itsfishingnotcatching
Well-known member
Dave Harrell Pro float line, comes in 300m spools with a saving of around 30% on "Floatfish" and slightly lower diameters across the range.
Has anyone used...
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mikench
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No ! I won't be on principle!
sam vimes
Well-known member
Yes, I bought some in 6lb a few weeks back as a trial. After four or five outings with it on a pin, I liked it well enough to buy some more in 8lb for barbel trotting. I'll probably get some in 4/5lb at some point too.
Go on, you are going to have to explain. What's the principle?
No ! I won't be on principle!
Go on, you are going to have to explain. What's the principle?
itsfishingnotcatching
Well-known member
Good enough for me Chris:thumbs:
sam vimes
Well-known member
It works out cheaper than Drennan Floatfish, which no one (except perhaps you and the other Sensor fans
) thinks is particularly expensive.Drennan Floatfish (new version) is £3.45 for 100m. DH stuff is £7.99 for 300m. Hardly a rip off based on the name on it.
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It works out cheaper than Drennan Floatfish, which no one (except perhaps you and the other Sensor fans
Drennan Floatfish (new version) is £3.45 for 100m. DH stuff is £7.99 for 300m. Hardly a rip off based on the name on it.
Looking at the spec's on the DH mono it doesn't look particularly low in diameter. I'd bet that his 8lb is thicker than 6lb sensor and i'd also bet that if you tied the two together the DH mono would snap well in advance of the 6lb sensor.
The best low diameter to strength mono i've ever come across is the Silstar match. Ok, it is more expensive than DH's line but at least your getting something genuinely low diameter to strength.
Like you Chris I used to keep on trying out new mono's and there's nothing wrong with doing so if your prepared to keep looking. I was on a quest to find the best one but after trying loads of different ones I can't find one that even comes close to sensor for value or for using. If I want a finer line then I use Silstar or for a finer presentation I add some silstar or the other one I use is Preston power (I prefer the silstar though).
I'll be interested in hearing how you go on with the DH mono in future.
mikench
Well-known member
I find DH and his articles irritating. His products I know nothing about but will not buy on principle as I have no desire to benefit him financially. I apply certain principles to other products, providers and companies and will not use them , BA, Tesco and Ryanair to name but three!
We all have principles and mine bear little resemblance to Groucho's!
We all have principles and mine bear little resemblance to Groucho's!
sam vimes
Well-known member
I made no claims with regards to its diameter. However, as I don't like Sensor, how it compares is rather irrelevant.
sam vimes
Well-known member
Fair enough. I don't read magazines, so I couldn't find him irritating through them. Having met him, he was a decent enough bloke, though most are when they are taking money from you. However, he didn't need to be quite so decent for the meagre amount I was handing over.
I find DH and his articles irritating. His products I know nothing about but will not buy on principle as I have no desire to benefit him financially. I apply certain principles to other products, providers and companies and will not use them , BA, Tesco and Ryanair to name but three!
We all have principles and mine bear little resemblance to Groucho's!
Hi Mike,
I feel a soap-box moment coming on, so let me say why I think that's a bit mean on Mr Harrell. Hope I've still got some friends left at the end...
I'm not sure how much you'll know about him. The bloke established himself in the 80's as a top river-match competitor, has broken various river match records, fished for England, founded a company that sold excellent rods on Harrison blanks, beat the drum for river angling when the commercial scene was sucking anglers into it's barrels of fish, instigated and organised events which have put river match angling back on the map with Riverfest's regional qualifiers and national final, now makes some of the best river floats I've seen, many innovative in design, writes good articles for the press with valuable how-to-do-it advice, and without buying any of his products you can find a host of informative articles on his website and follow an interesting blog. A top angler who has made a living from angling and contributed a lot, not least by sharing his expertise and putting excellent gear on the market.
I'm as disdainful of advertising b***s*** and self-promotion (Hi, Dean) as the next man, but I do think Dave Harrell is in a different category of “professional” angler, and has earned more right than most to refer to eg the use of his float designs in articles, which I haven't noticed him doing more than any other writer.
For me, the uncritical “reviews” of tackle in the press, where product blurb is simply cut and pasted, are much more annoying, , and are lazy, dishonest and misleading. A straightforward plug for your own product, when it's a good one and you use it yourself, is, at least, honest, and has been part of the game since Ivan Marks was persuading us to buy his “Persuader” rod in 1974 (I think). I get the appeal of the amateur, untainted by filthy lucre, but I think we all benefit when anglers like Mr Harrell can make a living from their involvement in the sport.
We can discuss it next time we meet up. Cheers. BTW, I'm with you on the other three!
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Ok Chris, so what do you like better about the DH line than the sensor ,I am genuinely curious.
By the way just in case your thinking of saying it "everything" isn't a good enough answer
, break it down a bit for us .Oh, I forgot to say...I thought you use braid as your main line on the river?
steve2
Well-known member
It might be just repackage Sensor line. After all he doesn't make it himself just puts his name to it.
sam vimes
Well-known member
Ok Chris, so what do you like better about the DH line than the sensor ,I am genuinely curious.
By the way just in case your thinking of saying it "everything" isn't a good enough answer
Oh, I forgot to say...I thought you use braid as your main line on the river?
Do we really have to do this again?
I just don't like the stuff, the way it goes crinkly, the stiffness of it, the way that it wants to sink, the horrible memory it has, the way it does all of these things very rapidly after the newness has been knocked out of it. I don't want to be replacing line after every trip out. I know you love the stuff, but I really, really don't. I've had my own experiences of it and nothing anyone can say will change my mind. It does have one redeeming feature, it's bloody cheap. However, I'd rather pay an awful lot more for a line I actually like and I can use repeatedly.
Yes, I have mucked about with braid. Yes, I do like it. However, I found it has a limitation in the lower diameters (I don't want to use 30lb braid when trotting), it's not so much fun in stronger winds or when the wind is coming from a less than helpful direction. The wind picks it up a little easier than mono.
The jury is still out on the DH stuff. It may not live up to expectations in the longer term. Fortunately, it's not overly expensive, so I'm happy to give it a try.
It isn't even close in colour, so I doubt it. That's not to say that it isn't available under another brand name, but I'm pretty sure it isn't Daiwa Sensor.
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Do we really have to do this again?
I just don't like the stuff, the way it goes crinkly, the stiffness of it, the way that it wants to sink, the horrible memory it has, the way it does all of these things very rapidly after the newness has been knocked out of it. I don't want to be replacing line after every trip out. I know you love the stuff, but I really, really don't. I've had my own experiences of it and nothing anyone can say will change my mind. It does have one redeeming feature, it's bloody cheap. However, I'd rather pay an awful lot more for a line I actually like and I can use repeatedly.
Yes, I have mucked about with braid. Yes, I do like it. However, I found it has a limitation in the lower diameters (I don't want to use 30lb braid when trotting), it's not so much fun in stronger winds or when the wind is coming from a less than helpful direction. The wind picks it up a little easier than mono.
The jury is still out on the DH stuff. It may not live up to expectations in the longer term. Fortunately, it's not overly expensive, so I'm happy to give it a try.
I'm not trying to change your opinion of sensor Chris, you've made it clear enough to me in the past that you don't like it. I've no idea why but I don't have the problems with it as you do and obviously that's why I use it.
I was curious what you preferred about the DH line though and what it's good point are?
The reason I brought up braid is because I thought that was your preferred mainline on rivers now and you used a short mono bottom in conjunction with it
One thing I find annoying with sensor is how well it floats when i'm still water fishing and how it doesn't want to be drowned lol. That's after many times of use on my fixed spool reels.
sam vimes
Well-known member
It may have something to do with you mostly fishing it on centrepins and your habit of using it one time only when you do.
mikench
Well-known member
I may be being unfair on DH and the fault may lie with the magazine !
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I never used to change it at one time, i'd just leave it on. The reason I started to change it was because I was catching so many barbel in a session and I was often hitting them at range which meant my line had scuffs etc from coming into contact with boulders for the majority of it's length. It was more re assuring for me to swap it as sods law it would have broke off with the best fish the day next time out. If i'd paid the usual sort of prices for smaller spools of line I would have been loath to change it and would most likely have risked using it even with all the damage.
Another reason I change it is because I don't like to leave it on reels with line lay pillars as I feel the constant pressure can bend them out of shape, i've seen reels like that...thankfully non of mine!
Fair play if anglers like Sensor,it isn't for me I'm afraid for similar reasons to Sam and it seems exceptionally stretchy/spongy,whatever you like to call it,I've said it so many times now but here goes,choice of tackle of any sort is all down to personal preferences,explanations aren't really needed,sometimes it just doesn't feel right...