Gear talk.

I don't usually elaborate too much on my gear as I prefer to make any comments on it after its seen plenty of use but this past season has seen me use quite a few bits of kit (more to come as well) and I'd like to say a few things about them.

Rods and reels.
In the beginning of the season last year I acquired my first Daiwa reel after a long time since I last used one... It was a Daiwa Freams 2500 and the first impressions were very positive.  The reel had a very smooth drag and effortless winding. Long casting and light, it matched very well with my ML rods. A few months in though and after plenty of good fish it started loosing that smooth feeling. that didn't bother me much as I kinda expected it to happen. Where the reel disappointed me though was in the line lay. It may have looked very tight and symmetric on the spool but especially when I put on a fine 8-strand braid (YGK WX8) the problems started... I lost the first spool (30£) in only a few outings as I was having unexpected wind-knots way after the cast... I bought an other spool and also upgraded the line roller by adding an rbb thinking that this would help but unfortunately it didn't. I need to mention that I didn't experience similar problems with 4-strand braids on that reel although I didn't have more than a couple outings with 4-strand. In any case I sold the reel and decided to add a Light Shore Jigging Setup in my collection as I thought it could help me with the bigger fish here and also when fishing over thick kelp.
I chose the inexpensive Major Craft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ max 50g along with a Shimano Biomaster 4000SW and I have to say that this setup has done even more than I asked... I think there were only a handful of fish that cut me off on this setup and only in the roughest marks. The Biomaster though powerful, could've done with some more attention in assembly as I had to get a replacement handle knob cap and I now need 2 small screws as well (all got loose and fell off)...

 From my older reels (Stradic 1000fc and Stradic 2500F Ci4) both are going strong with the Ci4 having had a service and a new RBB. Recently though I started to notice (by a friend's comment as well) that the drags on both the reels were slipping and generally getting inconsistent. The smaller one wasn't great to begin with and thus I thought that an upgrade may be in line...
After googling around for info, I realised its an easy process to do and duly bought two Carbontex drag washer kits, each kit fitting to the according reel, for less than 10£ each. In addition I got some Cal's drag grease for lubing the washers.
The process went like this: I took apart the drag systems, removed the worn out felt washers, lightly lubed the Carbontex washers, polished the metal washers and put them in the original order they came out. From initial tests there is a marked difference (positive) to the feel of the drag although I'm told it will take some good runs to get them in optimal working order.

The original drag assembly on the Ci4.

Notice the muck...

Worn out felt washers..

Shreds of felt were stuck inside...

The 3 Carbontex washers in the bottom.

Braid and Line.
 Have been very happy with the Duel Hardcore X4 for a while now and I still consider it very good value for money. Tried the YGK G soul WX8 and was quite happy with knot strength, abrasion resistance etc though I'm not entirely sure that the wind knots were the reel's fault entirely. Regarding 8-strands, Ive had the Duel Xwire X8 on the Biomaster for a while now and it has proved to be a very good choice. Easy knotting, smooth and strong.
For my fluorocarbon leaders Ive mostly used Duel Hardcore Powerleader FC and the YGK Nitlon DFC. Both lines very dependable. I had high expectations for the Seaguar Ace fluorocarbon but it did not fare well with my knots. Good abrasion resistance though and a 'harder' feel to it than the others.

Offset Hooks.
I'm not gonna make this a full review of my tackle as it would be tedious but hooks (offset ones in this case) are very important especially at this time of year. Cant fault the Gamakatsu and Owners plus some of the newer VMC ones are holding up well (e.g 1x Strong) . Most of the Decoy ones like the 13 Salt and the RS worm hook worked well too. Wasn't very happy with the Crazy Fish ones, Mustad and Matzuo as they're either not sharp enough or too soft.

I have sold quite a bit of gear as well and making do with only (😆) 4 reels and 6 rods at the moment, covering from LRF (tub tip and solid) to finesse (solid tip), ML and Light Shore, not including the travel rods... My main aim for this season is to finally match a good Medium - Medium Heavy setup. Something in the lines of 9ft, 10-30g. I have already got the reel (3000 StradicFK) as I'm incapable of resisting a bargain and will be looking for a new rod soon!
Moreover I hope to get a quality long net for some of the high marks where access to the water level is tricky.

Recent fish average stamp.

Fishing wise the past week has seen rain and wind return to us but I've still had enjoyable and productive sessions even though I had to visit different marks to get out of the wind.
Seemed to be catching mostly smaller fish though and I'm considering that this may mean the bigger (adult) fish started moving to spawn. Will be out the first chance I get for some more!
Below some videos from recent sessions. Yes I can talk!

Tight Lines!

Good weather finally!

Well it seems like we finally got a respite from the crappy weather this season and finally got some sunshine... Ive done a few forays and decided to use the finesse gear to make things more interesting. I have finally sourced a tip part for my beloved KGS 832ST and after using it a few times now, I realise why I like it so much! Managed a nice wrasse the other day on a short lunch-break session and also yesterday on a dedicated finesse session over deep rocky reef. Needless to say that the pollock and the cuckoo wrasse obliged... Some pics and videos below.

A beaut!

And another beaut!

Of course the heavy gear saw some use as well, especially over the kelp forests as I dont know for how much longer the fish will stage on them before the weather turns colder...
For a while I have been interested in some Ocean Ruler Artemis Crazyg wave Deep (what a name!) offset hook jigheads that I though might help me in providing a slug/sandeel presentation that has a slight wobble, is weedless and rises fast over the kelp on the retrieve. I used to achieve a similar presentation with the saltybaits/senko combo but there are times that I thought something subtler may be more productive. Thus I got some of the said jigheads in 20g and 30g and I have to say they worked pretty well. The only issues would be the sometimes missed takes (a softbait-designed rod shoud've been more appropriate) and the susequent dislodging of the lure down the hook (some superglue will see to that).

A very effective presentation in the kelp...

They like it!

Hope this weather lasts for a bit as Im planning to hit Rubh na dunain again soon for a chance of a big girl..

Tight Lines!

Gear used.
Rod: MajorCraft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ, 3.05m. max 50g, MC KGEvolution KGS832ST

Reel: Shimano SW Biomaster 4000XG, Shimano Stradic Ci4 2500f
Mainline: YGK G-Soul Super Jigman PE1.2, Duel Hardcore x4 PE0.8
Leader: Duel Hardcore Powerleader fluorocarbon 20lbs and 12lbs.
Lures: Various

Light Shore Jigging setup completed...

Ive recently got a Light shore Jigging rod (Major Craft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ) in order to help me target the bigger fish from the rougher marks here. The plan was to use it with my trusty Abu Garcia Soron 40 Stx but in truth the reel is showing its years of hard use (and abuse!) lately even though its been serviced fully (not a very good idea in the end). Thus I was on the lookout for a powerful reel in a similar size and weight to the Soron. I could well get something larger but I'm intending to get a new 10-30g rod soon and would like to use the reel on both rods. After a bit of searching around I decided to settle on a new Shimano SW Biomaster 4000XG from Japan that cost much less than even the cheapest price from European e-shops. I received the reel on Wednesday and spooled it straight away with the YGK G-Soul X3 PE1.5. This may not be the best braid around but I couldn't pass on its price (around 9 euros), besides I also have a dedicated jigging braid to fall back to (YGK G-Soul Super Jigman X4) if things don't workout.

New shiny toy!

More recently I have bought some Hayabusa Kick tail inchiku jigs as they are of a similar style to the Duel Salty Bait and could be very useful for sorting out the pickier fish especially in the deeper marks.

On Thursday I decided to try out the new setup and visited one of my favourite Northern marks after a slow session in a kelpy bay. The day was rainy but with little wind and a neap tide. The latter made fishing on this mark much easier as there was less current and the fish seemed to be liking it! As soon as the Kick tail hit water I was getting bites even before touching bottom. Moreover the fish seemed to be everywhere (!) with some surface activity and I was also getting bites even at distance over relatively clean ground and not just at the usual holding spots (reef, rock base etc). The Kick tail has got a little muppet at the back that has that sway side to side but instead of an offset hook, it has a double assist hook. I had some missed strikes due to the hooks being a bit small in my opinion but then again I didn't snag it!
It didn't take me long to start hooking up though and I had two decent fish over 5lbs that gave a very good scrap! On the second one I thought I had a seal/tuna again...! After catching a good few fish on the inchikus, I switched to softplastics and then hardbaits and had success with them all but not as much as the inchiku.
 The reel performed very well with effortless winding of the fish from the depths and no trouble with wind-knots etc while the casts were superb. I hope it will continue to do so for a while!
Unfortunately something went wrong with my action cam on the day and Ive got no video from the session, hopefully this wont happen again...

Xrap opens the day...

A nice coalie on the softplastic.

A hungry one hit the DUO...

First decent fish of the day on the Kick Tail.

The Zonk 120 sw...

The little Volkien inchiku.

The second good fish of the day on a softie..

It was interesting to note that the fish were so active at this deeper, 'reefier' mark yet not so much at the shallower 'kelpy' bay I fished earlier that day. Admittedly I was a bit late reaching the first mark and fished some of the incoming tide (soon after the low tide point) instead of my preferred outgoing tide. But nevertheless I don't think it was a coincidence. The weather was textbook pollock-weather (westerly breeze, overcast, wet) and only the tide being a small one seems to be the most significant  factor for the fish feeding activity. I theorise that in shallower waters fish like larger volumes of water pushing in and out the bays, bringing more food, while in the deeper reefs this current can get too much and turn the fish off... More on this soon..
All in all it was a great day out and I really enjoyed my new toys! Definitely onwards and upwards as they say...

Tight lines.
Gear used.
Rod: MajorCraft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ, 3.05m. max 50g
Reel: Shimano SW Biomaster 4000XG
Mainline: YGK G-Soul X3 PE1.5
Leader: Duel Hardcore Powerleader fluorocarbon 20lbs.
Lures: Hayabusa Kick tail 20g and 30g, Volkien Soul Mini battle inchiku, Rapala Xrap, Megabass Zonk 120 SW, Duo Realis Jerkbait 120sp, and slug type soft plastics on darting jigheads.

Trying out a new rod and fishing with hardbaits for pollock.

As per the title this has been what I've mostly been up to this week. The warm weather has definitely helped and on my first session I found plenty of fish in the shallow kelpy marks. I began the day on the deeper water with the usual softplastics and metal jigs as I have a new rod  (MajorCraft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ, 3.05m. max 50g) that I wanted to try out. From the code you can understand that is a light shore jigging rod and I had been thinking for a while to purchase one... I only needed a serious justification and the Skye pollock and marks gave me just that!
On first impression the rod behaved very well and its pretty much what I thought it would be. Powerful yet not stiff, good caster and with a sensitive tip. Comparing to my other rods it has a thicker and more powerful butt yet the tip is almost as thin as my 7-23g rod.
Clearly metals are its forte but I also found it very good at working jerkbaits and even softplastics, albeit better with exposed hooks and with a jighead of over 12g weight.
I caught plenty of fish on it and fished with an almost locked drag. I had no fish lost to snags yet I was pleasantly surprised to see 2-3lbs fish putting a good bend to it! Such power in them! Yet it easily lifts fish like that on the shore.
After spending most of the morning fishing with metals and softplastics, The tide started to ebb and I could see the kelp reaching close to the surface now. I had a few fish take just above the kelp and I thought it would be a good idea to try a shallow running minnow. I put on an almost forgotten Megabass Zonk and after a couple casts and while I could clearly see the lure dancing to the jerks near the surface I got a fish shoot out from the kelp and strike it!
The strike was ferocious and the fish crash-dived straight for the kelp. I soon had the upper hand though and I was ecstatic when I landed the pollock. I proceeded in releasing the fish and kept fishing, managing some more fish on a few more lures I had with me. After a while and with the water being almost in low tide now, I made for the shallows and fished the same tactics with the hardbaits over the kelp. I got some more fish but I'm convinced that if the day was overcast I would have caught even more... As expected in the clear water and sunny conditions, natural colours were the best producers with lures that could dive that bit deeper more successful. Namely the classic Rapala X rap and a sinking Ryobi minnow. Towards the end of the session and after i had covered the area with the hardbaits, the metals winkled out a couple more fish from distance.

Zonk does the damage!

Ryobi sinking minnow.

The type of mark..

X rap...

Metals are indispensable though...

On my second day off, the weather was very different, being muggy wet and misty and staying overcast for most of the day. I consider these conditions positive for pollock and thus I decided to visit Rubha Hunish again and this time fish it more extensively.
I also had with me the finesse gear as I wanted to try slower bottom presentations in order to find if there's any wrasse about. Again I begun with softplastics but after a while and seeing that there weren't any big fish about, I put on the hardbaits and started covering water. To say I had a blast would be an understatement! I had fish even jumping out of the water and hitting the lure as I was lifting it out of the water! On one occasion, the front treble of a slim jerkbait tangled with the line and the lure was swirling on the surface. I slowed it right down and  a few meters from my feet I saw a pollock smash into it! The best part is that i caught many of the hits on my action cam and I will put the videos below. The fish were clearly much bolder with the overcast conditions and the ebbing of the tide accentuated that. Fishing in the gullies and around the points where the water was choppier saw fish hitting brighter lures while inside the bay, natural colours ruled. The retrieve was erratic with plenty of jerks and pauses and fish would usually hit the lure very close to the shore. Towards the end of the session I found a pocket of fish in a corner of the bay and the little Ryobi got four fish in equal number of casts. A very enjoyable day even without the lunkers.
As to the lighter gear and slower tactics, well I tried but couldn't avoid the pollock! At times its hard to comprehend the numbers of them here...!
Another thing I tried on the day was a plastic lip gripper (The Fish Grip) as I want to give my thumbs a rest! I have to say that it proved very useful and much more gentle to the fish comparing to the metal ones I used in the past...

Another good spot...

Some finesse...

Ima Nabarone..

Savagear prawn on dropshot, yet more pollock

The fish grip proved much gentler...

A secure hold.

And some videos!

I really enjoyed my hardbait fishing and its been a while since the last time I did this. I really see why so many lure anglers get a kick out of  this. especially when the hits are so visual, only topwater fishing can get more exciting... Next time I will be getting some topwaters with me!

Thanks for reading and tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod: MajorCraft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ, 3.05m. max 50g
Reel: Abu Garcia Soron STX40
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 1.5
Leader: YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon 20lbs and 16lbs
Lures:Various