I recently started using my old target board again and am surprised at how effective it still is and it takes a lot of the strain of concentrating on the tip.I cant figure out how they went out of vogue.This coming winter its definitely a bit of kit I will be using more of.Anyone else still using one?
Where are all the target boards gone?
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mikench
Well-known member
Never heard of one! Oh no is that another piece of kit that will prove to be indispensable ! Go on then where do I get one and how does it work
sam vimes
Well-known member
An awful lot of quivertipping is done with methods that almost guarantee wrap around bites. The number of people looking for shy bites on more natural stillwater venues has reduced dramatically. That all adds up to the number of people actually needing target boards diminishing. Besides, they are the kind of thing you buy once and never buy again. I'll bet that the vast majority of folks with any inclination to use them will already have them. I can't see them being huge sellers.
robtherake
Well-known member
They're used to spot shy bites on a quiver or swingtip, Mike. In these times, where bolt-style leger tactics are prevalent, they're a lot less useful: you're not going to get quarter-inch tweaks fishing a method feeder. The boards were usually black, with lines or a grid for visual reference and - along with their primary use - they shielded the tip from the effects of the wind.
The Tek-Neek board was the one to have - it had an effective angle-tilt mechanism that made it a cinch to set up.
The Tek-Neek board was the one to have - it had an effective angle-tilt mechanism that made it a cinch to set up.
Where are all the target boards gone?
gone to graveyards every one
long time passing,
Where have all the target boards gone,
Long time ago . . . .
The advent of the commercial Carp venues and the 2 foot "titch" that they give on the bite have made target boards pretty much obsolete . . . .
Sadly, . . . . . .
(with apologies to Pete Seeger . . . . )
I still have one or two in the garage though
gone to graveyards every one
long time passing,
Where have all the target boards gone,
Long time ago . . . .
The advent of the commercial Carp venues and the 2 foot "titch" that they give on the bite have made target boards pretty much obsolete . . . .
Sadly, . . . . . .
(with apologies to Pete Seeger . . . . )
I still have one or two in the garage though
They were also used with 'swing-tips' - another technique which has largely gone out of vogue - often to shield the tip from wind which could provide misleading indications. Also - it was common practice to place the board a few yards from the bank - so it was in-line with the tip.
Wading-out to place a supporting bank-stick is frowned-on in many commercial fisheries - particularly where there's 14' of water under your rod tip.
Wading-out to place a supporting bank-stick is frowned-on in many commercial fisheries - particularly where there's 14' of water under your rod tip.
flightliner
Well-known member
They were very popular in fenland--- Witham, Welland,middle level,Nene, Relief channel, --- back in the sixties/seventies when swingtipping for bream, particularly the shy biting ones on Witham matchdays when a quarter inch lift was all the indication you were likely to get.
The boards helped enormously, especially when it was windy.
The boards helped enormously, especially when it was windy.
mikench
Well-known member
If you have to plant it in the water in front of the end of the rod then I won't bother as on most of my waters I would have to go wading.
I still cannot quite grasp how it is set up in practice
I still cannot quite grasp how it is set up in practice
I hadnt seen/used one in donkeys either until recently and boy does it make it easier to spot true bites.Last year I fished a match in atrocious conditions with gales and driving rain.Everyone had to resort to 2oz tips to counteract the wind and spot bites.I reckon with a target board I could've stayed on a 1oz tip and would've been able to discern true bites from the wind.Talking about swing tips,they are largely redundant due to the availability of super sensitive quivers,however,I`d imagine swingtipping would be deadly on those rock hard still and frosty days with a tiny maggot feeder and braid.
robtherake
Well-known member
If you have to plant it in the water in front of the end of the rod then I won't bother as on most of my waters I would have to go wading.
I still cannot quite grasp how it is set up in practice
Like this.
Farnham Angling Society - Fantastic fishing on the Hampshire/Surrey/Berkshire Borders for Carp, Catfish, Pike and all Coarse and Game species
Got one from a friend that had stopped using it and, to be honest, i have never used it as it is still knocking about the garage i think. Never felt the need to use it as i was using a Shimano beastmaster, three tip ( the whole top sections are the tips). Also, watched a mate use a swing tip ( iv'e never used one) and it seemed to me to be super sensitive and he didn't miss many shy/quick bites, that i seen anyway. Probably no help to anyone but, if you fancy a go, why not.
B
binka
Guest
I had a target board years ago, a simple thing with black and white stripes which sent my eyes funny and I couldn't get on with it.
If they had put food pictures on it instead then it would have held my gaze and my attention indefinitely, with a pin sharp strike guaranteed every time the tip moved from the cherry pie to the bacon roll
If they had put food pictures on it instead then it would have held my gaze and my attention indefinitely, with a pin sharp strike guaranteed every time the tip moved from the cherry pie to the bacon roll
I made several in the past. Clear plastic with gradiant lines on them. I found them very useful on the Witham and Welland, when fishing the tip in a "screamer". They were a good windbreak and bite indicator at the time. Still have them somewhere in the"Aladin's Cave". Pete
mikench
Well-known member
Thanks Rob! I will not be wading out to stick a pole in the water any time soon!
I am however, going to strike at the smaller movements particularly when the tip becomes straight!
I am however, going to strike at the smaller movements particularly when the tip becomes straight!
old_school
Member
In terms of bream fishing target boards and swing tips have been replaced by braid
mikench
Well-known member
Banned on all my waters!