Great method, much underused

[Ian "snotman" Foden]

Good article Paul and oh so true. I too have fished the method since being about 12 learning it on the NW canals, as you rightly say it really is more deadly than the quivertip when mastered.

There was a similar thread recently which covered a lot of this ground but I have found that a rod with a reasonably stiff top section but through action is best. If the rodtop isnt quite stiff it makes casting and watching the tip in a breeze more difficult.

As you say, you can "read" bites with a swingtip, especially liners and roach and hit a far higher proportion of bites when you get the hand of it.

The springtip and sidewinder are adaptations that allow the "tip" to be used in windier conditions too.

I agree that if you haven't tried this method you should, it works really well for skimmers and other fish especially who hate resistance.

 

[Laurie Harper]

Thanks, Paul. Good article. The swingtip is under-used these days. I have an old Kevin Ashurst book (World Class Match Fishing), which contains a lot of useful stuff about swing-tipping, in particular the use of rubbers of differing levels of flexibility, which enables you to use the method in flowing as well as still water.

And you can't beat the excitement of the bite as that tip rises majestically...

 

[dishyfishy]

I use the swing tip and I came up with a great idea on casting as when I use it sometimes I have to cast 50 to 70yds.I use a quiver tip the same as Paul but I keep the screw fitting and pull out the tip and put a length of rubber over the tip and the screw fitting then I push the tip back into the screw fitting so it becomes a quiver tip again,I then cast, take up the slack put my rod in the rests in line with the bank with the line coming out at 90 degrees to the rod then carefully pull the tip from the screw fitting until it drops like a swing tip. I know it may sound like its extra work but its also a great way of putting out a lot of feed and fishing out a lot further

 

[smiffy]

Hi Paul,
good artical, I personally use the qwiver tip as I find this more sensative in bad wheather.
I do have some old swing tips that I might just try again in the summer.
Thanks again for the artical
Malcolm

 

[Alan Solomon]

Good article Paul. You have to be an old timer like me to appreciate the subtlties of the swing tip. Many years ago in the late seventies/early eighties I adapted the swing tip at the end of the rod to one which is fitted nearer the butt. I still use it today with great effect. It is protected from the wind by a plastic shield and is very sensitive indeed. Wind drag is eliminated because the rod tip is below surface level - not possible with conventional swing tipping - and surface flow or drag can be counteracted by constant adjustment of the line via the reel. Bites are obvious once you learn to read the signs. I remember fishing in a Wales v Scotland match on a North Wales canal when skimmers on the far bank were the target. The canal constantly ebbed and flowed with the opening of locks and passing boat traffic. Pole was difficult in the wind, quiver tips also proved hard to fish because the bites were so delicate but my method of swingtipping won me third spot and sheer amazement from the Scottish lads on either side of me. I hit every bite from skimmers to 8ozs.
Learn to use a swing tip? Certainly! but be prepared to experiment and find your own way to getting the edge over the competion and the fish.

 

[Paul Christie 3]

Sounds an interesting adaptation Alan.

Does it work anything like a modern day sidewinder? It sounds a bit similar to it?

 

[Ian "snotman" Foden]

Alan

I did the same thing and whipped a swingtip attachment to the butt of my old tip rod for use when it was windy and I agree it does work quite well. The only problem I had was the minor loss in sensitivity caused by the drag of the line through the rod rings but its still less than a quiver tip.

I have also found that, the sidewinder if set up right with the lightest tip is equivalent to the butt indicator/swingtip as you described.

 

[david bruce 1]

I had a similar attachment to the rear mounted swing tip but I bought this complete with a terry clip so that it could be slipped onto the rod, and the eye was like those on a ladies necklace with a spring loaded little opening/closure to allow the indicator to be fitted on an already assembled rod. Much modified over the years, elastic, weights etc. Very useful in strong winds - I must look out for it in the cupboard.

 

[Alan Solomon]

Paul, Ian and David,
Good to read your comments and the ways that you too have adapted the old swingtip. Two Terry clips firmly hold my device to the rod thus eliminating tangles on the cast and the actual swinging tip has been modified over the years. After the Scotland match I made a miniature version of my indicator which was more in keeping with the finer lines, shorter rod and more delicate bites of canal fishing.
The swinging tips were made in a range of weights so that varying degrees if wind could be countered with a simple change of tip just as in the past varying lengths of lead wire were used on the original swing tip. Drop back bites which are very common (as you know) when bream fishing are easily seen with my indicator and are accompanied with an audible click as the tip hits the back of the plastic protective casing. This is more so if the tip is one the heavier side because of the stronger wind. Email me if you want a picture to show how the devise was made and fits on the rod. Maybe you could make one and try it out. I would appreciate any feedback from you.

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

Used a swingtip years ago when I used to tench fish a local lake using a float rod with a second rod made up on the lead. I could see the tip move in my peripheral vision whilst concentrating on the float. The bites were incredible - tench obviously couldn't detect any resistance and the tip would go from hanging vertically to the rod being dragged from the rests! Stopped using it when I got some bite alarms but now feel like resurrecting the method. I used to open the bail arm, pull line tight from the spool and trap in a line clip just for safety and that worked too but I suppose it's redundant now with the free spool reels that abound.

 

[Kevan Farmer]

Nigel. I did the same many years ago using a swingtip for tench. It is a fantastic way of catching certainly tench and I suspect carp.

Now, why is it that such a good method has been almost forgotten? Good marketing from the electronic alarm manufacturers, perhaps? Whatever, the swingtip is a killing method when it is used at the right time - as are the electronic alarms of course.

For those who are interested may I suggest a good book on the subject of swingtipping.

Fred Foster's Swing Tipping published by Cassell & Company Lmited. This is one of the 'Modern Angling Series' which also features Float Fishing by Billy Lane as part of the set. The Swingtipping book was first published back in 1976 and its ISBN is:
0 304 29467 5

It's probably out of print now but you can still get copies occasionally on eBay or try an online bookseller like Abebooks (http://www.abebooks.co.uk/) Sorry, I've forgotten how to paste an operating URL.

There is one on there at the moment at ?3.50 or the others rise in price to about ?12.00

I recommend this book if you want to learn more about tipping.

Take care all.
Kevan