Long term gear review

The days are getting a little longer and the weather over the last few days has been a little better but as we know, it probably won’t last and at some point we’re almost certainly going to hit a cold spell with some snow.  I should make it out for the first trip of 2014 next week which will most likely be a trip to Loch Etive with Scott.   I’m looking forward to spring and the start of my Sea Trout season and found myself in the garage today sorting out some gear and having a look at what I have and what might need replaced. Thankfully there’s not much money needing spent so I thought I would do a quick review of some of the items I’ve worn, used  and abused  as I’ve walked and fished the beaches of Scotland, Ireland and Wales over the last few years looking for those silver spikey things which at the moment  seem like a distant memory.

Costa sunglasses

I fished Tobago in 96 and after trying another anglers Costa’s I decided to get myself a pair when I got back to Scotland. Back then there were no distributors in the UK, changed days since then. In 97 I used this new thing called the internet to make my first ever web purchase and got the bottom pair sent from the states.  These were replaced in 2001 while in Florida on holiday by the Triple Tails( top pair) green 580 lenses, almost still perfect with the odd scratch the leg screws are still tight and the lenses have never popped out despite some abuse. They’ve provided great protection and enhanced my vision on almost every fishing trip since then. My eyes have certainly deteriorated over the last thirteen years but these are still spot on.

Scierra Riptide wading boots

2 ½ seasons with these, probably the most abused item I own. I went for the version with pre fitted studs. I’ve added a couple of additional studs here and there as these have worn down but other than that I’m surprised they’ve lasted.

Good grip, good support and good value at the price they were bought at. I believe they may be discontinued now and got another pair for £40 on sale. They are a combination of leather and mesh with plastic eyelets. I did rinse them in the shower after most trips which certainly helped keep the salt at bay. The leather goes a horrible white colour as it deteriorates but apart from that they’ve been a good buy.

As if I need to tell you the one on the right is new. I will wear the old one's till the soles fall off!

Patagonia gear

The R1 hoody is almost the only base/mid-layer I wear. Worn since 2009  it’s got a great hood, snug fitting and zips up to your nose if that’s what you need. It’s warm but you can also pull the chest zip down to cool off if required. The thumb holes make such a difference when I’m cold it’s hard to believe this doesn’t feature more on similar items. The material is comfortable, stretchy and dries super quick if it gets wet. It’s torn in various places from encounters with hooks and fences over the years and the cuffs are almost in tatters now. I’ve spent so many days in this it’s been like second skin, my number one item of clothing any time I go fishing.

Patagonia Retro X vest, had it a couple of years now, great core warmth, it’s laminated and wind proof with some handy zipped pockets. I like this as it keeps me warm but my arms free to move around. It’s been a great addition as part of my layering system. From Arctic Norway to a wet and windy Wales worn with the R1 hoody and a shell, unbeatable comfort and warmth.

Patagonia lightweight deep /short wading jacket now needs a zip and will be off on a trip to Patagonia in Italy for a replacement this month. I've used it since it 2008 I think.  It’s wind proof and provides reasonable waterproof protection from the rain and waves while wading. The pockets are OK and it packs down to about the size off my fist which is really handy as easily fits into the top slot on my Snowbee backpack or even in my trouser pocket.

Petzl  TacTikka

Not the brightest headlamp out there but the best I’ve used and does exactly what I need it do. For my night time Bass fishing it’s a got an easy flip over red filter which lets me move around with enough light to not fall over( too often) Using a white light really screws up your vision and in my opinion not very useful in assisting in catching Bass at close quarters at night. This thing runs so long on the rechargeable batteries before they need a boost it’s unreal. It’s water resistant and comes with a spare lens attached to the head strap. It has various power settings to suit your needs including a short power boost. I can really recommend this item, but don’t get the camo strap as it’s a pain in the arse to find at night if you take it off. This one was on sale with the camo strap. I keep meaning to wrap some white tape on it. I carry a spare Sylvia which I used for a few years before getting the Petzl, it is brighter but overall poor by comparison.

Daiwa Certate, Daiwa Caldia MK2, Century HPR 9FT




 

Much maligned in some quarters the HPR has been a great rod.  I’ve broken two tips, both my fault and never thought of replacing it. I’ve been using it for 2 ½ years now it’s as close to an all-round lure rod as I’ve used. Nice sensitive tip with plenty of power in the middle I’ve used it for Bass, Sea Trout, Wrasse, Pollack, Perch and Pike with SP’s, metals and hard lures.  You can really feel what the lure is doing and for working SP’s rod tip up it’s in its element.  The short screw down reel seat lets me keep my forefinger on the blank, great for SP work.

If I was regularly catching big fish in strong tide run over heavy ground I might be looking for more of a rod but I get great feedback from this rod with 99% of the fish I catch. That said I would still be confident if I found myself in the position to have to deal with the afore mentioned situation, it’s not my first rodeo as the yanks might say.  Not the lightest of the 9ft rods out there and I fish with the three counter balance weights on, this works fine for me. I’ve had this rod in my hands for almost 9 hours straight at a time. When I start to worry about a few grams here and there, as some do, I think I’ll be ready to wrap it and take up knitting. When I put this rod together with the Certate and the YGK  G-Soul it’s a super combination, should be at the price mind. If I need to it can cast miles and cover ground with right end tackle. At the same time it provides a super smooth and sensitive combo that I can fish with for hours with full confidence and almost zero wind knots.  When I broke the tip I bought a spare rod for £80 as Century took three weeks to make a new tip second time round( 6 days FOC the first time I broke it) I didn’t like it, zero feel. I also went back to one of old rods, felt hopeless. Fish don’t know the price tag but honestly, this rod with that 8 strand braid and how I fish at the moment enhances my fishing and is worth every penny. My Certate 10 3000 is a nice reel, super smooth, nice drag, good line lay, spare spool price is ridiculous, lost a handle, replacement price, also ridiculous. I did get a W handle on sale but I’ve never had a reel where the handle can simply unwind itself and fall off! I’ve had no problems with the reel other than that. It was briefly at the bottom of Cork Harbour back in 2012 but I had it serviced FOC at Daiwa when I got back, despite what some might say I’ve had great service from Daiwa over the years and was one of the reasons I bought the new Certate. The Caldia pictured here is about 6 years old now and while I don’t use it much these days it was and still is smooth and reliable as it was before the new reel came along. If you don’t want to look after your gear buy cheap and throw away or go for something waterproof, at a big price of course, Daiwa for me though, jobs in Scotland are a good thing.

Wave Worms/stick worms

 

I used these in Ireland for the first time in 2009. Jim put me on to them, the Wexford worm as he called it. I’ve used them on an off since but I’ve only really switched on to using them since I got the HPR , the outfit I now fish with  lends itself to this style of fishing. They’re cheap, versatile, cast great weightless and they catch fish. I really like just rolling them around in the waves with a few twitches fished weightless and weedless they can be cast into anything. The Bamboo Sticks (the top 4) weigh about 15 grams, and cast almost as far as a 20g hard lure.  My PB Scottish Bass in my current blog header took a white one of these. Then there is the Tiki Stick which is lighter with a thinner profile which is more like the olive laminated Senko pictured here also. The plastic at the bottom is 7 inch Senko, doesn’t cast as well but I had a couple of greedy fish on it last year. I’ve been using them with mainly Nogales Monster  4/0 and 5/0 with a hitch hiker, totally reliable and strong hook but I want something with a lighter gauge of wire for this year so the lures falls more horizontally. I’ve had some fish on them at night  but it’s not my go to night lure at the moment but it is for some.

Anyway, thanks for reading and have a great 2014!