Tackle Tweaks

[Alan Tyler]

On Steph's "is it worth refurbishing?" thread, I pointed out that a refurb is a great opportunity to personalise your tackle.
With rods in mind, I listed:
- changing the ring positions/numbers
- putting whippings - or paint/ink marks - at one-inch intervals along the butt section, so you can check your depth quickly (e.g. "second ring up the tip section, down to the butt ring, plus seven inches")
- keeper rings
- second butt-rings for centre-pin work
- matt varnish (or not, according to taste)
- stains/paint
- your name in Indian ink
-and anything else which makes it more useful, more beautiful, and more personal.
I'm sure there are more, so may I ask what are your favourite "tweaks" - not just to rods, but to any items of tackle?

[steph mckenzie]

I'm not sure about it being a favourite, but my most common tweaks are to the Colour of my Float Tips. Taking a simple orange coloured float and colouring the Tip Black with a Permenant Marker Pen is quick, simple and cheap oh and practical.

I don't have the experience or the courage to start to mess around with Rods or Reels as i wouldn't know how to correct it if it all went horribly wrong.

[Peter Jacobs]

Favourite tweaks . . . . .

Adding an extra butt ring to my trotting rods for those terribly windy days when line control with a centrepin is difficult

Running the line off of the top of my centrepin as well on those windy days

The good old favourite of using bristle grease on pole floats when needed

Removing the drag on my closed face reels

I'm sure that there are more, I just can't think of them at the moment . . . .

[Ray Roberts]

Originally Posted by Peter Jacobs

Removing the drag on my closed face reels

Me too, absolutely crape aren't they. I bet there would be a good market for a well designed closed face reel with a drag that works properly.

[Rickrod]

Peter could you explain why you would remove the drag from your closed face reel please

[watatoad]

I really believe that we should all mark our more expensive tackle (bags, rods and reels) with our names and/or postcodes in the hope of getting them back in these days of lack of police interest in personal stolen goods and house burglaries.

EDIT:
Even more important if you store your tackle in the garage or shed or even leave some in the car while fishing.
END EDIT:

[flightliner]

When making the switch from ledgering to trotting slinging the shimano's and reaching for the old mitchell match----------- ssuuuuuuuuuuuupeeeeeerb!!!!

[jack sprat]

I remember removing the anti-reverse from closed-face reels so they would backwind as opposed to removing the drag. Then in 1976 I realised that there is only one reel for trotting, as Flightliner says, the Mitchell Match. I butcher them as well by sawing off half the anti-reverse switch so it does not catch my clothing.

I change the reel fittings on my rods to have a cork bulge so that it is more comfortable than the too narrow standard Fuji fitting, and replace the heavy rubber butt cap with a rounded cork.

[steph mckenzie]

Originally Posted by jack sprat

cork bulge

Originally Posted by jack sprat

rubber butt

Blimey, what is going on around here ..... i was shocked

Sorry, back on track again now, i just saw the humour in it and acted impulsively, no harm meant

Now, does swapping one reel for another constitute a Tweak or is it just a swap ?

For me a Tweak is when you physically alter something from it's original state, whether that be by Butchering or Painting or adding to etc etc

[flightliner]

Originally Posted by steph mckenzie

Blimey, what is going on around here ..... i was shocked

Sorry, back on track again now, i just saw the humour in it and acted impulsively, no harm meant

Now, does swapping one reel for another constitute a Tweak or is it just a swap ?

For me a Tweak is when you physically alter something from it's original state, whether that be by Butchering or Painting or adding to etc etc
__________________

Steph, Tweaking your gear is, to me, fine tuning your tackle, be it a particular bit or a whole set up, but I do take your point.

Rubber but, bulging cork---- Shame on you!( lol)

JS, re your tweeks to your "matches". Once by accident I lost the anti reverse pawl on one of my reels, I know where it is, its between my woodworkers vice and bench in my garage but even tho it no longer functions as it should it makes no differance to me when in use.
At the risk of censure I would even go further and say that when trotting for roach it would not bother me much if my reel had no clutch either. I sometimes think of them like ash trays in cars , you have to buy them even if you dont smoke.