South Shields Pier

The guys are off to South Shields pier tonight in search of cod. Its been fairly flat this week so it'll be interesting to see how they get on.

Rod Rings

I dusted off my old surf rod and first appearnces suggest that my 30 year old glass fibre blanks may still have what it takes. The proof of the pudding will obviously be in the compression when its loaded up behind a 4oz lead and big bait. The one thing I did notice however is that the chrome covering on the budget (cheap) rings is now not so smooth. The question is though is it worth reringing the rod (compared to the price of a new cheapish rod), will the rough surface affect the line or is it woth trying to polish the internal surfaces. I would appreciate any suggestions anyone may have.

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.