Ancient and Modern Revisited ? Reel Reviews

  • Thread starter Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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A lot of baitcasting reels built for the USA market have what is termed a "flippin'" switch. Flippin' involves taking one or two loops from the reel in the style of the Nottingham cast, and then swinging the lure out to the target. Extreme accuracy can be attained using this technique which has been well developed by American bass anglers when fishing jigs or plastic baits in heavy structure.

You are not meant to cast from the reelwhilst flippin.

Note how the Americans leave out the "G" !
 
Kevin Perkins

Kevin Perkins

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Thanks Ron

Other than mentioning the existance of the'Flipping Button' the instructions made no reference as to how to actually use it. The assumption being that we anglers should all know, I suppose.

My admittedly limited intellect worked out that as it pushing it released the spool, it must be some sort of casting aid. Thereforemy crititicsm as to its effectivness in that role is withdrawn, along with mythoughts that 'Flippng' was not quite the right adjective, and should be replaced with something a tad more Anglo-Saxon.........!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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The technique of flipping is not always as simple as it sounds. The cast is performed using an underhand swing, the lure hits the water, or even the top of a lily pad. A technique known as "Frogging the Pads", developed by Roland Martin I think, incorporates a frog imitation lure or a jig with Uncle Josh pork rind on it (known as a "jig and pig&quot/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif.

After the lure hits the top of the pad, you jiggle it about to attract a bass and when the fish starts nosing the underside of the lillypad, you draw your lure slowly and steadily over the edage of the pad to land in the water. Then look out for fireworks.

In most cases, the flipping technique means that you must allow the lure to sink vertically while you keep in contact with it, otherwise the fish will spook, or you will have a hook-up.

Bass take such lures very delicately indeed and you have to watch or feel for the faintest flicker in your line. Then you set the hook hard! With a Texas rigged plastic worm you set the hook VERY hard and keep that bass coming.

I have dragged 5 pound large mouth bass right out of lily beds and sunken trees before today and swung them straight into the boat. The rod is STIFF and the line about 40lbs mono, but I would use braid for this technique today, with perhaps a 40 lb fluorocarbon leader about 2 feet long.

Flippin' is some of the most exciting angling I have ever done.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Oh and by the way, I wouldn't use that cheap Ryobi reel for flippin', you will probably bust it. I used to use an Abu 5001C with the star drag screwed right up tight.
 
Kevin Perkins

Kevin Perkins

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That 'cheap' Ryobi reel came as a set with a single handed baitcaster rod, and are endorsed by a certain John Wilson, no less, and is both manufactured and marketed down to an attractive price.

But I fear that alone may well encouragemany virgin lure anglers anglers to take up the sportand after a day's frustration with the outfit will sling it in the back of the cupboard, never to be seenagain.

TheSix-shooter rod supplied with this kit could be the subject of anothercompare/contrast piece, but as I said in this article, I fear for the longevity of the reel involved
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Unfortunately Kevin, and as with fly fishing, it is common to see rubbishy tackle in the hands of a beginner. Cheap gear is not going to get a newcomer to angling styles like lure and fly fishing started properly. Trying to learnwith tackle that doesn't perform is tantamount to disaster. The beginner needs all the help he can get and must not handicap himself with poor gear.

Some types of angling can be done with cheap rods and reels; not fly or lure fishing.

I have examined the reel you have reviewed and quite honestly it's so poor, it's not even worth the money asked for it.

You can get a very nice Shimano baitcaster for about £60. I would certainly not recommend the rod either. It's designed basically for boat fishing and 99% of newcomers to lure angling are likely to be fishing from the shore.
 
Mark Wintle

Mark Wintle

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I just checked an old (1974) ABU catalogue. The ABU reel is in there for £20.95, the same money I paid that year for an ABU Mark 6 rod. As my weekly earnings were £17 at the time the equivalent reel today would be in the order of £300 hence the quality!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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ABU reels Mark are simply not as good as they were 30 or 40 years ago. I have used 4600, 5000, 6000, and 10,000 series Ambassedeurs in my life and remember quite clearly that they cost a hell of a lot of money at the time. But by crikey they were superb.

Not so today.

There is no doubt that Shimano and maybe Daiwa have taken over where ABU left off. The Shimano Calcutta I have recently acquired is a gem, it's built like a Swiss watch and the casting performance is truly excellent. So is the Curado which is a low profile version of the Calcutta.
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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Hopefully I'll be doing some 'Jig and Pigging' over the next few weeks ...I've got my Uncle Josh's pork rinds ordered .......
 
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Wolfman Woody

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In addition to Flippin a lure, you can, with a lot of practice, cast the lure in that style. This is called "Pitchin"

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For both Flippin and Pitchin you really need a Flippin rod (not a pun) to go with it. These rod have an extra ring very near the butt from which can be drawn the loop of line without it getting tangled when you release it.

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.

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You should compare your Six Shooter with my new Fox Hitman, same style, but a very different quality and paired with a proper Daiwa baitcasting reel, you would enjoy this one Kevin.

.

We'll have another day out and I may have a very pleasant surprise for you!

.

.

(No, it's not inflatable either!)
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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By the Lord Jeff you are bringing back memories.

Especially of the Small Mouth Bass whichis one of the finest species ever to live in freshwater. What a gorgous species, all bronze with spikey fins, a little redeye almost like a tench, and with fighting spirit than size for size will better a tigerfish.

The idiot that brought zander into this country was a true ****head. Let's get rid of the zander and have a true game fish like the SmallMouth Bass,Micropterus dolomieu!

Truly one of the finest freshwater game fish that swims!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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I like to hear it Ed, you have organised jig and pig!

Smallies here we come.

Fishing American style with lures is the ultimate in angling excitement and pleasure. Other than pike and maybe rainbow trout, we do not have a really hard scrapping game fish in this country. And it's time we did have such species. If they can stock lots of noddy puddles with F1s and ratfish, surely the powers that be can give us a proper sporting species like Small Mouth Bass.

The problem is that hooking a smalley just might trigger too many heart attacks amongst Pom anglers because they fight so hard. And not only that, thousands of poles and even more, thousands of yards of elastic might get trashed.
 
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MarkTheSpark

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After the lure hits the top of the pad, you jiggle it about to attract a bass and when the fish starts nosing the underside of the lillypad, you draw your lure slowly and steadily over the edage of the pad to land in the water. Then look out for fireworks...

... because, as there are no freshwater bass to catch in the UK, you might as well let off a few rockets instead, eh Ron?

I agree with Ron's comments about cheap multipliers, despite the fact that I have on other threads suggest lure anglers take a look at them. I have a little cheap Daiwa, and it's not bad - not brill, but not bad. One thing it does do that my ABU 5501 doesn't is cast small lures. Yes, we've had this discussion on another thread, but the ABU really is a reel best suited to hefty spoons and plugs over 6 inches long.

I must invest in a better multiplier - THESE PEOPLE seem to have some humdingers of reels for not much money. Look at the Quantum Energy at the bottom of the page. I really want one...
 
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Chris Bettis

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I have bought the John Wilson 6 Shooter rod and reel combi,having been so pleased with his Avon Rod

The rod I cannot comment on as Bennetts sent the wrong one in the kit.

The reel however I have been able to play with,having got a Qickstart guide from Masterline (no instructions with the reel, only the parts list).

With the cast control knob fully tightened, it is only the very lightest spinners I have weighing only a few grams that will make that slow descent to the ground for inital casting trial without risk of over-runs.

Reading the various threads the reel has had some poor reports, perhaps this one is worse that normal but it appears that it is not going to be worth returning it for replacement and, perhaps the best thing I can do is return the whole outfit when the correct rod does turn up and buy something better.

Would anyone like to suggest what they would do in this position please.
 
Kevin Perkins

Kevin Perkins

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Chris

I went out with Woody the other day using the JW combo, and it seems obvious that the handle of the rod is just too thick for it to sit comfortablyin the hand, certainly so in comparison with the battery of other rods that we brought with us.

Also, the rod is quite stiff, and for flicking outsmall lures there is no 'give' in the action to help with casting. Not problem when casting aross a canal, as we wereduring part of the day, but faced wth a 70 acre lake, you would perhaps want your lure to get out a bit more that 20 feet, especally when the water was so clear you could see the bottom for some 30 feetout.

And going back to the reel, the problem mentioned in the article manifestd itself once again,namely small loops of line appearing on the spool. As per last time one of these loops got trapped andthe spool and housing performed a scissor actionneatly snipping the line.

As an outfit is is appears designed down to a price and even then is heavily discounted, so that should be an indication of the quality. My advice would be return it, and speak to one of our tame experts such as Woody who I am sure willbe more than willing to point you in the right direction when it comes to tackle choice
 
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Wolfman Woody

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Chris, as Kevin says, get shut of it. Sorry to say tha, but what I've seen of Kevin struggling with his and then the line being cut straight off, don't even consider it. Send it back and get a credit.

If you want a nice casting rod of that type consider the Fox DK Hitman.

if you want something a little bit longer then the ET Gord Burton Bandit is a cracking rod at 7foot and you can use two hands on it if you wish. Get yourself a really nice low profile multiplier like a Shimano Citica and you have a good bit of kit that will give you lots of pleasure for many, many years.

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Now Kevin, are you going to use that JW Six Shooter reel to knit me a scarf for Christmas?
 
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Wolfman Woody

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Tip for buying a nice Shimano - try these people in the USA.

Send them an Email askign if they'll kindly post to the UK and at what cost. You'll find them very helpful and friendly as are most US companies.
 
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MarkTheSpark

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I never found the instructions for adjusting the end float on the spool much use. The problem is that you end up with significant drag throughout the cast, resulting in poor casting distance. And the six-shooter is built down to a price, not up to a quality.

The beach casters always used oil viscosity as a casting control, mixing thin machine oil such as 3 in 1 with 20/50 engine oil to provide a bit of overrun resistance. You could try that. Or better still, spend some real money on a proper multiplier - I still want a Quantum PT so much it hurts.

I can't fault my Shimano Exage 270 travel spinning rod for piking - a bit of extra length and loads of power in the butt for control. Plus it's just a couple of feet long, packed away.
 
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mark norris (ACA)

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Good tip Woody. The yanks have a huge selection of rods and reels, and with the pound/dollar the way it is good value too.

Also worth a look is Bass pro shops and Cabelas.

Some time ago I ordered from Bass pro and it arrived in 4 days
 
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Chris Bettis

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Thanks very much indeed for all who replied. It has made up my mind for me. Back the whole outfit goes.

I shall certainly have a really good look at the Fox Hitman, it seems to be what I am looking for. Price is important to me as I am retired on basic pension.

Bearing this is mind could one of you suggest a multiplier to go with the fox. Obviously not the very best available but something that will do the job well and at the least possible cost.

Sorry to be a pain in the you-know-what,but cash is very tight and what is available goes on petrol to get me fishing.

Again, many thanks to you all.

Best regards,

Chris Bettis
 
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