A fishing rod question

[blindswelledrat]

ManFromDelmonte said:

Fair enough.

For carp fishing or similar I agree that adding £££ doesn't always gain you very much but I imagine any fish that can pull off 300 yards of line could quite happily seize or simply wear out the drag unit of a cheaper reel. I predominantly fly-fish for salmon, where the reel spends 99% of it's time doing literally nothing but when you hook a fish you need to be sure that you can trust it 100%. I have seen people paying upwards of £200 per day to fish (not including accommodation, fuel etc. etc.) lose fish because there cheapo £50 reel has let them down. It just doesn't make sense. The same goes for line, hooks and to a lesser extent, rods.

On reflection I think you're probably right. Not worth the risk and my experience doesn't apply to fish stripping 300m on a run generally. Although one of lifes best memories is sitting holding a big game rod struck completely useless as a marlin stripped several hundred yards off the reel. Absolutely awesome sight sitting there for over a minute watching the reel slowly emptying with nothing you can do about it.

mfd said:

It sounds like one hell of an adventure though, good luck.

Thanks. It's my mid-life crisis trip I think

[blindswelledrat]

grand cherokee said:

for line you will not find better than Powerpro Braid - be careful where you buy as ebay has lots of 'fakes' from China etc - I get mine from a guy in the UK who imports 'fresh/new line' from the USA at very reasonable prices and spools up to 1500m which makes a big saving
mail for me details if interested

Its lucky you had said this as I only just discovered how much proper braid costs. I was gobsmacked, particularly as I had mistakenly assumed from ebay that bulk was relatively cheap. They idea of going on a trip like that with 'fake' line is terrifying. Anyway, I will definitely be in touch to ask for your help in sourcing that once I have bought reels.

gc said:

reel wise , lets just say apart from fly reels I use nothing apart from Shimano - at last count I had over twenty five!

have a look at the Shimano multipliers not the baitcasting range - may be worth looking at US Ebay for prices and a larger range? - any multiplier used for Tarpon will be fine

I favour shimano for most of my fishing but in this instance it is over budget by a long way unfortunately. Whilst I have dismissed the idea of going cheap, Im still not going to break the bank for a potentially one-use trip.

GC said:

a friend who has fished for Nile Perch/Goliath Tigers has always had high quality tackle supplied by the 'outfitters' - local experience is priceless
]

I could imagine that with the perch, but Ive only found 2 outfitters that do the Goliaths and neither supply tackle.Most internet searches that come up with trips terminate, via other travel agencies, with one trip provider in the congo.

[blindswelledrat]

otolith said:

BSW, there are a few anglers on this forum who have done a lot of the destination fishing stuff - worth joining and starting a thread there. Vagabond in particular has been everywhere (currently claiming 471 different species, though he is rather old and does make every effort to add to his list)

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/

Ill give it a shot, cheers. The more I look at this the more I realise that I don't know so Ill no doubt have loads of things to ask

[blindswelledrat]

grand cherokee said:

just a thought - but any specific reason it has to be a multiplier?

No really. I was always of the belief that multipliers cope much better with heavier lines. I know from experience that the heavier the line on a fixed spool, the more cumbersome the casting.
At the same time, though, I cant see me actually casting long distances on this trip so Ill have a look out for that.

[blindswelledrat]

Mr Gearchange said:

In fact a rod of that TC would be impossible to cast as you wouldn't be able to compress it anywhere near enough to send the bait out unless you are casting something that weighs 2lb+ and have arms like Geoff Capes. A very heavy spod rod - around 5.5lb might do the job but they will all pretty much be 12ft long.

I think this thread has established that I am looking for something similar to a 6-10 oz uptide rod.

[blindswelledrat]

slow_poke said:

Time to think about terminal tackle? I reckon a setup for porgbeagle sharks would do the trick. 10/0 Cox&Rawl Meathooks, anyone?

You joke, but this is next on my worry list.
I need to make up my own wire traces for this and haven't got the first idea how to go about it.

[blindswelledrat]

I guess so. Ill have to learn. How are the hooks attached to the wires?
Also, and I am trying to get my head around this: I read somewhere (cant find it now) that the current favoured method is to fish with 3 hooks at either side of the body of the livebait.
I cant work out how you would achieve that with one trace?

[blindswelledrat]

grand cherokee said:

I presume your going with some outfitter?

if so the making up of traces etc should be something they do as part of their service - they can tell you what trace material/hooks etc to bring with you

I'd guess 100 - 150lb trace wire and always use double crimps - hook wise Owner/Gamakatsu are superb

if you want to make your own traces there are plenty of vids on You Tube etc from guys in the USA

if your going into the Congo basin a few tips

a) make sure your outfitter is up to date with security issues on the ground - life is cheap out there and if something goes wrong in 'bandit country' you will be in a world of hurt with no help at the end of a phone
b) take a very comprehensive medical kit - don't rely on what the outfitter may have - take antibiotics/suture kit/blood products/syringes etc - in other words a proper trauma kit
c) take you own life jacket such as a crewsaver with spare CO2
d) getting the locals onside is a big plus - take some football shirts - Chelsea/Man Utd/Liverpool - they will win you friends
e) its a sport fish to you but its a meal to poor locals so don't be too keen on catch and release - give them some food
f) tell them when you leave they can have your line/hooks/traces etc - that's worth a lot to them as they cannot source/afford fishing tackle
g) satellite distress beacon - remember false use results in a fine of about 20K dollars!!

when you see these 'fishing expeditions' on Sky with Jeremy Wade/Matt Hayes/John Wilson etc remember they have full emergency backup including medevac and ex forces combat medics who can deal with everything from limb loss to snake bite - also they often have armed govt 'minders' for security as it would not look good if an international film crew got robbed/mugged or even worse

food for thought?

contacting Jeremy Wade would be a big help

try

[e-mail]

somewhere I have contact details for Matt Hayes and John Wilson (but John has moved to Thailand) - i'll look them out but will have to get their approval to release them to a third party - sorry, but I have to respect their privacy

[]

Funnily enough it was a book I read by Jeremy Wade 15 years ago that has caused this trip. It remains on my bedside and has been read about 15 times since.
FYI he doesn't have any of that sort of backup when he films his programmes. Its a small 3 man crew consisting of him, a cameraman and a sound man and none of the provisions you mention.
Although Im not being flippant- I know the risks and will be cautious.
Re the 'outfitters'- I may be proved wrong but I get the impression that all they are going to do is get me there. Im certainly not going to arrive being reliant on their knowledge and will consider it a bonus. The difference between this and other outfitters (like for Mahseer) is that tourism is nowhere near enough in the Congo for them to be doing regular trips and become experts.
I get the impression the main company that does it only does about 2 weeks a year or so, so they will have nothing like the expertise you get on more mainstream expeditions. LIke I said, I may be pleasantly surprised but Ill make sure I am prepared either way.

[blindswelledrat]

grand cherokee said:

Jeremy may have had a small three man team in the 'early days' - that has changed I'm told because quite simply insurance companies insisted on improved provisions

Makes sense, I'm sure you're right

GC said:

so I'm going to leave the discussion

Wow, you're a little touchy today aren't you? Discussions are a two way thing you know?

[blindswelledrat]

That's fair enough GC, you should have just said that from the outset.
You must realise that a lot of things get said over the internet based on not very much!
ANyway, whether it seems it or not, I've taken a lot of useful advice from this thread including avoiding several potential crucial mistakes, thanks to you and others, so if what I read contradicts what you know then just say so. That's a normal conversation isn't it?

Where did your post go?

Edited by blindswelledrat on Tuesday 30th September 13:25

[blindswelledrat]

CHeers, will do

[blindswelledrat]

That brings up:

fishing megastore.co.uk
cabelas.com
anglingdirect.co.uk
chapmansangling

Is it one of those or is the name the same as the search?

[blindswelledrat]

grand cherokee said:

sorry, search powerpro uk and you will see fishingtackle online
]

GOod one, saved me a fortunate there I think

[blindswelledrat]

grand cherokee said:

I was sent to Nigeria in the late 1970's as part of the UN to assess the state of medical infrastructure after the civil war - all was supposedly safe but I arranged through South African contacts people who are called today PMC's

well lets just say I'm glad I did what I did - I'm alive and their bones are bleaching under the harsh African sun!
]

Sounds fascinating. Full story please

[blindswelledrat]

More questions please on reels
Im not really up on clutches etc, I have always switched off the anti reverse and done it manually.
Its something I need to learn though as I have no feel/instinct for the much stronger lines so a clutch is essential.
A couple of things:

My experience of bigger fish is using either baitrunners on fixed spool reels or lever drags on multipliers. The obvious advantage is you set the bait runner/lever so when you get a vicious take the fish can take line relatively easily before you engage the drag and strike (hence not losing your tackle and giving the fish little resistance when it first takes the bait). If you are using one without lever/baitrunner - what is the protocol for getting vicious takes? Do you just make sure your rod is secure, set the drag as you intend to and hope the fish hooks itself on the take? Or do people tend to set the star drag/front drag on very light and then faff about tightening it up once the fish has taken?

[blindswelledrat]

Ah, I see. I am unfamiliar with multipliers so I didn't know they had that.
Is the ratchet clicker just something that let the line out easily? Can you set the force needed to do it so that things like tide/current don't keep pulling unnecessary line out?

[blindswelledrat]

slow_poke said:

So stars are basically pretty simple. The tricky thing about them is adjusting the amount of drag you need whilst in the middle of the fight of your life with the fish of your dreams. You really don't want faffing, you need to know how to and how much by to adjust drag, almost automatically, without thinking about it.

There's your tricky bit, and stars aren't the best there.

Yes I am a bit worried about that tbh. The reason I always wind backwards instead of setting drags is from losing big (for the time) fish when I was young. You set the drag at what you think is right and either a)the fish makes a particularly quick strong run and breaks your line or b)your drag is set too lightly and you are giving a fish an unnecessary amount of line.
I never knew if that was because I had st reels or whether that was a hazard. But adjusting fixed spools from the front mid-fight seems hugely impractical.

Also, as an aside, I am unlikely to be buying multipliers now. THe braid that was recommended in this thread is ludicrously thin for its strength and so I can buy fairly large fixed spools which will hold enough line and which I will be able to use again after this trip

[blindswelledrat]

KemP said:

I use lever drags on all of my reels. That way I can adjust mid fight. Remember that the drag setting changes with the amount of line let off the reel. The drag increases with more line out. There was a video that explains it nicely on youtube some where. Might be worth remembering if you are expecting the fish to take a lot of line.

Fascinating- I did not know that. When you say increases, do you mean the line is harder to pull off, i.e. you could set your drag perfectly but then at a certain amount of line out it might just snap for seemingly no reason?

[blindswelledrat]

An interesting article here for you other anglers, btw, that someone sent me about a trip for goliaths

http://theflyguides.com/tfg-blog/item/finding-goli...

[blindswelledrat]

Oh, another question:
I was looking into those grips recommended on this thread(boka grips?) and the only ones I seem to come across were labelled as 30lbs. Is that actually descriptive of the maximum fish size or spring strength? Are those two things even different?