Ultimate bobbin

[Guest tigger]

Problem with using bearings is that they would have to be open in order to workand not sealed which would encourage all sorts of dirt to get inside. What would be more feasible would be to have wheels in the bobbin running diametrically opposite to each other oround the needle but I dread to think what it would cost to produce such an animal . On thinking about it the wheels could be replaced with sealed bearings. Very complicated where you really looking for simplicity.

 

 

Yeah TT, but just think how smooth they'd be, you could market them as "The Formula 1's of bobbins".

[tincatinca]

The more that I think about this the more I feel that there could be a solution in the development of an extended swinger where a moveable arm capable of being counter balanced is mounted on a bearing arrangement which in turn is mounted to a bankstick. It may well be that something like a telescopic car aerial could be adapted to give adjustable variation in length to suit any conditions. The key issue I think will be the angles on the line generated by the arc of movement of the tip of the swinger.My youngest son is a bit of a wizard on c.a.d. programmes so I will ask him to do a bit of a feasability study on the concept.

[Dick Dastardly]

The ulta lightweight long rear mounted swinger types we used at Queenford worked ok.A guy later marketed some with a really neat line release system but cant remember the details.

[tincatinca]

If you work on the following requirements i.e.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- BOBBIN----------CLIMBER----------ADJUSTABLE SWINGER

Ease of movement in both directions (up and down)---------YES--------------YES------------------------YES

Minimum resistance----------------------------------------------YES-------------LIMITED--------------------YES

The ability to change loading to suit the condition------------YES--------------YES-------------------------YES

Stability in windy conditions---------------------------------LIMITED------------YES--------------------------YES

Wide range of adjustment (height of drop)--------------------YES-------------LIMITED---------------------YES

 

In these cases the swinger comes out on top.

 

What other key factors need to be considered

 

Sorry for the crap table

Edited January 17, 2009 by tincatinca

[Dick Dastardly]

I suppose "ease of correctly setting up" and the swinger comes out top again! I dont honestly know why I stick with bobbins the extra long arm rear swingers were good! just stuck in my ways I suppose! Must prepare for an expedition into the loft and try and find my old ones!

 

My home made ones had normal line clip heads and lightweight fibreglass arms (model shops are good for stuff like this) hinged with valve rubber and attached to rear bar/bank sticks with terry clips (as used in the Pike drop off indicater I showed in one of the DIY links) No "head as such just the line clips and an isotope held on with clear shrink tube. About three foot long.

[tincatinca]

I can understand exactly what you are describing however I am looking to take it a bit further by incorporating an ability to use counterbalance weights at the back end so you can fine tune the set up. It is basically a simple beam mounted on a fulcrum. The rear rod rest would be the obvious place to mount an attachment and it should be relatively simple to fit a rod to the main arm which extends behind the rear rod rest so that you can have for example a sliding balance weigh

[Andy Macfarlane]

I used to make my monkey climbers out of cotton reels, line clips and a length of cheap bankstick or welding rod. It worked for me as long you tilt the climber forwards slightly to reduce resistance. It worked for shy brownies. Personally I think this is a problem that people have been solving already for years.

 

For pike though, the Fox Pike Swinger is the bees knees. It's a problem I don't see that needs solving IMHO.

Edited January 17, 2009 by Andy Macfarlane

[Kappa]

I scrapped my "Ultimate Bobbins" as I just couldnt find a supply of the plastic "tracking" we were looking at for the "cord" at a sensible price.

 

Stuck with my old lightweight bobbins and 40lb Amnesia for the cord as Ive done for many years. Got the new Mk II "Bobbin house" wind sheild for trying this year though.As it resembles a beach "wind break" its far more portable and adaptable than my old perspex one

 

I still like the idea of the ultra light "bicycle chain" plastic tracking to make it windproof though and will keep my eye out for suitable material.

 

For those who dont remember the origonal material we looked at was some thing like £75!!!

 

My homemade chain worked really well but it was alot of work and not quite durable enough they need re-doing for this season, however it probably cost less that £10 for 4 bobbins.

 

I've found some bicycle type plastic chain for £8.60 per metre but its not ideal for me as I need to pass the cable for my LEDs through mine! I'll keep searching!

 

Rich

[Anderoo]

My homemade chain worked really well but it was alot of work and not quite durable enough they need re-doing for this season, however it probably cost less that £10 for 4 bobbins.

 

I've found some bicycle type plastic chain for £8.60 per metre but its not ideal for me as I need to pass the cable for my LEDs through mine! I'll keep searching!

 

Rich

 

Does it have to go through the middle, Rich? PS your bobbins were great, I'd love to see Mk II!

[Steve Burke]

Budgie, you mentioned earlier about attaching your bobbin cord to the ground. I tried that arrangement when I first started bream fishing at Wingham but found I couldn't get the lightweight bivvy peg to stay in the ground on some of the swims at Wingham. If you recall there's hard gravelly ones on the near bank and very soft peaty ones on the far side. Any suggestions?

 

I think I'll probably stay with the clip on the bankstick though as I position this half way up the bankstick. This means I need less cord/wire with even less risk of tangling.

 

I know what you mean about the theoretical risk of an anchor shot creating a change in resistance. Like you though I haven't found it a problem in practice.

 

Tinca, I like the idea of swinger type indicators as they'd be even more windproof. The only thing that put me off is that they'd have to be very long (the equivalent of a long bobbin drop) to differentiate between line bites and real bites when bream fishing. This would make them more cumbersome to transport. Derek Skeet kindly gave me one of his long home-made versions that fitted the bill nicely.

 

Like Andy Mac I rate the Fox Pike Swinger design, although mine are the early models with the naff line clips. I've therefore replaced these with Gardner Freeflow ones.

 

As the arm on the Pike Swinger extends behind the attachment clip you can slide the weight right back behind the bankstick when you're fishing at close range with no undertow. The slightest touch then registers. Derek's counterbalanced design works in a similar way. The picture on my review shows what I mean: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Tackle-And-Bai...ke_swinger.html

 

Just in case anyone's thinking of marketing something similar to the Pike Swinger I'd mention that Cliff Fox phoned me up in the early 90s to talk about this, and I seem to recall it was decided that the idea wasn't new but hadn't been patented. I bet it is now!