Prowla Platinum Drop Shot 7ft 5-28g - Anyone got one?

[Rob Ward]

Hi Anderoo,

 

Yes, they look fine for your purpose.

 

I believe that these swivels are actually designed for casting into your own weights, the cross knurling on the swivel body would suggest that.

 

The reason that I chose to use tungsten alloy weights is that I don't want to risk leaving lumps of lead behind in the canals I am going to fish, or in the rivers where there is a higher chance of snagging between rocks.

 

I could be way off the mark, but I get the impression that you are thinking of using lead. I thought that the use of lead weights had been banned for freshwater fishing in the UK, and that only non-toxic ones should be used. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Tungsten has some advantages, because it is denser than lead, the weights can be smaller and slimmer, and I understand that they make more noise on entry into the water, thus alerting predatory fish. The disadvantage is of course cost. I found that by purchasing them from the States, this cost could be vastly reduced.

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Lead-Shot-t1699.html

Edited February 3, 2011 by Rob Ward

[Hopinc]

Hi Anderoo, that sounds good. I don't use ledger weights myself so I am not very familiar with them.

 

Let us know how you get on with them?

[Anderoo]

Hi Anderoo, that sounds good. I don't use ledger weights myself so I am not very familiar with them.

 

Let us know how you get on with them?

 

Will do Hopinc, I think they might come in handy in the rocky and snaggy Thames weirpools!

[Hopinc]

I came across this video on You Tube the other day. It's not in English (German), but I thought you might enjoy it:

 

Edited February 3, 2011 by Hopinc

[Anderoo]

I came across this video on You Tube the other day. It's not in English (German), but I thought you might enjoy it:

 

 

I've already seen it but thanks - looks fun doesn't it

[Steve Burke]

Got the rod ordered now, it's been quite a pricey day In the end I went for the Fox Dropshot Pro Z 2.4m. I've used one of these before and liked it, and it's a nice 'medium' length of just under 8ft. I think a 9ft rod would get tiring after a whole day. This one should be OK from the bank, after all I use little fly rods of 6'6" and 8'.

 

Will report back once I've got all the bits and tried it out.

 

Is this one of the ones with the built-in quivertip?

 

If so that's particularly interesting as I was designing and using quivertip rods for lure fishing in the 80s. Indeed, the rod I mentioned to you the other day is the quivertip version of the Seducer that I used to sell in the 90s. The spec is almost identical! Similar length, similar casting weights and similar action! It'll be interesting to compare them.

 

The quivertip both helps with detecting bites, and also enables a wider range of weights to be cast. Newt saw this rod at the Wingham Fish-In he attended, where it was much admired by lure fanatic Vidar from Scandinavia. I've found it excellent for a lot of forms of light spinning. I'd prefer it a little longer for reed-lined banks, but then it would be a little too long for boat fishing. I've even used it to catch small carp on jigs at Wingham.

 

A number of firms market rods with cut away handles to increase sensitivity. I feel this is just a marketing gimmick. Even better is a very short tapered cork foregrip of about an inch to an inch and a quarter. All my coarse rods are made like this, and it enables me to touch the blank with my index finger immediately above the handle, and without any of the cork absorbing the sensations.

 

Edit note. You'll need to make sure that you have an uplocking reel seat of the right design; the popular Fuji FPS or similar is perfect.

Edited February 3, 2011 by Steve Burke

[Anderoo]

I've had my money refunded on that rod Steve, they couldn't get hold of it. Alex has one though, the 6ft version. I think all purpose built drop shot rods have spliced tips, so not quite a quiver tip but almost. I haven't ordered a different rod yet but I will probably get the medium length Fox Rage drop shot (about 8ft), which also has a spliced tip and then plenty of backbone. It will be very interesting to compare it to yours!

 

A few more bits just turned up, including the fluorocarbon. Now I see why people say 'there's fluorocarbon and there's fluorocarbon'! It's amazing looking stuff. Really thin and supple with surprising strength (0.165mm, 6.6lb). It looks to me like normal 3lb mono. It's Grand R Max soft plus. It ought to be good though, it's over £20 for 100m!

[Hopinc]

A lot of fluorcarbon lines are known to have a weakness in knot strength if the wrong style of knot is chosen.

 

There has been a fair bit of controversy over the use of the Palomar knot, but according to a lot of European and American drop shotters it works just fine so long as there is no twist in the knot when it is cynched up, the line is wet whilst doing it and both ends of the tag are pulled evenly together.

 

FYI- I have always used the Rio Flouroflex for fly fishing and it has never let me down.

 

Nice to hear from you Steve. Trouble is there is no point telling us about a rod that you and "Caliber Rods" used to make - that is unless you are planning on making some more? If you do let me know. I remember handling one at the LAS fair at Derby Uni. some years back and was mightily impressed with it. I regret not buying one when I had the chance.

 

BTW, Andy Jubb of Harris Sportsmail told me recently that Greys make something very similar to Steve's spinning rod in their Specialist range. It might be worth checking out.

Edited February 3, 2011 by Hopinc

[Steve Burke]

Nice to hear from you Steve. Trouble is there is no point telling us about a rod that you and "Caliber Rods" used to make - that is unless you are planning on making some more? If you do let me know. I remember handling one at the LAS fair at Derby Uni. some years back and was mightily impressed with it. I regret not buying one when I had the chance.

 

As many of you know I had to retire due to ill health. And I've no plans to start again!

 

However my ex-factory manager Nick Buss is still making rods, and if there's enough demand will probably get some blanks made up. The blank in question was cut down from the top 2 sections of my Fledger, that I still get asked about more than any of my designs. Nick probably still has the specs, if not I can lend him my rod. The minimum order will be something like 10 to 20 Fledger blanks.

 

Nick can be contacted on 01233-634832, preferably in the afternoon.

[Steve Burke]

I think all purpose built drop shot rods have spliced tips, so not quite a quiver tip but almost.

 

Mines the same, although spliced tips are usually cut down quivertips anyway. Because it was developed from the quivertip version of the Fledger I refer to it in that way. I should really call it the spliced tip version though. But at my age old habits die hard!