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Spodding in Oz. Who else is giving it a go?


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One of the more fun things that I've tried out lately is the use of a spod. Of course, if you mention one in an Australian tackle shop, they look at you like you've just announced that Kyle Sandilands is your deportment teacher.

 

Still, after watching a few videos, it looked and sounded like the way to go for dumping burley into what looked like a good spot.

 

Ebay once again provided a cheap pair of examples so while I wait for my braid to turn up, the general purpose indestructo-rod was spooled with some 20lb mono.

 

Mono with any kind of memory makes feature finding and depth gauging a problem, if not damn impossible. The line refuses to easily go back towards the sinker ring at anything but the closest distances, so we gave that away and started lobbing the spod towards where we knew there was some clear lake bed to see if we could attract and hold some interested carpzillas. But hey, it's winter and they might have been off watching the soccer, but it was worth a try.

 

So, what to put in it?

Wandering through the supermarket before heading out, I'd decided that some cheap cat food biscuits might do the trick. This is based on it being used in a few different mixes for all sorts of things and with carp being seemingly attracted to most organic content to a certain extent, we figured that we couldn't go too far wrong.

As it turns out, we were..

 

We had some generic chook pellets infused with eau de aniseed, some bread crumbs, powdered cheese, oats and anything else that was out of date in my mates pantry.

 

I was tempted to try crushed up Oreos too, but we gave the last one to the water rat, who seem very appreciative.

 

 

Our first attempts were serious failures with the cat food. So we threw a sinker on the line behind the spod. Then I realised that that wouldn't work as it would slide away from it.

 

Mistakenly believing that it MIGHT get away with it, I tied a figure 8 knot in the line. This might be interesting, but what did I have to lose?

 

This modification turned the spod 180 degrees from the re-entry angle pretty quickly. But when it was reeled in, the catfood still filled it.

 

Hmmm. .... Hang on a minute..

 

A handful of pussy purina in the water quickly ascertained that nothing short of concrete shoes would make this stuff sink. It would actually be helping the spod float.

 

So, so much for first choices. The chook pellets did the trick though but we decided to run some controls right next to the bank as we had about two feet of water we could clearly see. The breadcrumbs weren't much chop. As you'd expect, they swelled and stayed in the spod like it was a Darwin lawn party with too much beer.

 

Of course mixing the small stuff with different particulate would help things get out, but we were after ease of use. Oats worked quite well, if not slowly. I thought for sure that it would turn to glue, but they dropped out in a steady trickle. Before long, there were piles of stuff on the lake floor and the swans were getting harder to discourage from limboing under the braid to see just what the hell we were doing.

 

During the experimentation, we were also lobbing little charges of the chicken pellets out into the general direction. Once I had the feel of about the amount of effort required, I clipped the line and found that I could just hit the clip before splashdown with most casts.

 

Earlier on, we had discovered that low branches and spod launching isn't a good mix. The confidence of missing encouraged me to not pay so much attention. Fluro Orange plastic spod met Mr tree branch with a rather rude introduction. Thus we invented the mid air burley deployment technique.

 

This will achieve the attraction of carp to not so much a certain square metre as a square mile. It gives you more options in which direction to cast if your accuracy isn't up to snuff.

 

The spod looked like it had suffered some damage, spinning off into the deck like a Soccer player at the World Cup, but unlike a Soccer player, it actually HAD been damaged.

 

In case you're wondering, a spod with three fins flys pretty much as well as one with four. Even without the line attached.

 

And how do I know that?

 

Remember the knot that I hoped I'd get away with?

 

During one launch there was a crack like a whip and I realised quickly that fanning the reel wasn't going to slow this one down as the mono fell through the rod guides in front of me.

 

The spod rocket however was experiencing re-entry.

 

This is how we invented random lake burley bombing.

 

With the standard wrenched end of mono providing evidence that CSI would later use to convict the knot of failure, I knew the folly of my ways.

 

I did tie a stopper knot over it, but it kept slipping...

 

So then it was time to practice some impromptu lure fishing, with a Tassie Devil as a grapnel.

 

With the help of the wind, which was going in the right direction and several fumblings of Tassie Devil treble, the Spod was retrieved.

 

It was good casting practice with my little Diawa Interline rod. I'm confident I could snatch the hat off a Parking Inspector at any distance under 30 metres now. Who's up for some of that?

 

Some of you are thinking "Don't be silly!". Next time you get a ticket, the abhorrence factor will be reduced, believe me.

 

So throughout the day, nothing was caught. But the spod technique was refined. Once you get the feel of how much effort is going to be used so that the line clip doesn't snatch it out of the sky, you should be able to put burley repeatedly in an area the size of Demis Roussos.

 

So surely this is being done by someone else in Australia?

 

Feature finding and spod dropping the target area is just too logical not to be used by someone else?

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Plenty of people are doing it....

 

As you probably know by now I generally don't find it necessary to fish at range so I generally throw or catapult all my freebies, so the spod rarely gets a go. I don't like having to lug an extra rod to the lake, I also find it creates a lot of extra disturbance in the swim, not to mention attracting every curious dork and every little kid from a thousand mile radius.

 

Your spodding attempts sound pretty amusing! Yep cat and dog biscuits float! Try putting them through a coffee grinder and adding them to your mix.

 

I think you need to get your mix the right consistency for the spod, or use a looser mix and use something stodgey like wet crumb to lock it in with.

Once you cast out let it settle for a few seconds and give it some short sharp tugs inbetween to dislodge the contents.

 

As you found, practice makes perfect.

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Very entertaining read there mate!

 

Depending on what range you fish at a shockleader on your spod set-up may also be beneficial. And I'd get yourself a finger stall too if you get into spodding! For example on a runs water near me I can be spodding to 140m+ on 33lb powerpro and 50lb shockleader. With the grunt needed one wrong move without a finger stall and I'll picking my nose with my knuckle!!

 

Nash do a good range, gonna get me a deliverance monster when I get back to the UK!!

1673_1256804099_2072173894.JPG

 

Oh and chub finger stalls are cheap but effective

t_16846.jpg

 

Next you'll be into sloppy cloud spodding over zigs!!

 

Ben

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Wow. 140m... We've been discussing making a bait boat, but if I'm going to do it, I want to do it properly with redundant systems as I'm going to have a fair investment in one and we're not taking a recovery boat with us.

 

One provision if I ever make one will be a 12 volt car windscreen washer motor so that I can piddle a ten foot stream onto on the dragon boaters that get too close.

 

I've had 300 metres of 100lb braid turn up. I think it's a big much for fishing use but there's 200m of 30lb and 500 of 40lb stuff turning up shortly, so there will be something to suit the bill. I've just been reading about shock leaders and I think that that's a FINE idea.

 

There is a way of turning the spod around so that it winds in nicely, but I have a sneaking suspicion that when I remove the sinker assist it won't be taking underwater soil samples any more.

 

Digging trenches will probably disturb the wildlife.

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I must mention that that 140m is not all that common, it hurts after awhile and puts serious strain on your gear. makes you feel like a man tho, whumping that missile out there 8)

 

Got myself a baitboat this year, a patriot it's called, fleabay special with a humminbird rf15 and transponder. TBH haven't even used it yet. Will prob just chuck it in the container to bring back to Oz later in the year. Might use it in France in Sept, but I doubt it.

 

the trick with getting that spod up and in without dredging is in the retrieve. Get yourself the biggest baddest oldest spinning reel with a ratio above 5.5, ya need cranking power. daiwa do a dedicated spod reel in the UK called the emblem spod. It's the dogs!!

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Yeah definately ditch the sinker with the spod, the weight of your feed should make it heavy. I reckon the sinker will put out the balance and stop it flying properly.

 

Like has already been mentioned a fast retrieve will see it skipping along the surface.

 

Not hard to get a reasonable distance with a spod. Especially with a bit of wind assistance they just go and go and go! 140 metres is out there!

 

The other alternative to fish at that distance is a small kayak, you can paddle your bait out and put it onto the spot everytime.

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. I reckon the sinker will put out the balance and stop it flying properly.

 

 

Nope. It would almost be impossible to get a spod to fly incorrectly with the trailing line providing a huge stability margin. While the CG stays forward of the aerodynamic center, the difference will be insignificant.

 

(My background is aerodynamics, amongst many other things. )

 

You'd take a kayak out with you, but don't want to lug an extra rod....

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Interestingly enough, after reading Jerome Moisand's articles where he has been videoing carp and watching them for much longer than his videos, he reports that their "being scared away" return times are much shorter than you'd expect. Even returning within a minute if they've been feeding.

Apparently they remember where the pickings are good

 

http://carpiopedia.pbworks.com/

 

He's coming to Australia shortly on holiday. He said that he's visiting Brisbane and Sydney.

Someone should drop him an email and take him out for a fish while he's here.

 

Oh. tapping the spool puts the momentary brakes on the spod and dampens the oscillations to a point where the fins (if any) can handle things easily.

 

It's like popping a small parachute out the back and then letting it go.

 

Spods have what's known as poor tail volumetric co-efficiency. But who cares? It's feeding fish. Not rocket surgery.

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140 yards seems along way or as you said 140 metres.

 

I used to cast 80 to 100 yards with a spod and found that a fare distance.

I did not use a properly designed spod rod, but a 4 to 8lbs test curve beach rod a emblem 5500 reel 6 to 10 lbs mainline and a 40lbs pound leader.

 

Over here i used spods on the river when i just cannot catapult out bait over 40yards say the only down size is the disturbance. Even feathering the cast down.

 

I use mainly maize, but it is very light so i use also things like chickpeas, black eyed beans or any particle with a bit of wet weight to it.

 

My question is can you get hemp in australia or something similar to it?

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I didn't mean it to sound like big-noting. As I said the 140m was just a demonstration of what can be achieved. About me I am a big boy, 6'3, 110kg(240lb), been beach fishing since year dot blah blah blah so it is different for everybody. There is also a newish method of delivering method balls huge distances via a sling arrangement. Was on the Korda DVD with Tom 'I'm a bit delicate' Dove, may be an old technique tho, as you know Korda!

 

As to hemp, it's been a contentious issue in Oz for awhile. Commercial scale farming of hemp for fibre production, seed oil etc has been bogged down state by state because of the percieved (small minded) concerns of the public and regulatory issues. So, it may take a few emails to sort out whether or not it is available. Though you'll prob pay a premium as it is used for seed oil production not fish feed.

State of play

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/field/field-crops/fibres/hemp/commercial-production

Possible supplier

http://www.ecofibre.com.au/

 

Two of the bigger grain feed producers, you'll need to find suppliers in your area.

 

http://www.alloragrain.com.au/products.htm

 

http://www.agriproducts.com.au/agri/default.asp

 

have a look through there ranges for an alternative to hemp maybe? You'll need a decent oil content I would imagine which will narrow the choices.

 

Been reading your angling diary as it were, Stoke. Top stuff mate, it is really inspiring to read about someone spending the time discovering fish and then taking the time to write it up too. Keep it up!!

 

Cheers,

Ben

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. I reckon the sinker will put out the balance and stop it flying properly.

 

 

Nope. It would almost be impossible to get a spod to fly incorrectly with the trailing line providing a huge stability margin. While the CG stays forward of the aerodynamic center, the difference will be insignificant.

 

(My background is aerodynamics, amongst many other things. )

 

You'd take a kayak out with you, but don't want to lug an extra rod....

 

Ok if you say so I'm not going to argue... being the expert perhaps you should contact all the spod manufacturers an ask them why they don't come with a sinker.

 

Personally I wouldn't take a spod or a kayak, as I catch almost all of my fish in close. The kayak was just a suggested alternative that you might like to consider if fishing at extreme distance is important to you, I've seen it done very effectively.

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Ok if you say so I'm not going to argue... being the expert perhaps you should contact all the spod manufacturers an ask them why they don't come with a sinker.

 

Personally I wouldn't take a spod or a kayak, as I catch almost all of my fish in close. The kayak was just a suggested alternative that you might like to consider if fishing at extreme distance is important to you, I've seen it done very effectively.

 

No. I don't say so. Every single object that adopts a stable position in flight without augmented stability has these characteristics. A sinker on the back of a spod trailing a massive drag inducing fishing line won't do anything because it's pretty hard to induce a bending moment with a flexible piece of string.

 

Next time you use a knitted wrecking bar to pry a nail out, you be sure to let me know.

 

If a kayak were a cost effective method of distance fishing that I wanted to indulge in, I'd not be asking about long rods and play with spodding, would I?

 

What's the cost of a kayak and trailer or roof racks these days, compared to a cheap rod, reel, braid and spod? Can you put it all together for 42 dollars?

 

You seem to be remarkably effective in failing to understand the point of all this.

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I use gardner spods for years they are really good and about the size of the ones shown in the photos. Hopefully i can send or photos OR PUT PHOTOS on soon.

I use a full blood or a grinner knot for the attachment end to the spod we t it before pulling the knot tight as it can suffer from line burn or friction.

 

For a leader and joining the two lines together a double grinner 3works well as a full blood even when wet on low line say 10lbs to 40lbs breaks when pulled.

 

A braid would be good, but i cannot only say i have used them when luring for pike etc.

 

I have just recently taken up spodding agai9n so i am in the same boat.

 

A decent beach rod would suffice say 2 to 4 kilos casting weight you can pick these up pretty cheap from angling shopsn or online or even second hand shops like cashconverters.

 

To cast majorv distance really balanced tackle is the be3st and a good long nose spooled reel withb the line mounted right up.

 

I akm sure there is better articles on this forum than i can give advice.

 

I will look in back issues of carp world to find some and type thm in.

 

I have had problems with trieing to keep the spod on th4e surface when winding back. I had no problem in the past it just dives like a lure at the moment.

 

I must admit if i can i use the catapult or fish the margins, but this is just not possible with some lakes and the fish at range.

 

enough said for now

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Funny enough guys recently compiled my self a spod set up for under $150 all from Fleabay.

Sadly there is not much call for it over here in WA, there is a couple of waters that it may come into play but the fish a few and far between.

I,am basically getting ready for my future visits to the eastern states later this year and next.

The basic set up a 3 piece 14ft Pelagic surf rod for which I,am going to pimp up by chopping 10 inches off the top and 6 inches off the bottom to stiffen up the action and re-whip[6 runners] 50mm down to 16mm eyes on it.

The new SPOMB arrived from the UK this week and at first glance it looks the dogs you know what, It will certainly hold enough feed to get to the target and not leave a trail of particles as the normal style spods tend to do at range.

The reel is a large capacity baitrunner style surf reel loaded with 30lb braid, for which I,am investigating tapered shock-leaders that the beach fishermen use over in the UK for tying to their mainline, with a standard leader knot, those perticular leaders start off at 50lb and then taper down to 15lb I think.

 

Happing spodding gents.

 

 

Spodsetup.jpg

 

Spomb.jpg

 

3PieceSpodRrod.jpg

 

SpodRod.jpg

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Ok if you say so I'm not going to argue... being the expert perhaps you should contact all the spod manufacturers an ask them why they don't come with a sinker.

 

Personally I wouldn't take a spod or a kayak, as I catch almost all of my fish in close. The kayak was just a suggested alternative that you might like to consider if fishing at extreme distance is important to you, I've seen it done very effectively.

 

No. I don't say so. Every single object that adopts a stable position in flight without augmented stability has these characteristics. A sinker on the back of a spod trailing a massive drag inducing fishing line won't do anything because it's pretty hard to induce a bending moment with a flexible piece of string.

 

Next time you use a knitted wrecking bar to pry a nail out, you be sure to let me know.

 

If a kayak were a cost effective method of distance fishing that I wanted to indulge in, I'd not be asking about long rods and play with spodding, would I?

 

What's the cost of a kayak and trailer or roof racks these days, compared to a cheap rod, reel, braid and spod? Can you put it all together for 42 dollars?

 

You seem to be remarkably effective in failing to understand the point of all this.

 

Wow you really are an expert on everything, look out Karl Kruszelnicki.

 

Can I put it together for $42 dollars?... hmmm, no sorry I can't do much with that amount of money. I could probably put together a very good sandwich for $42

 

Anyway, I've had enough of this petty back and forth. Hope your Spodding works out well...

 

Ciao.

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The cheapest way is buy a lorry inner tube a life jacket and aset of flippers and swim you8r baits out if safe to do so.

They used to do this in the summer on a lake in the U.k and 30's from it.

 

Or buy a cheap inflatable boat to bait up from, but safety has to come first.

 

What kind of range are you fishing or want to fish with your hookbaits or to spod to?

 

I use to put a running lead on the line 2.oz or so do give the rod more bend or lock up before casting and i got more distance for that.

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Wow you really are an expert on everything, look out Karl Kruszelnicki.

 

 

And some people know Jack and find others intimidating, but I do actually know Karl. And we don't always agree either.

 

 

That spomb looks rather interesting. I've been entertaining the thoughts of those Pelagic reels, but I bought a little Melaluka to see what they're like and so now am looking at the SW70B. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-Melaluka-SW70-9BB-Deluxe-Xtra-Lrg-Bait-Feeder-Reel_W0QQitemZ400136174550QQcategoryZ36164QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DDLSL%252BPSSI%252BSI%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BUA%252BUCK%26otn%3D10%26pmod%3D120595395540%252B120595395540%26po%3D%26ps%3D63

 

It has a slightly bigger brother in the SW80, but the 70 has the shallower lip on the spool.

 

The ridiculous grabs my attention, particularly with the drag mechanism and spare spool included. I've seen a few pictures of these around and finally this one turned up today.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370405385701&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

It looks like it would soak up 200 metres of 40lb braid with few issues at all...

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Paul,

That pelagic reel, how do they go? That is a nice deep, long spool almost basia-like. haven't seen that on any other reels available over here. Ten bearings too from the website. what kind of lb/yd can you get on 15lb line?

 

Good luck with the chopshop on that rod tho!!

 

Ben

 

Not tried it as yet mate.

 

It the biggest in the series and more than ample for a spod reel I thought.

If I was to fish with them I would probaly go for one of the smaller ones, the 7000 looks the go.

The big attraction was the spool capacity with the baitrunner feature.

They are the only things I could find this side of the black stump that resembles a Big Pit reel and not the BIG pit prices.

I,ll keep ya posted Ben on the sea trials so to say...Cheers

 

Atb

 

Paul

 

spodreel.jpg

 

ReelBox.jpg

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