Latest News

 

The bitterness of poor quality still remains....

                after the sweetness of low cost is forgotten...

 

 

This page is set out as a vehicle to voice some of our latest developments and news, mostly in the rods that we build, but also on some of the things going on at Excalibur Tackle. We point out that the opinions expressed here are our own, and not associated with any of the companies that we trade with. The opinions are based on our own experiences, and what we have seen first hand, they are not designed as derogatory comments on what others might be doing, but just our humble opinion – take it or leave it!

 

The page is set out in a date order with the most recent at the top. With a summary of any month’s topics listed below, to save folks having to read the entire page of ramblings. We will try to keep it updated, hopefully on a monthly basis.

 

A note to ‘would be’ mimics of our products, to save you reading through all the text to garner any of our little rod building secrets – they have been filtered out for the sake of commercial prudence. If you have an honest question on how we are building our rods, then give us a call.

 

 

January 2012      

                             General News

                             Development Ideas

 

December 2011   Stilettos

                             Xmas Rumours

 

November 2011   Prototypes

                             2 Records on Shatanis

                             Gus Kohlner

                             Back to fishing

 

October 2011       General News

 

September 2011   Proto-types & Cape Shark Special

                             Katana Hooks

 

August 2011         Proto-type rods

                             Lever Drag Reels

 

July 2011             New rods

                             RSA Agent

                             SA Trade Show

 

June 2011            Web Page & Reels

                             Rod Blanks

 

May 2011             Rods

                             Poor Advise

                             Katana Hooks

 

April 2011            Pet Peeves

                             General News

 

March 2011          General News

                             Fishing

 

February 2011     General News

                             Weather

                             Fishing

 

January 2011       New Year Greeting

                             General Chat      

 

December 2010   Field Trials

                             Initiate or Imitate

                             Fishing

 

November 2010   The ‘Shatani’

                             General Chat

 

October 2010       Prototype Blanks

                             Fishing

 

September 2010  General Chat

                             Liquid Lightening

 

August 2010         Ladies Fixed Spool Rod

                             Play time

 

July 2010             Dedicated Shark Rod

                             Reel Servicing

 

June 2010            Onwards with Fixed Spool Rods

                             Fin-Nor Reels

 

May 2010             Competition Fixed Spool Rods

 

 

 

January 2012

 

General News

 

May we wish all our customers past and present a very happy new year, and may it see you succeed in all your endeavours.

 

The workshop continued to be flat out for pretty much the entire month, with a brief spell of panic, when I got a kidney infection. Unable to focus on work for a  few days makes you realise just how good your staff are, they stepped up to the line and carried on with the scheduled work. Nice to know that the system we have in place works.

 

The Stilettos is continuing its stream out of the workshop – to the extent that we have run out of blanks, and only have the our sample models on the wall in the shop, as well as a waiting list for those that we will build as soon as our next air freight delivery gets here. Being first to wish your supplier a happy new year was a huge politeness, but the intent was to get right to the front of the blank production queue for 2012.

 

Restocking after the holiday period is always different, for some reason the buying public that come to Henties Bay each year require different things to buy. Again this year Fin-Nor reels were very popular, especially the OFC20 series, as well as DP Expert lines and leaders, they were flying off the shelf. Last year we sold huge amounts of bait, whereas this year we were down about 60% - which does rather reflect some of the reduced numbers of tourists in town.

 

Apart from the increase in new rod sales, we were also doing a lot more rod repairs and reel services as well. Seemed at times that we had more rods and reels in the workshop, than in the main shop. Something that was doing well, was a range of end tackle that we are importing, which are all basically refinements on the basic rigs, but designed to just enhance performance a little bit. Bait clips, lead flights and micro crimps were all popular – probably because most folks haven’t seen some of these European components before, and over there they are considered basic kit, rather than ‘add-ons’.

 

Development Ideas

 

Some thoughts to develop further this year are towards the lighter end of the spectrum of our rod range, dealing with spinning and plastic lure fishing. This comes about because we have seen so many of a particularly populist rod coming in for rings and other repairs – the blank is good, but the build and specification by the factory is a disaster – the rod really isn’t designed for use near the sea – it was designed as a pure fresh water product, yet the importers are still selling it for sea fishing – in fact actively promoting the product for sea use.

 

The other project is to develop a 3 piece version of our high leverage shark rod, but that is going to be a serious project as the stresses involved at the joints when we go to ‘high leverage’ mode will be huge, and we might have to do something a little radical in the composition.

 

Two Achievements rolled into One

 

Last year we finally got around to getting our assistant rod builder prepared for getting her final certification as a professional rod builder. Part of the process is to present a finished work piece for peer review, as well as a written examination. Late December, we received notification of her passing, which was a great Xmas present for her, as well as a great reward for us, as we had taught her all her skills as a rod builder. This combined very nicely with something else that we were planning, as we had also tasked her with building a surf rod for someone on a very ‘Namibian’ theme, as part of her preparation prior to the professional exam. We set aside all the materials, and just left her to do her creative best in building the rod. The result was something truly special, and confirmed to us that she was more than ready for the final exam.

 

Now we had a rod to find a home for, and that wasn’t really a great difficulty, as one of Henties Bay’s most famous residents is the founding president of Namibia, Dr. Sam Nujoma, and he is a seriously keen fisherman. With his birthday due, we decided that we should approach the Mayor of Henties Bay, and for her to come onboard with the task of presenting the present to our most famous fisherman. The timing all conspire to work with us, as the date was set for late January, and we had just received Karen’s certificate for her passing the professional custom rod builder’s exam. So, it was arranged for Karen and Dr. Nujoma to exchange gifts; in a small private ceremony, with a few dignitaries from Henties Bay community in attendance, we had a very embarrassed Karen, proudly presenting the founding father of Namibia with his birthday present.

 

It was a very proud moment for both Sue and I, as we had been instrumental in Karen achieving a very unique status, the first African to be recognised as a professional custom rod builder, and also being able to get such a well respected gentleman to present her with her certificate. Also, we now have a world recognised leader fishing with one of our rods. A truly fantastic month, which closed with an offer that we would possibly be invited at a later date to fish with his Excellency, on one of his fishing trips – that will be something to look forward to.

 

 

December 2011

 

Stiletto

 

We finally received our deliveries of blanks and smaller Fuji trigger grips for the completion of the Stiletto rods. And pretty much before the shipment had arrived, they were mostly sold – that is the amazing response to these blanks – so light yet really powerful. We have adopted our theme of slightly shorter 13’ rods for the 5-6oz rating, while the full 14’ for the 6-7oz rating ~ we find this really does cover the need of the general angling public, though surprisingly there is very little shortfall in casting distance, perhaps 5%. However, the 13’ variant is amazingly light – so much so, that we had to check that the batteries were fresh in the scales, as it weighs in at 520 grams!!!!!!!!!

 

Talking about distances, we last month tested out on the 14’ 6-7oz model pretty much as expected, exceptional distance, well, in the intervening period, we have had a very competent pendulum caster try one out for us. They are truly the first realistic 200m+ rod for southern Africa. With a ‘mild’ pendulum, as the caster didn’t have his own reels with him, he was launching 6oz sinkers well beyond our 200m marker, and best was about 228 metres, but the comment was that there is plenty more in the rod, it was just the lack of speed on the reel he was using.

 

The other main comment was that the carbon matrix weave over the butt section was having a  significant effect, as there was nearly zero flex in that section, which is a perennial problem with southern African blanks that he has tested before. Nice to hear that we have got it pretty much right with this design. The change in the design of the blanks, apart from very selective use of carbon cloths, is the fact that there is a new technique for wrapping – call ‘HC’; by which near 100% of any trapped air is removed from the wrapping process, and the result is much higher density of finished carbon – higher density = more strength.

 

As usual, as soon as folks started to pick up the finished rods, we were being asked for a 3 piece version – well that will be a while, as the full development potentials of this new technique have yet to be tested out, and once we have happily got down that road, then in all probability there will be 3 piece variants.

 

Xmas Rumours & Gossip

 

The usual Xmas time rumours have started to do the rounds, bait shortages being the biggest among them. It is truly amazing how some of these ridiculous stories and fairy tales start – there are literally warehouses full of fresh frozen sardine here, and there are plenty of stocks of other baits as well.

 

The biggest issue currently in town is that there are now 2 different organisations running a competition on 26th December. The traditional one, organised by Penguin angling club, where all funds raised actually go to the betterment of angling, through club sponsorships and support of angling events in the competition league. The another, where all the funds are purely for personal gain of the organising group – a money making scam to rip off the tourists!

 

The fact that there are two events is not the issue, but for the new comers to organise an event on the same day, is ridiculous, and a lot of folks will be disappointed when the truth comes out about the end results and how they are just ripping the tourists.

 

Xmas in the workshop

 

The Xmas rush seemed very late starting this year, with folks seeming to stay at work until the last moment, and this lead to one of the most intense periods we have ever had in the workshop. The new Stiletto blanks were causing one of the biggest headaches, as we were soon running out; though fortunately we had ordered a supplementary order, which arrived just in time. There were all the usual casualties of beach driving and conflicts with garage walls, tips and damaged rings. Though what surprised us the most was the sheer volume of work, it seems as if the whole month’s worth was crammed into just one week – we were working 14-16 hour day, just to keep up with the need to get rods out of the workshop and onto the beach. This coupled with a few ‘late shoppers’ that wanted new custom rods within 24 hours!!!!

 

Something that seemed particularly prevalent this year was rods with missing tip sections – a lot of folks aren’t checking their line is not wrapped around the tip before leaning into that big cast. Resulting in a good section of blank breaking off – though most of the rods were ‘hmg’, so that may be a point of consideration.

 

Keeping up with demand for the Stilettos has been tricky, though it is nice to know that the rod is working for the anglers, as we saw that as soon as one person in a group had one to fish with, we got follow-on orders from some of the rest of the group. Seems that the increase in personal performance is the real selling point, the lightness is just an added bonus. That said, the fact that we haven’t yet developed a 7-8oz version seemed the biggest let down for some, but then this kind of radical development does require a little time.

 

Thankfully, as we write this on Xmas eve, we have very few rods left for repairs in the workshop; we did manage a few miracles, and got the folks fishing again. Again the Fin-Nor OFC20H reels are proving very popular, especially for those not deliberately targeting big sharks, the reel feels just right when balanced on top of a rod. The narrow spool keeps the balance right, and the capacity is more than enough for 99% of fishing – even Bronzies over clean ground.

 

Mentioning ‘Bronzies’, we had a day out guiding for a young lad’s Xmas present – a day of shark fishing, with the priority on Bronzies. We most often fish with two rods in these situations, one a standard ‘long’ rod, and the other our high leverage special – and this day was no different. The option with the long rod, is to slide bigger baits out further, should weed free conditions prevail. This day started just like that, but unbeknown to us, there was a run of fine weed out in the deeper water.

 

Baits out, and start the obligatory wait, when we got a quick run on the slide bait – which was short lived, as the slider burned off on the main line. Re-tackle, and launch out a cast bait – and for the next hour we just re-cycled the baits as the two were being dragged along by the volume of weed collecting on the line. We were about to call an end to fishing that spot – because of the weed, when the short rod went down, and away like a train. Setting the hook was a bare formality, as the pure pressure against the drag had already set the hook. Young Frans (15 years old) then took over the rod, having kitted up with a gimbel rod belt to suit the rod butt.

 

The shark initially came in very easy, and was soon in the inner gully, and looked like being a record landing – just 10 minutes, but then took off on another seering run towards Brazil. 35 minutes later and the shark was beginning to tire, as was Frans, but gutsy determination had set in with both parties, and the shark was resisting the pressure to come over the inner sand bank, but eventually came into the gully – into the end game. Getting the shark to that final point of landing always seems to take forever, and this one was no exception. 20 minutes later and she was on the beach – and what a beaut! Measured, tagged, photos and a quick release, the 205cm (pre-caudal length), which under various schemes would equate to 121.8kgs – certainly a fish of a life time for a 15 year old.

 

The high leverage rod did its job without fault, and the Fin-Nor OFC30H excelled, smooth drag, and plenty of quick cranking power. The single Katana 8/0 was just what was needed, big enough for the bait, and certainly big enough for the shark.

 

A great day was had by all – and young Frans will be telling all who will listen for at least the next month!!!!

 

In closing this month’s report, we would like to wish a prosperous New Year to all our customers, and hope that all the fish they catch are so large that they need no exaggeration.

 

November 2011

 

Prototypes

 

Through the past year or so, we have been discussing options and design ideas with one of our blank manufacturers to come up with some really lighter weight surf rods, which would by virtue of their lower weight, be slim. The fruits of those discussions have recently come to the fore, with three prototype blanks that arrived just before the Corporate Competition in October, and we needed to get at least 2 of the blanks built, and out for pretty intensive field testing.

 

First thing that instantly struck us was the weight of the blanks, seriously light, yet on first test bending they feel quite stiff, but in pulling the curve of the blank, you see that the action of the blank is going towards a seriously ‘through action’, up to a point! The point where the very stiff butt section comes into play, then there is virtually no bend or deflection – so the final ‘action’ description would probably be ‘strong through’ or ‘medium’. The information that came with the blank about it’s test curve was something else – this was a strong blank.

 

We duly noted down the weights of each blank and started to build the heaviest first, as if all else failed we would have at least one rod ready for field testing. Our first problem was that the inside diameter of the blank was so small, that we couldn’t use ‘normal’ butting, and definitely didn’t have a ‘trigger’ reel seat that would fit the much slimmer butting – had to use a normal reel seat, so there was an issue of possible hand slippage during casting. Weigh the rods again – and there was the shock – a 14’ surf rod designed to cast 6-7oz sinkers, and it weighs just 615 grams!!!!!!!!

 

The next couple of blanks were duly built, and some serious testing on the casting court started. This is probably going to be the first true 200m rod for general anglers – it simply powers up and launches away, all in a smooth and fairly fluid motion. The cast starts to build up nice and gently, followed by some serious power coming in from the lower section of the blank. The weight is a little upsetting at first, as it is so light in the feel, and as predicted the lack of trigger grip did slow down that last big power push/pull. The slender profile of the rod was noticeable in the cast, less wind resistance – really nice. It is something that a fellow rod/blank designer has been working on in Europe, getting super slim rods to cast serious distances for carp anglers.

 

Oh yeah, the results of the test casts were pretty much all over the 150 metres mark, best run was with a 6oz sinker, .45mm mainline and the Avet – 175m! Not too bad, but at that point the lack of a locked grip system that would have been offered by a trigger grip was becoming an issue. Next step is to place an order to Fuji for some smaller trigger grips, as well as some smaller guides – this rod is going to be a pure distance machine, and will work best without being overloaded with excessively sized rings.

 

The two slightly lower weight range blanks were duly built, field tested, and then locked in the workshop – as just about everybody that sees the prototypes – wants one – NOW! They are just so dynamic and radical that they just appeal to everybody.

 

Testing in the Corporate event was not really fair, as the weather and sea did really play a big part in the relatively poor fishing that was had. We did catch fish, and the rods worked well – plenty of feel, and good casting against head winds – though they did emphasise the need for balanced rigs to get the real distance. Next ‘beach’ test was a local competition league event, and the target was Spotties, yet like all fishing – what you plan, and what the fish give are two different things. First fishing spot of the morning, and the mullet head bait was picked up by a Bronzie!!!!!!! Briefly on, but the nylon hook length didn’t stand a chance,  but it did give the rod a serious pull round, and the power of the lower section did really start to come into its own. Later that day a 8.5kg Blue Stingray fell to the rod – not a really hard test, but it certainly had no problems – need to hook up some bigger fish to test out the real pulling power.

 

Sue tested the 5-6oz rated blank and soon found that she was out casting her previous best, which had been with an earlier Shatani variant prototype, this one was not only lighter, but a more precise, and had more direct power. Unfortunately, the fish didn’t like her bait during the coastal competition, but it was confirmed as her number 1 rod for the Gus Kohlner International.

 

The new model of blanks is going to be called the ‘Stiletto’, it is thin, precise and surgical! The composition is all a bit secret, but the distinctive feature is the use of woven carbon fabric on the lower section of the rod, where the real rigidity is found. Watch this space for developments!

 

2 More Namibian Records on Excalibur Shatanis

 

During a 5 day period this month, 2 new (yet to be ratified) Ladies Namibian record fish were landed on Shatani rods. First was to Delita Krause during a Coastal League Competition held at Mile 8, where she hook a fine Blue Sting Ray of 11.5kgs on a Shatani fixed spool rod, designed to cast 5-6oz. The rod performed dutifully, and was never really stressed.

 

5 days later, Sue while fishing in the Gus Kohlner International broke the Ladies Kob record twice within  hours. The first fish of 14.6kg was a good fish, which took a bait intended for sharks; but its status as a new record was relatively short lived. After a move by her fishing manager, she launched another bait intended for sharks on the 13’ 5-6oz Shatani, and almost before the sinker had settled, she was ‘fish on’!

 

The strong fish took a little while to subdue, but was finally beached and duly weighed in at 18.8kgs!! 

 

What more can you say, except congratulations to Sue and Delita for a couple of very fine fish, that will probably both stand as records for quite a while.

 

Sue was also testing a new line from Super DP – ‘Rock & Surf Expert’, which at 14.4kg for the 0.45mm line is very strong, soft and silky smooth, all loaded onto a Fin-Nor 20. Something about Sue, is that once she finds a set up of tackle component that she likes, she is very hard to change from what is working for her, despite the fact that she has the choice of anything in the tackle shop. The rod was her original Shatani, which was the prototype for all the rods in the ladies’ range. Obviously, she landed both fish on Katana hooks!

 

 

Gus Kohlner

 

The Namibian Ladies President’s team was partly sponsored by Excalibur Tackle, and 4 of the ladies were fishing with various versions of our rods, the Shatanis being quite popular option. Their first day at Mile 30 was plagued with bad luck, with very little reward for the effort that they all put into it. By the end of the day they were about 40 points behind the South African Ladies.

 

The second day was one to play catch up, and through sheer hard work and a supreme effort they managed to claw back to within a few points of the South African Ladies, despite losing two very good sharks after long fights. Then disaster struck with one of the SA Ladies managing to land a 118kg Bronzie!!!!!!! During the day, the team had worked exceptionally hard, and it was a shame that they should end the day in a dispirited mood – but that is the luck of fishing. A day when a 20+kg Cow shark was lost at the edge, and a Bronzie was lost after 45 minutes of fight, 2 new ladies records caught, and still they were behind, with a huge mountain to climb.

 

Day 3 dawned with the team full of the ‘spirit of the fight’, to start to climb the mountain again. One thing about all the ladies in this team that struck me during the preparation stages, was that the element of team spirit was so high, that they truly are a ‘team’. Lezelle’s organisational skills were supreme, and the clothing selection was faultless and praiseworthy. Sarah and Lydia being previous team members helped the newcomers along the way to getting sorted. Leandra & Michele though not the most powerful of ladies, stuck to the tasks set them, even catching new species, and kept on going despite some disappointments. Sue, well she just has something that remains hidden in normal times, but appears when entering competitions. The managers and guide, Herman, Simen and Bertie excelled, cajoled, soothed and drove the team to heights others thought they would never achieve.

 

The challenge of the mountain was just too much for the last day, as the location was centred around Popeye – a dreadful area. Very few fish were caught by any of the teams on the last day, so the catches that were made by the ladies were credible. In the final analysis they were soundly beaten by the South African ladies – basically by that one Bronzie, as the final points showed a less than 118 point difference. That Bronzie was an absolutely astounding catch – 2 hours and 45 minutes to fight, on 0.40mm line – total admiration has to go to the lady for her stamina and determination. She justifiably received an award for the heaviest shark in the whole competition, as did Sue for the heaviest edible. Seems odd that both of the biggest fish trophies went to ladies – perhaps they should help the men???

 

At the end of the day, the ladies did exceptionally well, and had fun, especially considering all the hard work they put into preparation. They will all obviously have to take time to recuperate from their serious efforts, but need to be fighting fit for the next local competition coming up next weekend.

 

However, the whole tournament was slightly soured by a selfish act by one person. Not a member of any team involved with the tournament, but someone wishing to gain self-image from the efforts of others, and try and ride the wave of the success of others – when actually contributing nothing themselves. Hopefully, the tournament organisers will take appropriate action, for it just brings the sport into disrepute.

 

I have often commented on various new phases that describe certain things, since moving to southern Africa, and one now certainly comes to mind. “Don’t let the sun shine on anyone else!” It describes perfectly the actions of this third person, and one can at times almost feel sorry for them; if it weren’t for the pure selfishness of their actions to boost their own self image. A shame that one person can spoil such a splendid sporting event, for their own self interest!

 

Back to fishing

 

We had two guests stay with us for a couple of days, Rob & Shan from Lines Inc. The guys that produce and market the  Super DP lines we are now stocking. Neither had ever fished in Namibia, so we duly had a day out, and Shan was a complete novice at fishing – though a serious expert on the manufacture of fishing lines. As is often the case, the sea and wind did not play ‘the game’, and we were confined to spots where serious reefs or sandbanks shelter the shore.

 

Always difficult to guide folks when the weather and sea are not playing the game, but in the end we didn’t do too bad for a day when most folks would be doing something other than fishing. By the end of the day, Rob had caught his first Stenbras (9kg), and Shan had learned a lot about the torture that his monofilament lines goes through, as well as landing 5 Kob and 3 Galjeon, a good time was had by all. Rob was particularly impressed with the new Stiletto rods, especially the 6-7oz version, so light and offering real distance when punching out baits into a stiff wind – so impressed he has ordered one.

 

 

October 2011

 

General News

 

Jean from ProBait had an outstanding trip to Mozambique with some friends, and put the Katana hooks to a serious test. His buddy hooked and landed a 30kg Giant Trevally on a 2/0 Katana – would not be my first choice of hook size for a fish that size, maybe a 4/0 or a 6/0, but then fish can’t read.

 

It was back when we first designed the prototypes of the Katana hooks, that they were tested on Giant Trevally, by a good friend that fished predominantly live baits from downriggers, while fishing in boats off Kenya. We were looking at tests that would stress the hooks on species that were prone to crushing hooks. We also did tests with the hooks on lures while fishing in northern Angola, with the Atlantic brethren of the GT’s – the Jack Crevelly – both locations and species had problems with fish wrecking hooks.

 

The field tests proved to us beyond doubt that we had a strong hook, though what also surprised us were the number of Tarpon that stayed hooked on the Katanas – and that is a seriously hard mouthed fish. So, at the end of the day, we accepted that the design, shape and steel composition was right, and went on from there.

 

We have a joint advertisement with ProBait in this month’s edition of Rock, Surf and Deep, and would like to congratulate Jean’s friend for some excellent photos and design work, as the advert features both the hooks and our Shatani rods.

 

Fishing is slowly starting to come out of the end of winter doldrums, with the passing of the Equinox tides, now we will hopefully see the sea start to settle down and warm up a bit, encouraging some of our summer species to put in an appearance. There have been good catches of Stenbras as well as Kob, when the seas allowed reasonable access to the water, which will now only improve as the days and weeks go by.

 

A note of caution to tourist anglers visiting, the salt pans at the back of some of the fishing spots are very wet at this time, and a number of cars have been stuck, even when diving near the edge of the pans – there appears to be a hard crust to the edge of the pans, that is very thin, and quickly gives way under the weight of a vehicle. The pans are so wet, that people pushing cars out; have sunk to their knees!!! Just a word to the wise.

 

With the ever increasing price of sinkers, we looked at what we thought was a gimmick piece of tackle, and put it to the test. Because we fish near a lot of broken ground, isolated rocks and more structured reefs, we do tend to get snagged up a lot of the time, and this leads to the inevitable tackle losses. The main culprits are the hook snagging the rocks, or the sinker getting lodged behind the rocks.

 

The little piece of kit that we have been testing seems to be working, but it is one that you never know how well it is working – that may sound a bit skew, but that is the way it is. The piece of kit is a ‘sinker flight’, which acts like a kite when you retrieve your tackle, lifting the sinker hopefully above the rocks, and avoids getting snagged. They are relatively cheap, but only really have to work once, and they save you the price of a sinker – but then you don’t know whether it is working or not, every time that you get your tackle back. However, even when reeling in to refresh bait, the sinker does kite up to the surface, hence keeping all the tackle away from rocks and the like. Obviously, it won’t work if you come back through a bed of kelp, but generally if each ‘flight’ just saves you the price of one sinker, it has paid for itself. Which in the scheme of things might not be such a big issue, but in a competition it saves you the time of building a new rig, and that in turn means more time that bait is in the water – more change to catch fish???????

 

The end of the month sees a Corporate Competition for the NRSAA to raise funds, primarily for our International teams. We are entering a 4 man team – ‘Simply Sublime’, by way of supporting a good cause, as well as an excuse to get a couple of days out fishing with good friends. The event is purely edibles only, so should be a reasonable test of fishing skills. We were going to call the team – Prototype, as all our 4 anglers will be fishing with various new prototype blanks  – we will have to see whether there is advantage in using them in such an event. Performance reports on the various blanks next month. They really are something special and about to bring a completely new concept dynamic to rods in southern Africa.

 

 

September 2011

 

Prototype Rods & Cape Shark Special

 

Last month we reported on a prototype blank that we had from Blue Marlin, and since then we have taken a further blank from that range with the ‘development tapers’. It has proved to be just as effective as the original, just designed to cope with slightly lighter weights. First casts were equally impressive as the first blank, but being rated for lighter sinkers, it seemed lighter, though casts just the same, a very crisp release, but very smooth to load. Slightly shorter at 13’-9”, it is a little too long for Sue, so it will not be going into her ‘collection’, but remain as a test rod for clients in the shop to trial.

 

The use of the new multi-taper designs certainly is going to be the way forward, as the standard approach of the older style blanks is getting eclipsed by the performance being gained from these newer designs. It is certainly going to move Blue Marlin well beyond most other manufacturers in their blanks. However, the biggest benefit will be the weigh saving and slimmer profiles – less weight to motivate during the cast, and less air resistance will both relate to more power being transferred to the blank, yielding better cast distances.

 

One of the rods that we developed nearly a year ago that has really taken off with a ‘bang’ is the ‘Cape Shark Special’, it was a blank that we developed from a very old style of taper from the days of glass fibre blank – the ‘Titan’ taper. It was originally developed to overcome the problems of too much flexibility in the glass fibre rod designs around at that time, and replaces the flexibility with rigidity – or pure lifting power. Taking the principles of the taper design further we looked at using it for the ultimate shark rod, but the original tapers had to be extended from a European boat rod length up to suit our preferred length for a shark rod. Prototypes were wrapped and dispatched, and we started on the build, but moved away from some of the original problems that we were seeing with the ‘local’ shark rods – pistol grips that were splitting due to over-tightening and excessive loads – we fit a proper Fuji graphite boat reel seat, which is designed to take huge loads through the reel seat, and not fail. Additionally we addressed the problem of casting huge baits with the right set up of rings – avoiding the problems generated by ‘flip-up’ guides, but put on proper full size rings.

 

This all comes from the long rod leverage problems – the power required by the angler to actually lift and then swing – ‘with power’, huge baits and sinkers overhead. Through a period of trial and error we came down to a finished length of 11’ for the rod, as this gives maximum lifting power through the cast, as well as huge rewards in fighting large sharks. The first prototype was used on a client that had never been shark fishing before, and from ‘hook-up’ to ‘shark on the beach’ was in the order of 16 minutes for a 86kg Bronzie. However, the much shortened length was a little too radical for the majority of local anglers, and the design stayed static for a while, then a couple of willing anglers tried the system on a location where pure distance wasn’t a problem, and they found that the ‘fish-on’ leverage was huge and more than compensated for their perceived reluctance to use a 11’ rod for casting. They did then go out and do some test casts against comparably loaded ‘standard’ rods. The 14’ rods still offer a small distance advantage, but usually less than 10%, however, the ‘fish-on’ gains of the 11’ foot rod were still fresh in their memories!

 

The ‘Titan’ taper had long since fallen into the history books, but has now been revived to be used with more modern materials and in a slightly different format than originally intended – lifting huge weights from deep water wrecks off Europe. It has more recently been blessed by those willing enough to test the new rods down in the Cape Town area, and the rods are beginning to get a real following down there, as they too are finding that the distances that can be readily achieved with these rods are none too shabby. Perhaps what this might actually lead to is a true development of rods being tested and measured, before the ‘hype’ sets in – it would be interesting to see exactly what some of these seriously strong ‘long’ rods are achieving on a measured casting court – probably not as much as some folks are hoping for??? The tests however should be done as ‘real fishing’ circumstances, testing with the cast sinker and then satellite sinkers to represent the bait – this was something that we saw have a significant effect with the ‘CSS’ – it really lifts the baits in the cast. One of the other benefits of this rod is the weight – it nudges the scales round to just 590 grams – which will certainly assist with casting, as the weight of the rod itself also needs to be motivated in the cast.

 

With the progressive changes in the competition regulations both in Namibia and RSA, we feel that this style of shorter, yet more powerful rod will start to make in-roads into various folks’ arsenal of rods. The ability to cast huge baits without overloading the rod will probably outweigh the distance loss. As the bigger baits will have such a huge scent trail going from them, that it will draw the sharks to the bait, rather than trying to present smaller baits out into the zone the sharks are prowling. Big baits acting as personalise chum trails – rather than smaller baits getting washed out so quickly.

 

Katana Hooks

 

Middle of the month saw an email from Jean at ProBait, with a huge attachment – photos of Ragged Tooth shark landed on a Katana 10/0 hook – 173kgs!!! This was a rewarding picture, as we often get queries as to how the hooks handle big sharks – the photo rather speaks for itself!

 

The photo came in with our most recent delivery from Europe – and true to expectations, they were all perfect. There is a nice feeling about dealing with well-established companies that really know their business, they just get on and do the job right – every time. The company that make our hooks has been making hooks for over 120 years, and what they don’t know about hooks is not worth knowing – that said their mainstay in is another branch of fishing, where they reign supreme, and that was why we originally went to them with our design requirements.

 

They only use quality steel, and then work their magic. Some of their processes are rather dated, and some of their hooks are even ‘hand finished’ to present some of the finest examples of hooks in the world. They are not one of the big manufacturers, as they seem to lose sight of the very specialist market requirements, but they are probably the second oldest hook manufacturer in Europe.

 

 

August 2011

 

Fishfest  Henties Bay 2011

 

Most years we try to assist the Namibian Rock & Surf Angling Association in a meaningful way, and this year, especially as Sue is fishing in the President’s team; we offered a rather special rod for them to auction. For those that have never attended it is an ‘edibles only’ competition held on the Saturday, and the weigh-in and prize giving follows at 4.00pm. Through the course of the weeks leading up to the event, tickets are also sold for a huge raffle with a very impressive prize table. The funds are raised to support all our Namibian angling teams with their costs associated with competing – and the raffle is a big fund raiser. After the angling prize giving, they draw the raffle in a huge tent with many refreshment stalls and bars; so it is a very convivial atmosphere, and following that, in what has now become an annual event is an auction. We originally suggested to the NRSAA that we would put up a rod to be auctioned, so that the funds generated would be pure cash, and really not have needed so much input, and as the rod would be something special – it might be interesting.

 

Well the first year was indeed interesting as two brothers – out of sight of each other started a bidding war, and finally drove the price up to unexpected levels – N$4500!!!! The following year was a bit tighter, as less people attended, so the price attained was somewhat down, but still very appreciated. This year to make it really interesting we built a very unique rod, and it took a lot of time to develop all the details – the rings were whipped with all the Namibian flag colours, then the spiral wrap was much the same but with some added embellishments – all topped off with a weave of the Namibian flag, which honestly took 4 days of trial and error to fully develop to the level of almost looking like a printed picture, but it was all threads! This year will probably never be exceeded, the final figure for the auctioned rod was N$15,000!!!!!!

 

Perhaps we should put up our prices????????

 

Prototype

 

Over the past year we have been ‘messing about’ with various new rod blanks, shifting core tapers on the mandrels, and then addressing the actual composition of the blanks – the results were our ‘Shatani’ range. It is an ongoing project to develop these further as time permits, but interestingly in our recent discussions with Blue Marlin, the thoughts of developing further blanks has also produced a new generation of blanks from them.

 

While at the trade show we were given one of the latest prototype blanks to field test, and were surprised to find that they were going down a similar path – address the tapers issues, before looking at the composition. The result is a new generation of 3 piece rods that are going to really take off – though they will probably not get to the general retailer until they are released next year, as they are still under development.

 

We were asked to look at their 14’, 3 piece capable of casting 5-6oz weights, and our first impressions that this was a very light rod – but with some serious power available. Though there really is only one test for a rod, and that is to build it and cast it – not to wave it about in the wind or try to pull some arbitrary test curve.

 

While at the show we looked at various blank options from other suppliers and were seriously disappointed that some of the equivalent blanks – even one piece were tipping the scales at huge numbers – and these were not even dedicated ‘shark’ rods – but aimed at the ‘edibles’ market. This weight issue is really beginning to be a feature in some blank manufacturers design criteria, but obviously not so in others. Suppose that it really does come from the main objective of the designer – whether they want a performance product – or just a mass market product?

 

Back to the prototype – before we even started the build, we weighed the blank, just to get some idea of what it did really weigh – the bare blank – no butting came in at just under 500 grams! We then added a new design of carbon butting, reel seat, handle and rings, whipped the rod, added resin in our normal configuration, and set it to dry. The following morning – out came the scales again, and surprisingly we had only added 200 grams or so! So, a 3 piece 14’ rod which is just 50 grams or so heavier than our equivalent ‘Shatani’  was quite a surprise. The impact of the new carbon butting that we are looking at, seems to have had a contributing factor – it is a good bit lighter than the previous material, but just as strong. We will have to build one of our ‘Shatani’ rods with it, and see what that produces????

 

Next came the first casting tests on the casting court – and wow!! This is some aggressive rod, the 5-6oz rating is typically understated, but the power that this blank generates is awesome. A few casts to get the feeling of the rod, and start to really moderate the power delivery timing, and this thing starts off like ‘launch control’ on a rocket. The launch speed is huge, though the recovery of the tip is very sharp, quite surprising for something that is supposed to have a ‘soft’ tip!

 

Further tests, but changing the reel from the high speed AVET to a modified Fin-Nor, and things really started to gel. This rod is so crisp, or even aggressive in its action, it really does need a slightly slower reel to get the best from it. Once we had got the timing and different action mastered the distances achieved were not surprisingly, good – well over 130 metres with 5oz, approaching 150 metres with 6oz, and then purely from an experimental point of view we tried a 7oz? Well that just took off as well – this is no slow blank – probably more of an ‘expert’ level casting machine – very crisp. It certainly is more aggressive than the slightly more mellow action of the ‘Shatani’.

 

We will be testing this ‘on the water’ during the coming weeks just to see how it handles fish and casting with various baits – watch this space!

 

 

Lever Drag Reels

 

Over the past few months we have been fishing with one of the new AVET lever drag reels, the latest models have a magnetic braking system that works on ‘magnetic polarity’, rather than ‘proximity’ to the spool, very ingenious really. The trouble is that the system is just too good, and the braking effect for surf casting is too much. On the flip side, the ‘full strength’ AVET is just way too fast for our casting style or ability – it either needs too much pre-set drag to get it down to moderate speeds or is just a ‘birds nest’ machine.

 

So, we looked at the newer model with a little more attention to the detail of the magnetic system. A long story made short – with a subtle modification we ended up with effectively a magnetic controlled reel, that really does spin – take your mind off the cast, and it will still readily throw a giant of a ‘birds nest’, but does it let rip in the cast. We have heard from previous customers how the reel has really increased their casting distances, but never really experienced this first hand. Now with the modified AVET Mag we are really getting much more out of all our rods – this is such a beauty of a reel. Our first choice was the MXL model, really just using it for smaller sharks and edibles, and it is a dream machine – such a smooth drag and mechanism – though that is really not that surprising, as the company are not in the mass production market – but limited output of superbly engineered fine instruments.

 

The next step was to finalise the modifications to a Shimano TLD 20, removing the top brace and building a recessed brace to allow the thumb to lock down on the spool – a piece of stainless steel was machined by one of our associates, and it has been under test now for a while. The TLD 20 was a superb reel in its boat fishing format – a superb drag and powerful low ratio gearing, and like all lever drag reels can be seriously fast in spool speed, as they do not have the inherent internal friction issues of any star drag reel. The TLD 20 has become our first choice for shark fishing – the power and smoothness of the drag is awesome, especially when teamed up with one of our high leverage rods. The ratios being lower allow for such awesome pulling power, that this is really going to set a new standard in shark fishing.

 

We saw at the trade show a number of new models of ‘casting’ reels being offered with complimentary models that were lever drags, but the main mistake in our opinion is that they were all heading in the high retrieve ratio direction, especially on the larger models – the larger models that will be used for sharks, will just not have the raw power to fight the bigger sharks – sure they will be able to bring baits and hooks back into shore at tremendous speed, but just won’t have the strength to put their high drag rating to realistic effect. These ‘high ratio’ reels combined with longer rods, will actually have everything working against the angler, especially when dealing with big baits.

 

The matter here is getting all the factors to work together, balancing the tackle elements to work together, so that they do the job without putting huge strain on the angler.

 

Trade Show

 

We had some very good ‘technical’ discussions with some of the new traders there, it was nice to see that the stands had folks with a serious technical knowledge of their products. One of the two most impressive were the folks introducing a new ‘Dyneema’ braid to the market, and the fact that they were well up on the international scene regarding the use of the brand name ‘Dyneema’, as well as what the company is doing about bringing factories, wholesalers and shops into legality with regard to using their copyrighted name. This might well bring tears to the eyes of several outlet that are offering ‘Dynemma’ with an ‘oriental heritage’, but in the long run it will only do us anglers a favour, as we will start to get offered legitimate products. Years ago we brought some genuine ‘Dyneema’ braids in to our local market, and on the whole it is still being used, even up on the rivers where most braids fail due to their ‘added fibres’, which are not UV resistant. Which, highlights the source of a lot of suspect products that subsequently let you down – although they might well have been cheaper or subject of a strong advertising campaign.

 

The other seriously technical chap that we had some serious discussions with, was a polymer engineer, who lives and breathes nylon monofilaments. To say that he knows his stuff would be a severe understatement. We all think of monofilament as a pretty universal product, and just colour and some variations in ‘texture performance’ are the limit is pretty complex material. The fact that their factory has addressed the universal hoax of fluorocarbon is a pretty bold statement, but they have a patented new leader material that has the same refractive index as salt water – but made of similar products as their co-polymer nylon mainlines. We will be testing some of their new leaders out in the course of the month.

 

Other aspects of the trade show were interesting, as well as meeting old friends and competitors – listening to some of the misconceptions and mis-information was also interesting. Living up in Namibia, obviously causes some folks a certain amount of curiosity, as they can’t seem to get an accurate handle on just who we are, or what we are doing – which is nice from our point of view, as we can carry on doing our own thing without being influenced by others. It does also mean that there is a lot of inaccurate information floating about, like what blanks we are using, where we get our components and the like?

 

Rather than correct it with some massive public statement; we will continue to mind our own business and focus on what we hope we do best – innovate and build new rods. As we have said – if you want to know what we are doing – then talk to us – we don’t bite!

 

 

July 2011

 

New Rods – Italy & Jigging

 

There is at least one Namibian team going up to the FIPS World Championships in Italy this year, and they will be fishing in one of our old ‘fishing grounds’ – the Mediterranean Sea – and won’t that be a total challenge for the guys going up. Virtually no tidal influence, very small target species, and virtually no ‘water reading’. The biggest issues are going to be distance and very light tackle, and very finely assembled end tackle to maximise the distances achieved in each cast.

 

The advantages of braid on fixed spool reels is an obvious direction to go in, as smaller multipliers with fine lines is not something that is readily available down here in the local market – though that is not to say that some folks will not be fishing with multipliers – and their distances will be truly impressive. It is just that braid on a fixed spool reel will offer the distances that are needed, with the added factor of supreme bite detection.

 

The need for light tackle and distance proves to be a challenge to most blank designers, whether it is in carp angling or any other discipline. Then to build the blank so that it is viable as a ‘travel’ rod is a real challenge. Most start with either the format from surf fishing, or come from the European schools of carp blank design. We had a blank that really was ideally suited to this type of fishing, light, responsive and relatively powerful, especially with just a 3oz sinker. The rods were duly built and field tested, and now ready for action in that wholly small fish environment of the Mediterranean Sea. Field tests with the rod fitted with a fixed spool reel and 20lb braid yielded casts of over 125 metres, so more than adequate for the design parameters.

 

The other rod was a development of our deep water jigging rod, that we had earlier had tested off the oil rigs in northern Angola. Some small improvements were made over the original design, and we now feel we have a very viable product for those wishing to carry out this old/new system of fishing. It is built as a two piece, using a detachable butt section that carries the reel seat; just to make transporting the rods easier. The one thing that really does make this rod effective is the use of a gimbel fitting on the butt, especially when winching big fish from the deep – saves a lot of stress on the angler’s arms – more strength for fighting the fish!!! Testing this rod on ‘dead lift’ capabilities was very surprising, with results over 17kgs being recorded – not too shabby!!

 

RSA Agent

 

This month we had our new South African agent come to visit and collect a couple of rods. Jean is going to be the sole importer and distributor of our Katana hooks into South Africa through his company ‘Pro Bait’, and also going to handle inquiries for our custom built rods. He is going to initially concentrate on the ‘Shatani’ range, as well as a newly designated rod. He had a great time testing all the rods on our casting court, and being an active competitive angler in the Western Province area, he had the chance to ‘have a pull’ on our ‘Shark Special’ – and was absolutely amazed at just how much extra pressure the rod will directly put on a hooked shark – he managed to pull over 14kgs in one test. Though his real amazement was the distances he could achieve with the shorter rod, and it will now be designated the ‘Cape Shark Special’, as he feels that it is going to radically change how they fish ‘on the mountain’.

 

While here, he couldn’t but avoid a couple of days fishing – what dedicated angler wouldn’t? He witnessed first hand, how with a little change in the weather and settling of the sea the fishing here in winter can be really pretty good. We had one day out with high winds and rough seas, and poor fishing; and then the next the sea settled down and despite a cool breeze we managed to find the Kob. They were hiding in the deeper water spots, and places where there wasn’t too much current or drifting weed. By the end of the day we had over a dozen Kob between the two of us, which was certainly more than most folks were finding. The fishing also gave him a direct chance to feel the rods ‘in action’, and he was suitably impressed with their performance. He departed ‘itching’ to test the new rods in ‘home waters’, as that is where they will be put under test and where he hopes the additional distance available with the ‘Shatanis’ will pay dividends in his competition fishing. A foot note to our winter fishing was experienced a week later – a schedule power cut to Henties Bay saw us close up shop early for the day – and we elected to go fishing. The sea was nice and calm and the fish were ‘jumping’ – between Sue and I we managed 18 Kob in 4 ½ hours of fishing – not bad for a wasted day with no power.

 

Trade Show

 

The annual angling trade show was also this month, when all the various manufacturers get to display all their new models and the latest ‘goodies’. An interesting time as we were assisting Jean with the new hooks, and dealing with some of the inquiries about the hooks. Otherwise, we used the time to touch base with some of our suppliers, and see what new ‘toys’ they had. The new 3 piece + 3 tips 14 foot 4-6oz rod from Blue Marlin is going to shake the trees a bit with the opposition – it is so light and a really nice rod as well. We had tested one earlier in the month, and for a general sub N$1000 rod, it casts very well – over 130 metres on the casting court with the heavy tip and 6oz sinker – it will make an ideal rod for those wishing to visit Namibia for edibles.

 

The new system that makes this rod so interesting, is possibly going to move into the mainstay of Blue Marlin’s production techniques; and will probably find its way into a lot of their multi-piece rods. It is very ingenious, as it doesn’t lose any strength in the blank, but saves a bucket load of weight – something we are all looking for from our rods. The lighter they are, the less power the angler needs to expend motivating all that weight in the cast – as well as the added bonus of being light to hold while waiting for the fish to bite. Now we need to look at lighter weight casting reels to get things even more comfortable.

 

Interestingly, there were a lot of new suppliers and products to view, new rods seemed to be the flavour of the year with new models to match just about everybody’s pocket book – including some extremely expensive rods – I know carbon is related to diamonds, but a rod for the price of a couple of gemstones – seems a bit too much!! Some interesting suppliers for line and braid were present, and we had some stimulating discussions with some of the traders about their products. It was interesting to see the difference in development direction between the folks at Blue Marlin and Purglas; both with new products, but with different ‘end results’. We came away with one of their proto-type blanks to build and test – more on that next month.

 

On reels, we had interesting news from APEX, with the development of a ‘Performance Kit’ for their Fin-Nor OFC series of reels, this will really take them to a completely different level, and in our opinion a step above the rest – not that the reel needs much in the way of increase performance. The change-over of some components to just fine tune areas, and get awesome launch speeds from the reels – something that we are very interested in, due to the increasing development of higher tip speeds on our rods during the cast.

 

 

June 2011

 

Web Page & Reels

 

Being one of our quieter months we have decided to do a lot of ‘housework’, and specifically the web page, bringing the main pages into line with all the various elements that have been in the ‘updates’ page, as well as some new stuff. The main pages that have changed are as follows:

 

Clients Comments

Rods

Reels

Rock, Surf & Deep

 

The main change is that we have been given permission by Rock, Surf and Deep to publish/record our past articles. These will obviously be running a month behind – wouldn’t want to stop folks buying the magazine – but this section is more by way of assisting those that did not get a copy one month, and missed some article. We will not be putting in all the photos, just the text.

 

This helps us with some of the tips and hints that we have expressed in the articles, and then relate them to some of our products – like ‘Liquid Lightening’, and the Reel Servicing article. That has generated a serious amount of positive feedback – which is a good thing – means that we are writing things that folks want to read.

 

We have also recently become an Authorised Service Centre for Fin-Nor & Quantum reels, and will be stocking the primary spares for the usual surf reels that are commonly used in Namibia. This is something that we will look to develop, as we have strong feelings about how reels are serviced, and the service being offered to anglers. A lot of folks struggle with catching fish, and it usually comes down to the fact that they are struggling to get adequate distance in the cast. And a lot of times this is directly traced to the reel and how it has been set up or last serviced.

 

The biggest singular thing is the fact bearings have been ‘greased’, and then used in conjunction with too tight end float – the reel just struggles to allow line out in the cast – by taking an alternative route; bearings oiled and the use of centrifugal brakes, folks almost immediately get distance through the ability of the reel to accelerate up to a higher speed. A simple matter of either reading the instructions with the reel, or the original shop keeper offering good sound advise when the reel was sold. None of us are that good that we can cast without some form of braking on a well set up reel, so it makes sense to explain some of the intricacies to customers when they buy the reel, and start on the correct road. The bearing grease and end float method just destroys the bearings – and doesn’t yield the results most folks are looking for – distance in the cast.

 

The client’s comments page also features one of our ‘Rod Abusers’ – oops sorry – Rod Testers!!!

 

 

Rod Blanks

 

The continuing debate about rod blanks, and what they are made of, especially with the ‘hmg’ issue. It is not a simple matter of wrapping some cloth around a mandrel, ‘cooking’ it, and then whipping on a few rings – blank manufacture and rod building is a potentially hugely complex issue – and for the vast majority far more complex than they really want to get into.

 

I read some very wise words about detailing the composition of blanks with regard to the various strengths and virtues of different carbon and glass cloths.

 

“Fishing rods need a range of materials, high strength fibres, high modulus fibres and intermediate fibres – all combining to make a rod that performs well.”

 

Good blank manufacturers tend to be vague about where they use different fibres for two reasons.

1.       They do not want to help their competitors.

2.       It is almost meaningless to the angler.

 

What counts is performance, how the product behaves for that given application.

 

Carbon fibre cloths come in a huge variety of strengths, modulus’, and other characteristics. But generally, as the modulus increases, the strength goes down, as does its resilience to bending – it becomes stiff, but also brittle. Modulus is confused with strength, and this is where we see some manufacturers actually recommending that their high modulus rods are not bent beyond 45 degrees – because the rod starts to approach the point where that ‘hmg’ rod might well break due to the lack of strength in their particular choice of carbon cloths – hardly sounds a good idea?

 

European manufacturers have long since accepted that the route to consistently high performing rods – is to build on blanks that have a range of different strength and modulus cloths up the length of the blank – with some manufacturers even using glass fibre as the majority in the lay up at the tip – very flexible and strong. What they have also taken on board is the much more important factor of the actual tapers that they are presenting within the blank – the actual progressive shape of the blank internally – and this they do by subtle variations in the actual mandrel on which they build the blank – effectively the ‘mould’ around which they wrap the glass and carbon fibre cloths.

 

This mandrel tapers aspect brings in a huge number of variables that are just as complex and dynamic as the actual cloth that surrounds the mandrel. It is here that sections of parallel through to super fast tapers are developed, and their lateral position along the blank – thus changing the final product in an infinitely number of variables. Add into the equation of whether thick or thin wall construction is going to be used – and the number of variables just keeps on going upwards. That is without going into the virtues and values of different bonding resins.

 

So, in part what we have is a huge variation in the number of different cloths that can be used in different sections of the rod blank, and then an equally huge number of variations of tapers within the length of the blank mandrel. Add in factors like ring spacing, ring strength or flexibility and sizes, and you end up with a hugely complex issue, and like the guy said – possibly too complex for the angler. What we should be more concerned about is how the rod actually performs.

 

Back in 2010, we wrote an article to the effect that the angler needs to be honest with themselves, and buy rods that suit their needs rather than some bogus sales ‘hype’, as only then will the angler be able to develop their skills with the right tools – not buying something, that in all probability the salesman doesn’t even understand. It is really why we have never lost the value of offering our potential clients and customers – the offer of test casting our rods – this is the only true test – how does it perform? – how does it feel? – does this rod give better measured distance against that other one?

 

 

 

May 2011

 

Rods

 

During the past couple of months we have had a number of requests for specific rods, and even with our new ‘Shatani’ blanks, which we think are superb, a good number have opted for the older style, and perhaps more ‘mellow’ action of the ‘TX2’ blanks, and that has rather opened our eyes. We should not just focus on the performance issues of a rod, but also its action. Which really means that we will have to continue to stock this ‘older’ design of blank, as well as the newer models.

 

That said we did get some indirect praise for the ‘Shatani’, as it was being fished alongside the latest model from another outlet – where they have continued further down this route of progressively stiffer and stiffer rods. The latest ‘hmg’ creation being with extra wraps of ‘hmg’ around the blank to stiffen it up even more!!! The rods were being handled by a group of competent anglers, and the ‘Shatani’ was out casting the other model by a good margin, regardless of which angler was casting it. One of the chaps is now in the queue for a new rod from our workshop – a ‘Shatani’!!!

 

A recent development to come out of our workshop is in response to the growing need for very light tackle, something in the 2-3oz range, for dedicated ‘fun’ fishing – deliberately raising the bar against the angler, and using small fixed spool reels loaded with braid. On our coast this is just light ‘bait’ fishing, but equally the same rods are used for a variety of lures (soft or hard) on other coasts. We came across a blank that is 3 sections, and 9’ long; and our initial impressions were that it would make a super Tigerfish rod – light, but really strong and have the ability to cast accurately bigger distances. The fact that it is going to be used in the sea, is not a matter – it will be doing a similar job.

 

The issue of whether it would be accepted by the Tigerfish anglers was another matter, as they are very used to fishing with rods up to 7’ long, a hangover from the days when everybody was just using ‘heavy’ Bass rods for this type of fishing. Having nearly always been a fan of longer rods for lure work, we don’t feel that this new rod will be a drawback, just a matter of re-educating the anglers to get even more pleasure from their fishing – you certainly cover more water with longer casts, and you are not straining to get extra distance out of a shorter ‘Bass’ style rod.

 

 

Poor Advise

 

Another facet of the past couple of months, is the poor quality of service that anglers get at some ‘inland’ shops, regardless of location. One poor chap had been struggling for a good number of days of his holiday, with trying to cast a multiplier full of 80lb braid – and not just any braid, but possibly one of the most expensive in the shop, with the 10 metre increments being marked with different colours – jigging braid. Fortunately, the rod and reel that he had been offered, and sold were more suitable, but to top load with braid is a recipe for disaster, as well as possible injury. We sorted him out, and he was soon back reporting catching fish and getting good distance with the rod, but the salesman had assured him that all the folks in Namibia fished the coast with braid!!! It makes you think whether some of these salesmen even fish themselves, let alone know where Namibia is!!! This continueing theme of poor information, was what prompted us writing an article for Rock, Surf & Deep on just what tackle to bring to our coast – we need to get folks here with the right tackle to stand a chance of getting more than a few stray fish from their holiday.

 

The story of ‘hmg’ continues with another chap that visited with a rod that had made 4 casts, and then shattered. He was really seeing us to see whether we could fix the rod, but the ‘explosive shatter’ of the break was just too much to contemplate a repair. Getting the blanks stiffer and stiffer with higher strength carbons is a route for sorrow. The rods unfortunately become more and more brittle, and the slightest damage to the blank and the next time they are stressed – BANG! Whether that ‘damage ‘ occurred in the handling of the product at the shop, or at the hands of the angler. We do seem to forget that our carbon fibre rods are a lot more fragile, or less robust than the old fibreglass rods of the past.

 

One of the issues surrounding this shatter breakages comes from how some folks are transporting their rods on the road and on the beach. Where trailers and rod holders on cars are too close to each other, and the top sections of rods are banging against each other – with particular focus on rings on softer rods hitting into the blank on stiffer rods. This occasional impact is what is setting up some stress points, and in some cases causes the rods to break when under load – like casting, heavy strikes and pulling sinkers or hooks from snags. It is difficult to see whether your particular set up has this problem, but worth investigating.

 

Katana Hooks

 

This month we formalised an agreement with ‘Pro Bait’ in South Africa to be the sole distributor of our Katana hooks in RSA, and the initial response seems to be very favourable. Samples of the hooks are out with a number of notable anglers for field testing. The hooks are going to be launched at the trade fair in July, hopefully to be available in shops ready for the coming summer season.

 

We have extended the range slightly to include a smaller size (6) for the dedicated Galjeon and Blacktail anglers, so that we basically cover everything from the largest of sharks down to the smallest of edibles. The sharpness of point and the strength of the hook was tested out just last weekend, when we were testing a new prototype rod – aimed at lighter lines and possibly a dedicated ‘scratching’ rod. The rod was being used to target Blacktails, and the rig was 2 hook small size 4 Katana hooks. A surprise catch of a 10kg Spotted Gully shark was interesting to say the least. The rod faired well, and the hook was certainly well in the fish – no real surprise that the hook held as these are really very strong hooks, but the fact that the point went into the gristle of the jaw – impressive.

 

We have been selling these hooks for a good number of years now, and they have found serious favour with shark anglers, as well as those targeting edible species. The singular aspect that we continue to get comments on, is the sharpness of the point – very few strikes are missed. The strength of the bend and forging is another serious point in the hook construction, as often hooks succeed in getting fixed in the jaw of a powerful fish, only to bend out – not the case with Katanas, they often bring in fish well above their design weight.

 

 

April 2011

 

Pet Peeves

 

Like all folks we have a number of personal opinions that we get highlighted and vindicated around this time of the year in the tackle shop, where folks have been recommended the ‘latest & greatest’ piece of end tackle, and you will not catch on anything else. When in reality, we have been catching without that product for a good number of years, and if anything we have been spending too much on the end tackle, anyway.

 

There is a general trend towards oversizing your tackle, with the strongest swivels, biggest hooks and over strength trace material. We first experienced this many years ago, when each year the ‘gurus’ in the angling press would recommend their personal preferences for end tackle, and this was never more so apparent than with sharks. Huge hooks, super strong wire and monster swivels, when rigged up would possible tow a commercial vessel around the ocean with the greatest of ease. The point of these recommendations were two fold, firstly actively encouraged by the tackle trade and especially by any sponsors that the ‘guru’ might be associated with, as well as to perpetuate the ‘mystic’ of sharks.

 

If there is one species that as soon as we start assembling tackle that gets gifted with almost ‘super-human’ strength, it is the shark – almost regardless of species. And this reflects into one of the greatest wastes of money that ever takes place. We write this as tackle dealers, and we often encourage our customers to actually return oversize tackle to the shelf and purchase a smaller size product, which invariably is a lesser price, not that we are nuts, but purely because folks do get sucked into this ‘big is right’ facet.

 

One particular ‘new’ product that everybody is raving about is the ‘new’ titanium wire. This product is probably only 10% thinner than the old faithful of nylon coated stainless steel, yet some how attracts a price that is more than double what we have all been using for years. When in all reality it seems to be a total waste of money - do you really think that a Bronzie approaching a prime bait is going to be detered from eating, just because you have not bought this ‘new’ product? No, in reality, the shark would eat the bait whether it is attached to brown, silver, black, red or any other colour wire, irrespective of whether it is nylon coated, single strand or cable laid stainless steel, and have no heed to that element of tackle.

 

The issue is only whether the wire prevents the teeth cutting through it, so realistically, that is the only job of the wire. So, should you wish to pay double or more for the price of your wire, then go ahead, but in reality it is doing exactly the same job as most products that are at least half the price. We spend an awful lot of money on tackle, we should be aware of some of the elements that are sold is the ‘latest and greatest’, they are just not that good – yet many times, cost a lot more.

 

 

General News

 

We are thinking about starting a ‘Hall of Fame’, or maybe a ‘Hall of Shame’ on this web site, especially for some of our clients that send us photos and reports of their catches, which have been made on our rods, but way over the original design parameters. The issue here is whether they are ‘users’ or ‘abusers’; and whether they truly know how to use a rod. This is always a problem for a custom rod builder, in that you can build a really fine rod, and set the parameters for its use, and then the client – perhaps not knowing better will exceed those parameters and possibly ultimately break the rod – and then whose fault is it? The rod builder for not assessing the anglers’ skills level and building on a more substantive or robust blank, or the angler for not being honest with him or her self?

 

We recently had a couple of examples which strangely enough both relate to freshwater Catfish (Barbel). We built a pair of very fine, slim 7’-0” rods for one chap for light line use, with the aim of presenting delicate baits to smaller Bream species on 4kg line. The rods were a dream, really light and super sensitive – probably capable of casting no more than ½ or ¾ ounce sinkers and bait – really delicate rods. After their first outing we had a call from a very happy and satisfied customer, that had endured a fight of nearly 1 hour before he finally subdued a 14kg Barbel – it made us cringe at the thought of our supremely delicate rods having to endure such punishment.

 

The next came with a chap looking for an ‘Artlure’ rod to specifically target Barbel, and we had such a blank, and built the rod to his specification. He was aiming at 14-15kg fish, with a casting weight of 1-2 ounce lures. No problem, we had the blank, exactly rated to that specification, and duly built the 8’ long, 2 piece rod. Time passed, and a late start to his fishing season due to the heavy summer rains in RSA, but we had an email report of the first trip – including pictures. First picture was of ‘our’ rod hooped over to maximum curve and this big chap obviously applying some serious pressure – looked like he had hooked the bottom, and was looking to pull the drain plug out of the dam. Next photo was of a monster Barbel – 28kgs!

 

Sure we should feel good about both these rods, but imagine the sorrow and anguish that would have ensued had in both cases the anglers been less skilled. Both these rods, and specifically the blanks had been tested way beyond the original manufacturer’s wildest nightmares – and survived. As custom rod builders we really do have an obligation to build fine rods for folks, but how can we possibly account for some of the extremes that clients take our rods to?

 

On the flip side we used the same 8’ long, 2 piece blank to build a rod for Tigerfish, thinking that it would be just perfect for the task. The angler was a big chap, and from the discussions we had, he seemed to favour ‘heavy’ usage, so we were fairly confident that the blank would suit his needs – we had not at that time had the report of the 28kg Barbel, but we have faith in that particular blank. Rod built, dispatched to the client, and all is well with the world.

 

Then the phone call to complain that the rod had broken, and the client wanted a direct replacement at no cost – it had performed well until the breakage. However, getting deeper into the story of the day of the breakage and the subsequent days. The story goes as follows; the guy was trolling with a tight drag and 50lb braid, gets a strike, but doesn’t hear the clicker, then notices the reel is spooling out, and dives to the back of the boat, engine still running, and tightens the drag further to stop the loss of line, with the rod still in the rod holder. Eventually something had to break, with the line ‘singing’ due to the tension, the rod hooped over to a unreal curve – the rod shattered below the reel seat where it was anchored in the rod holder. End of fishing trip, and hence the phone call to us, but this was not the end, as the following day he phoned again to say that he would not be charging us for the loss of 300m of 50lb braid, as he had found it all wrapped around a crocodile!!!! At which point we offered the choice of a new rod at his cost, but built to catch and land crocodiles, or he could look elsewhere for such fishing tackle, as we really weren’t equipped to build rods for Tigerfish, that would subsequently be used to hook and tow 100+kg crocs up the Okavango River!

 

To say that he was upset would be an understatement, but where do you draw the line on the design for a rod, especially when folks are looking for the finest and lightest fishing rods?

 

To Allister and Hannes, founder members of our ‘Barbel Rod Testing Department’ – please stop sending us photos and reports of what you are doing to ‘our’ rods – we appreciate that you are both very skilled anglers, but it makes us cringe a little to hear the ‘war stories’.

 

 

March 2011

 

General News

 

News from a tackle dealer friend in Europe, about a trade dispute between China and Japan is having a knock-on effect on the whole tackle trade. With so much tackle being built in China these days, the effect of Japan, not exporting 36T (‘hmg’) to Chinese rod manufacturers has already started to impact supplies of ‘hmg’ rods in Europe.

 

How soon this will have an effect in southern Africa, we can only guess, but there are a number of brand label rods that are built in China for sale in the southern African marketplace, so we will have to see what happens. No doubt Blue Marlin with their suppliers will be very popular. However, there are greater issues with carbon fibre coming, with the development of a new resin to be used in the impregnation of the carbon cloth. There will be a whole slew of new names come into the market place, all involving the word ‘nano’, as the new resin has ‘nano silica’ added to it as an effective filler material, but the strength gains or conversely weight saving gains are quite considerable.

 

At this time, the only real world applications have been in fly fishing rods, and it will take a bold step to start to work such a significant material into surf rods, as all the usual rules will be redundant, and new design rules will have to be developed. This was noted with ‘hmg’ (God! I hate that expression!), it is in fact stronger, but what the sales folks forget to tell you, it is significantly more brittle than earlier forms of carbon fibre. One knock, or over loading and it will shatter like a crystal glass, folks have yet to learn that they are being sold a strong, but fragile product, which is not to say that we haven’t seen a few in the shop for repairs.

 

One of the other aspects that have not yet stood the test of time, is the current fashion for supplying blanks without any paint or protective coating. Sure the clear coats and paints get scratched, but they also provide some protection to the blank from the harm of UV rays. The resins in the blank, that actually hold all the carbon fibres together are equally susceptible to the destructive power of UV rays. We see a lot of blanks where the original coating has long been lost, and on closer inspection, prior to a rebuild, we find that the actual fibres of the blank are delaminating on the surface of the rod. This delaminating effect also happens naturally through the use of the blank, as the rod is worked through numerous 100’s of casts – the blank actually softens slightly. This was made apparent to one of our customers who broke an old favourite rod, and we managed to get a direct replacement for him, same grade, same rating, everything as the previous rod. He saw us on the beach, and complained that the new rod was much stiffer than the original, though the original was over 5 years old, and had seen a lot of service. We had to explain the facts of life about de-lamination – it happens regardless, just through using a rod.

 

So, how do we reconcile the current fashion of blanks supplied without the protective coatings; are we to accept the fact that they are going to start delaminating earlier, and hence become almost a ‘consumable’ product. We actually have a standing specification for all our blanks coming from Blue Marlin, to be painted with ‘clear coat’. Leaving us with a protected blank, that has some form of life span; that we can then work our threads and patterns over. The unfinished blanks, while they might be advertised as ‘scratch resistant’ or ‘low maintenance’, it is the carbon fibre that is taking the direct impact of those scratches and the general wear and tear.

 

Other news is more up beat, custom rod sales for our year end were up, and the ‘Shatani’  rods were a significant part of that increase. These blanks are proving to be very popular, and we have nearly exhausted our February delivery, but we are not too worried about this blank as it doesn’t have any ‘hmg’ in it, just some other specialist fibres, and it is not made in China!! The tests continue with the light weight ladies’ ‘Shatani 5/6’  and it does handle fish very well. Casting the slightly shorter rod with a full pendulum style cast is absolutely scary – the blank just keeps loading up, and the launch speeds are incredible. Had to turn up the magnets on the little reel we were testing with, as the crow’s nests at 150 metres were killing the last quarter of the cast. Once we got the reel under control with the additional braking, we were easily managing 182 metres – not a bad distance to launch a 5oz sinker???

 

Other testing proved to be equally inspiring, we had a client want to ‘really’ test a BTS Shark, but not just distance with a casting sinker but a realistic ‘live’ situation. Rigging the rod up with an 8oz casting sinker, and then satellite sinkers (unclipped), of 12oz, he felt that this set up truly represented what he was casting on the beach, as for sinker and weight of bait. To say that we were slightly apprehensive would be an understatement – a 14 foot rod launching a combined weight of 20oz!!! Well, the blank/rod excelled, he was consistently landing the combined weights at over 150 metres – but then he can cast. He was suitably impressed with the rod, and has subsequently ordered one, and we were equally impressed with the blank and its real innate strength.

 

Middle of the month saw us busy with rods for the ‘Namibian Nationals’, repairs, rebuilds and some new rods – all getting sorted for 3 quite intensive days’ of fishing. Sue is using the ‘Shatani 5/6’ as her main rod to target everything, with a ‘TX2’  as her spare rod, her casting has significantly improved over the last few weeks using the new rod. The slimmer profile and lighter weight seems to give her more confidence to really ‘drive’ the rod, resulting in better casting distance. The improved distance is then driving her confidence, and she is now getting most casts consistently beyond the 110 metre mark; so hopefully this will self-feed on getting her casting to continue to improve. She certainly has no problems with landing fish as years of light tackle boat fishing has taught her the fish fighting skills, it is just that we have both come very late to shore casting, and it is that skill that we are both developing.

 

Results from the ‘Namibian Nationals’ are that our club won the event, and although a close thing after 3 days of fishing in quite difficult conditions. Mako Angling Club are the new Namibian Club Champions. At the prize giving, the places for all the National teams were announced, and the club team certainly filled a lot of the places. Though most importantly Sue won here place on the Namibian Ladies President’s team, and she was certainly pleased with the new ‘Shatani 5/6’, it really did perform for her.

 

We had the opportunity to test a ‘Shatani 6/7’, on an inexperienced angler; doing a ‘side-by-side’ test against an older ‘TX2’. It was really more a test of bite detection and fish fighting ability, when we took a client out fishing. It was one of those days when everything just seems to go right. A long story short, after landing 19 Kob to 7.75kg in just 4 hours, the result was that the ‘Shatani’ was deemed the favourite in the blind test. It was just a little more comfortable as a result of the lighter weight, and the ‘backbone’ was just that little more dominant on some very feisty fish. It would seem that we have another really nice ‘fishing’ rod on our hands with this blank.

 

Fishing

 

The end of the month proved pretty spectacular at times, with some really good Kob coming out. One of the guides had a 28kg + Kob for one of his clients, and that spurred all the visitors to get out an seriously fish. The ‘Independence’ weekend produced a number of good catches, but mostly for those that could cast. We went out with a friend just for the afternoon, to ‘drown some bait’, and had 6 fine Kob, as well as one of the smallest Bronzies I have encountered, landed on a Kob trace with nylon to the hook.

 

The next day I took a client to the same area, and we arrived later than would have been preferred, as we had to get a fishing license. We had 4 Kob in the fish box, before I could get the second rod set up and in the water!!! It was seriously busy. By 11 o’clock we had the round dozen landed as well as losing a few to the near shore reef and kelp. All quiet for the low tide period, then it all started as the tide started to push. By 1 o’clock we had our fill, as we had 4 fish over 70cms, and a total of 19 in the fish box.

 

The fishing had been at distance and all were caught on Namibian Pilchard. The folks around us were amazed, and we felt a little sorry, as they were just not getting the distance on the casts, and some were using variable quality bait. A number of the chaps came to the shop to get bait and information, and one of the locals ‘old chaps’ reported later that the following day at low tide, with a bit of wading, he had landed 5 good fish at the same spot. That afternoon, it all went poor, as brown coloured water moved up the coast pushing the fish further north.

 

2 days later the good fishing appeared to the south of the town, with a quiet spot called the ‘Needle’ producing 16 quality Kob a friend and his buddy. They were all the same quality that we had encountered, but they had the good fortune to pick up a couple of Stenbras as well. Distance casting and quality bait will nearly always get you something on this coast, but as usual, this all happened after the ‘Nationals’.

 

Off to Terrace Bay with clients for the end of the month, packing all the gear, getting the car serviced and all the usual preparations, and getting the long range forecast – it looks good.

 

February 2011

 

General News

 

Interesting times ahead with a new concession in Namibia for fishing – Meob Bay. For those without a map to hand, basically half way between Walvis Bay and Luderitz – in the middle of the Namib Naukluft Park desert. Results from all the trips that I have heard about down there in the past, have been amazing – catches in excess of 30 fish per angler per day, with the two most predominant species being Stenbras and Kob.

 

The new concession will be operated on a ‘one trip per month’ basis, with only 8 months (summer) being the operational times. Trips will be restricted to a maximum of 30 people per trip, and all trips will depart and end in Walvis Bay, with the full range of desert/dune driving an essential skill for every body going. Accommodation will be by your own camping equipment, though the concession does have a catering block for use by all, with a facility for toilets and showers for the campers.

 

All the fishing will be on a catch and release basis, with all bait fishing being carried out with circle hooks only. Early results with ‘plastics’ and spinning have been very good, though obviously only for Kob.

 

This is not going to be a cheap venue for fishing, it will be something seriously special; and it might be likened to southern Angola, but without all the s**t at the border! Great fishing, set in the wilds of the Namib desert, with the aspect of adventure thrown in, as you will be totally self dependant on your own skills and preparations.

 

We should be getting more details as time goes forward, as the concession holders finalise all their programs. We are looking to do a trip in April this year, by way of an initial exploration. We will be taking a small group of dedicated anglers down there to ‘test the waters’, so to speak. Then we will be in a serious position for a main trip down in October, just as the good fishing starts, but places will be limited, as the concession has a working limit on each trip.

 

Weather

 

It is difficult to recognise that global weather systems would have a negative affect on our rod building business, but that is just what happened this month. ‘La Nina’, which has been responsible for so much of the unusually heavy rainfall around the southern hemisphere this past couple of months, has finally caught up with us.

 

Straight after the Blue Marlin factory got back to work, we were on the phone placing an order to replenish stocks of some of our blanks, and they duly started to build our blanks. By the end of the month they were dispatched and headed our way via train. This is all standard procedure to get such long parcels up from East London, and has gone forward relatively smoothly for the past couple of years. The train offers us the protection for the long parcel, that they might not get on a lorry.

 

However, the excessive rains have caused a problem even for the trains, and now we have a consignment of blanks stuck on a train due to flooding in the northern Cape area. The railway line or one of the bridges is suspect, and the train was held in limbo, until they trans-shipped the freight to road, and it finally arrived here in Namibia ~ much to a couple of clients’ relief.

 

Their rods are now built, and their planned trips will go ahead with their new rods ready for collection on their arrival in Henties Bay.

 

Additional to the supply from Blue Marlin, we had a delivery of ‘Shatani ‘ blanks come in from Europe, and these are being built up for various clients that had missed out on our pre-December delivery. In the consignment were a couple of prototypes that we will be building and then testing. The main one is a ‘big brother’ to the initial blank – this looks like it will be fine for 7-9oz sinkers, so it will cover the upper end of the main range of requirements. As well as that, there was a ‘ladies’ version that came in, and Sue will be ‘guinea pig’ for that rod, she is hoping to use it in the ‘Nationals’ in March, we just have to get it built and tested!!!! It is slightly shorter than the normal 14 foot, and is designed for 5-6oz sinkers. The real surprise came when we weighed it – it looks like we will finally have broken through the 600 gram barrier for the Ladies – a lovely light rod, but we are expecting some real power from it.

 

Did a few test casts with it prior to a coastal competition, it would make a lovely ‘pendulum’ rod for anyone looking to launch 6oz sinkers to the horizon. In standard casting format, it is really doing well, and we will have to see how it handles the smaller sharks and big fish during the coming months. Sue’s first impressions were that it is light, but powerful.

 

Fishing

 

The annual ‘Kob Run’ down at Paaltjies took place this month, with hoards of anglers on the beach – it really did look like reeds on the side of the Zambezi, there were so many surf rods standing up. Catches were good for some, less so for others, but the problem with this annual event is that while we all want good stocks of fish to catch we hit this migration every year. The issue is that it is a breeding migration of large mature Kob going down to their breeding location near Sandwich Harbour, and we hit them before they have had chance to breed. And, the fact that it is the most successful fish that we are taking out of the stock, and those that will produce the most new eggs – the big females.

 

There are discussions afoot to close the whole of the area – post December each year to protect this migration from such a heavy plundering, as there are literally tonnes of fish taken each year, and that can’t do anything good for the sustainability of the stock. Too many places in the world have hugely depleted fish stocks, and anglers are struggling to catch anything worthwhile, and we still don’t learn from the fact that we can’t keep taking from the ocean – it really isn’t a never-ending supply of fish.

 

 

 

 

January 2011

 

May we wish all our clients past and present, a prosperous New Year. May you cast greater distances, and the fish bite your baits with vigour, and may they all be so big you do not need to exaggerate!

 

General Chat

 

December period was a very busy time for us this past year, the rod shop was almost on maximum production; nice, but very busy with new rods coming out almost on a daily basis. By early in the new year we were very nearly cleaned out of surf blanks, which was a little frustrating, as we couldn’t build the rods to show all the clients what we can offer. Orders are now placed for all the replacement blanks as well as a couple more variants of the Shatani.

 

One rod that proved very popular is a rod we designed specifically for ladies, it is slightly shorter, and considerably lighter than most, and it casts like a dream. It also has some real power buried within, as one of our young ladies found out when she hooked, fought and landed a 27.9kg Spotted Gully Shark in early December – the rod didn’t fail to control the fish, just slowly but surely drew it to the beach. Not bad for a 13 year old – well done!

 

The other surprise of the ‘season’ was the popularity of the Fin-Nor reels, they were flying off the shelf, and in some cases folks were coming back for a second reel, usually smaller than their first choice, specifically as a reel for ‘edibles’. We have long been convinced of these reels, and have now nearly sold all our old stock of alternates, and we will not be replacing them, other than with Fin-Nor.

 

The new fixed spool rods were popular, and the 6oz rod was put to the ultimate test, as one chap deliberately targeted Bronzies, and landed a credible 86kg specimen. Possibly the first Bronzie on a fixed spool in recent times, and certainly the first Bronzie on an Excalibur Fixed Spool rod.

 

The results from our prototype Jigging rod have been coming through, and they are all favourable, the lifting power is very much appreciated, as is the ‘feel’ of the rod. No longer does the angler have to cope with the very soft action of the top of the rod when jigging, the stiffer section and curve of the rod, just moves the jig and the fish.

 

Something that we are noticing more and more, is the trend towards lighter tackle, something that you can hold all day, catch fish, and enjoy the fight. This trend for lighter tackle was possibly one of the motivators behind developing the ‘Shatani’ rods, and we will be exploring this facet further with our newer prototypes. Moving along with the trend, there are now inquiries for smaller reels to match with these lighter rods; and this is something that the Europeans have found actually increases their casting distances. Though, admittedly they are generally casting over cleaner ground, and certainly don’t have ocean swell and serious cross current to deal with – though they do have huge lateral tide movements. Basically, the conditions vary, but there is no reason why we can’t be consistently fishing with 0.40mm mainlines or smaller, just we have to be cognisant of the conditions; as well as the fish that we target.

 

This lighter attitude is something we are going to be exploring during the coming months, it is not a new idea, as there used to be a category in competition fishing for light tackle, and for some reason it got dropped. It is always a shame that an aspect of fishing looses favour, especially when that aspect could well have been responsible for making anglers more skilled, rather than less. Back in our boat fishing days, we used to fully embrace the IGFA line class formula in all our fishing, and we ended up with all very much lighter tackle, fished very proficiently, and enjoyed the sport so much more, even though at times we were landing fish and sharks 10:1 greater than the line capacity. It certainly makes you respect the tackle you are using, and apply sustained pressure, rather than just brute force. One of the rods that we really enjoy fishing with is the BTS Micro, when conditions allow ~ just a 2-3oz sinker and smaller baits cast to over 100 metres, and suddenly that 2-3kg Kob becomes a real fight, not just a winching in exercise.

 

This all is perhaps the essence of fishing – the sport and the fun, and we often loses sight of that aspect, especially when dealing with rods and reels going for the occasional Bronzie, while in reality, the rod will be catching by far more Kob, Stenbras and other smaller fish, but we gear up with rods and tackle at least capable of dealing with the one off catch.

 

Our traditional end of January break away from work saw us back at Torra Bay, and the conditions were difficult with very clean warm water, possibly a function of the ‘La Nina’ weather systems we are all experiencing. So, the fish were scarce, by we did manage some very good individual fish, Stenbras, Kob and Blacktail Sea Bream – but we had to work for them. This is usually the case with Torra, loads of fish at the beginning of December; better quality, but fewer at the end of January. The significantly warmer weather and sea water temps this year are also putting up a lot more Garrick and Bluefish (Shad), but we rarely target them directly, so usually catch so few.

 

 

 

December 2010

 

 

Field Trials – Shatani

 

Our annual pilgrimage to Torra Bay at the beginning of December was its usual rest and recuperation trip. Basically a break before the main December influx of anglers’ and their families. We do the trip each year, to coincide with the opening of Torra Bay, and this year ‘fishing wise’ was no different to usual, loads of smaller fish in the south while larger, but lesser numbers in the north. This year the weather was poor, with high winds for 2 of our 3 day visit, and that makes for difficult fishing. Testing the new ‘Shatani’ in such conditions was a worthy test, the high winds requiring that extra ‘punch’ from the rod to overcome the wind factor, and testing the rod with 7oz sinkers and large baits certainly proved the point with the new blank. It really does have the reserve of power to handle the extra load, while on quieter days (less wind), that power does return the distances with a 6oz sinker.

 

Preliminary trials with the fixed spool variant are very good, casting 7oz sinker well into the 160-180 metre range, and that was all as a very quick test, rather than a dedicated test session, and without a mechanical release system fitted; which is the preference of our tester. Certainly more potential than our initial rods, that were built on the ‘TX3’ blank.

 

In some respects it will be difficult to improve on this design, as we are so content with the results, and had the additional problem of our shop sample being bought straight after the angler had tested it. We didn’t make an earlier mistake with the prototype, in ordering only one; this time we ordered 2, so we have a spare for customers to try, while we take orders for future deliveries. This was a problem in the past, when we moved from ‘TX2’ up to ‘TX3’  blanks. We had just finished the test rod, and a client walked in, tried it and then bought it – leaving us with no test rod. We did it again with another blank, that has since proved to be very popular, so this time, we ordered an additional ‘Shatani’  blank, and now we have one that we are not selling until into the New Year, when we will have placed our order for further deliveries.

 

We are rapidly coming to the conclusion that we should be more planned in our development of prototypes, as to time them coincide with our busiest season is not the right thing to do, though we have had two major development issues this year, the fixed spool rods and blanks, as well as the ‘Shatani’. The fact that we have undertaken two developments was ambitious, but we felt that we had such faith in the two concepts, that we just had to move with them both while they were fresh in our minds. It certainly makes you appreciate the work that the major factories do, when they bring out a whole new range, but then they do have the advantage of greater numbers of staff.

 

The next development that we are looking at will be a dedicated ‘Popper’ rod, but for the boat anglers, not really meant for the surf anglers, as there are plenty on the market, and a wide choice of blanks that are suitable, depending upon one’s particular needs. This rod will be developed with a dual aspect, as we are seeing the start of kayak fishing here in Namibia, and that will require something special, as we have already had inquiries about rods for this, and the range requirements between edibles, and then the prospects of dealing with a Bronzie, is a little daunting for the rod design. That said, there is a probable solution our there, it just needs investigating and developing.

 

Initiate or Imitate??

 

They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and this is never more true in the rod building and tackle trade. It was something that we first encountered on a huge scale when we first arrived in Namibia from Europe, and the local expression that covers this so very well – “Stealing with your eyes”!  The other ‘local’ factor that we certainly did not encounter in Europe was the power of the “bush telegraph” – in Namibia, we barely get a prototype out of the drying machine, and we are getting folks ‘fishing’ for information. This was never more apparent when we first started working with the ‘TX2’  blanks, and how quickly the ‘similars’ were being offered in RSA.

 

We were recently discussing this phenomenon with a colleague, and then within the month we hear that the blanks we helped formulate for our ‘competition fixed spool’, are being used by rod builders down on the south coast – that didn’t take long – did it?!!!!

 

If, we were of a paranoid disposition, we would probably think that our office was bugged, or our computers tapped into; but it is not the case, it is just the ‘bush telegraph’ working at its best. Perhaps we should just feel proud that we have been the main party in developing a new concept, and continue with our thoughts on developing rods and fishing tackle, as imitation is certainly going to continue.

 

We have even seen it in the fact that someone is getting copies of our ‘Katana Bait’ hooks, though they are not forged, nor are the black chromed, and certainly not as sharp – probably come out of a factory in China more used to making paper clips!! Quality will win through despite the cheaper variants coming through, just a shame that so many of the angling public will suffer when the likes of these imitation hooks fail.

 

With our ‘Shatani’ blanks we have defeated the imitators before they start, by actually having these blanks rolled on our ‘own’ mandrel, and in a factory not readily available to the angling trade. Sure there will be speculation and conjecture about where we are getting the blanks built, but it will all be in vain, as we will not be disclosing the information to anyone. Those wishing to build replicas, will have to buy the blanks from us, though that has not stopped some less than honourable rod builders coming into the shop over December, and trying to ‘pick our brains’; even to the extend of inquiring where we get some of our specialist rings made.

 

Fishing

 

Generally, we have seen fewer anglers arriving for the Xmas break in Henties Bay, and that has in turn meant that a lot more fish have been caught. Tourist anglers have been generally having a good time with the fishing. The early part of the season saw a good number of angers fill their daily quota, as well as a goodly number of sharks being caught.

 

The reduced numbers have been subject to a bit of speculation, but we forget that a good number of folks took prolonged holidays during the football World Cup; so they probably haven’t the time allowance in their leave, to take a second long holiday to Namibia; or they are saving it up for a ‘Boys Trip’ in late summer.

 

Bait has not been an issue, there were good stocks of Namibian Pilchard available throughout the period, while this has been the main stay of those catching, as the imported frozen Pilchard from RSA has not been popular – probably due to how the bait is handled in transport. Some transport agents have been known to save fuel by turning up the thermostat on the freezer lorries, and if there is one thing guaranteed to damage delicate frozen goods, it is less than adequate freezing.

 

 

November 2010

 

The ‘Shantani’

 

It works!!! The new prototype blank (Ver. 1) is here, and the first rod was barely dry from being built, and across the road to our testing field. But, before we made it that far, we put a couple of rods on the scales, and that was the first surprise, the rod in comparable build is 13% lighter than the previous best, and that was without using anything other than our standard materials. The benefits of European design parameters amalgamated with the southern African concept of one piece blanks, is a real bonus towards getting finished rods weighing below 650 grams for a full 6-7oz 14’ surf rod.

 

Out on the testing field it was very surprising, the low end power was immediately obvious, and away went the sinkers.  A few casts to get used to the slightly different action, and we were flying. Originally designed as a 6oz blank, it has so much power available that raising the sinker to 7oz really did not affect the performance. Casts were consistently going into the 160-180 metre range, though tip acceleration is a problem, as the launch speed is considerably up on comparable blanks. This translates into the performance gained from the reel, so we will have to look at these further issues, getting spool acceleration up, and then getting the whole combination under control. The fact that the rod overall is lighter also makes for a big difference in handling during the cast. This is something that a colleague in Europe is looking at, the ‘air/wind’ resistance on the rod during the function of the cast – and whether slimmer profiles do actually yield better performance from the caster.

 

Though these blanks are our design, our manufacturer was sufficiently intrigued as to their potential performance, and handed one of the prototypes across to a Dutch tournament caster, and he managed a 302 yard cast in fixed spool configuration – though with a full pendulum casting style, rather than the more traditional local casting style of modified ‘off the ground’. The feedback from there was that these one piece blanks have a significant benefit, as they do not have to have a design constraint built into them to counter the stresses at any junctions, the smooth transition from one area of the rod through to another is tremendous, and makes for a far superior casting tool.

 

How it fairs out on the beach is still under review, the blank is certainly capable of launching sinkers, and on a first trip to the beach at ‘The Winston’, had no problems with the local Kob, easily managing a half dozen, when those around were struggling. Bite detection is good, and the benefit of the weight difference a real blessing.

 

So, initially we are very pleased with the new blank, there are further ideas bouncing around to perhaps even improve it further, but the biggest and most immediate thing every one notices is the weight – 13% is a lot, especially when we already consider that we are possibly building some of the lightest rods around.

 

The blanks are finished in traditional European style of being ‘unground’, and will be available in two formats. We have combined the Blue Marlin ‘ELS’ mechanism with the blank, and this will now become our ‘competition’ fixed spool rod, and it will also be available in normal low reel multiplier format – all built with Fuji components throughout. Our main order is due during this month, for availability through the ‘holiday’ period, these will be built to an awesome new colour scheme that we have developed over the winter period, and only found on these ‘Shatani’ rods. There might also be another variant of the ‘Shatani’ blank, having had such a surprise at the performance and weight, we will have to look to see how far we can progress this concept, eventually we will get something that doesn’t work, and then we will know the limit.

 

General Chat

 

Being custom rod builders is sometimes a profession of mixed blessings, two recent experiences have highlighted this.

 

First was a client that wanted something special, for a quite specific task, and we reviewed the specification options over a protracted series of emails, and finally came up with a good solution that we thought was just right – though the biggest problem was that the client could not get to Henties Bay to test cast the blank on a sample rod. The client then started to discuss the options with a variety of people, and equally none of these had cast ‘our’ blank, so started offering advise based on no actual experience of our product. The end result was that we were getting placed into a position that we were uncomfortable with what the client was asking for, and in the end, said so. The obvious result was that we did not build the rod that the client was hoping for, as it was in our eyes totally unrealistic. The blank wasn’t the only issue, the virtue of the components that we use was also discussed, and we had several emails discussing whether Fuji rings were better than something else that we have found to be seriously problematic, and stopped using several years ago.

 

These ‘current fashion’ changes in some of the components that are coming onto the market are a problem, and usually through time we all revert back to tried and trusted quality components, which at times we might have to pay a small premium for, but when you are buying or building something special – it pays to use the best! We do test some of the ‘new’ products, and have indeed taken some into our range of components – very much so in the case of our blanks, we are always looking to get better performance, and it is very much the reason we don’t stock 15 year old designs of blanks, the performance of everything that we have today has moved along considerably in that space of time, whether it is rod blanks, computers or cars?

 

On the flip side of the coin, we had a client come in with a serious disability, though he fortunately has a huge passion for fishing - some folks might see that as a disability that all fishermen have? However, he isn’t prepared to let an accident stand in the way of his fishing. His disability is that he has a seriously shortened forearm, the amputation left him with a short stump extending from his elbow. His passion is Tigerfish and surf, and loves spinning, and that was what he was looking for, a spinning rod, but one that he could use effectively. Well, through a series of test designs involving the blanks and various handle options and configurations, we finally came up with a solution that fitted his requirements exactly, we built the rod, and he has subsequently sent some photos of some fine Tigerfish caught on ‘his’ rod! The smile on his face was worth every minute that we spent getting the rod design just right.

 

The pleasure gained from doing a lot of work to find a solution for a specific client is very rewarding, and the fact that we can legitimately claim to have built a rod for a one armed man, is actually a pleasure, not from the man’s disability, but to move forward a persons pleasure gained from angling. The one aspect that we will now start to look seriously at will be that we will not undertake ‘remote’ work – rods designed by telephone or email. Our passion is to build rods that the client is so happy with, that they almost get impatient while we are building them – and this really can only come about through them being here in person, and testing what they are going to get.

 

Another concept rod that we have been ‘playing’ with came out of the workshop recently, something for the ‘boat boys & girls’, a jigging rod, but with some other aspects built into the design. Currently, the design of jigging rods, is to have a relatively soft tip, and go for a ‘parabolic’ performance curve in the blank. This concept is fine, but really does place tremendous stress on the blank when it gets towards fully loaded, or even over loaded – and that really does happen in a lot of fishing situations, either through the rough and tough environment of boat fishing or through angler error.

 

Our design has gone towards a ‘hyperbolic’ performance curve in the blank, with the addition of a significantly stiff butt on the rod, through developing it in a two piece fashion. Through the use of some different components – we have ended up with a rod that is 6’-6” long, that doesn’t have a ‘fold-over’ tip section. This will translate into much more lure movement for each swing of the rod during fishing. The main blank is surprisingly slim, while the butt section is comfortable for prolonged use and designed to reduce hand strain.

 

The rod is currently off to northern Angola for ‘aggressive’ field trials in what some might think are extreme conditions, but we will see how it goes under those conditions, and then start to offer the rod to the ‘fishing public’.

 

 

 

October 2010

 

Prototype Blank

 

We are always looking for ways to improve matters, and sometimes the route is to look critically at what we currently have, and see if there are ways it could be improved. Other times, it is perhaps best to start with a clean sheet of paper, and design what we hope is an improvement on what we already have.

 

The ‘TX2 & TX3’ blanks are still proving to be very popular, and they certainly have passed all the expectations we originally had with them; however they are now getting a little dated as we haven’t changed the design recently. Their original strengths are that they are very ‘user friendly’, don’t need huge physical strength to get respectable distance, and fight fish very well. They are made slightly smaller diameter than traditional southern African designs, they are relatively light, but both these factors could be improved. The current fashion for calling everything ‘HMG’ is totally misleading the market, and is basically just the older style of ‘T53’ but under a different label, so what can we do?

 

Since the first ‘TX’  series blanks we have been fully convinced that the way to go is through ‘hybrid’ composition, rather than using just a single strength resin impregnated carbon cloth throughout the one blank. Introducing different strength cloths at the appropriate places to do the respective works is the direction that all the top European manufacturers have been travelling with their designs, and it works, as our ‘Aqrab’ series testifies ~ so can we develop something similar that will be a little more ‘user friendly’, yet get towards the performance of the ‘Aqrab’.

 

This idea is something that we have been working on for a few months, and know that the process will be one of several prototypes, each getting progressively closer to the goal that we are looking for. We have gone through the process during the past 6 months with the fixed spool series, and now have a series that cover pretty much everything that our clients will need, the full blooded ‘competition’ rod, which is available in either 6-7oz or 7-8oz variants – these are one piece purely because of the power that they are generating, it would really detract from the performance to start splitting it. It is currently being tested for its ability to deal with Bronzies, and that will ultimately be the ‘test’ that brings fixed spool reel rods into the main market, it will be interesting to hear the results from the anglers as they are using braid through out. The other two rods for fixed spool are for ‘mere mortals’, a less aggressive design of blank, and built as a three piece, with variants for 6-7oz and 5-6oz, as well as different lengths. The slightly shorter 5-6oz is proving exceptionally popular with ladies, in either general fishing or competition – rigged with the right reel it will cast 5oz sinkers beyond 150 metres.

 

So, what are we really looking for in a surf blank, over and above what we already have? Ultimately we would all like more distance, for some reason we all want to fish in Brazil; though that at times is a mistake, but then distance is only a tool that we can moderate, so more distance would be nice. So, we need a blank that will load up easily, taking load further down the blank, and then releasing it smoothly. We want bite detection as well as some backbone to fight fish, and we want the whole package to be as light as is reasonably possible.

 

Coming from an engineering background, we need to have some form of measures against which to test any design, as well as some of the less tangible aspects like ‘feel’. Distance is relatively simple, use a standard caster, and a uniform grade of sinker to carry out a series of casts, and then measure the average – not quite fully empirical, but close. Weight is simple, so what about the other aspects, that are in the equation? Well, we might just have to take consensus over a series of anglers to take their opinion.

 

Being in the rod repair business, we get to see a lot of blanks come in for various treatments, and this has given us the opportunity to put a whole series of finished rods onto the scales – and the results have been pretty astounding – as to just how heavy some rods really are, despite what their labels and reputation are saying. Sure there are aspects that all contribute to the weight of the rod, and some of these really do increase the weight tremendously, while others are less obvious. It would be interesting to see how much some of the blanks on their own weigh, as we were very pleasantly surprised just how light the ‘TX2 & TX3’  blanks weigh in at.

 

One of the most interesting results that came from having a set of scales in the workshop, was when we were doing a handle refurbishment for one of our clients, changing from flotex carpet to ‘X-grip’, we found that the whole rod weighed 170 grams lighter just for that one change in material – that is the equivalent of a 6oz sinker!!!! This really started the exercise on weights, we developed a bit of a chart, to try and gauge the actual weight of the blanks we were looking at (the opposition), allowing various weights for various handle materials, butting sections and various other additions, like wooden and stainless steel butt sections. All this to try and get to a base figure for just what the blanks weigh – not very successful, but it did yield some results.

 

What really spurred us on with this was when a client phoned to discuss a possible new rod, and he started quoting the optimum weight he was looking for, and when we checked our numbers, he was actually quoting the weight of a rod we had built for him. So what he was actually asking for was a higher strength rod, to give more distance, but lighter than we had already built!!!! – A tough ask!  When we asked how he came up with the weight requirement he did admit that he had weighed one of our rods, so we were all on the same page, and have subsequently fixed a specification for his new rod.

 

So, back to trying to design a new blank, and end up with a significant improvement over what we already consider is a very effective series of rods. We looked seriously at using various strengths of impregnated carbon cloths in different places, we looked at the base scrim materials, and we looked at the actual tapers on the mandrel to bring the traditional large diameter/thin wall southern African designs closer to the smaller diameter/thick wall European designs, hoping that we can get to a mid point where the wall thickness is held as thin as is realistically possible, but the diameter is down to figures closer to the European blanks. Working with one of our European blank builders, we developed a design of mandrel that is a serious departure from accepted tradition, it has more similarities to another aspect of fishing, than the traditional single taper that has been in use locally for years. By getting the taper of the blank to do more of our desired requirements frees up a lot of the design imposition on the actual carbon work. This will hopefully allow more response from the carbon, especially when using the EMRT system in the design.

 

The newest prototypes are currently in transit, and will be built and tested when we get them, though we are probably looking at a number of changes to the prototypes before we get the optimum, but it will be an interesting time.

 

 

Fishing

 

On a different note, we recently had a guided tour with an old friend and his co-workers, and from the 2 days out we now have 3 more friends. The trip highlighted how some folks are just lucky with their bookings, and others less so. In the weeks leading up to the trip we had some really shitty weather, wind, big seas and while the waters are warming up a little, the full benefits of summer waters have not yet materialised. Then just 3 days before they arrived, the seas calmed, the wind dropped and the prospects were looking good. First day was pretty good, as we were only after general fishing, aiming mainly at Kob, and the fish certainly did oblige; with catches being found at nearly every place we stopped. One chap had anticipated that it would be like all his previous experiences at the coast - fishless, and had brought along a quantity of ‘liquid refreshment’ to ease the pain. Well, he certainly didn’t get much time for that, and it did transpire that he caught the first ever fish in 63 years of trying – he had a drink to celebrate, then got down to catching the next half dozen. The next day was designated for a braai on the beach with some dedicated Bronzie fishing, but on the success of the previous day we decided to try for a few more edibles first. Trying a more traditional spot fairly close to our chosen Bronzie spot, we started off early with not another car is sight on the beach. By the time we left the spot to go and start the braai and Bronzies, we were in what could only be called a ‘car park’, I now know how the early American settlers felt when they were surrounded by Indians!!!!

 

It continually amazes me that folks will look for fish by seeing what others are catching, and then for whatever reason fail – whether it is through misreading the water or not having the skill to get the distance to the fish. Anyway the inevitable happened, and the numbers of sinkers being bombed into the water eventually put the fish off, so we moved, only to have someone pull straight into our tyre tracks for the spot we vacated. The end of the tale came that evening when a customer came in and accused us of ‘taking all the fish’, as he hadn’t caught a thing after we left; well I did ask what we should do about the situation, but never really got an answer!! The Bronzie fishing and braai was good, we had a couple of sharks – not big, but big enough for beginners, and the group had had a good couple of days.

 

Barely a week later the sea had turned into a washing machine – almost just in time for a friend to arrive at the coast, he did manage to get a few fish before the water turned really nasty again, but certainly not on the scale that we had been catching a week earlier. Some folks do have good luck with their timing, while others are less fortunate – but then that is why it is ‘fishing’, not ‘catching’. One of the lesser aspects to come out of the tour, was the fact that even very first timers at fishing can catch fish, even when limited in their skills base, given the right equipment. One of our anglers in the group was an absolute beginner, so we kitted him up with a fixed spool rod and reel, and with some basic lessons on casting he was soon doing his own thing, and succeeding, despite the looks of horror from some of our adjacent groups. The horror that someone could catch fish with a ‘coffee mill’, but they missed the fact that he was out casting them nearly every cast – and getting as far as the fish.

 

The sooner folks lose the sigma of the ‘poor chap can only use a coffee mill’, and they see that with properly designed rods real distance can be achieved, then a few more of our visitors might get a few more fish. We are now seeing this over and over again, with folks coming in to try our new rods, and they really do not believe the serious distances that can be achieved until they actually witness it themselves. Even some of our ‘die hard’ competition anglers are now coming down for a ‘test drive’, and going away with some strange looks on their faces. Of course there will be those that just put a fixed spool reel on one of their old multiplier rods, and get some distance, but they will never get the serious distances of a rod designed solely for the use with that type of reel.

 

 

 

September 2010

 

General Chat

 

The general interest in our tackle and rods at the Henties Bay ‘Fish Fest’ was good, and the most frequent questions were about the fixed spool rods, which was encouraging, especially as folks were very impressed with the performance levels that could be expected out of the new designs. Additional to the rods, we also had the ‘correct’ reels on display, and that helped demonstrate the significant differences in a reel designed specifically for big distance surf casting, as opposed to the traditional designs.

 

We stock the Quantum ‘Cabo’ series of reels, from the same supplier as our Fin-Nors; primarily for our customers wanting a deep jigging reel, as they are seriously robust and strong in the gearing and drag department; however they are not a big distance reels, and having them alongside the others demonstrated the point easily. We have written about this in ‘Rock, Surf & Deep’ magazine, and it is surprising just how much difference it makes.

 

We tested the smaller of our casting fixed spools on the ‘Ladies’ rod just before the ‘Fish Fest’, and the increase in distances was truly amazing, and still we haven’t loaded the spool with braid – with just monofilament nylon we are getting well over the 150 metres mark on our casting court, and that is still just with 5 ounce sinkers. In field tests on the beach the reel performs well, picks up line very quickly, especially when the Kob start running towards you, so we do not foresee any problems with the current matching of the rod and reel, very balanced and not too heavy. We will just have to see how the reel fits in with the ‘Men’s’ fixed spool rod, when we get our next batch of blanks up from Blue Marlin.

 

The fixed spool rods have recently passed their near ultimate test, when one of our original competition anglers that joined the fixed spool brigade, landed a new (pending ratification) Namibian record – a Spotted Gully shark of no less than 43.5kg. A truly awesome catch, but to someone that has really embraced the concept of the fixed spool rods as a realistic competition and general fishing system in the surf. While we are still going through some of the learning curve of getting all the components balanced for maximum achievement, he has certainly been putting in the hours with the system, to the extent that his best authenticated cast to date has been 195m with a 7oz sinker – something that will certainly be making the rest of us look seriously at our performance with multipliers.

 

 

 

Liquid Lightening

 

In June, we commented on reels, bearings and oils, and the fact that we are using very specific ‘light oils’. In the past we have used a propriety product from TG Developments in the UK, called ‘Rocket Fuel’, and this was a good product, but as always things move forward. We were testing another product from one of our other suppliers, and we have been testing it for a number of months, and it certainly has some distinct advantages over the older product. It is certainly faster, and seems to do all the things that ‘Rocket Fuel’ managed; waterproof, good bonding and low friction.

 

However this sparked our inquisitive nature, could we find something even better? Through an obscure contact in a completely different field of high performance engineering, we came across a series of products that they are using. Samples were dispatched, and duly arrived, and on a quiet morning with little else to do, we started testing the new oils – to say they were amazing would be an understatement!

 

We set up a trial with the base line being the average of 5 casts with our current ‘new’ oil in the bearings, to set the datum for the test. The reel was then stripped of bearings, cleaned and re-oiled with ‘prototype 1’ – and back across to the casting field – the first couple of casts were to bed everything in, but we immediately noticed that the spool was spinning faster – then the 5 casts – all were noticeably up on the current ‘new’ oil used in the first tests. The reel was stripped and cleaned and re-oiled with ‘prototype 2’. Same procedure, and this is when the problems really started, the oil was just too fast for the bearings, they were really singing, and of the 5 casts we were getting 3 crow’s nests – serious speed difference.

 

Back to the workshop, get out the brake blocks and start all over again, with ‘prototype 2’ oil and brakes – it did start to get the reel under control, but it was still seriously fast – perhaps too fast for the average angler, and that is where most of our market is. The test was amazing, slightly more control, less crow’s nests, and a distinct improvement in the distances, probably 10~15%.

 

We will now start a series of longer term tests with these oils, initially we will only be marketing ‘prototype 1’; the fact that both produce significant increases in the reel bearing performance, we feel that this will suit the needs of most of our clients. Like all these things we need to be sure that we have the right performance from a product before we market it, and will carry out objective tests on ‘prototype 2’ to see whether we are getting a true improvement in performance, but we think that this one will be a winner – we are going to call it ‘Liquid Lightening’.

 

The oils are imported jointly with Swakop Sports, and blended for us specifically by S.A.L.T. Pty in Sweden. Like all the products we sell, we try to get the right products for our clients, even if we have to have a range to suit the skill level of the anglers – not everybody is capable of using the highest performing products, so why waste money on something you cannot get to perform to its optimum.

 

 

 

 

August 2010

 

Ladies’ Fixed Spool Rod

 

As mentioned last month, we picked this prototype blank up at the show, and it needed a bit of thinking about, as on fixed spool rods, the reel size can be very critical. Having decided on which reel we would aim the rod at, we set about building it. Blue Marlin had sent the rod for Sue, as part of their 50th  Anniversary, and as part of their ongoing development of these rods. We had asked for a lighter weight rod, to cast 5oz sinkers + bait, maximum 13 foot, and with a softer action to take the ‘snap’ out of fixed spool casting ~ ideally a ladies’ rod. However, we didn’t want something that would not perform.

 

The rod was built and preliminary tests with the ‘wrong’ reel were very encouraging, the 5oz criteria seems to be spot on, it just loads with ease in the cast, and then launches. The softer action of the blank and the build has virtually eliminated the snatch of the release of the reel. It is in fact just a couple of inches over 13 foot, but who is counting, and it is really as light as we would have hoped for. The blend of carbons will remain a secret for a good while, as at the show we did detect that there is a lot of activity among the competitors to copy the use of fixed spool reels, but the roads they are going down will, in our opinion not reap the best results.

 

The distances that we got from the rod, using the ‘wrong’ reel and fairly thick mono were very encouraging, we just now have to wait for the delivery of the new reels, load them with braid and see what happens. We have been discussing the idea of this rod with a number of clients, and subject to their testing the prototype we have a good number of orders in waiting – so we will have to see what transpires when we do the final tests.

 

We will be launching the new rod at the Henties Bay Fish Fest at the end of the month, alongside the competition variant, which has been going very well in the hands of those that already have these rods. Something which is a shame, is that we cannot at this time, do a conversion to existing fixed spool rods that we have built, as the mechanics of the new system and the blanks used are not compatible.

 

The concept of the fixed spool is that it is easier to cast for those not familiar with the control needed for a multiplier. However, just overcoming the problem with shear strength is not the right design criteria. The Europeans have been building these rods for many years, and have ranges to suit just about every level of strength, casting technique and build. The long handle approach to casting, with the reel in a ‘up’ position is optimum. This shear strength approach is what we saw at the ‘trade show’, and it certainly did not impress us as rod builders, and will hopefully fall by the wayside, as the performance figures for the right designed rods starts to climb through the roof. Additionally, we noted that there were a lot of ‘mimic’ rods using rings that were way too small, as the size of the first ring has to be matched to the expected diameter of the spool on the reel. The size of the first ring will either liberate the cast or strangle it, and to this end there were a lot of disappointing rods on display.

 

We really do think that this concept is going to bring a lot of improvement for folks fishing the Namibian coast, especially where edibles are concerned; though that is not to say that these rods won’t be dealing with Bronzies soon enough, but just not the lighter versions designed for ‘edibles only’. Additionally, the concept will add significant metres to those casting artificials on the RSA coastlines. Gone are the days of not being able to reach the shoals of predators, the long handle approach will certainly give benefit to those throwing spoons and plugs.

 

Play time

 

Being a quiet month, we get a certain amount of free time in the workshop, and apart from sorting through the probable stock requirements for the end of the year, we ‘play’. We play with some of the thread work that we are doing, try new colour combinations and develop some of the new weaves that we are now featuring on our rods. This usually yields some very pleasant surprises, especially in colour combinations, using a different metallic tipping colour instead of one that we would usually use with a set colour – the effect can be quite startling, as was seen on a recent rod, by whipping a predominantly blue and black combination with some metallic orange – the effect was amazing. Though only a small detail, it really did make the thread work come alive, which apart from the pure performance design of a rod, is an intrinsic part of what makes a custom rod special.

 

We do get to see a lot of work done by other custom rod builders, and there are a couple whose work does stand out, and give this feeling of pride, where the extra efforts that they have put in ends up making something special. While others, are just a slight variation on a factory built product, a change in a few of the components, which the factory didn’t put on that particular rod.

 

One aspect of the custom rod that at times seems to get missed is the aspect of development, where the builders need to look at what we have currently available, and how can it be improved. Sure this is taking the rod building into the realm of the blank manufacturer, but as rod builders we are perhaps the front line in development, speaking directly to the upper level of anglers, and getting feedback on what they want from a rod, and possibly how it can be improved. We saw this with our ‘TX2  range of blanks, very much appreciated as a new blank design, but some of the competitive anglers felt that it was potentially a ‘little soft’ in the cast. So, rather than just offer the next blank up in the strength range, we looked at the design of the blank, and had discussions with the blank manufacturer. The result was the ‘TX3 ‘  blank, same power rating and casting rating, BUT through quite minor changes in the taper of the mandrel, a new competition blank was born, which really does overcome the original observation. The blank has subsequently become one of our best sellers, as it also translates into better casting potential. This was another result of ‘playtime’ last year, and has now become a feature of our development as a company, using quiet times to develop new products and techniques to offer better services to our customers.

 

The current ‘play time’ developments are underway, these we will be building and testing in the coming months to perhaps become a permanent feature of our range. Change is a good thing provided it does actually offer some tangible improvement, change for the sake of change is just a marketing issue; that probably comes from ‘sales’ orientated folks. We look at changes to be an instrument of evolution, whether we can build a rod lighter for the same power output, or whether we can increase the performance without the product becoming too specialist. This evolution has become apparent to us with our changes in range of rods – we have the rods for the competition anglers as well as rods for leisure anglers, though that doesn’t mean that either range is limited to one particular type of angler, but more a statement of the outright power of a particular rod.

 

Fishing has generally been improving, a lot of Kob about – once you find them, and the increase in numbers of Stenbras have been noticeable. A funny year with the fishing, as we had so much ‘Sulphur’ water earlier in the year, the micro-systems on the reefs and beaches need to recover to bring the fish back into the reefs and beaches to start feeding again. We were out the weekend before the ‘Fish Fest’, and had a really good day with Kob, not just small fish, but reasonable size, and strangely enough they were well mixed, small and large fish, not the usual ‘year class’ shoals. The Galjeon have been showing well, and it all bodes well for the nex couple of months, especially as that is the time we see the dedicated anglers coming up on their annual pilgrimage.

 

Something that we have notice though is the decline in fish being caught when we start to get larger numbers of visitors – a personal theory is that the extra noise on the beach with the extra cars does seem to drive the fish further off. That then in turn means that only those that can put in the big casts can seem to get fish, especially the Kob. The ‘noise’ situation is exactly the same as on a river or a dam, just that we don’t expect it to happen on the beach – that said, this is just a personal theory.

 

 

July 2010

 

July is normally a quiet month for us, though this year with the football happening we are seeing an increase in tourists around Henties Bay. It is a month when we bring some of our development projects through to the racks in the shop, and when we have time to start on new long term projects. We don’t try to change things just for the sake of change, but strive to improve on some of the old favourites. We have been building rods now for two and a half years on the ‘TX2’  blanks, and they are still seriously popular, but they might be coming under review – we will have to see.

 

Dedicated Shark Rod

 

A long term project rod has finally made it to our range, it is the result of many discussions on the technical side of tackle, and basically comes about because of leverage – leverage against the angler!  Coming from a back ground in boat fishing, and having been an early convert to low leverage boat fishing rods, it has been in the back of our mind for some time.

 

Our thoughts on the matter started some years ago when we first started building surf rods, we were told of the awesome power of the Bronzies, and the ‘men’ that fished for them. Well, we built a rod that we thought would tame any shark swimming, and it probably could, just that during the past years we haven’t found an angler big enough to cast it – we tamed the anglers as well!

 

We looked seriously at the actual dynamics of a shark rod, and to get some hard figures on what is happening during a fight. We developed a rig to actually test what anglers are pulling on a fish – via the rod. We appreciate that there is a system called ‘straight stick’, but that was not what we were looking for – but the actual loads during a fight.  A large dial gauge spring balance connected via a pulley, then through to the 14’ rod. The best figure that we recorded with an angler standing on concrete, with arms quivering from the strain of the pull was a mere 10.5kgs!!!! It makes you wonder if that is all we are exerting by way of pressure on the fish, then it is little wonder Bronzies fight for so long, and that figure came from a really big guy, most of our selection of testers could barely top the 9kg mark.

 

It all started again, a year ago, when a long standing client had a wish to equalise some of the disadvantage he was feeling with his dedicated Bronzie fishing. The traditional long 14’ rod was just knocking him out, so he brought us his rod, and said that we were to strip it, shorten it by 2 feet, and then rebuild it. Well, it was perhaps the first realistic step, we suggested that 3 feet might be a better solution, but it was a step too far for our friend. The resulting rod was a blessing, when after over 4 hours he finally landed a new Namibian record Copper shark on our modified rod.

 

Apart from the euphoria of the new record, he did confide in us that he didn’t think he could have managed such a long fight on a full length rod, nor could he have exerted enough power on the fish – leverage.

 

Our standard 14 foot surf rods operate as a reverse lever on the angler when we fight a fish, the butt in the butt pad is the fulcrum, and then depending on exactly where you hold the rod, the leverage can be more than 7:1 against the angler. That means for every 7kg of pull by the angler, the fish only gets 1kg. If the ratio could be reduce to say 5.5:1 or less, then the angler’s 7kg pull would not translate to 1.27kg pull on the fish – doesn’t sound much, but the comparison is that when this is all multiplied upward that 27% increase in pulling power can certainly either increase the pull on a Bronzie, or offer a reduced strain on the angler for the same pull that the 14’ rod user is having to pull.

 

Our new rod is on a modified blank, built specifically for us, to offer just that increase in pulling power, but what it also does is allow the angler to cast just as far with heavy baits, as the turn-over in the cast is also much reduced – because lets face it, there are really very few people that really do ‘cast’ big baits serious distance, certainly not the distances they would cast a bait for an edible species. That, as well as the fact that Bronzies really don’t need baits cast huge distances, as they are equally happy to come quite close to the shore line.

 

Our new rod was built, and field tested over a number of months, it will cast a 9oz sinker and a 4oz satellite sinker (to represent the bait), to well over 150 metres – in comfort!

 

The other changes that we made were purely based on further refinements of fishing systems, a gimbel was added to remove strain on the angler when fighting the fish, and this has certainly proved very successful with our guiding clients, the strain reduction on the wrists – to try and stop the rod twisting during the fight is immediate – one party of clients wanted to know why we only had one test rod, and the rest were traditional 14’ rods – they were almost fighting to use the 11’ prototype. Other refinements were to do with the failure of trigger grips, mostly on rods dedicated for shark fishing, the Fuji fitting, that is the best was originally designed for the US Bass fishing rods, it wasn’t really designed for the loads extended to it from a shark fishing rod & reel. This remark about the Fuji trigger grips failing is borne out by the number of repairs we do each year on shark rods.

 

I sometimes wonder whether it is ethical to try out some of our newer tackle items on clients, them being ‘guinea pigs’ for some of our strange ideas. That said we loaned the fixed spool rod to another guide for a week, as he had a long term client that really just couldn’t get on with a multiplier, and they had good fishing, and the client was very happy with the rod, as he could do all his own casting. This seems to be a particular issue with clients from Europe, USA or even in this case New Zealand, so perhaps it is an option that isn’t so wrong after all.

 

This month also saw our first article published in a new angling publication – Rock, Surf & Boat. We have started a series or 5 or 6 articles on rod building, just our personal thoughts, written to perhaps develop people to think about what they are looking for, and then how to take that forward to building their dream rod. This return to writing articles has been a refreshing move, as we used to write a lot for angling publications around the world, and always enjoyed the prospect of starting a debate – getting people thinking about new ideas, or just refining old ideas; as well as sharing some of our thoughts with a wider audience. There are no hard and fast rules in fishing, and as a group anglers are quite an inventive lot. We feel that writing is a way to share thoughts, rather than to just promote some manufacturers new product – that does have a place, but some of the best articles share information on how to actually solve a perennial problem, and usually just for a few cents.

 

The ‘few cents’ comment became pretty apparent when we had a delivery from one of our European suppliers for some specialist end tackle, and when ordering, we added an odd item, which would really not have been worth importing otherwise. They are ‘micro crimps’, that are used by European anglers to introduce stopping points on a leader – right on the leader in fact. They use them to build traces, where each hook length ends in a swivel that is swinging freely on the leader. The whole lot is fixed in position on the leader with a small bead and crimp either side of the swivel eye. The crimps being soft micro bore copper allow them to be gently squeezed into position on the leader line, and act as a stop. The real benefit of building rigs like this, is the fact that they now have mobility and do not wrap themselves around the main leader like our traditional way of tying traces.  As you no longer need a big top swivel to build the whole trace, it can be changed for a smaller swivel on the hook branch, the cost of the beads and crimps is negligible, so a new solution to an old problem can be cheaply solved. It is not a solution to all fishing situation, but in most edible situations and smaller sharks it will work fine – even for Shad or other toothy critters, a wire can now be tied to the swinging swivel.

 

The end of the month saw our first visit to the South African Fishing Tackle Agents & Distributors’ show – basically a big indoor event of all the latest ‘new toys’. Through our contacts, we did know of some of the new releases, and to actually see the products first hand was interesting, and some reports on those will be filtering through in the fullness of time. Our main interest in the show was the display of a couple of our products in someone else’s product line, and a development of a concept very close to our heart, rods & tackle specifically designed for ladies. This theme will continue during the coming months, not just with the rods, but also the end tackle and gear that is used.

 

Reel Servicing

 

A constant topic of surprise in our workshop is the number of fishing reels that we get in for service, irrespective of whether they are for surf rods or boat usage, is the fact that folks just love to fill them up with grease. We even see this in reels that have been ‘serviced’ by other retail establishments – and the end results. There seems to be a hangover from days past, when reels had bushes instead of bearing, and you could pack as much or as little grease into the bushes and the performance wouldn’t be effected either way – however we now have bearings in our reels, ad the old service techniques are totally inappropriate.

 

Bearings need oil to perform, and as we are all looking for increased performance from our reels, especially as rod blanks start to become available that exceed the spool speed performance, it becomes even more imperative that we learn to get our reels serviced properly. The problem lies with the fact that for the ball bearings to work properly, they need to rotate freely inside the casing, they need in the case of a surf reel to go from 0 rpm up to near 12-15,000 rpm in milliseconds, as the rod releases the sinker to the flight. An analysis of the flight of a sinker cast from a surf rod might be as follows:

 

1.           Static – still attached to the rod, during the cast build up and swing.

2.           Release – as the angler releases the cast, the sinker has maximum imparted power, and takes off at a tremendous speed – the reels starts spinning from 0 rpm up to near 15,000 rpm.

3.           Mid-flight – the sinker flies away up to maximum height and then starts to achieve the maximum distance of the cast – the reel is spinning at optimum speed.

4.           End-flight – the effects of gravity on the power in the sinker start to take effect, and the sinker slows and starts to fall to ground/water. The reel needs to slow slightly as the demand on line to the flight of the sinker reduces.

5.           Static – the sinker stops moving at the end of the cast, and the reel needs to be stopped from spinning further.

 

The time for the flight would be approximately 5 seconds for a 150 metre cast, and this would equate to an average reels speed of about 10,000 rpm, however the maximum rpm is likely to be nearer 15,000.

 

For the reel spool to achieve these speeds, it needs to be very free on the bearings, and the bearings need to be unhindered in their rotation. Grease just slows down the whole process, while a fine oil would allow the balls in the bearing to rotate freely, and the spool to achieve the high speeds necessary.

 

This does not mean to say that there aren’t places where grease isn’t necessary, like the gears and operating levers, but certainly not on the bearings. Choices of bearing oils is a matter of personal development, there are those with smooth casting styles that allow for high speed oils to be used easily, while others have a less smooth styles and a slightly thicker oil might be more preferable. This a matter for personal choice and development, though having got the reel spinning properly, it is an easy matter of applying varying forms of braking. The most usual is one’s thumb either pressed lightly on the spool rim or the line, while others prefer to use the centrifugal braking system that the manufacturer built into the reel. The usual manner is to install the small plastic beads onto the appropriate arms at the back of the spool. Depending on whether you use one or two brake blocks, or small or large is down to your casting style and experimentation – what should not be used is the spool end float control, this just brakes the reel through the whole range of its speed, a bit like driving with the hand brake on! The brake block system just limits the maximum rpm of the free spinning spool.

 

In all casts we are looking for the power transfer from the rod to the sinker, and the initial flight to be as un-restricted as possible, not clogged down with greasy bearings or friction pressure on the spool spindle. To then set the maximum rpm of the spool with appropriate braking, is fine, as the spool has got up to the top speed, and is now controlled.

 

This is the principle that we work on reels for clients, the reels are serviced to achieve maximum speed, and then if they are too fast, then we slow them down using proper braking. One last thought for those that persist in following the grease principle, and this is particular to the shielded bearing that are becoming the manufacturers choice, is how do they think they are getting the grease into the bearing surfaces, it certainly won’t flow past the dust seals, whereas oil does just that.

 

 

 

 

June 2010

 

The past month has seen us busy with further developments of the Fixed Spool rods, we took delivery of a new 3 piece built to a different specification to the original – competition blank, and the new blank once built offered a slightly softer action for the angler, to the stiffer full competition rod. We were looking for this slightly softer action because of a trait of fixed spool reels. The release on a fixed spool reel is very abrupt, very much more so than on a multiplier, and this can be quite disconcerting for non-competition anglers, so the new blank was a bit of a trial that worked out just fine.

 

The softer action is very much smoother on the release, and will probably dampen out some of the no-stretch factor of fighting fish with braided lines. Well we hope that will be the case, as the rod had only been field tested a couple of times for casting performance before a long standing customer came in and bought the only one we had. We have had this problem before, buying just one prototype, and then a customer comes in and buys it!!!

 

Well Eugene, you will have to be our field tester on the fishing side for that one!!!!

 

We have some further refinements that we would like to do with both the competition blank as well as the non-competition models, which we will be discussing with the blank manufacturer – not that the current blanks are wrong, just small adjustments to the blank composition as well as some changes in the placement of fitting. A bit like mid-season upgrade for Formula 1 cars – not a total redesign, just refinements.

 

One of our customers with the competition rod reckons that he is achieving over 180 metres with his new rod, when firing a 7oz sinker attached to the braid. There are also various experiments going on with either bionic fingers against natural fingers – as the release mechanism for these new rods. The fact that we come from a background where natural fingers are the norm, the bionic fingers seem to be a little lacking in ‘feel’; but then each to his own.

 

The design work is currently going on with a completely new blank that we hope will be available by the time of the Fish Fest at Henties Bay in late August, but that will stay under wraps until then, suffice to say we are looking for slimmer and lighter blanks that still cast like the ‘TX2’  & ‘TX3’  rods, but those we think we can improve upon quite drastically, especially in the weight department.  This idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and having had a few conversations about it with both our blank builders, they have both come up with similar practical problems in actually wrapping the blank; though both agree it will be a radical technique if they can get it to work – we will have to see. The new design will have to really be something special, as the performance we are getting from both the ‘TX’  blanks has been pretty exceptional, with both now approaching the 200 metre mark on the test field.

 

June finally saw an end to the shortage of Fin-Nor reels in southern Africa, our long standing orders were finally with us just 5 days after the container cleared customs, and we are very grateful to the folks at JP Apex.

 

The Fin-Nors are just such a superb reel, we are now switching all our guiding reels over to them, so we have a few 2nd hand Penns for sale if you are interested, well serviced and carefully driven!!!

 

Not that there is anything wrong with the Penns, but the Fin-Nor is probably going to supplant  the Diawa Saltist as the most common reel around. Built way stronger than the Saltist (bigger gears and bearings), casts further (big bearings) and has the same line capacity (huge) – but perhaps most importantly, it is realistically priced, up to a third cheaper than the Diawa. They – Diawa, do seem to want to get all the money back for their new factory in Vietnam within the first year, well hope they didn’t plan on it coming from Saltist sales, as I think they might have a problem with the Fin-Nor Offshore Stardrag. The 30 series is ideal for the shark boys, while the 20 series is an absolute dream for all your general fishing, and the 16 series is eminently suitable for ladies, as Sue will testify, she has relegated her Trinidad 16 to being a back up, she is that impressed with the new 16. We just wish we had been rich enough to be using Fin-Nor reels when we were doing all our big game angling – they are absolutely superb.

 

 

May 2010

 

In March this year at the AGM, the Namibian Rock & Surf Angling Association took some bold moves with the changes in our competition rules, and no sooner had the ink dried on the paper we were thinking about the new tackle that would be required by our fellow competitors.

 

Nothing particularly new except that we are now allowed to fish throughout with braided lines, with the proviso that we use a monofilament nylon breaking piece immediately after the casting leader, of no more than 0.60mm – basically equalising the line breaking capacity between braid anglers and nylon anglers – a level playing field!

 

Well, the obvious solution to the average surf angler when faced with this option is to ignore the heavy weight classes of tackle for braid and use it for the lighter work – mainly because there are no distance casting rods available that you can use realistically with a butt pad (rod bucket).  Well, that would have been true back in March, but after a couple of quite technical discussions with our blank manufacturer, and a little ‘gizmo’ that he had recently patented – we are now pleased to announce there is a competition Fixed Spool Rod – that really does the job.

 

The first blanks arrived in April, and with 3 clients all waiting with freshly loaded reels in hand, we started testing within a couple of days  - just enough time to build the first 4 rods. After some initial minor problems, we were all soon casting seriously respectable distances over on the casting field opposite the workshop, as well as on the sea.

 

To say that it was an instant success would be wrong, but the small technical differences between fishing nylon and straight through braid were soon overcome, though they will become more of an issue with all anglers that make the switch – the braid just does not stretch, and even a Barbel bite feels like the smash take of a respectable Kob, and Spotted Gully sharks are now a serious sporting fish, as the twists and turns of the fight are felt right up until the beast is beached.

 

To date no one has yet tackled Bronzies seriously, as we have all been getting used to the feel of the new system, as well as the tackle connections sorted fully, as joining casting leader to a thinner mono is no problem, but then getting a good knot system for braid to the thinner mono needs to be quite robust, but not too big to effect the casting.

 

The lead-in time between finalising the blank design and getting the blanks built and then up to Henties Bay was useful, as we needed to get some information from old friends and rod builders in the UK on ring spacing and sizing. It was not as easy as first appears, as mostly they only use 13’ rods for fixed spool reels, the 14’ rods are pretty much reserved for multipliers, but a dear friend did come to our rescue with a couple of designs to try out as ‘first approximations’ – which is really all we wanted, as we had planned on trying several variations to see what the results would be, and we are now pretty certain we are close to prefect for the 14’ competition fixed spool rod.

 

Ring sizing proved to be particularly relevant, and is a serious cost element, as the first ring is so large, it actually costs more than a whole set of rings for a multiplier rod! But, then go any smaller, and the whole thing starts to choke itself in the early stages of the cast – so we are going to stick with the monster ring for the time being.

 

Forgot to mention, why all this is now so seriously possible, well, the ‘gizmo’ allows for a long section of butting to be used, basically as an extending handle that can be locked into either the open or closed position. Open position on the handle is long for full reach casting, and then you close it all down to a shorter length, and just pop the butt end in your butt pad, with the reel at a very comfortable height up the rod. This is in fact the real break through. the fact that you can have the best of both worlds, a long and a short handle. Unlike earlier or more traditional southern African solutions to rods for fixed spools, with a slightly longer butt section, which really did never cast at all well, as the angler just couldn’t get enough leverage to make it work in the cast. – now we have the solution.

 

The feedback to the blank supplier was very well received, and this has started a whole new range of rods to start – we will see a good number start to come onto the market during the coming months, but the secret will be in the actual blank used. We will be developing the concept further, and have already ordered some different blanks, but we know it will not stop there.