Malc

Couple of outstanding fish there!

I think that is the crux of the matter, find an enjoyable and efficient way of fishing

I wanted to give it a whirl and had a 12-20 trigger rod and baitcaster. It worked OK but I didn't like the amount of foul hooked fish I got so I don't use them anymore.

This is the only splicing you should be doing... ...but with gunpowder proof rum.

Not sure if you have used them but these are some ways to rig them. this is the way I would rig them for rough ground, cod and wrasse, but at the right time of year and place am sure bass would take them. For clean ground...

Admittedly I was using the FG but I usually pull out using a piece of wood wrapped with duct tape just above the reel and if using a rotten bottom it snaps off and I just lose the weight, at the weekend I lost the leader and a full set of gear when pulling out. You just need to get 3-4 wraps round the wood and let the line tighten between the reel and the wood as gently as possible and point the rod down to the snag.

Just looking at the PR on the toob and it seems to be mostly for heavier gear, is that right? Finished knot looks much like the other one but just uses a fly tying bobbin? Basically a whipping.

Especially when you reach my age and visual acuity 👨‍🦯

Yes, still annoying click, but hey ho.

Have done and I am happy with the security, but it's double the mono thickness so a definite no for rubbing leaders (60-80) for tope etc but not bad sub 30lb

I first heard about these being used by the nut jobs who go skishing. They are lovely though. 😍

Tried a few but all click as they come through the rings, probably just me being overly careful.

I'm going back towards having a rubbing leader but I tend to replace them periodically as I don't trust the leader knot rattling through the tip ring repeatedly. Probably fine but I think it's a possible weakness.

Slight tangent towards FS reels; I am hugely impressed with my shimano exage 4000 and how smooth the drag is. It hasn't let me down as yet and has coped well with pollock heading back to snags. I also have a Finn Nor offshore FS (6500 I think) which has an even stronger drag set up but not used it for anything other than general bottom fishing yet, but will be used for tope soon enough 🫰

In the southern hemisphere do you have to stir it the other direction or is it just better, no matter where you are, to chuck it overboard and cut out the middle man?

Sorry for the confusion, the hermit were on J hooks, 6/0-8/0 iirc

I don't tend to use bait from the kayak and usually on my friends boat I use flappers of one sort or another, however we are going back to Luce Bay in the summer for tope and the NE coast for flats. I got some tube booms (kidde) and they are pretty rubbish, some booms have not been glued in, ends badly cut or sharp edges and they don't slide well when used with 80lb rubbing leader. I got some Cox n rawle and they slide well, but then there are the bright red/orange zip sliders? For tope the idea is they should take off against the ratchet, so is a slider really necessary? Last time at the tope we had 2 screamer runs but didn't connect (both on hermit so probably smoothie) so again would it be better to have a fixed lead or short 2-3' "free run" and then a rubber or wire stop to get a bolt reaction. We mostly use barbless circles. With flats is a boom necessary at all? Or is it mainly to do with preventing tangles?

Is that a railblaza light? I use one on my kayak just for visibility in low light conditions.

I think you have been quite nice about it, many would have cut off his marker buoys.

Better than a day at home twiddling your thumbs

Yes, possibly but I wonder if it is also a combination of the bait scent and visibility as the fish had crab and fish in them. If they were grubbing about just on crab I would have expected the lower one to be taken. Who knows? A bit more experiment required.

Further update. Not keeping records but it seems that fish tend to take the higher muppet on a 3-1 basis. My lower one is usually 8-10" above the lead and the second around 10-12" above the lower and the same if I have 3 snoods. Not sure what to make of it all yet, but I might start putting the first muppet 12-18" up from the lead???

No, I was on ships, D88, F89, F173 and F174 iirc. Yeah I think so, but could be wrong

The Tyne. Big boat photos added

Out again hoping to get through the unicorns and catch some doggies and pout. We were using single and double flappers and a baited set of mini muppets. After 20 minutes I got a good rattle and a decent but skinny whiting came up and returned. The day proceeded like that, small shoals of fish coming through and causing mayhem and periods of quiet so we could get fed n watered. Mostly small unicorns with this the better one of the lot. We had one good whiting and a couple of doggies, several pout and a decent amount of codling for what is usually a quiet time of year. Other boats in the area were blanking but not sure why. Lots of porpoise in the area again and fish were full of sandeel and crab, those we returned were also coughing up fish etc. Lots of bird life too, gannet, puffin, guillemot and some lovely fulmar begging to be fed. Coming back in the place was packed with a cruise liner, cargo ship and the DFDS ferry. Thai green curry for madam tomorrow and whiting fishcakes for my granddaughter