but i think it'll be pot luck as too which number people get ,depending on where in the pile and what order they was stacked in .and where the box was plucked from at the wharehouse .but the number thing only of intrest too collectors . the only thing that would of made the reel better would of been if it came in nice shade of maroon or burgandy or plain red go for it ,get one before they're gone

shock horror it actually caught fish without exploding ,used it today for a bit of trotting on the trent (victoria embankment) didn't catch a great deal (the place isn't what it used too be) but managed several nice roach ,although they wasn't all happy too see me ,some sware at me and one even deficated on my pinky. i also caught a rather bullish perch ,little bugger fought all the way back to me ,even out the water he was fixing for a fight the reel behaved impeccably ,nice to cast with and it didn't fall to pieces , explode or do anything other than just work .

well ,it arrived about 10min ago ,first glance it looks like a schizophrenic hybrid of a X-pin (or marco contessi) & a youngs aerial which works rather well all dressed in black ,no fugley thing this one. the front of the spool is of standard match aerial array of perforations so its pleasing on the eye in a famillier kind of way with a nice rounded rim (much more pleasing than a squared profiled rim) ,theres the usual thumb wheel spoke mounted drag adjuster ,this is a little on the thin side and can dig in on the fingertips whilst adjusting it .its otherwise a good drag with fair range of adjustment & kept true (not sticking on) by having a pressure spring and return/anti-rattle spring keeping it firmly in place .and the release latch operates cleanly . the spreader spokes (not really spreader spokes as its a solid cnc machined one piece spool) are possibly a bit thin for my hamfisted hands but seem solid enough .the spool has a solid drum face which will be great for line lay ,the rear has the flat spokes as on the x-pin and there clones or perhaps there forebare the allcocks blacknight (referance there fore traditionalists) a good solid spool ,now if you look at the pictures you'll see the spindle housing /hub (not the prettiest i've seen) has a wide base & quite chunky top /centrepiece with rideheight adjuster at its centre , housing the bearings. the reel back is of the now familier marco contessi half perforated style but with a differtent foot thats in the style of youngs centrepins mountings .with a nice crisp uni-diectional ratchet (suitable for left or right handed anglers) thers a re-positional line guard for left or right handed users or completley removable a good solid back ,now its not the lightest reel but its by no means a heavyweight ,its just this side of good and you could happily hold it for long periodes / all day and will balance quite nicley a 14/15ft float rod the important questions would i use this reel ....maybe not in preferance to my favourite .but for general use ,hell yes is it suitable for barbel fishing ..yes good sold reel is it suitable for ledgering ...yes ratchet feels crisp enough for all but the strongest flows is it suitable for float fishing ...yes nice & freerunning with low inertia is it stylish ,wellyes i guess ,it has the classic aerial look ,that would look at home on modern or vintage rods is it worth the money ... hell yes this reel is worth 2-3 times its retail price is it well built ... yes ,no loose parts or ill fitted bits and the spool is well balanced. will it last ... well time will tell am i happy with it ...very happy ,this reel was too ba a loaner / spare but i think its too good for that and has been elevated too my general use reel .and if i had too score it .i'd give it 8/10 ,i'll be using this reel at the weekend ,so i'll add a in use review after then. (Ps. theres the bonus ,the box will make a nice jewellery box for the misses ,i just need to convince her matt hayes is a top jewellery designer ...result)

theres a technique where by you slap your rig on the surface a few times too ,immitate pellets/feed being put in (the noise car assosiate with loose feed hitting the water) to attract the carp .not herd it called windmilling (must be a colloquialism) ,its just known as splashing ,simular too filling your feed pot with water and dribbling it out.its not universially likeed ,some see these practices as cheating .

if i can handle one in the shop its preferable ,because i can give it a spin ,not too see how long it spins but to check for defects,i spin it fast to listen too it ,for the sound of catching metal or grittyness .& to hear the bearings sing ,like wheel bearings on cars if they're good they'll make a nice low humming noise that'll sound clean and sharp ,but bad bearing sound rough.,i'll then spin them slow as i can too look for wobble/unevenessand then take them apart to check out the inner parts ,springs etc . with buying blind off the net you wont know you've got a poor one until it arrives ,but a lot is down to whom your buying off ,i always test dragoncarp reels partly because there have been issues with quality control in the past and most are in their shops near to me so i can go in too have a play .some brands are more trusted than othersbecause they've ernt the reputation of being reliable .but at the end of the day if your buy off the net ,especially off e-bay it is a crap shoot i tend too buy on looks ,if i like it i buy it hoping i'll like using it ,sometimes though they look great in the pictures but but fail to live upto expectations .i tend not too take too much notice of the spec's of a reel as all mass produced reels are pretty much made the same .same materials ,same cnc machined methods ,same aspec 5 bearings with the occantional better quality ones ,but near as dam it simular performance .the only real difference is how they look my criteria is do i find it asphetically pleasing is it a nice colour does it run on bushings or bearings can i wind it with my fingers instead of handles does it have a removable line guard is it heavy does it have a open back is the drum pillerd or flat faced is it robust (will i break it) does it have a good ratchet most important is wether it just feels right or not ,as at the end of the day i have too enjoy using it ,i have brought plenty of reels that tick all the right box's but just felt wrong .

so did i ,but i gave a couple up as raffle prizes ,so had no spare loaner ones ,now i have two ,if they'd put the aerial on the site friday i wouldn't of brought the sheffield clone ,and apart from my 5" stanton these are the only reels i have that're bearings models ,the sheffield (unless i'm totally disapointed with the aerial) clone i'll keep but it may end up as a charity auction /raffle prize .so it won't be wasted or left gathering dust for too long.but who knows ,i'll wait untill the matt hayse aerial arrives to see if i like it .in the flesh so too speak .

well ,i brought one ,just have too wait and see what its like ,in a day or so .

well ,my concern would be the state of the economy in hungary ?? as i beleave the recession is hitting them quite hard ,I 'm not sure of the cultural trend towards fishing and paying too fish ,or is fishing expected too be free .now the only hungarians i know like fishing ,i know a hungarian nurse ,and her son loves carp fishing (what can i say ,he's only a teenager ) i think with a bit of research and luck you might be onto a winner ,but it'll be a slow process . good luck steven-pina <<< my hunarian nickname

Q1. you have to treat this as a loop-2-loop connection ,with the eye of the swivel being the mainline loop 1.pass the swivel (connected too the mainline) just through the loop of the rig 2.pass the hook (and unbaited hair ) through the eye of the swivel 3.pull hooklink & mainline apart slowly ,keeping a beedy eye on the end of the rig line as it forms a loop over the swivels ,(you may need too help over the swivel . 4.if the newly formed rigline loop is hung up on the back of the swivels eye ,pull it down too form a tight loop knot on the bend of the swivels eye. if you've got it right the rig loop should if pushed backwards open up the loop ,enabling you too remove the rig after use. Q1.alternative (fit the swivel too the rig line first) 1.pass the loop of the rig through one of the swivels eyes ,then feed the swivel back through the loop of the rig line 2.set up the running rig as per you usual mannor 3.tie the free eye of the swivel too the mainline & cover with the bead 4.there is no n°4 step . at the end of the session ,simply cut the mainline above the bead put rig and bead in a tub to sort out later . Q2.there is a alternative to your normal rig ,get some small tail rubbers (Oi ,wash your mind out with soap) you use these instead of a normal bead (knot/swivel protecter) ,you also use another special bead .a run bead these are drennen ones ,remove the tubing (thats for forming a stand off boom,& not needed with your rig) ,the large bore will slip onto the tail rubbers thin end ,and create a semi fixed bolt rig.the clip can be removed and a length of line (with bomb or feeder attached) used to create a patternosta rig or simply leave the clip in place for a quick change running rig . you can use these running beads with your usual stop bead (knot/swivel protector) to create a freerunning quickchange rig , you simply clip on a ledger or feeder onto the run bead . i hope this helps

well ,i was passing the shop today ,and i brought one ,i don't think the guy serving was impressed when i took it too bits and gave it a good looking at ,i spun it hard and fast too listen too the bearings and then slow to check the balance ,everything was just fine .so i brought it .i did have a marco contessi mk1 (4" version) as a loaner /spare ,but i donated it in a auction ,so now i have another spare / loaner reel as its replacement you get a neopean pouch ,the finger holes are smaller than the okuma sheffield (well it is a slightly smaller dia) but still big enough for my fingers to fit in unhinded .the colours ok ,not too hard on the eyes ,the line guard is in a fairly good position ,about a ¼" short of a ideal placement but good enough to not hinder a wallis cast .the rest is a per a x-pin or any of its clones is it worth £40 .well yes worth every penny .

its a dragoncarp reel ,its the clone of the old 4.25" x-pin ,dragoncarp brought all the old stock of the 4" x-pin and called it the marco contessi ,now they're using the basic 4.25" x-pin carcus and have different spools made ,this hasa a sheffield type fasia ,which is quite a improvement over the standard marco contessi mkII (x-pin ) ,had a look at one of these triniums in the new nottingham (just off the A52 ,bardels island) store ,they are nice (as all the x-pin clones are) although i'm not a big fan of open backed reels these are ok i guess bit smaller than a okuma sheffield or dragoncarps own rotorglide (sheffield clone) ,ok its dragoncarp so ,its best if you can have a fondle first as quality control isn't all it could be sometimes at the factory .a good reel for a good price .personally i'll be waiting for the new limited matt hayes range and the x-pin based aerial the real problem with this reel is wether you buy it or the rotorglide for a few dollers more ,theres a £40 difference in price & ¼" in dia difference ,rodgers not daft ,two simular looking reels both less than £100 .

well a lot of spinning was done here using a centrepin , (3"-3½") wide spoolled reel mounted on top of the rod baitcaster style .with spoons and spinners of sufficiant weight to take line directly off the spool. in north america / canada they do what is termed as a Bc cast ,where you cast directly off the reel ,in a beach/baitcasting style very good for chucking heavier weights long distance the americans/canadians like to borrow our techniques and reinvent them as their own

i think its inevitable ,that whats gone before is forgotten ,its human nature to forget things as we progress and evolve things to the point things often go full circle .things get invented ,then forgotton ,then re-invented in some form or other ,theres very few things in angling ,thats not been done before ,people just think trends and methods are new ,because no one remembers it from before so its new too us .not everything is recycled though so things do get lost through time and some things get mearged and both parent ways are lost in favour of the new generation ,we are forever looking for improvements and better ways of doing things ,how many modern (??) practices will survive the test of time ,for its only the strong that survive over time ,and time again. some methods and casting styles are well documented in the late 1800's and early 20th century,but others have all ready dissapeared the northern/sheffield style ,evolved into stickfloat fishing ,sheffield style of casting evolved into the modern overhead cast the northern /nottingham style well pretty much have stayed the same ,but the methods of casting pretty much died out with the invention of the fixed spooled ,open faced threadline reels ,but with the re-imergance of the centrepin in the 80's/90's the nottingham casting styles has made a comeback the southern themes style ,was pretty much gone by WWI as the nottingham & sheffield styles dominated ,only eliments survive /re-invented as ledgering techniques etc and some float fishing practices. the southern norfolk style again had allbut dissapeared in victorian times,but eliments reinvented as part of modern techinques like waggler fishing ,not much is writen about this style as it was dying out ,but the cast survived (wallis added it too the front of baileys cast ) used for flicking out stickfloats with open faced reels ,and the re-imergance of using long rods 14ft+ and the use of bottom end only floats was reinvented as waggler fishing and whip fishing ,their use of the winch like the themes style evovled into the multiplier & baitcasters of today west midlands style & techniques seem to have dissapeared by early victorian times or perhaps they just used a mixture of the two northen styles eliments of all the old styles have since WWII have diverged and evolved into how we fish today ,mostly a mixture of nottingham & sheffiled styles with eliments from the southern styles shoehorned in

the reel trouble is that after two world wars ,a lot was lost with those who didn't make it back ,and then afterwoods different styles of casting became intermingled and idestinguishable . take the two styles of loop cast ,the nottingham (static) cast mostly only used one or two loops and the force of the cast is applied through the whist & forearm not the rod ,the rod acting as a extenion of the forearm ,and the other loopcast (origins might of been sheffield but could be from elseware or simply a curruption of the nottingham cast ,but reportedly practiced by some sheffield anglers) where line is drawn from up the rod between the rings (2-6) the force is applied through the rod as you flick the rod forwards, it should pull the loops off your fingertips .its the motion of the rod that propels the line ,but it seems these two differing styles have simply merged into a common cast which is known as the nottingham cast . likewise the nottingham cast is confused with casting in the nottingham style iE wallis /whally casts (not strictly a nottingham cast as it involves spinning the spool ,but mearly veriation on the theme ) ,where line is cast off the spool ,drawn from the spool & the force/action applied through the whist/forearm holding the reel&rod ,theres several veriations on how this is achieved ,very few do it as wallis did most people just find what works for them the sheffield stlyle is too use the rod too prepel light lines and tackle (where the drop line is laid in the water then picked up & back ,and then thrust outwards) It and the themes cast (where coils of line are held or drapped on the floor) then the rod flicked forwards to propel the lines out ,both owe more to flycasting .infact if you combine the two actions you have the basic flycast. things ,it appears where a lot less confusing before WWII ,people had there way or style of casting and stuck too it mostley ,in fact quite religiously for some to the point of being very dismissive of all other ways (one writer of the day completly rubbished the nottingham style of fishing/and casting ,probably because he couldn't master it) ,nowadays we all fish mostley a mixture of both the nottingham style and the sheffield styles ,with a touch of the norfolk style thrown in .i guess as tackle improves the lines between the styles overlapped & diluted the differences .

the nottingham cast /nottingham style of casting is from the spool ,meaning the line too be cast is drawn from the spool ,unlike other casts favoured in victorian times ,like the sheffield style or themes cast the nottingham cast went through verious stages of devellopment ,bickerdyke describes the static nottingham cast where you take a single loop from between the spool and first ring creating a triangle ,that you can swing from the side then let the loop go as you near your targets direction ,thats the basic cast (still used by kids around here even with fixed spool reels ,as its the easiest too learn) ,he goes on too describe how taking sucessive loops up the rod to gain distance . william bailey took the basic single loop cast and simply added the line pull and become the casting champion of all england and created the dynamic nottingham style (it doesn't matter wether you pull the line or slap the rim too start it spinning ,its the spinning spool that counts) ,this is the veriation that wallis took and refined it ,adding bits of a slingshot cast onto the beginning (where you grip the weight) and a couple of touches too tidy up the cast ,and a bit of practice too get it right none are particularly differcult to learn or master (despite some myths that get passed around) ,all you need is patiance and practice .