Tim Kelly

The same thing happens here too Newt. If it's too hot you can't catch pike anyway. I've pike fished summer and winter for quite some years and the few fish that have died on me have been at entirely random times of the year, and due to the hook piercing an artery. It's a very very rare occurance, but it has happened. The dead pike people often see in early summer are almost certainly dead due to some spawning related mishap. Two waters I have fished would regularly have dead pike around the edges in early summer but very little fishing pressure.

A quick google bought up a few options, including: http://www.waveneyrivercentre.co.uk/activi...nchor-Day-49575 http://www.phoenixfleet.com/boathire.htm http://www.barnesbrinkcraft.co.uk/shortbreaks.htm

Unless the eye of the single is in line with the bend of the hook, unlike conventional hooks, I would expect they would make an already bad idea worse! I really don't understand why hook hangers on lures are always angled in line with the body of the bait. If they were perpendicular to it a treble, or indeed single could be fitted to the split ring and would hang evenly. This would reduce the hook rubbing to some extent, and make "T"ing the hook better and would mean that the trebles were in a good attitude for maximum hooking with one point forward and two evenly spaced at the sides. Probably doesn't make a blind bit of difference, but it has always irritated me!

I saw the two piece version of this rod in Cape Cod last summer. they seem good and are used for fairly heavy surf plugging for stripers there. Might be worth a go, not too expensive either. Might even talk myself into getting one too! tsunami

Have you looked at the St Croix travel rods? I have umpteen of their rods and they are all very strong and with superb tapers for the jobs they're designed for. http://www.stcroixrods.com/rods/default2.a...mp;section=salt

Agreed Hoppy, but I think it's not "larger fish" as much as fishing a smaller reel in a heavier situation that really shows up the differences in front and rear drag's capabilities. For example, I was fishing for shad a couple of years ago with a fairly light spinning outfit, casting small grubs on 1/8oz heads and mepps #2 spinners. The reel was a nice rear drag 1000 size shimano and I hooked a salmon of about 12lb, way above what the outfit was expecting to catch. The reel was barely able to give enough drag to do anything sensible with the salmon and it took (relatively) ages to get it in. At the end the reel was creaking a bit too! I bought a front drag reel to replace it and was amazed at how much more drag could be applied by the front drag than was ever possible with the rear drag.

oops double post!

I can't imagine why anyone would want to backwind these days as drags are so much better than in the days of mitchel 300s they easily protect all but the very lightest lines. I've also noticed that people who do backwind tend to give line much sooner than a well set drag would give it, so they end up playing the fish far longer. Give'em the butt and only line when it's strictly nessecary and you will get more in than by allowing them to swim round for ages until the hook drops out!

Front drags almost always have larger drag discs, so are likely to be smoother and have a wider range of drag settings. Those Okuma V system reels look like Okuma coming of age to me with a really good high end product.

Will be packing a few mepps and shads just in case Ratty! Other than mullet though I have no idea what species might be even a vauge possibility.

Have you seen John Wilson pike fishing? Enough said!

Anyone got any ideas if there's anything likely to nibble, other than mullet, around Skiathos? Apparently there's a lake near where we're staying as well as the sea. Never been before, but going next week and want something to do while the others are basteing themselves on the beach!

Is that a current story?

Just found a picture of the catfish I caught soon after the first Bowfish. I think it was a flathead, can you confirm Newt? Hell of a tussle on a medium action rod! Amazing what will take a wacky wormed Senko. shame I can't seem to reproduce it over here. Sorry about the legs....

Doesn't matter, just use it and enjoy it.

Smaller baitcasters do that. The spool insn't wide enough to create a serious angle between the line and the levelwind, as it would be on a wider spooled reel.

I caught my first trout out of the mill pool in fakenham many many years ago. Freelined breadflake Lovely river through Fakenham, about 30ft wide I suppose, shallowish and weedy. We had a lot of fun there as youngsters when we stayed with friends who lived in Fakenham. It reminds me of the chalkstreams around Salisbury where we also had fun while visiting cousins. No idea about permits etc. Such minor inconveniencies didn't really worry us then. Hope it hasn't changed much in the intervening quater of a century. But I expect the wooden rod facists have claimed it now as a syndicate barbel stretch Hope you get a chance to enjoy it.

Bowfin Budgie. Not a "bowfin budgie" but a Bowfin.... Mr Burgess I actually caught two of them on the same day, miles apart. One I saw cruising and dropped a senko in its path, the second took a tube cast at an inside turn on a weedbed. Also got a flathead catfish on a senko the same day. About 15lb and didn't half give me a tow around on medium bass gear! There were loads of gar (not aligator) cruising about under the surface too, but I couldn't tempt any of them. I did manage a largemouth in the end that day, much to everyone's amusement, but enjoyed the various bag more.

What we were after... What I caught... And I still haven't caught a striper over a pound either!

A man who used a centerpin is worried about a fixed spool's clutch! You can always backwind, so maybe a black prince would suit? I've been very happy with Daiwa Laguna and Capricorn reels, they have a very good front drag system and excellent line lay.

Bigger lures consistantly catch bigger perch. I've had far more 2lb+ perch on 6-7" jerkbaits than ever on litlle mepps #3 or similar. The smallest lure I would use for perch would be a 4" shad type bait. Also, I've never found spinners particularly good for larger perch at all.

I cannot understand how predator anglers are remotely responsible for buying deadbaits from a TACKLE SHOP in unmarker packets! Do your maggots come bar coded? Anglers buying from Tackle shops expect the stock in them to be legitimate. Buying from a car boot sale, or ebay you might have a point, but a tackle shop is an official business with all that that entails.

Sorry guys, I'm really dissapointed to say I'm not going to be able to make a mid-week day. I'm away to Newtland myself at the beginning of June and I have way too much work to get done before then to sneak a day mid week. Real shame. Look forward to hearing how the day goes. Newt, have a fantastic holiday and hopefully our paths will cross on some other occasion.

Can't wait 'til one of these do gooding dimwits tries to ban power lines, they seem to be the biggest killer of swans I've ever seen. I've lost count of the number of swan carcasses I've found in the middle of fields beneath power lines! BAN EVERYTHING!!

I tried a hair rigged wacky worm when i was bass fishing in America last year. I put a corkscrew of wire on the end of the hair and wound the wire into the middle of the senko leaving the hook free about 3/4" above the bait. It worked fine, but had no real advantages over the normal hooking method and took much longer to re-tie if you snagged and pulled for a break. Serves me right for trying to re-invent the wheel again!