Layering to stay warm

The best advice I've seen on the subject to date:

Via Rogue Angels :

- merino wool socks, heavyweight: whatever you do, leave all cotton at home.
- mid-weight or heavyweight long underwear bottoms, preferably wool or polypropylene
- fleece pants to wear over your long underwear
- a tank top that is not cotton-a mid or heavyweight base layer, ideally polypropylene, but light polar-tec works
- a wool sweater or heavy fleece
- a soft shell jacket, windstopper (not necessary but sweet if you have one)
- rain jacket-gloves, 2 pair: ideally one pair fingerless wool or fleece and one pair with fingers wool or fleece
- a neck gaitor is nice on really cold days-a warm wool or fleece hat
- a baseball hat-(i have tons)
- sunglasses, preferably polarized WITH croakies

Thanks K8!

Stuff to be reviewed

Olympus μ850SW
Oakley Waterjacket sunglasses
Oakley Juliet sunglasses & Spare lenses for Juliet sunglasses
Oakley Hydrophobic lense treatment
Oakley soft vault & Oakley X-Metal vault
Camelbak Classic 2.0L
North Face TKA 100 fleece
Buff headscarves
Simms sungloves
H3O Storm sunglasses
Patagonia Deep Wading Jacket

Simms G3 Vest Added: 22/10

Adidas Hightec windproof jacket
Scott goretex skiing overtrousers
Added 14/11

North Face Genesis 200 jacket
Powermonkey eXplorer
Gear4 Blueye
Oakley combat trousers
Scottevest hidden combats

Added 8/1/2009!

Scottevest Ultimate combats Scottevest Signature series Oakley razrwire

Northface Nuptse vest

northface pamir gloves

northface WS Point hat

More on the rods

As previously noted the cork foregrips got quite thin when reamed to fit the blanks. I was also concerned that the turning hood holds the reel at an angle to the foot. Its not a particularly secure grip, and I just know over time the pressure being put on a relatively small area means that the finish on the reel foot is going to be damaged. So ...

I ordered standard gunsmoke reel hoods which fit fine. They screw on the same, but the hood section does not revolve but moves along the axis of the rod. They are lined inside with a firm but strong plastic. So the grip is more secure and there is no chance of damage to the reel foot.

Ok its not as fancy as the cork covered foregrip, but I grip a spinning rod at the base of the reel anyway, so the foregrip is largely obsolete.

Instead I now have a simple epoxy ramp from the blank to the reel seat (I used Diamondite instead of epoxy - I LIKE!), colouring the top coat with black powder paint.

Now its looks like the blank have a massive sudden swelled butt (like a bamboo fly rod gone modern and mad!

With my fingers round the reel I can touch the blank just in front of the reel seat - ideal for delicate bites on SP's and bait

Mustad quick links (AKA Mustad fly clips, Mustad fly snaps)

Mustad fly snap #77145 sizes 1, 2, 3

(1 smallest, 3 largest)
I was put onto these after reading about them 'Catching bream on lures and flies' by Steve Starling and Kaj Busch
They advised using the largest (#3) size
I did a destruction test on a #1 with 10lb mono and a door handle

After pulling hard for several minutes I found the line was more likely to break than the snap, suggesting that even the smallest would not be the weakest link in the chain, and that your drag should be giving line before the snap reaches breaking point
(Much in the same way that tacklesaver split rings only release hooks when deliberately locked up)

I tested them last weekend on some small lures and (small) wexford bass

Using #3 with 4lb fireline main line and 6lb Mason hard leader I found they did not alter the lure action either at rest or in motion, nor did they alter sinking or floating rates of any of the lures used

I was able to change quickly between split ring attachments (Halco Scorpion 35, Lucky Craft Bevy Shads 60sp, Lucky Craft B'Freeze 65sp), hook eyes on single hook SP Owner Jigs 1/32 #6, metal eyelets on Lucky Craft Bevy pops, plastic eyes on Halco Sneaky Scorpions and the (comparatively very) thick metal attachment eye of a Heddon Teeny Torpedo

Having destruction tested the smallest model I found I actually had more confidence in these than a potentially weakening loop or slip knot

One caveat - as per Starlo and Buschy I would recommend changing these after every session as they are only bronzed, and this combined with the saltwater adds up to unacceptable medium term corrosion

Mind you when I can buy a box of 25 for 0.99p (STG) that's not really an issue

Further field tests to follow!

Edit: a late thought accurs that these might be useful in dropshotting rigs - one on the bottom for quick changes of the weight size and shape, and one for the hook to allow quick changes of the hook style, size etc, whilst also giving a bit more action than a hard connecting knot

Da Rod!

Little Styx River Special

4 Piece 6'0" 4-8lb 1/16 oz - 5/16oz (1.75gm – 8.8gm)

Lures, Definition:fake bits of plastic to catch fishermen

Oops I mean fish
No actually I was probably right the first time
Anyway heres some recent additions:

Megabass Live-X Smolt GG Baby Bass

Kencraft Bassper Jnr Hot Tiger
Lucky Craft B'Freeze LB Natural Herring

(called Hemming on the Japanese site ha ha!)
Lucky Craft B'Freeze Natural Shad
Megabass Stepcat Margay Aka-tora
Megabass Live-x Smolt Ito Shrimp

Evergreen Little Max
Heddon Baby Torpedo Hot Tiger
Heddon Baby Torpedo Frog
Heddon Magnum Torpedo Frog

Heddon Teeny Torpedo Frog

Lucky Craft Bevy Pop pearl shad Lucky Craft Bevy Shad 50SP Pearl white
Lucky Craft Bevy Shad 60SP x 3
Lucky Craft Bevy Shad 75SP Moroko
Lucky Craft Bevy Vib 50SP aurora gold
Lucky Craft Bevy Vib 50SP lemon cheescake

and this is what they are for (i hope!)

and as the rod is made, so shall follow the reels

nice rods deserve nice reels

see also:

http://kyfk.blogspot.com/2007/08/shimano-stella-c3000-07.html

Works in progress

2S60LF4 St. Croix SC II Spinning Blank 6'0 4pc. 4-8lb

2S70MF3 St. Croix SC II Spinning Blank 7'0 3pc. 6-12lb

Split grips modified from Fuji IPS reelseat and quicklock foregrip using the high tech method of threaded rod and a hand held drill

works well though

One issue I've had is that the butt on the 2S70MF3 is thick enough that in reaming the hole of the foregrip so it fits over the blank, it has made it very thin and its cracked

I've trimmed the cork back and glued a hypalon sleeve over the end and will turn this down to taper into the existing cork

The hole in the hypalon is a bit more "giving" and should be able to stretch openover the blank better