SiDfish

I remember VW quoting over £100 to fit new front brake pads to an old Polo, plus the cost of the pads (exhorbitant).  I got genuine pads (GSF) for £6 and fitted then in the rain on a muddy lane in less than 5 minutes (4 R clips)!

If you want to use as little lead as possible, go thin.  We use 8 carrier Whiplash Pro and Spiderwire Stealth smooth.  Apart from early stuff that snapped for no reason, they've developed into true superlines and seem almost indestructible (2 yrs use with no apparent wear), though they get more supple.  I use 60lb from the shore for rock and storm fishing and it smashes 75lb mono traces when snagged.  One small thing, I've not seen elsewhere, is that the braid gets wet and brings the saltwater back to the reel, where it runs over/into the reel.  I've had no probs with Penn Fathoms but my fishing buddy has seized up new Shimano and Okuma multipliers in a year of use.  I also use an interline rod sometimes and the water off the line clogs the tip section occasionally with salt crystals, needing a warm rinse out.  To get economy with these lines you have to commit to 2000+m spools, so try before you buy!

We've had a plague of chopped kelp after all the recent storms.  You can cast over it, but have to retrieve through it.  Caught two good bass last week on straight through 60lb braid, but retrieving them in 50kg of weed, with the fish a bit knocked about, made me give up.  The storms piled a metre or so of kelp on the beaches, then covered it with shingle, so even a calm week is still washing it out and into the surfline.

Sold them both to old boys here.  Haven't seen the four stroke, but the two stroke scared the shit out of the new owner, first go, and he just cycles it now!  Has to get his moneys worth I suppose.

Sold them both to old boys here.  Haven't seen the four stroke, but the two stroke scared the shit out of the new owner, first go, and he just cycles it now!  Has to get his moneys worth I suppose.

The original streetfighter? 🤣🤣

I built two really old pushbikes up.  One had a 90cc two stroke (really bloody scary) and the other a chinese C50 engine copy (still scary enough).  Used them to go to the village before they changed the law regarding power assisted bicycles so you could get nicked for drink and drive!  The two stroke used to wheelie like hell, do 50mph and set fire to the brake blocks!

I built two really old pushbikes up.  One had a 90cc two stroke (really bloody scary) and the other a chinese C50 engine copy (still scary enough).  Used them to go to the village before they changed the law regarding power assisted bicycles so you could get nicked for drink and drive!  The two stroke used to wheelie like hell, do 50mph and set fire to the brake blocks!

I built two really old pushbikes up.  One had a 90cc two stroke (really bloody scary) and the other a chinese C50 engine copy (still scary enough).  Used them to go to the village before they changed the law regarding power assisted bicycles so you could get nicked for drink and drive!  The two stroke used to wheelie like hell, do 50mph and set fire to the brake blocks!

My first ever bike was a c50, the chicken chaser. 

Crunchies, the 3rd world economies were built on those things.... And engines still copied today

They used to wheelie great once rocked off the centre stand. 

No need, just hold the gear pedal down, rev the nuts off it and release gear pedal.... Et voila.......

Hands up, I'm a Kawasaki fan.  Had a few over the years; Z250, KH250&400, Z650, Z1 (with drag race engine), 750 Turbo, GPZ900R and 1170 turbo GPZ1100.  Also ridden, and liked a few of my brothers bkes;  Ducati 900ss with hailwood spec race engine (would be the best without full rebuilds every 1000 miles), Triumph Bonneville road legal (ish) racer, Ducati 860GTS, Laverda Jota etc.  I've also owned a few other bikes including 350LC with full Stan Stevens tune, Rob Shepherd GT250 (300cc, a great 'sleeper'), X7, GSXR750(2) and 1100.
Some of these bikes were modified and finished to a standard way above their origins.
Best bike=GSXR750 bog standard except induction and exhaust
Lust=Jota (if I had one I'd use it every day) and Kawasaki GPZ1100 turbo (warp speed and with trick suspension, wheels, bodywork, paint). Wish I'd never sold it, but it paid for my Masters.

Hands up, I'm a Kawasaki fan.  Had a few over the years; Z250, KH250&400, Z650, Z1 (with drag race engine), 750 Turbo, GPZ900R and 1170 turbo GPZ1100.  Also ridden, and liked a few of my brothers bkes;  Ducati 900ss with hailwood spec race engine (would be the best without full rebuilds every 1000 miles), Triumph Bonneville road legal (ish) racer, Ducati 860GTS, Laverda Jota etc.  I've also owned a few other bikes including 350LC with full Stan Stevens tune, Rob Shepherd GT250 (300cc, a great 'sleeper'), X7, GSXR750(2) and 1100.
Some of these bikes were modified and finished to a standard way above their origins.
Best bike=GSXR750 bog standard except induction and exhaust
Lust=Jota (if I had one I'd use it every day) and Kawasaki GPZ1100 turbo (warp speed and with trick suspension, wheels, bodywork, paint). Wish I'd never sold it, but it paid for my Masters.

Ah - the third of my options then!!! Geoff.☺️

12 is short for 1200 horsepower geoff
 
Actually it comes drom having a suzuki gsxr750 that I fitted a 1200 motor in to

wondered where the 12 bit came from. Is that 12cylinder, 12 litres or the mental age of the riders? Geoff. WINK.

No idea, only just finished the bikem and weather turned crap, and no desire to find out til warmer weather gets here, don't think a ZX12 is the right bike for winter riding 😉

Try using an 8/9 weight rod and a disc drag 10 reel, giving plenty of backing line that you need.  Same outfit is great for pike, salmon or carp on the fly.  A lot of old school fly fishers say you don't need a drag, just spool edge braking, but once a big pollack takes off and the reel handle smashes into your thumb = much pain and break off, you'll wish you got a good drag.  Tackle doesn't need to break the bank, with freshwater rods and reels fit for purpose IF you wash it all after every use.  Reels are a con.  You don't need the latest style, cut from billet, tarpon reel.  Go for plastic, so long as the drag is good.  Saying that I have a saltwater sealed, billet aluminium reel that's gorgeous. I reviewed it for a friend and when he told me (after testing it) that it was €30 from China I was gobsmacked.  Give it a go, the first jumping, tailwalking garfish, or backing stripping mullet you catch will have you hooked!

Sorry if my post was difficult to de-cipher, but I type as I think and keep it as abbreviated as possible.  The info in the post is what I've learned over MANY years, so you're lucky to get it!  These patterns will work in the West Country, Dorset, Hampshire and South, Southwest and West of Ireland, without getting into the usual fluff chucking obsession with carrying a zillion flies. You only need to check out the huge vests that carry mutiple extra-large fly boxes.  These patterns, and variations therof are aimed to simplify fly tackle and catch fish.  I carry less than 30 flies, a spare spool (intermediate line with floater as main), pliers/nips, spare leaders (I use salmon poly leaders as they turn over easily)  and a spool of tippet (10-15lb flurocarbon).  If it's calm and the water is crystal clear I'll use a transparent inter line (no wake) so as not to spook fish.  Don't be scared to try it co's people like me are living proof that a crap fly caster can still catch fish!

Didn't give any ideas on flies earlier.  For mullet try casting in front of them and either twitching a sinking size 8 or 10 fluoro orange shrimp across the bottom (puffs of sand/mud) or strip a white size 14 muddler minnow across the surface and hold on!  For bass I use either a fish pattern streamer, usually a mini mackerel (3") or sandeel imitation (1 or 1/0), otherwise what I call a guzonker, a trout fishing style zonker (rabbit fur strip) with the head end whipped into an upward flap gurgler (check zonker and gurgler flies to get the jist) size 1.  I made these originally whilst using zonker strip for streamers and then seeing gurgler flies online.  These can be stripped, chugged, or twitched with equal effect. Try varnishing the upward gurgler piece of skin.  UV crystal flash used, sparingly, in most flies and feathers seems to make a difference.  For pollack you want full on 'dead budgie' mode.  Big rippling, pulsing and slow flies seem to get their boat!  With all flies use good quality hooks (I like Partridge saltwater) as you need a razor point, often hidden in dressing.

I fly fish a bit in freshwater for wild salmon and sea trout, never stocked trout fisheries.  In salt water the options are almost limitless.  One of the best is chasing bass, where you'll catch sea trout, mullet and various flatties as well.  When I was in Hampshire we called mullet Solent Bonefish, they fight better than most other fish.  If you've got mackerel close to the boat a lightweight fly rod will give endless entertainment.  Out on the rocks a sinking line and crab/prawn fly will catch lots of species including wrasse and pollack.  Pollack can be a real handful on a fly rod, had a nine pounder last summer that smashed an eight weight rod!  The great thing is, that like lure fishing, there's bugger all to carry.  As for effectiveness, one of the commercial bass fishermen in The Solent used to fish with rod and fly quite often, keeping his nets out of the water!

I fly fish a bit in freshwater for wild salmon and sea trout, never stocked trout fisheries.  In salt water the options are almost limitless.  One of the best is chasing bass, where you'll catch sea trout, mullet and various flatties as well.  When I was in Hampshire we called mullet Solent Bonefish, they fight better than most other fish.  If you've got mackerel close to the boat a lightweight fly rod will give endless entertainment.  Out on the rocks a sinking line and crab/prawn fly will catch lots of species including wrasse and pollack.  Pollack can be a real handful on a fly rod, had a nine pounder last summer that smashed an eight weight rod!  The great thing is, that like lure fishing, there's bugger all to carry.  As for effectiveness, one of the commercial bass fishermen in The Solent used to fish with rod and fly quite often, keeping his nets out of the water!

I fly fish a bit in freshwater for wild salmon and sea trout, never stocked trout fisheries.  In salt water the options are almost limitless.  One of the best is chasing bass, where you'll catch sea trout, mullet and various flatties as well.  When I was in Hampshire we called mullet Solent Bonefish, they fight better than most other fish.  If you've got mackerel close to the boat a lightweight fly rod will give endless entertainment.  Out on the rocks a sinking line and crab/prawn fly will catch lots of species including wrasse and pollack.  Pollack can be a real handful on a fly rod, had a nine pounder last summer that smashed an eight weight rod!  The great thing is, that like lure fishing, there's bugger all to carry.  As for effectiveness, one of the commercial bass fishermen in The Solent used to fish with rod and fly quite often, keeping his nets out of the water!