How did you get on?

[Bob Hornegold]

Ian,

Is that a new reel ( Kingpin) ?

Looks really nice on the rod, good Chub as well !!

Bob

 

[tigger]

Ian,

Is that a new reel ( Kingpin) ?

Looks really nice on the rod, good Chub as well !!

Bob

Yeah Bob, i've had that one (4inch model) for several years now but did get the 4 3/4inch model last year.....



Both of them are great to use and having a high set line lay they're good when retrieving your float. They're also good to cast with and make quite long casts pretty easy.
I know they're not exactly traditional looking and I know a few people who dislike them but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I like the look of them .

 

[Neil Maidment]

The Dorset Stour has been heavily flooded over the last week or so and about time too, it was sorely needed.

Yesterday's trip was probably 24 hours too early to really get the chub on the munch. It was a bit too high and speeding it's way towards the harbour at a pretty quick rate to make it comfortable fishing. Most swims I looked at were just too pacey, faster than my walking pace which is my usual rough guide, and churning over too much as well.

But I eventually settled in a spot that was a little wider and therefore not quite so pacey. After an hour of hard trotting with a big balsa carrying a 10grm olivette as the bulk shot allied to double red maggot on a #18, I finally contacted a decent chub. We parted company half way up the swim as it decided to head into the rushes on the nearside.


30 minutes later and another chub just didn't want to cooperate either. It found a snag somewhere near mid river and that was that!


My fortune then changed as I hit another good fish way down the end of the swim and slowly worked it back towards me. All was going well when it too found a mid river snag. It wasn't budging even when I climbed out of the mud and tried a different angle. I'd just about given up when it moved and the fight was on again.

Sometime later I got it in front of me and after several attempts finally got it upstream of me so I could use the flow to turn it back down to the waiting net. At 6:07 it was my first "6" of the season.


A further two smaller chub followed that one as the light began to fail to make it a more respectable 3-2 to me!

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[mikench]

Superb fish Neil; you are a lucky man

 

[theartist]

Had to get out the house yesterday and although it was for a short afternoon session I figured at least it would give time for the water to warm up. What I hadn't vectored in was how cold that northerly was and it was trying to snow. Bring it on I thought as I was well wrapped up, had a flask of coffee and a good lunch inside me as I turned up at a cold looking river

On went a long lean home made float that took around four no'1s, something between a dome and a shouldered top it was a bit of a reject really but looked like it was the right size for the flow today, it did have trouble riding the boils though but it was camo and that was all that mattered

My maggots were awful considering that they were fairly new so wasn't expecting to catch much but it went really well as I was soon in to some nice chub, roach and dace. Maybe the fish don't want big juicy maggots in this weather like they don't like high oil pellets? - Just a thought. The next fish didn't mind, a lovely chub that went like a stink bombing off like a barbel but just to high in the water to be one. A stunning flat headed fish that really warmed me up.

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With the place to myself I had a little wander to warm the feet up and had perhaps the fish of the day - a stonking gudgeon built like a tank. I must invest in some scales for such fish I thought, then I got to thinking of naming it Sherman if it was a record. Too much coffee and cold wind does make the mind wander.

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Finally with the light fading and the cold trying it's best to get in I caught a small barbel to round off the day nicely, camo float and all.

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[robtherake]

Wow, what a champion gonk! Haven't seen one that big for over 30 years. You're a gonking superstar.:thumbs:

 

[theartist]

Wow, what a champion gonk! Haven't seen one that big for over 30 years. You're a gonking superstar.:thumbs:

I should have gonking weighed it Rob!

 

[binka]

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Jeez Rob that is a clonker, proper trophy stuff is that!

I never though I'd be so envious of a gudgeon

Great stuff!

 

[S-Kippy]

That is most definitely a proper bull pongo. Superb...I'd have been happy with just him.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Great fishing Lads. I reckon that gudgeon could be around 6oz!!!!!!

 

[S-Kippy]

Great fishing Lads. I reckon that gudgeon could be around 6oz!!!!!!

Not sure about that but it is a right old lump and I'd love to know what it really weighed. I've seen a 5 oz pongo and that was staggering ! Like half a cucumber !

 

[theartist]

Great fishing Lads. I reckon that gudgeon could be around 6oz!!!!!!

Probably not Graham but then again I've never weighed anything that size any guestimate of mine would be vague. All I know is it was chunky, bent the rod a bit when I lifted it out but didn't feel super heavy in the hand. Great to see the enthusiasm for the old Gudgeon is shared by many on here

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

My claim to fame could have been a record minnow.

Caught on double lobworm on a size 8 when barbel fishing! Size of a salmon parr.

Yes its hard to guestimate from a pic. Personally I would have had it stuffed.

 

[103841]

Yeah Bob, i've had that one (4inch model) for several years now but did get the 4 3/4inch model last year.....



Both of them are great to use and having a high set line lay they're good when retrieving your float. They're also good to cast with and make quite long casts pretty easy.
I know they're not exactly traditional looking and I know a few people who dislike them but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I like the look of them .

The beauty of that reel certainly beholds my eye, kinda Goth.

 

[Tee-Cee]

As a matter of interest, tigger; It does look a vey nice bit of kit, but being one who 'makes do' with much older pins with the works concealed, I'm wondering how you deal with the ingress of muck (water not so much an issue as it can be dried off to some extent) when conditions are, well mucky?
Obviously you don't go laying the reel down on the ground and treat it with care, but still I think of general dust and grime....From memory I think other pics of yours show the inner workings (which look fairly complicated) a lot clearer so how easy is it to clean the reel properly between trips and have it running smoothly, and free from grit etc??

 

[mikench]

Stunning looking reel Ian! A work of art and different to all the pins I have ever seen

 

[tigger]

As a matter of interest, tigger; It does look a vey nice bit of kit, but being one who 'makes do' with much older pins with the works concealed, I'm wondering how you deal with the ingress of muck (water not so much an issue as it can be dried off to some extent) when conditions are, well mucky?
Obviously you don't go laying the reel down on the ground and treat it with care, but still I think of general dust and grime....From memory I think other pics of yours show the inner workings (which look fairly complicated) a lot clearer so how easy is it to clean the reel properly between trips and have it running smoothly, and free from grit etc??

Tee-Cee, I never have a problem with dirt etc getting into the reel. I always have a towel hanging from my waist or over my shoulder so I keep my hands clean (I hate having bits of muck etc stuck on my hands) a quick dip in the water then a wipe on the towel. Keeping the reel clean is easy if done after every fishing session, it takes a few moments to do so is well worth doing. I often use a "wet one" first then use a piece of kitchen roll and wipe off the excess moisture. A good way of making sure the reel is totally free of moisture is to blow dry it with a hair dryer at home, again it only takes a moment to get the reel heated up and any moisture in hidden nookes and crannies will just evaporate. I usually hold it infront of the car blower on the way home lol. If I store the reel up I have a piece of foam soaked in sewing machine oil and wipe the reel all over with it leaving a thin covering of oil to protect the reel from corrosion of any kind. Many people probably can't be bothered to spend a few moments doing these minor things but I feel better doing it as it keeps my gear in top fettle looks wise and keeps it functioning properly, plus I find it much nicer to use clean gear .

 

[sam vimes]

I'm wondering how you deal with the ingress of muck (water not so much an issue as it can be dried off to some extent) when conditions are, well mucky?
Obviously you don't go laying the reel down on the ground and treat it with care, but still I think of general dust and grime....From memory I think other pics of yours show the inner workings (which look fairly complicated) a lot clearer so how easy is it to clean the reel properly between trips and have it running smoothly, and free from grit etc??

A picture paints a thousand words.

Of the centrepins I own, I find the Zeppelins to be the least affected by accumulated gunk. The design is such that nothing gets near the spindle or bearings in normal use. I've also never experienced that horrible gritty crunch of a little bit of grit/sand with the Zeppelin.
As it has no screws through the backplate, and no joints/seams of any kind on the spool, I find it an absolute doddle to clean. I'm not averse to rinsing it under a tap. I just make sure to keep the bearings dry. The ratchet mechanism is usually greased. However, as the reels are so well put together and finished, I find that there's little need for it. I found that greasing the mechanism just caused gunk (mostly maggot maize flour/sawdust/bran) to accumulate.

 

[103841]

They're named "Zeppelins"?

I just got a whole lotta love.

 

[mikench]

A picture paints a thousand words.

Of the centrepins I own, I find the Zeppelins to be the least affected by accumulated gunk. The design is such that nothing gets near the spindle or bearings in normal use. I've also never experienced that horrible gritty crunch of a little bit of grit/sand with the Zeppelin.
As it has no screws through the backplate, and no joints/seams of any kind on the spool, I find it an absolute doddle to clean. I'm not averse to rinsing it under a tap. I just make sure to keep the bearings dry. The ratchet mechanism is usually greased. However, as the reels are so well put together and finished, I find that there's little need for it. I found that greasing the mechanism just caused gunk (mostly maggot maize flour/sawdust/bran) to accumulate.

Are you related to Binka a veritable stairway to heaven!