A good piece Mark

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Ron 'The Hat' Clay

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As regards the distance of the spool from the handle, I can assure Mark that even the Americans have complained about this in the past. If you use a fixed spool reel for spinning, it does help to be able to "feather" down the casts with your forefinger.

For some strange reason, the reel manufacturers have not listened to anglers on this matter. As Mark says, they are only recently starting to.

Couldn't agree more Mark. Modern reels remind me of 1950s juke boxes, such is the way they are painted up.

I wonder when the likes of Shimano are going to listen? In the meantime I shall not bother cleaning my reels so that they look more the part.

There have been some wonderful advances in fixed spool reel design over the last few years. Unfortunately the cosmetics have got more and more garish.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

Guest
Nah, keep the garishness. Can't beat a bit of bling bling.

If you are right handed Mark, why is there a problem with the way the line peels off the spool and trapping it with your finger? I would have thought the Shimano would have worked better for you in this respect. Although I do appreciate that you have spent many years with the other way as the standard.

I couldn't afford a Stradic, because I'm poor. :( I bought the Standard GTM RA, which is the same except for one bearing. My only bitch is the anti-reverse switch is fiddly, but the only time I used it is when I turn it off to achieve a little backwind to set quivers etc. Otherwise, I just rely on the superb drag.

Bling bling! Saw some very nice, very low priced Daiwas yasterday. Amazed at what you get for ?25 now. Unbelievable.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

Guest
I used my GTM at the weekend and I too noticed this problem of a lop of line coming loose when you engage the bale arm.

At first I thought it was just me when it happened in the past, but after this weekend when I carried out several tests, I realised it is something to do with the reel although what, I don't fully understand.

I know one way to combat it is to ensure that you feather the line as the float hits the surface and if you can keep it under some tension whilst winding in some slack, helps. This can be as simple as, for waggler fishing, sticking the rod tip immediately under water and pulling back slightly at the same time as winding in the loose line to sink the remainder.

It wasn't just the GTM with which it happened either. The Exage, a lower cost alternative does it also, so maybe the problem is with the spool or the line, but I did try with 3 different lines.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
I think that this problem occurs with all fixed spool reels. The only answer is a bit of judicious line control with your fore finger and as you say, keeping the line as taut as possible after the cast.
 
Peter Jacobs

Peter Jacobs

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"Nah, keep the garishness. Can't beat a bit of bling bling"

I'd be a lot happier if Shimano and Daiwa kept to Ford's old addage: You can have any colour you like as long as it is Black.

At least they should give us the option of Black or these metalic gaudy monstrosities.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

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Ron, I can assure you that the new review Graham put up today was mainly written before your last post about line control and without any knowledge of that post.

I came to the same conclusion, but (BIG "BUT") it will still happen occasionally. Legerign should be ok though, especially on a river where the tow will take up the slack immediately. It's mainly float fishing on stillwaters where it will be a problem.

Peter, why not paint those old cane rods of yours black then?
 
Peter Jacobs

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Jeff asks (tongue in cheek)
"Peter, why not paint those old cane rods of yours black then?"

Well Jeff I'll do a deal with you, I'll paint them black right after the Mona Lisa is sprayed all over with matt black paint -after all, those rods are masterpieces too :-0)

Seriously though, I have to wonder about these new paint colours though. I am sure that the new paint jobs were not as a result of anglers requests, after all the manufacturers haven't listened to us for eons, so why start now?
Nope, I think it is some trendy designer sitting in his air conditioned office looking for another angler-catching gimmick that does little or nothing for the aesthetics of the reel.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

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They can spray the Mona Lisa black for all I care. Right load of old tat, that is. :eek:) Is it true that the model was a bloke? A shemale perhaps?


I've never understood though why they don't go all the way up the rod with nice paint schemes. (accent on "nice") I once saw a Milo Lexia that was sprayed silver and I'm sure that went all the way to the tip and had the Italian colours at the bottom, but mine just had the red, silver and green at the bottom. Nice paint jobs worked wonders for the tennis market when they started spraying racquets with all nice metalics and so on.

What difference would it make to the fish? Most of the time they see a black silhouette anyway. Why not poles sprayed white or very pale blue to match the sky as fighter airplanes are?
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

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How about camo on the top and light blue on the bottom. You would then have to hold your pole properly wouldn't you.

Personally I just do not like inflicting primary colours on the olives, greens and browns of the English countryside.

Down with bling!!!!
 
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Baz

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Just for Woody and Peter.

♫ I see a red rod and I want it painted black.
No colours anymore I want them to turn black ♫
Maybe I should spray my reel ♫ a shade of midnight blue ♫
♫ If I buy a large spray can, then you can spray yours too.
I WANT IT BLACK ♫
 
W

Wolfman Woody

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Right about the camo on top of the pole, Ron, but as we artists know - water reflects the sky so the top would be the same as the underside, wouldn't it? :)


Baz, nice song. Don't give up the day job. :eek:)
 
M

mark norris 2

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Didn`t Geoff Bucknell (back in the 60`s) produce a range of rods in "heron grey" so as to appear invisible to fish. What happened to that idea.
 
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Geoff Bown

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I have been trotting for nearly 60 years and would rather pack up fishing than trot with a fixed spool reel.Learn to use a centrepin properly,you'll have ten times more float control.
 
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David Craine

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Geoff, all you need to do is to learn to use a fixed spool reel properly !
:>)
So far as colour is concerned, I have not seen anybody criticising the colours of some of the new Centrepins, electric blue, red, even pink, they all work the same, they are only reels, and they are only rods, I am sure the fish dont care..
Personally I like black, but which manufacturere listens to Joe Angler anyway.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Geoff, David is right.

Anyone can trot with a centrepin reel.

But if you want to run a float down the other bank of a river with a bit of fast water in the middle and a slow current on the other bank, you had better learn to use a fixed spool or closed face reel properly.

It takes an enormous amount of skill to do this well. The late John Ledger was a master at trotting the other bank.
 
captain carrott

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"Learn to use a centrepin properly,you'll have ten times more float control."

that's absolute rubbish. learn to use a fixed spool properly, you will have just the same control but won't be troubled with all of the centerpins disadvantages.
the only thing about the fixed spool is it takes much more skill and ability to trot with a fixed spool. any noddy can trot the inside line with a centerpin.
maybe that's why the best matchmen use fixed spools for trotting too.
 
T

The Monk

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I think the thing about coloured tackle is it sometimes flashes with light, the purpose of the old seventies matt blacking everything was not for cammo so much but more for anti flash, siver reels and well glossed finishes are the worst for this
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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What you need to do to trot the far bank is to use a float that will "grip" the current and will stay on line whilst you are contantly mending the line to keep the float running true.

Watch anglers such as Graham Marsden and if you had the chance before he passed away - John Ledger.

If you are fishing close to your own bank and you have a long rod, it's dead easy to trot with the centre-pin. I do lots of that sort of fishing, but if I want to run a float down the other side, off comes the pin and on goes a small fixed spool reel.

And the best reel I have seen yet for this sort of fishing is the Diawa TDR 250B.

Expensive yes, a horrid puce colour, yes, but it's one of the best small fixed spool reels ever made.
 
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