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.