A few hours out yesterday.....

[Phone]

Tigger,

 

What rod are you using in your last set of photos. Surely that is not a Camo Cork handle?

 

Phone

[Tigger]

 

 

Rods a normark Avenger Phone, my all time favourite rod, do you like the camo handle look? .

[Phone]

Tigger,

 

Surely I'm not required to comment on the "look". Especially since you have forewarned me it is "your all time favorite".

 

Here is the t-shirt

 

Not now - not ever

 

Phone

[Tigger]

 

 

I'll take the fish and chips but swap the mushy peas for gravy or curry please .

[Tigger]

 

 

I noticed some JW Youngs travel rods being sold ridiculously cheap and so couldn't stop myself from getting a barbel and float rod.

Anyhow the float rod arrived early this afternoon and as I had a pint or so of emergency maggots on standby in the outhouse fridge I decided to go and try it out.

The rod can be fished at 11 or 13ft and I set it up at 13ft. I definately don't like the reel seat as it has a scew up version so when holding thw rod your hand/fingers are on the screw part, so not very comfy, but usable. The rod isn't as light as the high end rods i'm used to using but it was ok. I do like the colour of the blanks and the red whippings and gold tippets on every guide ! Anyhow, it worked as I had a good few dace and six chub.

 

 

[BoldBear]

Nice fish again Ian

 

Ive not knowingly used a bolo float although I dont always look at a floats description when I buy one so its possible that I may have used one without knowing; thinking it was either an Avon Float or wide bodied stick float.

So what is the difference that makes a float a Bolo Float Ian?.

 

I wouldnt even think of using one of the older stick floats or one of those domed sticks because of all of the disadvantages that they present. I still have a few of the older and much thinner bodied sticks in an old float box; but I have very rarely used any of them since I bought them back in the early 80s because I thought they were rubbish and I couldnt see any real advantages to using them.

 

But as you have already said Stick floats are nothing like the stick floats of the past and are now more like thin bodied Avons with short stems at their tops, and if Im fishing in a swim with a steady flow that isnt boiling and theres an upstream wind then I often still use a stick, but it would be the type that has a pronounced shoulder and a wider body and either a wire stem or a heavy lignum stem.

 

The great Barbel Angler Keith Speer showed me how to use a modern stick float on one of his Stick Float clinics on the stretch of small river that we both fished quita few years ago (unfortunately he later had a heart attack on his way back to his car from this stretch of river).

 

However whenever Im fishing in a swim with increased turbulence and any surface boils then Ill switch straight back to fishing an Avon (or very occasionally a balsa).

 

https://www.daveharrellangling.com/wp-content/uploads/Running_line/13A.%20ALLOY%20SHOULDER%20STICK.jpeg

https://www.daveharrellangling.com/wp-content/uploads/Running_line/no2_Sahllow_Stick_a.jpeg

 

Keith

Edited September 18, 2019 by BoldBear

[Tigger]

People seem to be making a stick float into a avon/ bolo float.

This is a pic of some of my stick floats....

 

 

This is a pic of my avons and bolo floats, avons are at the top....

 

 

Why on earth some of those floats are mixed into their catagory I really have no idea!

 

You can see the difference in body shape between the avons and bolos though.

 

 

Oh, keith,I forgot to say, sorry about your friend passing away as he did, shame that! At least he was doing what he liked best when he went though .

Edited September 17, 2019 by Tigger

[Martin56]

Back in the day, 4 fluted stick floats were used to cope with fast/streamy swims.

 

I'm sure I still have one of late my Dad's 4 fluted ones but I can't remember whether I've tried it out myself??

It has a balsa fluted body with a cane stem.

 

If Keith or Tigger would like it, can stick it in the post for Now't.

 

Would be my pleasure for it to see the river again.

 

And pictures of some fish next to it, (That's real sentiment) - at the moment it's just a bit of wood!!

Edited September 17, 2019 by Martin56

[Tigger]

 

 

That's a really nice gesture of yours Martin thank's .

I would imagine Keith would agree with me that since it was your late fathers float maybe best for you to keep hold of it for sentimental reasons.

[Martin56]

That's a really nice gesture of yours Martin thank's .

I would imagine Keith would agree with me that since it was your late fathers float maybe best for you to keep hold of it for sentimental reasons.

Quite the contrary Ian, I wore my Dad's black tie at his funeral 34 years ago - Mam said "who's the man most entitled to wear it".

 

It's things being re used that keeps the memories alive.

 

If it's lost in a tree first cast - he'd say "That's Fishin'"

Edited September 17, 2019 by Martin56