Fin Nor LT 40 Spinning Reel

I decided this spring to try a bit of saltwater lure fishing, I already had a pike lure rod so just needed a reel to go with it. Dan, in the local tackle shop, recommended the Fin Nor reel and I already know good anglers who use the brand for winter cod fishing so decided to give it a go.
The reel has an aluminium body and spool, a smooth carbon washer clutch and brass main gear. Being a saltwater spinning reel there is no reverse gear which as a freshwater angler takes some getting used to.
I loaded the shallow spool with 20lb braid and took it out for a ... well a spin! The reel was smooth and lightweight and did the job without any dramas. Good reels aren't cheap but if they do the job I can't begrudge the price at under £100.

Another First

I headed down to a local reef last night to try my hand to saltwater lure fishing for the first time, I wasn't overly confident but it was nice to be out on a beautiful evening. My lack of confidence seem to be justified as time ticked on and the sun sank towards the horizon and to add to my woes I seemed to be losing a couple of lures.
I worked my way around the rock edges trying different modern lures but nothing seemed to be interested. Finally I found a wide gully between 2 rocky outcrops and selected a blue and silver Abu Toby and immediately started picking up some small Coalfish, known locally as Billet. Finally my rod hooped over and a decent SeaTrout led me on a bit of a scrap. After a quick photo the fish was measured at 52cm and released.
All in all it was a great night and I can't wait to get back out there.

Rapala BX Brat

Following my trip to the Tees I invested in a small perch plug with a shallow diving action as an alternative to the soft rubber lures.
The BX Brat from Rapala has a shallow action and is made from balsa wood with polymer coating.
The lure is reported to dive to around 3 feet making it ideal for shallow snaggy venues.

River Tees Lures

I was on the River Tees trying to catch my first River Tees pike last week and kind of succeeded... in a fashion. I had my light lure rod set up for perch and chub with a heavier set up for pike. I made the rookie error of not having a wire trace on my light lure rod and got bitten off by a pike on a small rubber shad, next I lost a decent fish on a J13 jointed lure before a good friend of mine 'borrowed' my rod and landed a fish about 7 or 8lb. A first Tees pike for either of us.
I learnt the following...
1. I must get some light wire for perch lures when pike are present
2. I now have a fairly good idea where to fish with deadbaits this winter
3. I love lure fishing
In between the pike escapades I landed a couple of perch to about 8oz but also lost a better perch or chub on a small rubber shad.

Dab Dab Dab

I headed on to my local beach last night in search of some bass and flatfish, a ray would have been a bonus. For the first time on the beach I used 2 rods, my Besta and a stiff carp rod for close in work, I'd dug some fresh lugworm at the weekend and I was pretty confident. I was using pulley rigs with size 2/0 hooks with 1 or 2 worm on each hook.
No bass showed up but my night was saved by 3 dabs. On the positive side my new Akios reel performed really well.

Akios Airloop R10

I have been looking for a solution to my barely average casting ability and came across a long cast reel that goes by name of Airloop R10 by Akios.I coupled the reel with a spool of 30lb Spiderwire braid with a 60lb braid shock leader.
I took the reel out for a cast to put it through its paces with my Vercelli Besta on the beach and the results were stunning, I managed about 25% extra on my usual distance with the better distances coming with a 4oz lead.The line lay is super precise with a long slow oscillation of the spool which itself is long and tapered. The main weak spot will be the distance that the spool travels and the forces exerted when its fully extended. To mitigate this problem I put the reel in the fully retracted position then opened the bail arm and ran the line through the rod rings to the point that I'd want the lead positioned when casting to reduce the amount of available sideways pull on the spool during casting. The other weak point may well be the apparently less than convincing anti reverse lever at the rear of the reel body.
I'm heading on to the beach tomorrow night in search of some bass so we'll see how it fares.