Fishing The Fly Scotland
Index => Tackle Talk => Topic started by: Euan Innes on 28/06/2012 at 00:04
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For those of you with an interest, here's how I got on with what I brought this year.
Orvis Access 10' #4
This was the dogs danglies from tube or boat. It could roll out an SLX to the right distance in one cast and played fish perfectly, large or small. I tried Hamish's Helios on the last day and it is waaaaay better than an Access, but £300 more, I don't know. I need more practice with my rod and less worrying...
Orvis Access 9' #9
This rod is fabulous! Pollock have no chance, which also tells me that it is slightly over gunned. I wasn't tired after a day with this rod, it is that light.
Barrio SLX
#4 is just the thing north of Inverness - nuff said
Airflo sink tip striper line #9
WTF, what a pig to get right! A foot either side of optimum and you are screwed. You can't carry line so just the head is available for casting. Saying that, if you get it right, hoooo-yaaaaahhhh! It sinks like a carbon credit at the exchange market and takes more abuse than a Buenos Aires hooker, but cheaper (apparently...)
Shakespeare tube
Now that all the mods are done (with a chop chop here and a chop chop there...) and the top bladder has been removed it is all I hoped for. Does well in a BIG wave and is light enough to be carried in. Ace!
Smooth breathable waders are slippy in the seat but I have a plan....
One thing though. Make a tie rope between you and your tube and you may avoid what happened to me... :oops
Clip on polaroids.
These were just right. £22 from http://www.clipon-sunglasses.co.uk/, just do it. I am due new glasses this year so I'm going to hold off until my test is due but I WILL have the whole set to fit. Well impresssed!
Orvis Pro Guide jacket
Just get one. OK I know it's a lot of money buy every penny is worth it. The cut is right, the hood is right and the fit is right. Do your self a favour and go and see Ben, seriously.
There will be a small test on fleeces soon... (shit it was cold)
If you have any questions, just post and I will answer.
:z1
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Nice post Euan :z16
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Thanks Mike.
Seriously, that SLX is the mutts nuts. At boat distances, about 15 yards tops, you strip it in, dibble then roll cast the whole lot back out in a oner. At one point I was having to really short line (line held, just the head out, no shoot) a section of shore as Hamish rowed us back out of the river mouth and I could roll the line into the spot I wanted to cover, draw the flies over the water and then roll to the next spot. The SLX made this a joy.
Visibility of the orange head in the peaty water was great too. Shame you don't do a #9 because my 9' #9 Access would LOVE that one. I am planning on getting a 9'6" Access so there will be an SLX for that outfit.
:z1
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For those of you with an interest, here's how I got on with what I brought this year.
Orvis Access 10' #4
This was the dogs danglies from tube or boat. It could roll out an SLX to the right distance in one cast and played fish perfectly, large or small. I tried Hamish's Helios on the last day and it is waaaaay better than an Access, but £300 more, I don't know.
Hi Euan,
Thinking of taking the plunge on an Access 9' #4 Tip Flex (for river dries) so interested in your comments re- handling big/small fish as yours will be a tip flex also at that length. I too can't really justify (afford, actually!) a Helios ( unless they are halved in the sale !). I'd have to start flogging off guitars and that is serious ! :shock
Love my new Orvis Hydros II Reel, best reel I have owned, and just looking for that bit more in the rod department now.
Cheers,
Lindsay
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Orvis Access 9' #9
This rod is fabulous! Pollock have no chance, which also tells me that it is slightly over gunned. I wasn't tired after a day with this rod, it is that light.
I use a #9 Helios for Pollock (and Pike) What can I say..would not swap it for anything! Carrying that sort of kit on rocks is a scary business though, but the Orvis replacement policy means I am not to worried if I slip.
Barrio SLX
#4 is just the thing north of Inverness - nuff said
And pretty much everywhere else! I have recently tried mine on a 10' Orvis Western #4, and it works a treat on that too
Airflo sink tip striper line #9
WTF, what a pig to get right! A foot either side of optimum and you are screwed. You can't carry line so just the head is available for casting. Saying that, if you get it right, hoooo-yaaaaahhhh! It sinks like a carbon credit at the exchange market and takes more abuse than a Buenos Aires hooker, but cheaper (apparently...)
I use the Airflo Striper lines myself. I have floating, intermediate, "glow in the dark" and S5 sinking. Never had an issue with them, seem to load the Helios over a wide range, including a bit of an overhand from a back shoot. I do have a sink tip line from another manufacturer..and that is a pig to cast...maybe its the change in density?
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Lindsay,
Go talk to Ben and have a demo. Wild Browns are no problem for the tip flex, as are Haddo browns. The rod will bend a lot but that just means that light nylon will survive. I just love the way it casts - once I learned to slow down and let the rod do what it does best, accurate long and short range stuff was not an issue.
Go see Ben! :z16
Rob,
It's an S7 head on the blue running line. Very heavy, but does chuck Clousers a very long way if you get it right. Steeple casts with a cliff behind are not fun but Lochinver harbour with unlimited back casts was a breeze. I intend to practise more.... :z4
:z1
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Euan :z16
I noticed you never mentioned reels... Out of interest what did you use? I can't imagine someone playing a pollock by hand? :wink
Liam
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Shakespeare tube
One thing though. Make a tie rope between you and your tube and you may avoid what happened to me... :oops
which was Euan... go on... runaway (float-away) tube?
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which was Euan... go on... runaway (float-away) tube?
Or to strangle over friendly seals perhaps? ...... Not sure I fancy the idea of tubing alongside seals in deep water :roll
Cheers
Mike
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Euan :z16
I noticed you never mentioned reels... Out of interest what did you use? I can't imagine someone playing a pollock by hand? :wink
Liam
I'll jump in here too....I use an Orvis Mach IV reel. You need a strong drag to stop the buggers getting in the kelp. I used to use a cheap Okuma Integrity 7/9 which I used for Pike, thinking it would be up to the job...yeah right!! Pike might be strong, but Pollack are fast off the marks meaning a smooth start up and no over runs are essential.
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Liam.
My salt reel is an Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbour V with about 200m of backing. Really nice reel that performed perfectly. Didn't really need all that backing but it does make for a fast retrieve. This reel has now been replaced with the Access.
Iain,
Got it in one mate! Wind caught the tube, with rod attached, as I was trying to get over some slippy rocks in flippers. Luckily HM Coastguard was on hand to rescue the Red Oktober. Shakey tubes are very shallow draught and the loch dropped a bit since last year so if I sat down I would have beached.
Never going to let that happen again :oops
:z1
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Orvis Access 10' #4
Always been happy with my 9' for tubing but the above is now on my wishlist.
Barrio SLX
#4 is just the thing north of Inverness - nuff said
Brought my 4cast for the 4wt outfit 'cos it was on a reel I liked :X1 It's now holding up the sweetpeas in the garden. I would have given Euans' Left Orb to have had my SLX with me.
Airflo sink tip striper line #9
Yeah cool line, love saltwater fishing and managed two (small) fish from a mark where roll casting was the only option, line's great.
good things are also;
A buff
Orvis Encounter Reel
Scott S3S 9' 9wt saltwater rod
Pot noodle x lots
Pot Porridge x same amount
LARGE trout flies
snore proof wallpaper
a 4x4 vehicle
a towrope
someone who understands that the closer the contour lines the steeper the hill!
A decent set of fins
Someone with a laugh that sounds like a 10 year old girl (no spin off jokes please)
Iain
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I would have given Euans' Left Orb to have had my SLX with me.
Stop being so generous with my tackle Iain :wink
A buff
A must
LARGE trout flies
You can't say you weren't warned :z7 Quote of the week goes to Goolager - "I'd kill for some #6 trout flies right now!"
You see Iain there is this thing called a forum and on that forum people tell you things that you need to know when you are fishing for Highland Brown trout. There is this other thing call Message Privee that tells you the same... :z7 :z7 :z7
someone who understands that the closer the contour lines the steeper the hill!
Laptop now has a lovely tea stain on the screen.
snore proof wallpaper
We should have recorded that because we were all guilty :oops
:z1
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Go talk to Ben and have a demo. Wild Browns are no problem for the tip flex, as are Haddo browns. The rod will bend a lot but that just means that light nylon will survive. I just love the way it casts - once I learned to slow down and let the rod do what it does best, accurate long and short range stuff was not an issue.
Hi Euan,
Yep had already PM'd Mr.Dixon to see when he will be available at Bunkry for advice etc. Great pity I couldn't manage the open day at the bothy a couple of weeks ago but was too busy with holiday preparations. Interesting that the rod bends so much with fish on, that would be a good thing as you say esp. down at 6x (and less). Even with small (1/2 to 3/4 trout) a Streamflex really bends, that said they cope with the bigger ones too.
Cheers again,
Lindsay
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Just back from a couple of days near Stoer, using my home built Lefty Kreh , from Blanks I bought from Spiderman,
I have been impressed with this rod but not being able to afford one of Mikes lines I was using a Mill end and it performed well , I even had a few trout on one of the local lochs, but completely blanked the previous day, I could see the rises but couldnt reach them, still its only a 2 + hour run from me any way, easgach 1
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Hi Euan,
Yep had already PM'd Mr.Dixon to see when he will be available at Bunkry for advice etc.
This months Trout and Salmon has a tackle review of fourteen 10' #5 rods. Might be worth a read.
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Yes it did Rob, but don't mention it to Ben or he'll go off on one again. :mad
Apparently the Orvis rod throws tailing loops and is not accurate at distance. Now I might be a bit on the slow side but I always thought that both of those issues were caused by the caster not the rod... Just saying is all.
It was the cause of much merriment in Assynt when we discussed the best place to buy tailing loops! :z4
:z1
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I could sell you plenty of them :z4
Wee aside here but am a big fan of the Streamflex rods especiall the 9' 6" #5 Plus, (wonder why? :wink)
Have a 10' #4 as well which is excellent on running water when fishing almost everything except dries, but really good in the tube. It's made even better as a short line killer when you add the wee extension piece from the Plus.
Now if Greys were to pick up on this and expand the plus range to 10' rods then a whole other dimension opens up. Lighter river rods expanded range on French, or Czech styles, not to mention spiders, however equally as interesting on heavier loch rods (ability to work the bob fly longer, hold the hang longer and crutially further from the boat, but also enables you to shorten rod for 'pulling techniques' or more comfortable static surface stuff.) Plenty other uses although rod action kinda dictates a wee bit.
Allan
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Couldn't agree more Allan
I have yet to use my Access on a river but I will and I can see nymphing being great fun. On a loch it chucks everything I can think of , so much so that I think this is the rod I wanted thirty years ago. I can't imagine ever fishing with the seven and eight weights that were recommended in the eighties for loch fishing.
I had a Dave Shipman Drifter from Bob Church many moons ago. For those kids in the audience, this was an 11', stiff #678 "loch" rod that could handle everything from a Shipmans Buzzer to a Wooly Bugger on a DI7, allegedly. I kinda liked it but knowing what I know now it was shite :z4 It couldn't handle a tailing loop though, whatever brand I bought...
Few things improve for the better these days, but on the whole, fly rods are up there with the best of them.
Orvis Access 10' #4... :z18
Same in Helios :z18 :z18 (just can't afford one :z6)
:z1
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Yes it did Rob, but don't mention it to Ben or he'll go off on one again. :mad
I have to say, T&S do seem to have an issue with Orvis...the reports are never seem to be too great. Maybe T&S don't get enough freebies from Orvis!
I used to do reviews for a Predator magazine and it was common to receive say a rod for testing, along with a bag of lures, t_shirts, caps and sweatshirts..as a sweetner!
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I have to say, T&S do seem to have an issue with Orvis...the reports are never seem to be too great.
I'm not sure Rob...... an Orvis reel (can't recall at the moment if it was the new Encounter or Clearwater 'plastic' reel) got a very good review in the tackle section in the very same issue of T&S.
I'm all for a practical and thought out reviews (which is why I still buy FF&FT to read Magnus reviewing kit) but with T&S having a greater circulation than any other game fishing monthly in the UK (or at least it did the last time I looked, I'm prepared to be wrong in that respect) it concerns me that some of the reviews simply are not up to the job of providing practical unbiased reading.
The review under discussion in this thread was also a topic for much discussion whilst we were away in Assynt (as I'm sure you can imagine :!) and what strikes me is that the review doesn't make sense - not just the Orvis rod, the whole review.
Without casting aspersions about the capability of the reviewer (see what I did there :? :wink) the rod reviews undertaken by the same author in other issues all feel a smidgen limited in reference and (dare I say it) smack of an amateurish approach to me.
In true 'Top Gear' style many of these reviews have been ambitious..... but ultimately rubbish :z7
It's a whole new thread topic, so I'll stop there :z2
H :z3
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Actually..... maybe we can learn something from Top Gear here.......
Perhaps what's needed for tackle reviews is a 'Stig' :? Anonymous, capable and unbiased :?
Just an idea :wink
H :z3
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Actually..... maybe we can learn something from Top Gear here.......
Perhaps what's needed for tackle reviews is a 'Stig' :? Anonymous, capable and unbiased :?
Just an idea :wink
H :z3
Could you carry off the suit and helmet H, I know I wouldn't :z4 :z4
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Could you carry off the suit and helmet H, I know I wouldn't :z4 :z4
Didn't consider myself for that role Peter.... I'm damn sure I could not get away with the outfit :z4
H :z3
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You'd probably prefer the Top Gear role to the Tackle Testing role too Hamish ..... especially when it came to Italian models :z4
Cheers
Mike
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Good idea H, but we'd need to call him the Stik (ref to being a rod tester?) Some say he can float on water in a big canvas bag and only ever walks backwards.... All we know is he's called the Stik
Some say his loops are tighter than a trumpet players arse when he hits a high 'C', and that he can cast 100 yards into a hurricane, all we know is etc
Some say he smells silghtly of mothballs, and he can tye a size 32 Greenwell Parachute with his bare hands in the dark. All we know, aye you get the idea. :z14 :z4 :z4 :z4 :z4
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You'd probably prefer the Top Gear role to the Tackle Testing role too Hamish ..... especially when it came to Italian models :z4
Cheers
Mike
Lol...we have the same issue Mike..The Alfa is a shockingly badly built car, we are on the second gearbox, third respray, 3rd lot of suspension, all in under three years...but we would not get rid of it (ok..maybe trade in for another new one) for anything!
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This months Trout and Salmon has a tackle review of fourteen 10' #5 rods. Might be worth a read.
Cheers Rob, I have seen that review, but I am ideally after a 9 ft #4.
Lindsay
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Used a 104 Access for trout lined with a #4 SLX, superb outfit for fishing traditional from either a boat or a tube. Rod has enough length to work the flies close up and the line carries even the chunkiest loch flies very well. Also fishes a single #14 dry sedge on a long leader perfectly in flat conditions.
Helios 966 and #6 Rio Outbounds for sea trout in the sea and also for the imaginary mackerel. Smooth rod which copes very well with fast sinking heads (Access 966 is very similar in action) and the Outbounds are perfect for the job except for the odd tangle in the running line.
Helios 909 for pollock with a T11 custom cut Outbound trimmed to 33'. Brutal but effective, carries a big fly 35-40 yards and takes it down deep. The Outbound required more space to use well than the Airflo the others were using but it is much smoother to cast and will fly a little further, downside is that Outbounds are not particularly tough and are expensive. When it dies I don't think I will replace it, I'll use the Airflo as the first one I buy will probably outlast me.
Reels for above were Orvis Enounters, the new plastic jobs. They bounce when thrown against rocks or boats (I've tried throwing them, they don't break), superb drag and retail for under £40 with a spare spool about half of that.
Okuma Astral 16'6" 5 - 25g telescopic dapping rod. Very light and great from the tube, superb value at about £40 from GAC.
Cheers
Ben