[pete smith ireland]

I've read with great interest the LRF postings and have seen a lot people tackling up for this branch of the sport. It would appear that some members have had trouble maintaining contact with lures during windy weather,
given the choice of rod that was purchased with hindsight would they opt for a slightly heavier rod?

 

[Mick Ward]

Wind with light gear is always a problem Pete, no matter which form of fishing, I suppose though that having two rods would solve alot of the problems. With some rods available from £25 upwards I think its not out of the question to get a couple til you decide the type of action and casting weights you really require. I have been LRF'ing a few times and realised I had either taken a rod that was too light or too heavy. I take a 0.5-6g and a 2-12g when I go.

 

[Mike Sullivan]

Well given that i have been reading all that has been posted, i am building up a specific lure kit through the winter and looking at rods in the 0.5 - 5 gram range, and also 1-9, and 2-12 for lrf myself means i have spare rods for getting the kids involved too. Should be good for them with reltive safety and catching fish gets the old bug going for them.

 

[Dr.Thomas k]

...use the 10-30g Bushi on windy days and slightly heavier heads up to 10g.
Light lines and small reel are staying same. Works for me.
Thomas

 

[Mick Ward]

...use the 10-30g Bushi on windy days and slightly heavier heads up to 10g.
Light lines and small reel are staying same. Works for me.
Thomas

Oh Doc you do make me laugh Sorry.

 

[Dave Irving]

Sorry Doc,
I have been using a bushy for LRF, pending the arrival of a proper rod (soon hopefully), And I couldn't reconmend it for LRF.
Others have said that it worrks well for HRF though-Will be retasking mine as a wrasse rod shortly.

 

[Mick Ward]

HRF they are sound, LRF? No, even my Injection was way over the top for LRF.

 

[Dr.Thomas k]

yep, Dave, total agree here from me, me also still waiting for a really "light" or "ultra light" rod to been compared with the bushi and then added to my actual collection. ^^
Cheers
Thomas

 

[Carl B]

when it comes to wind pete the main factor keep in touch/control is the braid diameter, ive just started using sunline rockfish pe#.4(8lb) and it cuts through the wind a lot better than what i was using b4 cant remember the name think it was,viros bit big lover of the sun line, just ordered some castaway 12lb 8 strand for hrf

 

[Mike Kennard]

I have to agree with Carl above. Not fished very windy weather yet but fishing 0.3 PE Varivas means that the contact is so direct with jigheads under a gram that if I had to go to 4 or 5grms because of the wind I would be surprised. Light, thin braid makes a huge difference to contact.

 

[Mick Ward]

I agree about the thin braids, but the question was about rods, it is hard when your rod is waving about in the wind, so are we saying a stiffer rod would be better? Becuase I really struggled with a 0.5-7g rod in the wind...mmm...but in all fairness I was using 10lb Powerline Power Shot, and that would be like rope compared to the Varivas etc. So maybe it was the line making the rod swing and bounce?

 

[Mike Kennard]

Agreed, I strayed away from the point there. A light rod doesn't necessarily have to be uncontrollable in the wind. Some of the higher modulus (and usually more expensive) rods have a very fast, sharp feeling action despite being very light power wise. This type of rod would be less affected by wind, add the thin braid and you are going to find it much easier to fish with than perhaps a cheaper rod with a wider diameter blank. Maybe not everybody needs to look at these characteristics. More to it than just the blank diameter though, the rod still has to fish 'right'.

 

[pete smith ireland]

Thanks for your input guys these are just the sort of replys I was hoping would come up. It would appear that the right line to match the rod is far more critical on these lighter rods than I first thought. I think if dropshotting it may be possible to use a heavier weight to keep in contact, but if using lead heads and a slow retrieve then the wind would still be a problem.
Another problem I can forsee is cork or foam grips I read some where that a manafacturer has left an area clear so the fore finger is allowed to touch the blank, which should give more direct feedback to the angler, I really would be in favour of a skeletal rod, no grips and just a zip type reel fitting. would also like to hear your views.

 

[Dave Irving]

Pete,
I doubt that feel will be a problem with an LRF rod, all those rods I have managed to sneak a go of, Have given plenty of feedback from the lure. I have to agree that the right line makes a huge difference in LRF, not just because of the wind, but with the contact to lure, sink rate of the lure, casting distance, and control over the lure. I tried with 10lb PP but while I managed to catch a couple of fish. I was struggling to be able to use some of the techniques that Mike Hayes was using because of the line drag through the water.

 

[Matt Newcombe]

I was struggling to be able to use some of the techniques that Mike Hayes was using because of the line drag through the water.

I've found that also Dave - Ordeing some super skinny stuff from **** later, the braid I've been using certainly stops the lure from falling completely horizontal on a 'fed drop', i.e falling under no line tension. Hopeing that the new line will combat that.

 

[Mike Kennard]

Most LRF rods have handles that are designed to transmit some feel though to your hand. A skeletal reel seat would be odd on such a slim diameter blank. Try some of the rods that other people are using and you might just be very surprised. Try holding the rod and ask somebody to tap the tip ring of the rod GENTLY (so as not to damage the rod) with something hard like a coin and you will likely feel everything. The fish are often quite aggressive considering their size when it comes to bites and using light low diameter braid will transform how it feels through the handle.

 

[Dave Irving]

Matt, both the LRF braids **** stocks have proformed really well, I use the Varvias Light Game, and Mike Kennard uses the pink one (can't remember the name). I found the smaller paddle tails are the easiest to get to fall vertical, as you can up the size of the jighead slightly due the drag of the tail action and still get a nice slow swimming fall.

 

[Dr.Thomas k]

...it is hard when your rod is waving about in the wind, so are we saying a stiffer rod would be better?...

that stiffness might be why the bushi "behaves/feels quite good" in windy weather(?)...
But like Dave said, I also think I can not feel the action of the SP really good, might be better with a softer/ligther rod.

An other question, are all the mentioned braids are (fast) sinking?

Cheers
Thomas

 

[Dave Irving]

Doc,
Actually the Bushy is a great rod, that stiffness means you get good feed back from a jighead (you can feel the jig hitting the bottom surprisely easily), The draw back is that the rod is rated 10-30g so it just doesn't get on with the much smaller/lighter jigheads we use for LRF. But heads in the 7-10g used in HRF suit it well.
All the braids we use are strictly speaking floating braids, but being so fine (around 0.3PE) it has little effect on the lure and can be useful in vertical fall techniques.

 

[Andy K]

I actually managed to buy a really nice little rod that I was well over the moon with, once it arrived. The pics in the ad were barely visible. Turned out its because the rod's so skinny. Its 6ft 6", made of IM10 high modulous carbon - which means diddly to me, other than I now know that with its strength comes very reduced diamter.

The butt was nicely finished in a mix of cork and the same carbon the rod is made out of. See pics of the butt end, below

The tip, is ever so slightly thinner than a penny piece - see below

I have only used it with a few small lures and a patchinko. Had to give on a belt out to sea, simply to see if the rod could handle it. Bit of a "gulp" moment when it happened, but it sent the thing flying and I was well happy that it didnt just cave in and snap. In fact, I was so impressed after that first evenings use, I called the guy I bought it from to see if he had anymore. I was lucky, he said he had another two 6 footers. I duly transferred the money to his account and he called his courier. Two days later, I had a matching rod arrive and a 6ft "casting" / multiplier / Jerkbait, one piece rod. Again, made from IM10, again with a tip of around a millimetre or so, but the butt section on this one was a good few millimetres thicker. Also, as seems fashionable at the mo, the back of the trigger grip exposes the actual rod blank. The main difference was the weight / power classes. This little puppy was way beyond anything I needed at 50 to 150 (1 3/4 to 5 1/2 ounces)!!!

Shows the blank thru the back of the trigger grip.

2nd best bit (best has been the rods so far) was the cost. Even with 2 x courier charges, I had these 3 rods for less than £100. The matching new arrival, btw, was "chosen" by Jack, my son, as his new toy.

Now, I cant wait til summer to try the first one out with soft plastics. Both on the end of the line and drop shotted. The "heavy weight, will be going to Bosh to chuck around towards some pike