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As far as I know Tri-casts main business in the manufacture of carbon fibre aircraft components. Their sports division is an offshoot from this. Because of the aircraft connection I believe their carbon fibre is the highest grade possible, unlike imported Chinese rods, and their manufacture is to very high standards. I've used Tricast float and ledger rods for 15 years or more and can't fault them. i have no connection to the company or sponsorship from them.

The original 'New Zealand' dropper method was developed for upstream nymph fishing in very fast clear water where a small nymph was needed but was not heavy enough for the fast water. Basically a heavy gold head or tungsten head nymph was used with a small unweighted phesant tail or hares ear tied to the bend of the large nymph with 6 - 10 inches of line. The lot was cast upstream and the large nymph would trundle down bumping the gravel with the small nymph suspended just off bottom.

Thanks for comments, DI 7 not really up to the job, any freshwater line has to take into account the extra buoyancy of saltwater and strong tides, anyway compared to leadcore they're too expensive. I've tried Colin's suggestion and it seems like 23 feet is best for my 10#.

Been doing a bit of saltflyfishing for pollock etc around rocky shores, don't want to ruin a good Teeny on the rocks so was hoping to make up a few lead core shooting heads to hollow braid. Does anyone know the approximate length of leadcore per line weight of the rod. For example I'm using a 10 weight rod, will I need 10, 15 , 20 or more feet of lead core.

Don't forget the obvious disadvantage, when trotting the bail arm couldn;t be engaged manually, you had to release the line and turn handle to pick up line. This always caused lost fish.

It would be useless to fish a single artifical bloodworm anyway. The whole concept of bloodworm fishing is using bloodworm or joker in your initial groundbait feed and fishing bloodworm over the top. Even single live bloodworm are rarely effective without the feed.

Check out www.polefloats.com or 'phone the tackle shop at 028 66322008, they are the UK tubertini agents and also retail.

The late great Ivan Marks once told me that bream suck the worm in from one end. If you hook it at either the head or tail you have a 50% chance of hooking shy fish. If you hook it in the middle the fish really need to be having it to hook them. Still seems good advice to me.

The generally accepted figure for cyprinid survival is that for every 10,000 eggs that hatch 1 will survive and grow to breed again. Budgie is correct in that the largest mortality is due to starvation in the first winter (pollution incidents aside).

Big Troot, See my advice under Ireland. There is no close season for coarse fish, the EA licence will not suffice. A juvenile Fisheries Conservancy Board licence is £2 for a year.

Take my advice don'tgo to the Upper Bann, only limited supplies of roach there now and only between november and Easter. Fish bugger off to spawn then. Suggest Lower bann instead look at the following site: www.ebcac.netfirms.com for NI information and contacts.