Swing tips

[mikench]

Having mastered all the usual techniques( did I say I was occasionally delusional) I fancied having a go with a swing tip. My new acquisition has somewhat overshadowed this intention and I may succumb to using the Hardy again tomorrow!

Anyhow getting back to my intended thread I had a broken tip on my Darent Valley rod through sheer clumsiness on my part which I mentioned in the HDYGO thread last summer. The Tackle Shop ( that's the name) very kindly replaced it free of charge. I had lost the top eye and about 1.5 " of tip. I purchased a new threaded eye and a swing tip and am ready to give it a try. Does one use it just like a quiver tip i.e. A tight line and the line at an angle to the rod or can one keep the rod directly in line with the cast i.e. All in a line?

I assume the tip is allowed to just dangle from the end of the rod like a piece of spaghetti but should it be low down almost in the water?

So many things to try just not enough time (at the moment) to do them all!!:wh

 

[swizzle]

Hi Mike,

The swing tip is a great and little used method. Terrible in the wind though. I find it best to sit at a slight angle to the rod, although you can sit directly behind. I prefer at an angle. You won't be able to cast as far with the tip flapping about but that isn't a problem for me. When I use one, I barely tighten up, just enough so the tip is 10/15% off of vertical. Great method for perch too as pulling the weight of the tip up offers far less resistance than pulling a quiver tip around.

 

[mikench]

Hi there! I will give it a try shortly and see what I can do! I just like the idea !

 

[nottskev]

It's an ill wind... and your broken tip could open a new window on tipping. I'm sure there'll be plenty of tips from members; here's a couple from my own experience.
Cast with a high-ish lob to avoid the tip "trapping" the line on the cast.
Set your rod up about 45 degrees to the bank
Hit bites sideways, pulling the line through the water rather than lifting it out
Have your tip an inch or so off the water and tension it slightly, just enough to show a drop-back bite as well as a lift bite.
Once you get the hang, which won't take long, you can "tune" your tip in some interesting ways: you can make longer or shorter tips, add a bit of weight via lead wire to the tip end to combat undertow, try the rubber links already moulded to a right angle and available in different strengths which can be found in tackle shops that have obsolete tackle items.....
It's not quite as easy a method to use as the quivertip, and it's a bit more at the mercy of conditions, but get it working and it can beat a quivertip for roach and bream.
You might even make yourself a springtip.... but that's another story

 

[robtherake]

Having mastered all the usual techniques( did I say I was occasionally delusional) I fancied having a go with a swing tip. My new acquisition has somewhat overshadowed this intention and I may succumb to using the Hardy again tomorrow!

Anyhow getting back to my intended thread I had a broken tip on my Darent Valley rod through sheer clumsiness on my part which I mentioned in the HDYGO thread last summer. The Tackle Shop ( that's the name) very kindly replaced it free of charge. I had lost the top eye and about 1.5 " of tip. I purchased a new threaded eye and a swing tip and am ready to give it a try. Does one use it just like a quiver tip i.e. A tight line and the line at an angle to the rod or can one keep the rod directly in line with the cast i.e. All in a line?

I assume the tip is allowed to just dangle from the end of the rod like a piece of spaghetti but should it be low down almost in the water?

So many things to try just not enough time (at the moment) to do them all!!:wh

Wotcher been buying, Mike? Something expensive, by the sound of it.

As Swizzle mentioned, it's possible to fish straight out with a swingtip, which makes it a good choice in tight swims. In a less restricted peg, having the rod at a slight angle affords a better view of the tip and makes it easier to spot small indications. I'm not certain whether the old-style swingtips are still available - fitted with moulded right-angled rubbers of various strengths - but these were more stable in windy conditions, with the rubbers also being interchangeable without having to break down the end rig. For the newer type, with a relatively floppy silicone link, a few coils of solder or lead wire balances the pull on the tip when there's a bit of a tow.

 

[ian g]

Mike,

It's a great method which really allows you to read bites when you are likely to get line bites . casting should be a fairly gentle lob but 30 yards is fairly easy . Give it a go I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[Keith M]

Here's how I use my swingtip.



I fish with the tip ring of the swingtip just touching the surface which makes any movements a lot easier to see, but not vertical otherwise drop backs will be missed.

If I am fishing in a tight swim I will sometimes fish straight out but normally I fish with the rodtip at an angle which allows me to see any movements much easier plus If I need one I can use a target board behind the tip.

Keith

 

[dave m]

my nightlight swingtip was my weapon of choice for bream and tench fishing.
ive used it for bream on the shannon, tench from local lakes, chub from a still pool on the river, shy biting winter roach on the hotties canal in st helens, and just about everything in between.

 

[iain t]

I started using a swing tip earlier this year. Had some strange looks from the younger anglers but the chaps my age(52) and up knew what i was doing straight away. I even had a 20ish tell me my quiver tip was broken. Anyway built up a small collection of 10 tips ranging from my homemade jobbies, a metal one but the 3 i prefer are the Drennan with silicon tubing. All are different thickness to cope with wind and water conditions. The silicon makes for a more sensitive movement. Much more sensitive that a standard quiver which is brilliant for those light bites. On casting the rule is slow it down and make it smooth. A hard chuck will get yo no way. I find an under are cast the best. Tighten the line so the tip is about 10% of vertical. Wind and water toe is their downfall and totally useless for river fishing. Forgot to mention you can buy the components are available ie screw thread, tubing and tips from most rod building companies on the webl

 

[mikench]

I have bought two swing tips which I can thread into the new eye. I have also bought a variety of L shaped rubbers with a hole in the end for pushing the swing tip into. It all sounds interesting and i am keen to give it a try.

Rob I have met someone worse than you at tempting me to buy tackle namely Tigger I have bought a Hardy Marksman Supero 11 ft feeder and have ordered a 14ft float version for trotting. I am thrilled thanks to Tigger!

I hope your back is better Rob

Is there no end to the different delights and techniques of fishing! I wish I had resumed years ago but then they say that youth is wasted on the young! tight lines all or in my case floppy tip! Don't say a word

 

[ian g]

Wotcher been buying, Mike? Something expensive, by the sound of it.

As Swizzle mentioned, it's possible to fish straight out with a swingtip, which makes it a good choice in tight swims. In a less restricted peg, having the rod at a slight angle affords a better view of the tip and makes it easier to spot small indications. I'm not certain whether the old-style quivertips are still available - fitted with moulded right-angled rubbers of various strengths - but these were more stable in windy conditions, with the rubbers also being interchangeable without having to break down the end rig. For the newer type, with a relatively floppy silicone link, a few coils of solder or lead wire balances the pull on the tip when there's a bit of a tow.

spotted these the other day when browsing the site , I think the rubbers at the bottom of the page are what you mean.

Search

 

[tigger]

I always fished the swing tip with the rod pointing directly at my bait, sitting in the same spot as when float fishing gave a good view of the tip. I'd cast out, tighten up and then back wind until the tip was at the desired position. Imo it's one of the more sensitive legering methods.
I never had any prob's casting, just kept the cast controlled.

 

[robtherake]

I have bought two swing tips which I can thread into the new eye. I have also bought a variety of L shaped rubbers with a hole in the end for pushing the swing tip into. It all sounds interesting and i am keen to give it a try.

Rob I have met someone worse than you at tempting me to buy tackle namely Tigger I have bought a Hardy Marksman Supero 11 ft feeder and have ordered a 14ft float version for trotting. I am thrilled thanks to Tigger!

I hope your back is better Rob

Is there no end to the different delights and techniques of fishing! I wish I had resumed years ago but then they say that youth is wasted on the young! tight lines all or in my case floppy tip! Don't say a word

Almost tickety-boo, Mike. Had an ultrasound scan, which revealed a bursitis of the left shoulder, which a cunningly-placed jab has all but cleared. A week later I went for a cut and shave at the Turkish barbers and he threw in a free "head massage". He wrapped an arm around my forehead and with a quick movement - reminiscent of those movies where a killer breaks a bloke's neck - and a crack which consisted of four separate smaller cracks all happening in unison, plus a similar happening in the reverse direction, and my neck and shoulder region are now freer than they've been for years. Incredible. Now there's just the backlog of work on the garden to be caught up with and I'll be on the bank again. It's been a loooooong time coming.

 

[mikench]

spotted these the other day when browsing the site , I think the rubbers at the bottom of the page are what you mean.

Search

Those are they!

 

[thames mudlarker]

Hi Mike,

The swing tip is a great and little used method. Terrible in the wind though. I find it best to sit at a slight angle to the rod, although you can sit directly behind. I prefer at an angle. You won't be able to cast as far with the tip flapping about but that isn't a problem for me. When I use one, I barely tighten up, just enough so the tip is 10/15% off of vertical. Great method for perch too as pulling the weight of the tip up offers far less resistance than pulling a quiver tip around.

Spot on, well said swiz :thumbs:

---------- Post added at 22:41 ---------- Previous post was at 22:26 ----------

Having mastered all the usual techniques( did I say I was occasionally delusional) I fancied having a go with a swing tip. My new acquisition has somewhat overshadowed this intention and I may succumb to using the Hardy again tomorrow!

Anyhow getting back to my intended thread I had a broken tip on my Darent Valley rod through sheer clumsiness on my part which I mentioned in the HDYGO thread last summer. The Tackle Shop ( that's the name) very kindly replaced it free of charge. I had lost the top eye and about 1.5 " of tip. I purchased a new threaded eye and a swing tip and am ready to give it a try. Does one use it just like a quiver tip i.e. A tight line and the line at an angle to the rod or can one keep the rod directly in line with the cast i.e. All in a line?

I assume the tip is allowed to just dangle from the end of the rod like a piece of spaghetti but should it be low down almost in the water?

So many things to try just not enough time (at the moment) to do them all!!:wh

Hi mike , brilliant rods these are for the money, the design of the rods are taken from the idea of fishing the very small river Darent, the river is me local river several miles down the rd from me where it runs through the town of Dartford before going full tidal and into the Thames,

Incidentally Mike the name of the shop is the Tackle box also in Dartford which is me local shop, arguably one of the best carp and specialist shops in the country :thumbs:

I've used swing tips for many years and to be fair I'd say it's actually far better than any form of quiver tipping, the only down fall of the tactic is if it's windy and also fishing a river with a fast or strong current,

I used to use em a lot on very slow moving rivers for chub and roach but nowadays tend to use very soft quiver tips for when I'm touch ledgering,

The position of the tip wheather you have the rod at the side or pointing straight out to be perfectly honest doesn't really matter in the slightest because as long as the eye of the tip is hanging straight down towards the water this I've found is adequately sufficient
Any bite that is registered will lift the tip up so it's virtually straight and always remember to tension the tip a little by a couple of inches so you can also register a drop back bite.

Be luck mate

 

[tigger]

I used to get good drop back bites on mine. I didn't fish it pointing straight down, i'd have it on enough of an angle so it would drop down showing a drop back.

 

[thames mudlarker]

I started using a swing tip earlier this year. Had some strange looks from the younger anglers but the chaps my age(52) and up knew what i was doing straight away. I even had a 20ish tell me my quiver tip was broken. Anyway built up a small collection of 10 tips ranging from my homemade jobbies, a metal one but the 3 i prefer are the Drennan with silicon tubing. All are different thickness to cope with wind and water conditions. The silicon makes for a more sensitive movement. Much more sensitive that a standard quiver which is brilliant for those light bites. On casting the rule is slow it down and make it smooth. A hard chuck will get yo no way. I find an under are cast the best. Tighten the line so the tip is about 10% of vertical. Wind and water toe is their downfall and totally useless for river fishing. Forgot to mention you can buy the components are available ie screw thread, tubing and tips from most rod building companies on the webl

Sorry fella but I have to disagree about stating that swing tips are useless for rivers,

Rivers with a fast and strong tow then obviously not but there are some rivers sections that are rather slow and you'd be surprised at how well swing tips can perform in such conditions,

I've been using the tips for well over the last 30 odd years on and off on slow rivers for chub and roach with very good results :thumbs:

 

[mikench]

Sorry Stuart I meant Tackle Box ; doh great company to deal with by the way!

I agree about the rods being excellent and amazing value! Just about to do my impersonation of Gollum with a pair of kippers and then off to hone my skills( now that is the joke of the day)!

 

[peterjg]

Mikench: all the previous posts are correct and it really is an efficient method. Could I also add that swingtips are no good when fishing deep water close-in because the angle to the tip is then too much.

About 15 years ago I was carp fishing (without success) while my wife was fishing next to me using an old 9ft glass swingtip rod, 3lb line to a 14 hook baited with sweetcorn. I decided to go for a walk, I said to a mate in the next swim "keep an eye on her for me". I wasn't away very long and when I walked into the swim my mate was taking a picture of her holding a 23lb 4oz common carp! Bloody typical!

 

[mikench]

Indeed Peter. Well I am going to give it a try today and see how I go on! I love a challenge! Mike