| KEVIN PERKINS | |
Never mind smelling the flowers, don’t forget to take time out to see the satirical side of fishing life and grab a laugh along the way as well. So here’s a regular column from Kevin Perkins to remind us that life is for laughing at, or taking the p*** out of, whenever we can. |
| TRADING STANDARDS? Exhibit A
Perhaps it has been designed to lessen the enormous amount of drag produced when casting. Improving the airflow around this lump of metal on the handle can only increase the speed at which the rod can move through the air, and thereby increase distance. Although, I am quite prepared to speculate that the gnarled, calloused, excessively hairy and ape-like paws of some anglers would probably offer an even less streamlined profile. Perhaps the black art of aerodynamics has been applied to the rotor and bail arm assembly, in search of a drag reduction. Such a reduction would allow the mechanism to spin more freely, giving a faster rate of recovery. Some sort of ducting or aerofoil would be apparent, but doesn’t appear visible – clever engineering making it as inconspicuous as possible, no doubt. Although, removing the rotor and bale arm completely and covering the spool entirely would help enormously – But then that would be a closed face reel, and we already have them – don’t we? Maybe controlling the airflow over the reel was the target, to help anchor the rod and reel and prevent it from blowing from the rest if anything more than the merest zephyr of wind happened along. This would have to take the form of a venturi, to promote a ‘ground effect’. I would hazard a guess that the size of the aerofoil wing slung underneath to achieve this effect may well produce a significant amount of drag when you try and lift the rod out of its rests, so may well be counter-productive in this instance. Perhaps the manufacturers (Shakespeare) could be pressed for a comment on what these aerodynamically designed improvements are supposed to yield, especially as they appear to be only applied to this one particular model – curious…… If a manufacturer really wanted to consider something ground-breaking with regard to aerodynamics, they should look at the design of rods. All have a round cross section (apart from split cane – I know!) and when this shape moves quickly through the air during casting it creates vortices (eddies) in the air behind it, an effect you will have noticed when you swill your bank sticks in the water before wiping them in the grass, (don’t tell me it’s just me) – hence the ‘swoooosh’ sound. A far more efficient profile would be teardrop shaped, which would cut through the air with much less disturbance. Still wouldn’t allow you to cast as far as a baitboat can deliver though…so no need to bother with that idea! Exhibit B
Perhaps something like ‘QwykPytch’ would have been a slightly less embarrassing choice of name, all things considered. Can’t quite make up my mind what the ‘ST’ designation means, either. And am I right to suppose that size is the only difference between a ‘One Man Rapid Erection’ and the ‘Two Man Rapid Erection’….? Exhibit C
But I wonder just what it is that the ‘Ultimate Protection’ is protecting us from. Judging by the fact that she seems to be holding her flaps open (no, I am not going there!) it isn’t against the cold. Looking at the amount of d  When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community.
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