Pete Springate's Guns

Any of you guys have experience of breeding/keeping worms? I’m considering it with a view to producing a modest amount to supplement regular sessions with a particular eye on using them more next winter. Had a look online but I’m a little confused with the choice and size of different models. Don’t mind spending a few quid to get a sustainable system.

Not used a JAG file. The Vallorbe pillar cut #4 is the one I’ve used. I’m on my second in 10 years so they do last-I’m looking at some cheaper alternatives of the same spec. I prefer the wider files rather than the narrower ones that JAG sell.

Always sharpen every hook and have done for around 10 years. I’m fussy/paranoid/obsessive about it and would find it difficult to cast out an unsharpened hook. I’d be lost without my Vallorbe jewellers file!

Same!

Ditto

PM for you

I’ve considered purchasing one but I think Yonny’s summation just about covers it. The question I’d ask myself is, what would catch me more fish, a £200 baiting pole or £200 more of the best bait I could buy? Now, I know that the pole could last me years (or not in my case ‘coz I’m clumsy) but it helps focus me one what’s really important.

Agreed. It’s a lesson I learned relatively late in my fishing ‘career’. The absolutely most important thing is to watch, listen and then act.

If it was on my doorstep, I’d be all over it. Can’t beat keeping in touch and walking the banks regularly.

I’m hoping to have a farewell session on St Ives before my ticket finishes at the end of March (subject to restrictions being lifted). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it on Shallow and would have definitely renewed if I hadn’t got my Dinton ticket.

Nice one👍I’ll wait; won’t be using them before April. I’ve got enough low-oil pellets to tide me over till then.

I suppose I’m lucky having been exposed to the effectiveness of a well placed (and usually, highly flavoured and bright) single pop-up in the early 90’s on Redesmere where Frank Warwick developed it. It is often my first line of attack and has caught me fish from every water I’ve fished in the last 30 years. It’s kinda like Zigging-once you’ve had a few, you recognise its effectiveness and gain confidence.

Yes, very tempted to stock up myself. Wonder what the shelf life/use by date is? Got caught out with this on a sack of Halibuts years ago. Was using them to pre-bait a swim and half of them floated! Turns out they were past their use by date-I assume the high oil content had led to oxidisation?

One of the very best pieces of advice I received about 25 years ago from an excellent angler on Redesmere, ‘You can’t mess a swim up with a single bait’! Too often you can destroy your chances by simply breaking out the spod rod.

Same. I’ve got more impatient as I’ve got older! In my mid 50’s now and it would be easier to play the waiting game but you’re often kidding yourself that ‘if you bait it, they will come’. I think this is related to spombing. Having spent hours finding spots and accurately baiting, you often feel ‘invested’ in a swim-usually to your cost. This topic does have several issues. A ‘spod mix’ implies the ingredients and ratios of what goes into your bucket. But the Spomb is simply the delivery method not a tactic as such. Avoiding Gulls and the convenience and accuracy of wrapping and clipping mean that I will Spomb as a default option despite what bait I’m using. If I want a less densely baited area I’ll simply load it with less bait and spread it more widely. I’m still Spombing/Spodding but its a world away from the typical heavily and tightly baited area with 3 rods tram-lined to a dustbin lid.

Thanks for the encouragement guys👍Really looking forward to re-acquainting myself with the place. I was a member before but dropped out, which I dearly regret and have been waiting to get back for 3 years. Its gets very busy and its not for everyone but the stock is next level and there are some really good guys on there too😎

I’ll be waiting for a looooong time for a Black only ticket-nobody dropped this year and only 2 Gold tickets available too!

Very happy to receive my Dinton Gold Ticket invitation today so my plans for the year are sorted. I won’t be rejoining any other waters-full steam ahead on Dinton. Ticket starts in April so my plan (dependent on how busy it is) is Spring on Black Swan, Summer on White and ‘Back to Black’ for Autumn onward👍🏻

I always include tinned Sweetcorn. Probably just a confidence thing now but I feel it makes a positive difference.

PM for you👍

Yeah, believe it is Tom Banks; he of Savay fame. I used to have his address, if I can find it, I’ll pm you. No promises, not needed it for years.

Happy to use uncoated braid if the situation dictates. For me, has to be on a leadclip and you MUST feather the cast and hit the clip to avoid it tangling (I do with every rig I cast but essential with soft braid). Larger/heavier bait help. If in doubt, attach stringer or mesh bag👍

Yeah, when knowledge is a dangerous thing and ignorance is bliss!

The real eye opener of course is using a boat to look at spots and features. I had a session a few years back which proved to be very interesting. I’d arrived late one Friday evening in early Summer after a particularly gruelling motorway journey. My chosen swim certainly contained fish but also lots of weed. Boats were allowed for dropping markers and baiting up but rigs had to be cast. Out in the boat with the H blocks I set about finding some spots near where the fish had been showing, around 110 yds. It was a jungle with only the tiniest (dinner plate sized) true clear spots. I dropped the blocks in those areas where the weed was shortest and scattered bait widely around each one. I’d been intending to fish my preferred lead clip set-up with a simple coated braid pop up but had to quickly re-tackle and use long running chods to sit over the weed. In truth I was not particularly happy doing so but it was by now nearly dark and it had taken the best part of 2 hours to get sorted. After casting each rod to their respective block, I quickly paddled out to check the presentation. Despite my best efforts I couldn’t find the right hand or middle rod for love nor money. But, purely by chance the left hand chod was sitting pretty on a hand sized sandy patch-you couldn’t have placed it better by hand! I paddled back secure in the knowledge that at least 1 rod was fishing for the night and in with a chance. In the next 24hrs I had 3 low 20’s from the right hand and middle rods. The ‘banker’ left hand rod didn’t produce a bite and when I paddled out at the end of the session to check, it was still in ‘perfect’ position and all the surrounding bait (pellets, chops, corn) had gone! Had I been able to present a bottom bait or wafter on that spot it just might have stood a chance, the chod was too blatant but the chances of hitting the spot again at that range was minimal.

I think this is a great starting point for discussion (if a little off topic!). We read so much about finding the hardest/cleanest/smoothest ‘spots within spots’ but I tend to agree with Yonny. Certainly this last year on St Ives’ Shallow Pit, the very cleanest areas never produced one bite for me. All my bites came from firm/hard spots that I could still feel the odd bit of weed or silt on. It got to the point that I would avoid really clear spots and actively seek out what I imagined to be ‘new’ spots being created.