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A lighter outfit


Steve Walker

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If you want to splash out a bit I came across something I hadn't seen before in Italy the other year. Built cane overfit furrels. What a difference they make. there is no flat spot at the furrel. It is hard to describe in words, you just have to cast with it. If I find the photos I'll put them up. Only problem was the £800 price tag.

 

Cheers,

 

OT

"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious"

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If you want to splash out a bit I came across something I hadn't seen before in Italy the other year. Built cane overfit furrels. What a difference they make. there is no flat spot at the furrel. It is hard to describe in words, you just have to cast with it. If I find the photos I'll put them up. Only problem was the £800 price tag.

 

Cheers,

 

OT

I have a Grey's Streamflex, 7'6" AFTMA #3. The closest I've ever found a carbon rod gets to cane. Lovely progressive action that will really take some stick when you need to hustle that slightly bigger fish out from under the bank. Perfect for little overhung streams and it breaks down into 4 pieces.

 

They are available for about £150 at the moment if you search the net. Perhaps a bit more than you were planning but an exquisite rod for the job (and a lifetime guarantee?!).

Eating wild caught fish is good for my health, reduces food miles and keeps me fit trying to catch them........it's my choice to do it, not yours to stop me!

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Crikey, I should have know better than to google that, nearly gave me a bloody heart attack; all a bit too rich for my budget - even the cheap ones (and even those Hardy fibreglass ones). I was thinking 50-100 quid, not 250-1000! I've fancied a nice modern cane rod for some time, but if I were going to splash out on one I fear it would have to be an Avon, not a fly rod, just for the amount of use it would get.

 

My thought process was simply that my 9'6 #6/7 is really too long and heavy for this kind of thing. Anderoo has a 6'6 #2 Orvis Superfine, which sounds like tremendous fun, but is really too limited in application to justify for a man with only two fly rods, one of which turns out to be a bit on the heavy side for a most of the fishing round here. Now, Anderoo says that he used to use an 8' #4 (and still does when conditions aren't right for his little rod), and my fear is that if I take that route I too will find myself wanting a dedicated little brook rod.

 

What I'm trying to do is to pick something which in conjunction with my heavier rod will cover as wide a range of conditions as possible, while being sufficiently biased towards the lighter and shorter end of things to stave off the desire to buy something really delicate. Could well be that the 8' SK3 #3/4 is that (reasonably priced!) compromise.

 

I just googled it too :o Those aren't the one I have! Mine did have a silly RRP of £245 but it was a line that was being discontinued so it was on sale at £122, which isn't a bad price. Having said that, I did only go in there to pick up a couple of dry sedges...

 

I reckon the ideal compromise for you, Steve, is a rod of 7' 6" (I would guess a #3?). But an 8' #4 definitely won't feel too long or too heavy, and would have more alternative uses.

 

The biggest problem I had was getting a reel to match the rod. It's almost impossible! In the end I gave up looking and use an old small size Rimfly which I've had knocking around for ages. There was a perfect reel in the Orvis shop, but I couldn't justify the silly price!

 

I'm too scared to go back in that shop now... :D

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Oh, I knew better than to google the Orvis - I've pushed my face against the glass of the Burford shop, like some Dickensian street urchin, and imagined that I would probably be ejected forthwith if I ventured inside :lol:

 

Quite a few other people report getting Orvis rods at a good price in the sales, so I might treat myself one day. But not yet.

 

No, it was the cane rods I googled - I've seen what Edward Barder charges for his, while drooling over the craftsmanship, but I wondered where the cheaper rods started - still sharp-intake-of-breath pricey, it would seem!

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No, it was the cane rods I googled - I've seen what Edward Barder charges for his, while drooling over the craftsmanship, but I wondered where the cheaper rods started - still sharp-intake-of-breath pricey, it would seem!

 

Oops, I see, and I just made the same mistake - wow :o

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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I could procrastinate, or I could order now and perhaps even have it to play with in the garden at the weekend.

 

So I think I shall bite the bullet and order the Sonik. Alan likes it, Anderoo says that it's not too long and it doesn't require a second mortgage.

 

Now, who's going to recommend me a nice little reel and a good line?

 

It would probably be good from a P&P point of view if it were from a shop which also sells the Sonik;

 

http://www.mikestackleshop.com/fly-reels-c-5_401.html

http://www.mikestackleshop.com/fly-lines-c-5_1917.html

 

otherwise perhaps both from Tacklebargains?

 

http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acatalog/F...__4_Weight.html

http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acatalog/F..._Rating__4.html

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I could procrastinate, or I could order now and perhaps even have it to play with in the garden at the weekend.

 

So I think I shall bite the bullet and order the Sonik. Alan likes it, Anderoo says that it's not too long and it doesn't require a second mortgage.

 

Now, who's going to recommend me a nice little reel and a good line?

Greys G series is as good as anything especially as you'll want a light reel for the rod. There's no advantage in having a fancy disc braked, double overhead camshaft doodad if you're just chucking a line a few yards for small stream wild brownies. After all it's only to store the line.

 

Much the same could be said of the line as well really, if you're only casting 5 or 6 yds at a time it would be a waste of time buying a super expensive line. I might be tempted to buy a cheap double taper, cut it in half and fish it back to front. In other words you end up with two 'level' lines of the weight that you want for the rod. Otherwise you will only be casting the taper part of the line over a short distance which may not have the weight you require to load the rod for accurate casting. If you do that seal the cut end of the line with waterproof superglue before attaching a braided leader loop.

Eating wild caught fish is good for my health, reduces food miles and keeps me fit trying to catch them........it's my choice to do it, not yours to stop me!

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This is my problem - getting an affordable reel that balances my little rod. I've had another look around now and still can't find anything, it's very annoying!

 

Anyway, this isn't about me...!

 

Avoid Airflo floaters like the plague. I foolishly chose to avoid Sportsman's advice a couple of years ago and paid the price. If pressed they could be used as an emergency slinky, but not so good as a fly line :D

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Greys G series is as good as anything especially as you'll want a light reel for the rod. There's no advantage in having a fancy disc braked, double overhead camshaft doodad if you're just chucking a line a few yards for small stream wild brownies. After all it's only to store the line.

 

I was looking at those, and thinking much what you've said.

 

Much the same could be said of the line as well really, if you're only casting 5 or 6 yds at a time it would be a waste of time buying a super expensive line. I might be tempted to buy a cheap double taper, cut it in half and fish it back to front. In other words you end up with two 'level' lines of the weight that you want for the rod. Otherwise you will only be casting the taper part of the line over a short distance which may not have the weight you require to load the rod for accurate casting. If you do that seal the cut end of the line with waterproof superglue before attaching a braided leader loop.

 

I'll probably want to press it into use elsewhere, though, anywhere that my #6/7 kit is a bit heavy - so it might be worth getting a reasonable line.

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