Gone but not forgotten baits and stuff, (Sillybait)

[steve2]

I am sure I still have a lot of what is being talked about here in my garage/talk shop. Some of it goes back many years.
I also bought rod kits from Goings, Simpson of Turnford and cane rod kits from J B Walkers.

 

[RMNDIL]

@RMNDIL Is there a current Drennan alternative to the old Drennan Specimen Plus Line?
Hugh Gough rated it in his Coarse Fishing in Ireland book.
TIA
John

Spec Plus was Bayer X120 matt surface finish as opposed to ORIGINAL Float Fish X130 gloss surface finish. Neither is bought/sold over here now. Specimen Plus grated really badly because of its surface finish and I changed it to X130 because of that. Current Float Fish is NOT Bayer.

The best Drennan would be Series 7 which is cheap (cheap doesn't mean poor. Nylon is a cheap material anyway). If you want it to sink from the start just wash it 2 or 3 tines using diluted washing up liquid through a soft cloth. Feeder & Method Mono would do the job too.

Alternatively, Edge Specimen mono is even better, tougher but still soft, but starts at 6lb. Available in bigger/longer spools.

 

[Crystal Bend]

Thanks very much for all the information.
You are an oracle @RMNDIL

 

[Ryan "Ribblecraft" Turner]

I was another early visitor (in both senses) to Milo. I was living in Manchester and was advised to go by a famous Bolton angler in his shop. He said it's out of this world - he'd been 3 times, caught more than 20lb each time and never even framed! The weights seem quaint by today's standards but his comment reflected what even England anglers were used to seeing on the local canals and stills. I bet you ran to the pegs at the thin end opposite the island? I never fish places like that now, but they were an exciting new thing back then. After a time or two on Milo, where you'd never get lonely, I started fishing on the lake at the bottom, Avoca, which had tench and was often ignored.

Things long gone I'd buy again: Sundridge Force line in 1.5lb. Racine Tortue line. Drennan Swinger and Tench Perfection floats, and Drennan Whip Wagglers. River King catapults. Wide rod rest heads for float fishing. Top end Shimano and Daiwa gear from the 90's. Obsolete bait? I used to find a lot of uses for squatts.

I believe that certain tackle shop owner (amongst other quite notable roles in the angling world) once did me a straight swap on the, then new Tri Cast Legend 3500 12'-13.6' flagship feeder rod for my 14.5 Tri Cast Venturis Pole that had been my late Grandad's. I think the rod was near as damn it £300 which was by far the poshest and most expensive rod I had ever had. Having just cracked the Ribble after a year of head scratching and frustration by landing my first ever barbel at 9lb 6oz on my Drennan Medium Feeder with 9lb braid and a 6lb Maxima hook length, which was frankly heart stopping and a total anxiety inducing experience. The feeling of that bugger heading upstream like a torpedo in what was a very low, clear mid summer river was the moment I knew I needed a far bigger and far more forgiving set up before I risked hitting double!
And yep, you're right I think. I was instructed to leg it half way down the far bank (the straight bank with Avoca or Tara, I think, behind us) and yes I was casting the trusty "Feedium" to the point of an island about 30 metres-ish iirc. I still have a River King catty and I agree with you on the Shimano stuff back then. I have been trying to find a 13ft Technium Specialist Float rod for ages with no luck I really regret selling mine and it would be a brill big barbel rod for trotting a hunk of Spam or a big chunk of flake under one of my own loafer/Avon floats. I had an 18lb mirror on No2 at Bradshaw in Bolton with that rod on 3lb Maxima straight through to a size 14 spade end hook and 3 casters that was intended for one of the big Roach. Obviously it took a minute to land and was a typical bit of sods law that was further illustrated by the next fish that came on my 2.75lb test carp rod (also a Shimano) that I had out with a hair rigged, Trigga dumbbell on, yes! you guessed it, a 2lb bloody roach! So I guess there's a lesson or three there somewhere. I do like the way it reminded me of probably the most important and sadly forgotten aspect of "fishing magic" (see what I did there?) that infects us all as children, 'surprise'. I always remember my Nana saying "He'd fish in a sodding puddle if he can't see the bottom!" about my Grandad's devotion to angling. It does describe a part of the reason we do it, I believe.

 

[Ryan "Ribblecraft" Turner]

Ooh! I just remembered my very favourite line for hook lengths and pole rigs and I'm fairly sure it's gone away. Silstar Match Team line. I loved that stuff it was like a high tech, pre stretched line but with a bit of stretch left in there to allow for any little lapse in concentration when playing a fish. I switched to Stroft after it's disappearance btw.

 

[nottskev]

Ooh! I just remembered my very favourite line for hook lengths and pole rigs and I'm fairly sure it's gone away. Silstar Match Team line. I loved that stuff it was like a high tech, pre stretched line but with a bit of stretch left in there to allow for any little lapse in concentration when playing a fish. I switched to Stroft after it's disappearance btw.

Disappearance? It's one of the most widely available. Have you not googled it?

 

[chevin4]

Ooh! I just remembered my very favourite line for hook lengths and pole rigs and I'm fairly sure it's gone away. Silstar Match Team line. I loved that stuff it was like a high tech, pre stretched line but with a bit of stretch left in there to allow for any little lapse in concentration when playing a fish. I switched to Stroft after it's disappearance btw.

As far as I am aware Silstar Match Team is still available. I brought some recently from Andys Tackle in Shefford Beds