Casting an Ondex

[DavyR]

Rusty has given a good "Rough guide to Ebaying" one thing I would like to add is to always remember that "another one will always come along" Dont get sucked into "auction fever" its not a competition.By being paitient Ive got an awfull lot of very collectable reels at well low prices.

 

Rusty did say that too, to be fair. Having taken the plunge and registered on Ebay, I think it's going to be a lot of fun keeping an eye on the vintage tackle that comes up (although some sellers' definitions of "vintage" seems a bit um, eccentric, to say the least).

 

I'm more interested in actually fishing with whatever I buy, rather than any collectable value the stuff may have. Having said that, I'm quite careful with tackle and my old Grice & Young centrepin that I bought in 1977 still looks as good as new. I expect my kids will be quite grateful for that when I've kicked the bucket...

[DavyR]

In the 1960s both Chevin and I caught a lot of pike on Ondex. Our solution to the light weight was to neatly coil fine lead wire around the body of the spinner, and, serendipity, found that by using more or less lead, we could rapidly and easily vary the weight (and hence the depth fished for a given retrieval rate) of the spinner by removing or adding wire - very valuable when roving small rivers and fishing medium-depth glides alternating with slow deep pools.

 

Lead wire - I'd forgotten about that! I remember winding some around a pin to make a weight for hemp fishing when the roach were in such a frenzy they were hitting the shot instead of the bait.

 

Good idea, thanks!

[DavyR]

I brought a couple of Ondexes years ago and I think they've probably seen the light of day twice...IMO better lures out there for perch i.e small rubber grubs, shads and small spinnerbaits which cast better and are more versatile

 

I've no doubt you're right, but I used to catch perch on an Ondex when I was about 14, so nostalgia struck me when I realised they were available again after a long absence!

[Peter Waller]

Re the Ron Thompson Gladiator, great shame if they are not about. Great little rod and a joy to use. How small are you guys going with your Ondex's? I always found the Ondex 6 to be a good catcher, both pike and perch. Another lure from the same era that did well for me was the Voblex 8.

 

Right now, for finesse, I use a Shimano DiaFlash EX210ML 2.1m 5 to 20 gms casting weight. Knowing Shimano it has probably been re-badged by now but I find it an excellent 'compromise' rod. I can effectively cast below 5gms and it will cope with a sizable pike, hence being a compromise.

 

Re the Light Caster, I do have one; in modern terms I would hardly call it a light caster though! I use mine for pike on the rare occasion that whim kicks in. The lighter Hardy Wanless rods, yes, I would consider them as light.

[Peter Waller]

The late 'Argyll' also wrote praising the Gladiator but here is my review, for what its worth.

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Ron-Tho...d-image235.html

[grumpybum]

Davy check out http://www.mullarkeys.co.uk/fishing/fishin.../0/shakespeare/ They have a good selection.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Been away on a fishing trip so have only just seen this.

 

In the 1960s both Chevin and I caught a lot of pike on Ondex. Our solution to the light weight was to neatly coil fine lead wire around the body of the spinner, and, serendipity, found that by using more or less lead, we could rapidly and easily vary the weight (and hence the depth fished for a given retrieval rate) of the spinner by removing or adding wire - very valuable when roving small rivers and fishing medium-depth glides alternating with slow deep pools.

 

I do much the same with split-shot. I just load the front end of the spinner with a BB or two.

 

Much of a muchness I suppose.

 

...andy...

[Ken L]

Sometimes I wonder !

Ondex ? Split cane ? Delmatic ? What next, a discussion on cat gut ?

 

A Mepps aglia, a 2.3m carbon spinning rod casting 5 - 25g, a size 1000 front drag spinning reel and 10 Fireline, and a very light wire trace and you're away.

 

Why do people try to make lure fishing as hard as possible. Yes, an Ondex is a handy tool for a very few situations but using it as a general spinner is like trying to use a 2CV instead of a Ford Focus as a family car !

That same analogy is also true of the rod and the reel.

 

as for baitcasters, yes, they're great fun on the day but as a tool for someone starting out with lures they're a PITA.

 

Keep it simple, reliable and cheap and you'll learn to love the simplicity of lures. Try to start out with some retro gear or inapropriatly specialist gear like baitcasters or ondex's or split cane rods and you'll likely as not give up after your first season.

[DavyR]

Keep it simple, reliable and cheap and you'll learn to love the simplicity of lures. Try to start out with some retro gear or inapropriatly specialist gear like baitcasters or ondex's or split cane rods and you'll likely as not give up after your first season.

 

But Ken, I'm enjoying having a wallow in nostalgia! I used to catch perch from the Regents Canal in the East End of London on an Ondex when I was 10, and now I can have a go with the same lure for perch on the Macclesfield Canal, using a rod and reel that I could only dream about owning when I was a kid.

 

I've got a whole set of modern, efficient gear for when I want to be modern and efficient, but if fishing was only about efficiency I probably *would* have lost interest after one season, instead of which I'm still at it 46 years later...

[Worms]

But Ken, I'm enjoying having a wallow in nostalgia! I used to catch perch from the Regents Canal in the East End of London on an Ondex when I was 10, and now I can have a go with the same lure for perch on the Macclesfield Canal, using a rod and reel that I could only dream about owning when I was a kid.

 

I've got a whole set of modern, efficient gear for when I want to be modern and efficient, but if fishing was only about efficiency I probably *would* have lost interest after one season, instead of which I'm still at it 46 years later...

Much the same here really, now I can afford to buy the tackle that I wanted when I was younger and, now, I am much more experienced (and patient!) and I enjoy my fishing so much more using split cane rods and reels to match. Just as a laugh I bought some silk gut last year off Ebay and used that with a braided silk line on a wooden starback 'just to see' the result? no difference to modern kit really but you do 'think' more, being aware of the delicacy of the tackle..........and I caught fish!

 

I could quite easily go and buy the latest rods, reels and associated gizmos to make my fishing 'easier' but, I catch just as much (if not more) than my friends with the latest gear and I have endless hours of fun restoring the rods and reels etc.

 

Angling in my view is about enjoyment and satisfaction. Both of these I get in spades fishing with vintage tackle and, the only bit that interests the fish is how the bait is presented. I could rattle on for hours about the superior bite detection of a cane rod to a carbon one..........but I won't. I could go on for even more hours about how people might laugh at my cane rod with 1930/40/50/60's centrepin on. Then they get their featherweight (no insult meant to Milwards) carbon rod out and attach a modern copy centrepin on (weighing the same as the original!) whilst saying "now this is a balanced setup".

 

Angling is a solitary sport for me, ok, great when you are with like-minded mates, but the fight is always between you and the fish and, putting the bait in the right place at the right time is what it's all about. It doesn't really matter whether you're using a 1900 whole cane and greenheart rod or a carbon fibre rod.

 

And my tackle will be worth a fortune when I'm dead