The must have's and must not Thread

[Tadpole]

An idea to get the ball rolling..

As with all aspects of fishing we all come across tackle we can't live without yet at the same time things we fish we should never have bothered with.

About as subjective as it gets, remember there are no right or wrongs in this. 🤪

Things I can't do without are my selection of surface lures, name the Patchinko 125 @ 100 in 500g.

The blank saver that is the Fiiish Black Minnow, no3 tail.. the weighted head depends on location.

Things I wish I never bothered with.. anything HTO, Yo-Zuri and Sidewinder are all in my opinion worse than pants.

 

[Saintly Fish]

I love a good spinning spoon, two inches of hook length, a size 2 hook tipped with proscetto ham ! 
killer.. 

[suzook12]

That explains Jon's lip piercings them

[Andy135]

45 minutes ago, suzook12 said:

That explains Jon's lip piercings them

🤣🤣🤣🤣🐷

[Davemc]

2 hours ago, Tadpole said:

An idea to get the ball rolling..

As with all aspects of fishing we all come across tackle we can't live without yet at the same time things we fish we should never have bothered with.

About as subjective as it gets, remember there are no right or wrongs in this. 🤪

Things I can't do without are my selection of surface lures, name the Patchinko 125 @ 100 in 500g.

The blank saver that is the Fiiish Black Minnow, no3 tail.. the weighted head depends on location.

Things I wish I never bothered with.. anything HTO, Yo-Zuri and Sidewinder are all in my opinion worse than pants.

 

Tadpole ..

Loved the Hto Shoregame and still do , the N70 is a great all rounder and has sidelined a few of my other quality rods .... 

Best investment ....Van Staal vr50 

Marmite for some but mines still as new after two years old never lets me down .

Patch 125   A great lure  but for me there all have ivory bellies and all catch the same imo .

Sidewinders still work on there day and crystal minnows off the back of a yak are a killer ..

 

Fbm' s I make myself with a soft tail like the original and a firmer head so they can take being rigged without failing before a cast ..

 

 🤭

[Tadpole]

9 hours ago, Davemc said:

Tadpole ..

Loved the Hto Shoregame and still do , the N70 is a great all rounder and has sidelined a few of my other quality rods .... 

Best investment ....Van Staal vr50 

Marmite for some but mines still as new after two years old never lets me down .

Patch 125   A great lure  but for me there all have ivory bellies and all catch the same imo .

Sidewinders still work on there day and crystal minnows off the back of a yak are a killer ..

 

Fbm' s I make myself with a soft tail like the original and a firmer head so they can take being rigged without failing before a cast ..

 

 🤭

Note to self, don't leave uncompleted messages to finish later in the day.. for they disappear. 

Hi Dave, tis Steve, formally known in these here parts as chasinBass.. as the Bass now chase me I thought it appropriate to change the forum handle.

N70 has sidelined rods... is the little Eginn one of them!? 🤗

HTO demonstrate time and again an inability to listen to the requirements that Bass lure anglers want in a Bass lure rod. Twice over across the shoregame and N70 they've stuck a reel seat on that nobody (bar you) likes or wants on an expensive upper end premium stick. Also worth noting neither blanks are of HTO design or produced, they bought the blanks and strapped the gear to them making them a third party rod builder at best.

I'm surprised that your best investment has been the Van Staal.. things are built like tanks and one would hope they'd last, my opinion they'd come into they're own on a surf beach being pounded by sea and sand but anywhere else in the UK for what species we have on offer its too much. Does yours not suffer with wind knots?

Hear what your saying about other lures but do they cover the same amount of ground?? Does an Espetit cast as far as a P100? Does a Spittin wire out cast a P125?

Frankly the only thing that lets the Xorus lures down for me and true can be said for at least the Patchinko and Asturie is that over time hairline cracks appear and water will ingress. Booooo. 

My buddy has purchased Henry's Gravity Stick pack and last night he did well on the paddle tail, I finally unclicked a surface lure and tried the pintail and had a couple of bumps but no hook up for me.. but they work! 

[Tadpole]

12 hours ago, Saintly Fish said:

I love a good spinning spoon, two inches of hook length, a size 2 hook tipped with proscetto ham ! 
killer.. 

Thanks for the blast from the past mate, Does it come with wind knots too?? 😂.

In all seriousness I didn't realise they still made the spoons?? I assume this is targeting Bass? Do the Thin lips hit them as well?

 

 

[suzook12]

Starting to think bass fishing has it's own language!!

Seeing as the quantity I have caught I can count on one hand, it probably is......

[Davemc]

45 minutes ago, Tadpole said:

Note to self, don't leave uncompleted messages to finish later in the day.. for they disappear. 

Hi Dave, tis Steve, formally known in these here parts as chasinBass.. as the Bass now chase me I thought it appropriate to change the forum handle.

N70 has sidelined rods... is the little Eginn one of them!? 🤗

HTO demonstrate time and again an inability to listen to the requirements that Bass lure anglers want in a Bass lure rod. Twice over across the shoregame and N70 they've stuck a reel seat on that nobody (bar you) likes or wants on an expensive upper end premium stick. Also worth noting neither blanks are of HTO design or produced, they bought the blanks and strapped the gear to them making them a third party rod builder at best.

I'm surprised that your best investment has been the Van Staal.. things are built like tanks and one would hope they'd last, my opinion they'd come into they're own on a surf beach being pounded by sea and sand but anywhere else in the UK for what species we have on offer its too much. Does yours not suffer with wind knots?

Hear what your saying about other lures but do they cover the same amount of ground?? Does an Espetit cast as far as a P100? Does a Spittin wire out cast a P125?

Frankly the only thing that lets the Xorus lures down for me and true can be said for at least the Patchinko and Asturie is that over time hairline cracks appear and water will ingress. Booooo. 

My buddy has purchased Henry's Gravity Stick pack and last night he did well on the paddle tail, I finally unclicked a surface lure and tried the pintail and had a couple of bumps but no hook up for me.. but they work! 

Strange you say that about the gravity sticks , I deliberately worked them over a 200 meter reef casting a couple of times every three feet for two hours of prime tide  ...they looked good in the water but not a sniff so I popped a homemade Slugo on and two fish in a few casts ...maybe a coincidence, I just think the bass wanted the slimmer profile on that occasion .

Regarding the Van staal it does everything well , lighter than my Stella and biomaster  and more rugged than my rarenium and stradics ...not as smooth but I like that I can drown it when wading without any concerns, I killed a Shimano rarenium in a week over in Kerry.

Rods are a personal thing & I just like the feel of the N70 although I did balance my Shoregame which improved that no end .

Catch up soon buddy ...still trying to crack the night shift on your local mark but as the photo shows I'm getting there ....

 

[Tadpole]

Looking good @Davemc, looks like a solid fish that one!!

Thought I'd mention the sticks as you said you free a blank with them, admittedly those caught weren't big fish but he certainly caught enough of them on the paddle tail yet no matter how I worked the pin tail I could only entice 3 hits but only small stuff.

I've just started to explore ground that I previously told you about and the fish have been most obliging, nothing grandiose but one or two knocking a fair size.. and certainly not on par with the fish up the other end but im sure with enough hours put in a lump or two will grace us. Big tides this weekend, will be out a few times to see whats kicking about.

Heard of a good fish recently at Tip, 70cm OTT on a P100 in some pretty shitty conditions.. Give us a shout when you're next kicking about.

[headlight]

Major Craft, SkyRoad, 962-ML and patch"s.

Edited October 15, 2020 by headlight

[Tadpole]

6 hours ago, headlight said:

Major Craft, SkyRoad, 962-ML and patch"s.

Hearing good things about the MC's and it would appear as though large scales breakages etc are a thing of the past. 

I have some MC's metals that save a blank or two this year. 👍

[Saintly Fish]

10 hours ago, Tadpole said:

Thanks for the blast from the past mate, Does it come with wind knots too?? 😂.

In all seriousness I didn't realise they still made the spoons?? I assume this is targeting Bass? Do the Thin lips hit them as well?

 

 

It’s for any predatory fish, mainly bass and flounders. I have caught mullet on them before but it’s not easy and only possible right at the end of the season when they gorge on anything before shooting off for the winter. 

[Bones]

I love to keep things cheap so spending 30 odd quid on string almost broke my heart. But this stuff has proven to change my fishing for the better more than any other bit of kit...

[JonC]

Must haves? Hmm a fk ton of patience to fish with Tadpole.

[Tadpole]

1 hour ago, Bones said:

I love to keep things cheap so spending 30 odd quid on string almost broke my heart. But this stuff has proven to change my fishing for the better more than any other bit of kit...

Lock stock?? I now actively avoid the place.. you using this from the boat?

41 minutes ago, JonC said:

Must haves? Hmm a fk ton of patience to fish with Tadpole.

Hello little man, do they not give you an online curfew? Don't go over exciting yourself, you know what happens when you do.

[JonC]

1 hour ago, Tadpole said:

Lock stock?? I now actively avoid the place.. you using this from the boat?

Hello little man, do they not give you an online curfew? Don't go over exciting yourself, you know what happens when you do.

I know exactly what happens, you start throwing c bombs around and end up relapsing. You’ve only just recovered- take it easy.

[Andy135]

13 hours ago, Bones said:

I love to keep things cheap so spending 30 odd quid on string almost broke my heart. But this stuff has proven to change my fishing for the better more than any other bit of kit...

I use some of their 4 strand Kairiki on a large uptiding fixed spool. Not a bad braid at all. What's the 8 strand like? Does it feel noticeably smoother? Abrasion resistance ok?

[Bones]

10 hours ago, Andy135 said:

I use some of their 4 strand Kairiki on a large uptiding fixed spool. Not a bad braid at all. What's the 8 strand like? Does it feel noticeably smoother? Abrasion resistance ok?

The first thing I noticed about it was how smooth its was. It increased my casting distance by a considerable amount. As far as abrasion resistance goes, I'm yet to have any breakages. In and around snags I'm not concerned because it feels so steely.

[Andy135]

How does it compare to J Braid?

[Tadpole]

1 hour ago, Andy135 said:

How does it compare to J Braid?

I can't give a comparison but J braid for me is faultless, had mine on the reel for over a year now and its still doing a job.. whenever changing the leader it always pays to remove the last couple feet of braid. Braid tends to be one of those subjective topics that what works for one doesn't always work for another. 🤔

[Davemc]

On 10/16/2020 at 8:34 AM, Bones said:

I love to keep things cheap so spending 30 odd quid on string almost broke my heart. But this stuff has proven to change my fishing for the better more than any other bit of kit...

Heard only good things about this braid 

[headlight]

I switched from cheap Chinese Spectra to J braid because I was told it was much better.

I couldn"t get on with it, J braid that is, and went back to the Spectra as it has never given me a problem.

I use Spectra in 20lb for Bass lure fishing right up to 100lb for sharks.

[Tadpole]

6 hours ago, headlight said:

I switched from cheap Chinese Spectra to J braid because I was told it was much better.

I couldn"t get on with it, J braid that is, and went back to the Spectra as it has never given me a problem.

I use Spectra in 20lb for Bass lure fishing right up to 100lb for sharks.

Hello mate,

You aren't the first to respond negatively to the J braid debate, I don't know why people have such contrasting views on the same line.

My only gripe with J braid is that the abbrasion resistant properties of the braid is utter shite though I think its the same with most braided lines? 

Anyone tried any 12 strands?? Costly but is it worth it??

Or what about colour, does it make a difference?

[JDP]

2 hours ago, Tadpole said:

Hello mate,

You aren't the first to respond negatively to the J braid debate, I don't know why people have such contrasting views on the same line.

My only gripe with J braid is that the abbrasion resistant properties of the braid is utter shite though I think its the same with most braided lines? 

Anyone tried any 12 strands?? Costly but is it worth it??

Or what about colour, does it make a difference?

I moved over to 13 strand and totally love the stuff, now on six of my reels and the others mostly with Shimano ocea, which is also very good braid in my opinion. Been using the suffix 131 for about 12 months where most braids would of been swapped over several times by now ( I fish several times per week and push the line to its limits ). Had J braid in the past but found it soon lost colour and strength. I do tend to use lighter class lines closer to their rating strength rather than buy 50lb braid and only ever use light dag settings.