[First swallow]

Saw one over my pen in Great Harwood this afternoon 

[Wildlife Getting Closer]

Was only talking about red kites with a mate at the weekend saying we were surprised they haven’t turned up round us yet . We used to see a fair few round Harrogate when I used to go every week a few years ago but the closest I’ve seen one to home is on a roadkill pheasant on the blubberhouses . 
When I was the falconer on the tip I got sent a Pere/saker from a site in Oxford that had taken a dislike to red kites and done 4 in a week . The bloke I worked for said there was that many they couldn’t fly the bird there anymore because it would end up causing trouble and cost him the contract 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

Just had half an hour on my way home , had 1 Jack about 3lb and this wasp . Think I’ve said on here before that they just disappear over winter round here and don’t start showing again till April and this is my 3rd in 3 trips , not many but it won’t be long till they are back in numbers 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

Managed to upload the photo this time , no idea what was stopping it before . Had it and the jacks on my usual pinky/purple morning dawn colour nimble copy . This colour must catch 90% of the pike and perch I catch 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

Just had a an hour this morning had the usual few jacks and managed my first perch  of the year . Tried uploading a photo but it won’t upload for some reason 

[100% coal tar creosote,]

2 hours ago, poxon said:

My misses dad used to mix used engine oil and creosote he made a fence out of old pallets at the back of there garden the bloody thing stood nearly 40 years till my mother inlaw decided it was time to get some fence contractors in to put a modern fence up.he was pissed when he realised he couldn’t get proper creosote no more he said this fence will be rotted out within 5-7years he recons the modern stuff shit 

You can still get the real thing , they just don’t sell it to the general public . I’ve just done an engine oil/creosote mix on this pallet wood chicken run , hopefully lasts a good few years but 40 years is some going  . 

[Anyone been out? What’s everyone shooting]

Just picked this handmade one up . It’s done with pippy oak , padouk , American walnut, maple , purple heart and another that I can’t remember. Going to band it up in a minute and try it out tomorrow 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

17 minutes ago, Borr said:

I've rigged up the colour , I'm using about 18" mono 8lb loop knot on the jig and an albreit knot to the braid...be next weekend for me now .

Nothing wrong with that . I normally use about 3-4ft of 0.19 Preston reflo so if I need to retire a jighead on I’m not leaving things too short . I’ve never bothered tying a loop , just a blood knot to the jig . I prefer a 4 turn water knot for braid to mono because it’s a smaller knot that’s easy to tie on the bank but the Albrights a good knot aswell 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

43 minutes ago, Borr said:

I'll try them next weekend, I blanked today, well tangled beyond repair, had three tiddlers on the yellow/green crays yesterday. They do seem small for the weight are you using #2 3g on the 40mm? How are you retrieving? I'm trying one turn of reel and drop and also two jigs and reel, had one yesterday where I feel the bottom is snag free I just bounce the tip on a slow retrieve... I maybe should've ordered more 65mm I've only 1 pack in green

I use size 4 with the 40mm and size 2 with the 65mm . I also mainly use the 40mm size unless the waters really coloured and then I’ll step up to the 65’s 
I just straight retrieve them as slow as needed to keep them above the rubbish and weed . I don’t bother jigging them up and down because I’d lose a lure every cast because of the rubbish in the canal round here . 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

On 02/03/2024 at 09:47, Borr said:

Arrived today, give them a go later 

Been out today just using this colour , had 9 jacks and had another 5 drop off because I’d crushed the barb . My mate was using a two tone pink version and had 6 and lost a few aswell 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

10 hours ago, Borr said:

Well had my first go with jig heads , few hours this evening, started off on a stretch of canal but muddy as hell and loads of drifting weed so quickly moved to a stretch about a mile down , nice dark coloured water, hit a few snags , then got a take came off and I thought it had straightened the hook but it pulled out broken I had two broken hooks today with the mini fox jig heads tried another as it was getting dark , got a hit a jack pike of about 3/4 pound, deployed my new quick net and line went slack and it came off, anyway slowly got the hang of it, I was mostly doing a sharp half a turn and letting it drop, where it was less weedy and snaggy I was take longer to twitch and work the lure...I'll see if I can get a couple of hours tomorrow for another go , might try some bigger lures as I'm running out of the mini ones

Sounds about right for fox , their pike gear isn’t the best despite what the marketing and sponsored anglers say . Lure factors is where I get my jig heads from . I pay £7.70 for 20 , 3gm size 4 delivered . You can even get them in all sorts of colours for a bit extra if you want . Have a look at these supercontinent lures , they’re a copy of the crazyfish nimble but every bit as good , just cheaper. They are all I take on the canal and colour k is what I catch most pike and perch on . Size 4 jig for the 40mm and 2 for the 65mm . You can get them off aliexpress , temu and I think Amazon 

 

[View from your swim part 2]

24 minutes ago, Borr said:

Interesting, not sure how that works with this....

 

They sometimes do the month and year the other way so that’s September, 1980 , 1st revision 

[View from your swim part 2]

25 minutes ago, Borr said:

I'm sorting out fishing gear ATM, one of my old man's along with old hardy centre pins and numerous other bits and pieces...

 

You can date it by undoing the screw you can see in the picture and taking the side plate off . There’s a 6 digit number on the side plate like this in one in the photo , 097100 - 09 being September , 71 being the year and 00 being the original version . If it had 01 or 02 at the end it would be first or second revision . If you’re planning on selling it the 507 sells for more than the others so don’t let it go too cheap 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

10 hours ago, paulus said:

i have a very low boredom threshold so i found Drop Shootting was not for me Lol

It’s the same for me , tried it but didn’t like it at all 

[Accuracy]

8 minutes ago, Chaff said:

Good shooting that mate, I only ever shoot 10 yards or under in the field so to speak 

I know , surprised myself with that especially since I was trying some heavier bands out 

[Accuracy]

Just been down the pen with the spitfire and the sight . Shooting at the top of a broom handle at about 15m . Only had about 20 shots but hit it 9 or 10 times and the rest were just to the side 

[Accuracy]

1 hour ago, Leo Sayer said:

Yeah I know they do custom. That's sounds nice , who,s making that for you ? Must admit thease John Jefferies frames are lovely ! I would to take a look at a Romany Custom Catapults frame. Love the customs, but maybe a bit too nice for hunting perhaps. I got a spitfire,  cracking budget frame. I've just ordered a sight for it for a fiver. 

It’s a mate who’s making it for me , he did one before Christmas for another of his mates and now one for me and the guy in Norway as a gift . He’s not a catapult maker but I think he's making a couple more but they won’t be cheap because of the hours he puts into them . He normally makes handmade skateboard decks that are sought after all over the world by collectors and even pro skaters plus any other stuff from wood that takes his fancy , he’s properly talented , like one of them you see on the antique restoration programmes . 
I follow John Jefferies and Romany custom catapults on Facebook and Rcc on YouTube . They make some really nice stuff , not cheap but they look quality . 
I bought the spitfire and then decided to get the sight later aswell , I’m taking it down the allotment this morning for a bit of longer range practice . I’ve found using where the back edge of the sight meets the frame works best for my eyes . Got the castle clips on my wasp but they are redundant for me , I need to be on the top edge between the corner and the groove for the wrap . If I try using the top sight pin on the castle clip it just goes to the left 
 

[View from your swim part 2]

8 hours ago, Borr said:

Nice Abu reels , are they 506s ? 

The red one is a 505 and the first of the 500 series Abu did in the 60’s and the gold one is the 503 and the second in the range . I’ve got a few of each and also got a few 506’s aswell . 

[Accuracy]

5 hours ago, Leo Sayer said:

I do like them snipersling s robin frames. If they was 90mm I'd be tempted. Look a lovely catty. 

They are nice looking . You can get them custom made to any size , costs slightly more though . Wish I’d have ordered one in 95mm , been using a spitfire in that size and been doing a lot better with that . I’ve got an handmade one coming that’s based on an hedgerow goblet hunter . It’s been laminated in American walnut , purple heart , maple , pippy oak , padouk and something else I can’t remember, possibly zebrano . It’s finished but I’m not picking it up yet because he wants some photos with another one he’s doing for someone in Norway 

[British pike record goes at chew valley Ames near Bristol]

2 minutes ago, waltjnr said:

What a fish !! Well done that man ! Stunning, been caught before? Hope it went back well,strongly 

It did , there’s a vid showing the release on one of the fishing forums  

[View from your swim part 2]

On the ribble this morning for a few hours with some retro gear . It was a dace , roach or chublet every cast for 4 hours straight till I ran out of bait 

[View from your swim part 2]

No perch for me today but had 3 jacks . My mate had a 2.11 perch fist cast and then nothing else 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

2 hours ago, paulus said:

Yep both of them arrived. The mavlos rod is great but they sent me the spinning version, Couldn't make this shit up with AliExpress. But to be fair their customer service has been good,  The rod is very good for the money, I ordered an Abu black max rod to go with the real, From Temu Lol Still getting use to the set up and the canal has been frozen for a while now, Hopefully be able to get out soon as the forecast is for warmer weather, 

You’ve been unlucky there , where they both from the same shop on aliexpress . I’ve never had any issues at all on there but I’ve seen others have problems with some sellers but it usually gets sorted 
 

[Soft Lure Fishing]

On 09/12/2023 at 18:06, paulus said:

It was off Ali. I contacted them and they are sending out a replacement, Its not the same one as there out of stock. its a

TSURINOYA Baitcasting Reel Coil Ultra Light 135g BFS 6.1g Spool Bait Finesse Dark Wolf KF50S Shallow Spool Free Shipping Gear

Has your dwu reel and mavlos rod turned up yet , just wondered how you were getting on with it if it has 

[Tying pouches]

Aswell as the cattyshack jig I got these from Dan Leighton and balls of steel , a 95mm spitfire and 4100 9.5’s . Just tied a 23-17 .60 ss green band up and thought I’d try the 1mm crystal string to tie the pouch . Its easy enough to tie , just need to see if it lasts like the constrictor knot ones I’ve done on my other catapults .