The runes all lined up for a Solstice Eve trip to the Pond with my swing tip rod. It's a Sportex one and a quarter pound tc (as it was back in the day) Avon and once one of a pair. It even proclaimed it was made of carbon fibre on the decals. It has the all important threaded tip ring to take the swing tip I teamed it up with an Abu Cardinal 154 which in truth could do with a going over by Martin Stone. To continue the theme I also kept the centre pin on on my rather newer Drennan tench float rod as it was still made-up from the trip to Great Massingham with TT.
The Island swim was heaving with fish (had someone fished earlier and put in a lot of bait?) and some close enough for the pin rod and it was no surprise that almost as soon as I had cast (or rather swung) out the line was tightening and the ratchet clicking.
I'd just swung the bait out again when the swing tip on the Sportex twitched twice then shot out vertically. Game on. I had to bend the old rod into it's proper fighting curve ( at least through to the butt ring) pretty sharpish to keep the fish out of the pads and yes, my hoped for prize, a tench on the tip.
Two fish within 5 minutes of starting and I thought for a millisecond about going home. Only for a millisecond though....just as well as the next bite on the float rod was this fantastic hybrid, which put up as spectacular a fight as you'ld expect.
This really solid male fell to the tip rod after two had slipped the hook in the pads. Proper dived in the net it did.
8.45 and one last hurrah before wine o clock. I'd swapped to a fixdie to get a bit more range for this bream. 45 minutes work well done
Will I have another go on the swing tip? I think so and I'll see if I can find some screw in quiver tips too, the fantastic action of that donkey's years old Sportex means it's going to get some serious useage.
Oh, and I found this tucked in my usual left hand part of the swim. So thanks to the mystery baiting benefactor .
The Island swim was heaving with fish (had someone fished earlier and put in a lot of bait?) and some close enough for the pin rod and it was no surprise that almost as soon as I had cast (or rather swung) out the line was tightening and the ratchet clicking.
I'd just swung the bait out again when the swing tip on the Sportex twitched twice then shot out vertically. Game on. I had to bend the old rod into it's proper fighting curve ( at least through to the butt ring) pretty sharpish to keep the fish out of the pads and yes, my hoped for prize, a tench on the tip.
Two fish within 5 minutes of starting and I thought for a millisecond about going home. Only for a millisecond though....just as well as the next bite on the float rod was this fantastic hybrid, which put up as spectacular a fight as you'ld expect.
This really solid male fell to the tip rod after two had slipped the hook in the pads. Proper dived in the net it did.
8.45 and one last hurrah before wine o clock. I'd swapped to a fixdie to get a bit more range for this bream. 45 minutes work well done
Will I have another go on the swing tip? I think so and I'll see if I can find some screw in quiver tips too, the fantastic action of that donkey's years old Sportex means it's going to get some serious useage.
Oh, and I found this tucked in my usual left hand part of the swim. So thanks to the mystery baiting benefactor .
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