Tackle Recycling

Am I the only one who looks at old tackle you haven't used and has a sudden desire to get it out and dust it off? Maybe it's the Chris Yates effect? Anyone has looked through my posts will see I'm all in favour of new tackle and baits but I also have a fond eye for my old gear too. This weeks target is my old Daiwa Surf rod with a view to using it on some local pier and jetty marks. The question is, at 30 years old will the glass blanks still be in any condition to launch a large lead and bait without breaking? Well theres only one way to find out!

New Challenges

I haven't done any sea fishing for years and years so I think it might dust my gear off and give it a go this winter. I'll let you know how it goes. More gear to buy! Looking at visiting Staithes pier (Staithes is where Captain Cook served his seamanship apprentiship) and Whitby pier in search of cod, whiting and coalfish (locally known as billet) Its nice to see new visitors to the site.

Foxy Ears

I think my favourite year ever was 1988. I was free to do more or less what I wanted, i loved the music (mostly), drove a great car (Alpha Romeo Alpha Sud 1.3Ti) and had a bit of cash in my pocket (usually). As a result I still have my beloved Optonic Super Compact bite alarms, they cost a substantial amount at the time and I had to earn the right to use tackle like that and not just turn up with a credit card and and walk out of the shop with an arm full of gear. To their credit I still think theyre great alarms and if for only 2 drawbacks I'd still be using them a. for overnight sessions a wireless sounder box is needed and as far as I know you cant get them for the aging optonics and b. the V that accomodates the rod is too shallow and violent runs have a habit of dragging the rod off the rest. So there it is, my optonics have been relegated to the back of the draw. At least they were until my old pal Jay introduced me to snag ears, basically 2 vertical bars that fit behind the alarm that the rod slides down between and can't be dragged sideways past. A quick look on Ebay shows that sets of 3 snag ears can be bought for under a tenner however I settled for a set from Fox which came in at £12.99 each. The bottom half of the vertical bars are protected by a rubber sleeve to protect the blank and the vertical posts can be unscrewed from the base when not needed. The whole set is made out of anodised aluminium and look the business. It would be fair to say they're not the cheapest solution on the market but they have brought my aging Optonics back to life....... if only during daylight hours.

Look What I Saw

My other great love to fishing is diving, its an interesting perspective on fishing. I saw these pollock drifting through the kelp off Saltburn Point. I managed to get the picture using a Sea and Sea MX10 35mm camera and strobe.

Say Hello

I was just checking the statistics on the blog and have noticed that I have readers from all over the world. Why dont you drop us a line to let us know where you're fishing and what you're catching?

Piking Again

I met a very old friend of mine today in search of some pike on the river Swale, I think it must be nearly 20 years since we fished together and I was looking forward to seeing what the day would bring. We worked our way along the Cundall Hall stretch using deadbaits on sliding float rigs and wobling deadbaits. The idea was to spend no more than half an hour in each swim before moving on. My old pal Jay was first away with a jack around 5 or 6lb on a Sardine followed by my own float bobbing away to signal the arrival of a 6 or 7lb jack. Job done. The river was carrying a lot of colour and was 2 or 3 feet up and pushing through. We ended up using 2 oz leads on the float rigs to keep the baits in position. It was a refreshing change to be carrying only the bare essentials and keeping mobile. I had dusted of my old Conoflex glass 2lb carp rod and was reminded what a lovely smooth through action that it gives. We both fished hard but had to settle for a single fish each. The stretch is great value for money at £5 per day and can potentially give great sport for pike, chub and barbel.

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