Tim Kelly

Hi. Carp, depressingly, are far and away the most popular quarry in the UK. I'm not aware of any smallmouth in Europe, I believe they are Japan though? I imagine smallmouth would be very well suited to western Europe, but there is a resistance to stocking non native species.

Looks utterly fantastic, even when it's "off".

I would expect most braids of a given PE diameter to break at a similar test, despite what it says on the packet.

My favourite fishing picture, from Saturday morning. Short window of action over dawn, got a great pic of Serhii with a zander.

Looks like they wanted that swimbait! Is it a Storm Wildeye? We used to throw them a few years ago for pike and they worked very well.

Kill Clouseau. ?

Check to make sure it's not just your line (braid) slipping on the spool. If you don't put and mono backing on it will slip and appear that there's no drag, as you're describing.

I'm frequently trying different braids, to see whether there's any step forward from the manufacturers, and I'm a sucker for their claims. Even with all the different brands I keep coming back to spiderwire smooth 8. My most used spinning outfits still have the same yellow smooth 8 they were loaded with 5 years ago, which has be turned round once. I use the 0.10 and 0.12 for most spinning applications and the 0.14 on a heavier outfit. Probably wouldn't be the best for flipping in thicker diameters compared to a 4 strand, but suits me very well for lighter spinning applications.

Thanks Andy, really kind of you. I suspect you'll get more smallmouth on them than I will in the near future, though I bet my monster perch would like them. Maybe if I get a chance to go to Canada next summer and Berkley still don't have their ducks in a row, I might well see if the offer's still open. Ditchy would sulk if I had them and he didn't. ?

Are they really still totally unavailable? Is that 2 or 3 years now since they theoretically introduced them? I really doubt they are that special, but it would be nice to be able to buy a couple of packs to be sure! Seems more than slightly inept of Berkley to still be having supply issues, covid or not.

I have the same trouble. Water shoes or sandals are fine when they're dry, but if I get them wet they stink. I've ordered some of Glenn's magic potion, so if that's the answer I'll be delighted.

Doesn't sound too bad to me, if the motor's sound and the transom's solid it should be good, just be aware that it's an old boat and motor and while you might be lucky, chances are you're going to have to do some repairs and upgrades. Boats are a hole in the water to throw money into, old boats even more so. Sounds like a great boat to have fun with your son in though and a good size for the two of you.

Once you've broken the 100 day barrier you can legitimately start packing and repacking your tackle bag. Have fun.

My day job is a plumber. I work very locally generally and probably could earn a lot more money if I tried to squeeze more jobs into a day, but I prefer to be on time to each appointment. I'm more often there 30 minutes early than 10 minutes late, but I dislike being late and respect other people having lives where they don't need to be hanging around waiting for me to show up. If I turn up and they're not there though, they go on the **** list! Works both ways. Fishing, usually 1/2 to 2 hours early. Who can actually sleep when there's fishing the next day?

Our fishing season opened on the 16th June. I thought, in a clearly mad moment, that I would leave home at 22.30 and be at my starting spot on the river for midnight and the first cast of the season. At 04.30 I had a my first bite, a modest fish and a couple of casts later a small one. That was it. No more fishy interest at all. By 11am the following morning I was wiped out and threw the boat back on the trailer and drove home straight to bed for the rest of the day. I'm definitely not 18 anymore. ?

All I can think is that the drag washers have been contaminated with oil or grease then, assuming the reel hasn't been opened up and reassembled incorrectly.

No mono backing under the braid, so the braid's slipping on the spool? Put a mark on the spool with a sharpie and pull the line against the drag to see if the spool is actually turning or whether the braid is slipping on the spool.

Doesn't look very game changery does it? Hardly worthy of the "Mega" prefix. I'm sure it will be fine and probably as good as the other options, but they look a bit late to the party.

I have been through the same thing. I need 2 piece rods for when I travel, which I need to do to go to a country with bass! St Croix do a couple of decent casting rods in 2 piece, mojo series. I make my own from MHX blanks too. Also have some Japanese rods, which are decent quality. I saw Tackle Warehouse are doing some expensive multi piece rods from Legit https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/LEGIT_DESIGN_Casting_Rods/catpage-LEGC.html Which might be decent?

Assuming there aren't any cracks in your guides or levelwind you couldn't detect when you checked them, and you're not fishing somewhere with a load of zebra mussels, or something equally sharp, then I think the braid is probably faulty. I bought a spool of the original 8 strand power pro and thought it was very poor. Haven't investigated the V2 version, so can't comment. I always try to buy braid based on the Japanese thickness rating (PE) as that seems to be more reliable than buying on a quoted strength. Some manufacturers "30lb" braid is significantly thinner than others so more vulnerable to any minor nicks or even damage from backlashing. A PE2.5 or PE3 line is probably going to give you a more reliable baseline for the techniques you described using.

For a 1/4oz lure, especially in clear water where you're worried about fish seeing the line, I'd use a spinning outfit with 10 braid and a 10-12lb leader. Everything will be better and the leader can be as long as you like.

The new Tatula 300 size is supposed to have a larger gapped T wing levelwind. I imagine that might be an answer if the leader knot will wind back through it OK. Might also be worth spending a bit more time practising your FG knot finishing, as it really shouldn't come undone even passing through a levelwind.

Great review. What speed are you getting and which prop are you running?