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!

Expedition Chile! Part 1.

Its been almost a week now that I've returned from my holidays in Chile, reluctantly so I must add...
The opportunity was given to me, as a close friend of mine lives in the capital Santiago and invited me and my brother there.
We were to have our base in Santiago but obviously with them being in summer now and us haven't experienced summer at all the past year, it was imperative that we would visit the coast! Moreover a trip to the South had to be made as well since it would have been a mistake not to get at least a glimpse of Patagonia and water systems very similar to the ones I fish here in the West coast of Scotland...
Therefore we decided to head to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar on the central coast of Chile as it is where most of the tourists go for their summer holidays!
Now on the fishing prospects of the trip, in reality Chile seemed like a blank chart! Nowhere could I find serious info about fish species and angling in general. This is because there hasn't been enough research done on the fish species there (especially in the south), the information being mostly in Spanish and lastly the little coverage angling gets over there (with the exception of the alien salmons and trouts in the South). Now it did cross my mind to wet a line for the salmonids when in the South but to be honest my attention was firmly set once again on the rocks...
Seeing a documentary about sea otters in Patagonia a couple months ago, only seemed to ignite my interest of what rockfish could be found there and all along the coast we were meant to visit. The only species I was able to find easy information on, is the robalo (Eleginops maclovinus) a sort of bass/corvina-looking fish though not related at all to them and being the only member of its genus and the only member of the family Eleginopsidae (!). Thus I was hoping to at least get one of them!
To cut a long story short, I fished very little while in the Valparaiso area. This was because of two main reasons: Firstly, the Pacific swell that rendered most of the beaches in the area dangerous to swim (red flag) for the duration of our stay, and secondly, the realisation of the inadequacy of my light gear for these waters! In any case, I tried a few casts here and there in sheltered marks but only had some success in Valparaiso harbour, by catching a few wrassy/blenny looking fish, that unknowingly at the time, were going to be the mainstay of my catches in all my sessions!
Unfortunately most of the harbours/marinas were working areas and I had limited access to them and that was a real pity as I'm sure they would hold plenty of fish...

Part of Valparaiso harbour.

My first Chilean fish!

Parts of the coast in Valparaiso.

The beach in Laguna Verde. Red flag - no swimming!

Outside Valparaiso harbour. Again not alowed to reach the lighthouse..

Seeing that my 'fishing expedition' wasn't off to a great start, I focused even more on looking for good marks in the South. We had booked a room in Puerto Montt and one area in particular, towards the Southeast stood out. Now Puerto Montt is situated at the northern end of the Reloncavi Sound, thus well protected from the Pacific swells, and the area that got my attention was the coastline near La Arena. It is there that the Reloncavi fjord meets the Sound and from the look of it a typical fish-holding mark, very similar to marks I have here! Moreover the South is very tidal and thus even more similar to here...
On the first day at Puerto Montt, I explained to my brother that we were here for business (meaning fishing) and he should quit his moaning and get on with it! We rented a car (a must in my opinion) and soon headed off to La Arena. On close inspection, the point was looking very fishy, with deep waters close in and rough/rocky ground, but the main problem was that the rocky shore was just too abrupt and the point too heavily forested to allow for easy (or even moderate) access. Not being in a mood for mountaineering, and not having a machete with me (!) we decided to have a couple empanadas (loco queso) which surprisingly doesn't translate as crazy cheese but instead means abalone and cheese! After our snack we headed a couple miles back the road we came from and I picked a precipitous, rocky spot to start fishing. I decided to take only my Spro Mobile Stick with me, just so I could 'scratch' around for what was there. I put on a 7g metal and started casting around. It didn't take long and soon after getting unstuck from a snag, I got a hit, and the fish cut me off straight away! This was repeated a few more times and I had to raise my leaders length and diameter (2m of 10lbs) while only having 0.4 PE mainline... I persisted with metals and soon got a fish on that stuck this time. It fought with short but explosive runs towards the bottom and soon after a dark shape came to the surface thrashing violently. I pulled the fish up by the leader and was looking at it like it was alien.. Something between a wrasse and a blenny, with teeth and soft, leathery skin (though with rough scales if stroking towards the head). Almost impossible to handle/hold with bare hands as well. It was clearly a larger specimen of the little fish I caught in Valparaiso harbour and the place proved to be full of them! After a bit of research I found the fish's name being rollizo (Pinguipes chilensis) or Chilean sandperch in English. I kept fishing for a couple more hours, trying many different lures and presentations, but they seemed to be unfussy fish with a very healthy aggressive instinct. A true rockfish! Below some pics and the video of my first serious rock fishing session.

The rocky point at La Arena.

Too dificult to climb.

The mark I fished! Hairy descent...

My first good rollizo!

Plain coloured curly tails proved extremely successful.

Thick rubbery lips, teeth and an attitude to match its appearance..

 

So my first day on the South seemed to live up to expectations although it was clear that I would have to find a thicker mainline and this proved much harder than anticipated...

To be continued...

Gear used.
Rod: Spro Mobile Stick 80UL
Reel: Shimano Stradic 1000FC
Mainline: YGK G Soul X3 braid 0.4PE
leader: Toray premium fluorocarbon, 6lbs then switched to Pline Halo 10lbs.
lure: Various

A good comeback!

After returning from my holidays the only thing on my mind was getting back up the lochs as the weather got a bit better. I got my chance a couple days ago on Wednesday. I took the bus up to Oban and my brother picked me up from there. I then got the car off him as he was going to work and drove straight away to Loch Linnhe at my mark in Kentallen. It was low tide by now but the weather was nice and I was hoping for some quick action. Moreover I wanted to try some new cheapo metals I got from Aliexpress and was determined to fish mainly with them.
I had only my travel rods with me and started fishing with the Savagear roadrunner XLNT 7', 3-16g. It took a while to get bites but I soon had a decent fish on the jig. It was clear that it was a codling and after trying to snag me a couple times I finally got it up. I then changed lure to a smaller metal (again cheapo!) thinking that the fish might want a smaller profile and I also slowed down the retrieve. This resulted in a couple sharp bites and after striking I had something small but feisty on the end of my line. It soon proved to be my first cuckoo wrasse of the year! After the cuckoo I changed spot moving along the coastline  but only got a small pollock for my efforts. This didn't really surprise me as this mark tends to fire up towards the end of summer..

Chunky codling from Linnhe..

..on a cheapo yet effective metal.

First cuckoo of the year, on a metal..

The usual suspect...

It was getting late in the day by now and I decided to move to Loch Etive and continue fishing there.
I switched to soft plastics as the mark is more suited to them, but other than a few small pollock on 3" sluggos fished O.T.D nothing else showed. I was sure that in the morning things would be different though...
I slept in the car and woke up around 07:00. I picked up the UL setup (Spro Mobile Stick - Shimano Stradic 1000fc) and rigged my trusted ZX 35 blade on. I wasn't very optimistic about the blade pattern still holding on and was proven right as I only got a couple subtle takes but no hook ups on them.. I then switched to a 6g cheburashka and 3" scented paddletails and started to get bites. They were mostly from small pollock and I was surprised not to get a better one among them. I was getting frustrated after a while but at some point I got hit hard  midway on the retrieve by something good! It took some line and got the mobile stick on a full curve and it then did something unusual... It swam fast towards the surface (!), I saw a familiar though un-pollocklike shape coming up and then jumping clean out of the water! A nice Etive trout took a liking to my shad and after a couple more jumps I brought her in.. Its been a while since I caught such a nice trout and of course I wouldn't expect to catch her in Etive! She was around 40cm and quite plump and the best part is that I also got the fight on camera and will post the video soon...
After the trout and while the tide was coming in fast I decided to walk towards the northern part of the Loch at another mark that I haven't fished since last year. I stuck with the cheburashka/shad combo and after a 20min walk I was fishing the new mark. On the first cast I let the lure sink with free line and started hoping it across the bottom. This mark is where a sudden depth change takes place as its a transition from a relatively shallow ledge to a bluff rock wall. I had great success last year targeting pollock and especially codling that hunt on the ledge or station just on its lip. As I was bringing the lure in and almost at the base of the rocks, i got hit by something decent. It made a slow but powerful run and then bore down with headshakes. After a couple minutes a nice rock-codling was brought up and released back to the loch after a quick photo. The mark change seemed to be bearing fruit and I persisted on the spot with the same presentation. Some more codling and pollock started to show and provided me with excellent entertainment! And all fish caught from a small area, goes to show how important knowing the bottom structure can be...

OTD with light jigheads and slims can be the best way for finicky fish..

Unexpected trout!

Fat codling..

Beautiful colours of kelp pollock..

Even small codling go for big lures..

Hungry pollock...

The time was going by fast and I had to stop fishing unfortunately as I was gonna return with my brother to Glasgow. Of course I didn't stop fishing before a number of 'last casts' took place and then I got hit hard by a steam train! Although my setup was UL/LRF I have caught plenty of good fish on it to know that this was something special... The first run was frenetic and truly uncontrollable.. Then the fish slowed down and changed direction coming higher in the water column. Another crazy run and the braid parted! I was left speechless and in awe... I believe that the culprit was either a supercharged pollock or perhaps something with an adipose fin... Hate it when I don't get the chance to at least see the fish that defeat me! I should have inspected the braid as it could easily have weakened somewhere after all those fish...Loch Etive is a magic place where you never know what you could catch next! Obviously I cant wait till I'm back there again..

Tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod: Spro Mobile stick 80 UL, Savagear roadrunner XLNT 7', 3-16g
Reel: Shimano Stradic 1000 fc, Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f
Mainline: YGK G-soul x3 PE 0.4,  Duel Hardcore X4 PE 0.8
leader: Toray premium fluorocarbon, 6lbs. YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon, 8lbs
lure: metals and 3" paddletails on cheburashka. 3" sluggos on 1.8g wheelhead for OTD.