Swing tip help

iain t · Nov 21, 2016

Due to the high winds keeping off the bank i decided to have a tidy up of my old kit that hasn't seen the light of day for many years. Now i mostly use my old 11ft Avon rod for anything i can get away with. I either use it straight through or screw in quiver tips to give you an idea how i set it up.
In one of the boxes i found 2 old swingtips that fit my rod. My question is how do you cast with a floppy tip and how do you land a fish with them.
My old Dad said back in the day, they were a great way to see if you have got a gentle bite or just a line tap. So am thinking back then they were a sort of basic manual sight alarm.
Am thinking to give it a go on a pond next time am out if the wind dies down.

sam vimes · Nov 21, 2016

If it's a short cast, try underarm. If you want greater distance, try normal casting, but you've got to be careful and relatively gentle. Swingtipping and big heave-hos are not a good combination.

robtherake · Nov 21, 2016

I found the best way to avoid tangles was to cast with the rod hanging to one side, rather than overhead. I also preferred the Drennan type of swingtip with floppy silicone tube, rather than the earlier moulded rubber types.

thecrow · Nov 21, 2016

I always found that having a longer drop than normal between the tip and the lead/feeder and casting with a lob rather than a punch helped.

flightliner · Nov 21, 2016

I always used an overhead cast, used the original jack clayton style tip as made by sheffield tackle dealer ernie stamford, later ones with silicon rubber without any trouble even with casts across the relief channel, wide welland etx..
Not trying to contradict anyone here but I fished alongside many of fenlands top match anglers back in my younger days and they/we always cast overhand.

iain t · Nov 21, 2016

Rob, Flightliner. They have about an inch clear silicon tube at the joint. The pond am going to try it out on is only about a 5-yard lob at the most. I will try all the casts mentioned very softly first but what about a retrieve. I understand the tip will be bent at the joint, will this cause problems winding in. Do i just point the rod straight in line with the tip also can a high rod retrieve cause problems.
I suspect this type of fishing on a river is totally pointless and only meant for calmer stillwaters.

john step · Nov 21, 2016

I don't think you mean a 5 yard lob?? A typo?? If not stick to a float.

I still use a swing tip occasionally. They are good indicators where the depth/distance is such that the tip hangs down at an angle that shows the bites.
Useless where the water is too deep to get that nice angle.

They can be helpful in swims that are tight and you cannot sit sideways enough for a proper strike sideways on a quiver tip due to vegetation.

flightliner · Nov 21, 2016

Just take care, any problems will be minim ised and elliminated with practice.

Keith M · Nov 21, 2016

We used them on shorter rods of around 9 or 10ft and fished with the tip ring (of the swingtip) just touching the surface which showed the slightest movement of the tip very clearly when a fish picked up our bait (see pic below).
By tightening the line slightly to give the tip a slight angle (as opposed to having it hanging vertically) the tip will also indicate drop back bites.

The swingtips with the stiffer pre-bent rubbers were bought out mainly for combating water drift or flowing water (on relatively slow flowing rivers) or in slightly stronger winds although a short length of lead wire wrapped around the tip was also occasionally used instead by some.
In stronger winds and in stronger water drift or flow the swingtips became virtually useless anyway in my view.

I didn't find them that good when used at distance because of the undertow continually pulling the tip upwards but I found them extremely good at bite indication when fishing closer in (up to around 30 to 35 metres) especially on calmer days.

Although we usually used them with our rods pointing at an angle so that the tip was clearly seen as it lifted; it could also be fished with the rod pointing straight out in a really tight swim.

Keith

iain t · Nov 22, 2016

Thanks Keith for the diagram. It helps. John the local pond pegs are very hard to sit anywhere but straight due to the vegetation each side. So i can see the tip coming in handy there.
On the rivers, i fish i think I'll stick with using the normal quiver tips.
Thank you all for your help in explaining how to use the tip.

ian g · Nov 22, 2016

Ian

These may be an alternative to swing tipping

https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/Shop/CoarseFishingAccessories/Polaris-Sidewinder-Mk4.htm

iain t · Nov 22, 2016

Seen them Ian. Looks OK but i like to leave things simple, hence why i 90% use an Avon rod. Adding bits to the lower blank for a bite indication i may as well buy one of the new fangle boxes that beep and flash.

ian g · Nov 22, 2016

iain t said:
Seen them Ian. Looks OK but i like to leave things simple, hence why i 90% use an Avon rod. Adding bits to the lower blank for a bite indication i may as well buy one of the new fangle boxes that beep and flash.

Ian , I'm pretty much of the same mind as you I think regarding keeping things simple . The side winders are really handy in tight swims especially when it's too windy for swing tipping . I enjoy swing tipping myself but only when circumstances are favourable.

PS I ain't got any noisey boxes.

robtherake · Nov 22, 2016

ian g said:
Ian , I'm pretty much of the same mind as you I think regarding keeping things simple . The side winders are really handy in tight swims especially when it's too windy for swing tipping . I enjoy swing tipping myself but only when circumstances are favourable.

PS I ain't got any noisey boxes.

Ha! Just to be contrary I fish a Sidewinder in conjunction with a new-fangled noisy box.

Turned down to a minimum volume, of course. :thumbs:

I like to take in the surroundings and my little Okumas have a near-silent baitrunner drag.

ian g · Nov 22, 2016

robtherake said:
Ha! Just to be contrary I fish a Sidewinder in conjunction with a new-fangled noisy box. Turned down to a minimum volume, of course. :thumbs:

I like to take in the surroundings and my little Okumas have a near-silent baitrunner drag.

noise boxes have there place , just not for me.

iain t · Nov 23, 2016

Tried the swing tip this morning. Casting wise i found the underarm cast worked better for me but did try an overhead cast which to me felt funny with the hinge point. As i said a post or 2 ago,with not being able to sit sideways method style due to bushes and trees the swing tip seemed the answer. I could distinguish the line knocks from gentle hook bites after a while. Caught a nice 9.12lb common who didn't realise it had been hooked. My PB on this water. I can see me using the tip regularly from now on. There was only one other person on the pond who commented he hadn't seen a swing tip being used in years. He has some spring tips in his shed he's going to give me. He explained they are more or less the same but with a spring instead of the silicon tube.

robtherake · Nov 23, 2016

iain t said:
Tried the swing tip this morning. Casting wise i found the underarm cast worked better for me but did try an overhead cast which to me felt funny with the hinge point. As i said a post or 2 ago,with not being able to sit sideways method style due to bushes and trees the swing tip seemed the answer. I could distinguish the line knocks from gentle hook bites after a while. Caught a nice 9.12lb common who didn't realise it had been hooked. My PB on this water. I can see me using the tip regularly from now on. There was only one other person on the pond who commented he hadn't seen a swing tip being used in years. He has some spring tips in his shed he's going to give me. He explained they are more or less the same but with a spring instead of the silicon tube.

Some springtips have variable resistance - pulling the tip a little further out of the spring decreases resistance and increases sensitivity, and vice-versa. Useful to balance tip against tow. Well done, BTW.:thumbs:

mikench · Nov 24, 2016

So can swing tips just be attached to any rod?

Keith M · Nov 24, 2016

mikench said:
So can swing tips just be attached to any rod?

As long as you have a tip ring with a screw thread in it you can, otherwise no.

However it is quite easy to change a normal tip ring for one with a screw thread in it then you can also use it with screw-in Quivertips as well as Swingtips, or without anything screwed in at all. I did this on an old Drennan Specialist rod to give me the option of using a Quivertip.

Keith

mikench · Nov 24, 2016

What does that involve Keith?

Swing tip help

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