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<<< Back to 'Tackle'
Some additional updates regarding tackle and baits:
Of the bread types most readily available at convenience stores and garages, I've reverted to using Hovis medium white; the 'bake' on this
seemed to become too pasty for a while, but that problem now seems to have been resolved. Not only does it stay on the hook well, but also presents appealingly,
and when pinched lightly, it still has a tendency to float. On the other hand, Kingsmill white was much improved, becoming more dense and doughy, but of late,
seems to have regressed somewhat, although this a viable alternative choice. Mothers Pride also stays on well, and when pinched,
tends to sink, even though it outwardly remains 'fluffy' - this offers advantages when not fishing the bait on the surface.
I've noticed that Mothers Pride becomes very crumbly if it loses even a small amount of its moisture, which renders it useless as
hook bait, so it needs to be protected from drying out. As an additional alternative hook bait, Warburtons is OK, too.
Kingsmill 50/50 is also a very good hook bait, despite the fact it's not white
Kingsmill white is also OK for groundbait, as is
Sainsbury's 'economy' soft white loaf; both of these crumb up very well; I most often use the 'economy' loaf
For long casting, some tiger bread crust with the flake still attached is excellent, and softens quickly in the water (thanks to expert carp
angler MarkF for this valuable tip)
Although I like to fish light, there are times when you need a large float to cast distances - a
Drennan Middy Splash 'Em 10g is a good example
In 2018, I started using Drennan micro-barbed
Wide Gape Specialist hooks, to enable the use of palomar knots throughout. Of the hooks I've previously tried, Preston
Innovations PR355 barbed spade-end match hooks in sizes 8, 10, and 12 have
proven 100% reliable, although there will always be 'hook pulls', whatever
hooks you choose
For the main line, absolute knot reliability and abrasion resistance are probably the primary considerations, especially when fish
frequent locations with pontoons, mooring lines and other snags. Any line of moderate diameter which meets these important requirements and
which casts easily, is not prone to unwanted knotting, tangling and overspill will suffice, and each angler will have their own favourite. For
several seasons now, I've been using Silstar Match Team, usually
the 7.9lb 0.20mm variety
I'm unconvinced that line colour makes much difference, but diameter is certainly important. In the past, I had been using Drennan 'double
strength' main line 'straight through' and achieved good results, but there are several other very good low-diameter alternatives available.
Fluorocarbon leaders are worth a try, if a floating line is not needed; some Mucilin will help these lines to float, if need be. Since the latter part of
2014, I had been using 4lb / 0.20mm Drennan flourocarbon fly leader, which has
worked very well, and has extremely good knotting properties (although I've avoided 4.4lb / 0.17mm Supplex, which has a tendency towards 'sharp shock'
knot failure, in my experience). Of late, for a variety of venue-specific reasons, I've been using the 5lb / 0.22mm variant
A critically important factor is knot reliability, and if a 'straight through' setup is not being used, I would recommend a
palomar knot to connect the hook, the leader to a swivel, and the swivel to the mainline. When tied correctly, the strength of the palomar
appears to be superior to other knots that I've tried, under careful testing conducted at home. When tying the palomar, line crossover must
be avoided; if tied incorrectly, a strong slow test-pull on the knot will cause it to fail with alarming ease, but if a controlled pull
causes the line to start to cut into your fingers without a failure, then the knot is probably good. There are numerous videos on YouTube which
demonstrate correct tying of the knot, emphasising and clarifying the need to avoid crossover
For a spade-end hook, a standard knot suitable for this hook type is perfectly adequate, although I don't use a hook tyer. Collective wisdom
suggests that when finished, the line must come off the front of the spade, i.e. the inside of the hook bend. Again, there are numerous
helpful videos on YouTube
The ABU 506 and 706
closed-face reels cope very well with being immersed in water and mud, although both the original line
pickup pin* and
winding cup developed deep grooves caused by line abrasion. I've rotated the pickup pin or replaced the whole pickup pin
('injector') assembly a few times during each year, and I now have an improved solution since 2017 - 3mm x11mm hardened
steel dowel pins can be obtained for just a few pounds via eBay from an outlet in China.
Despite some unintentional mistreatment, these reels are still running smoothly. The placement
of the drag adjustment knob on the handle is more convenient than having a rear-mounted drag adjuster, like that found on a Shimano. I would also say
that the degree of adjustment on the ABU is finer, and the one-handed line release operation is a bonus. Lacking a bail arm, there's
no 'clunk' on line pickup, just a quiet click. The line never seems to loop off the spool, as sometimes happens with other fixed spool
reels, and I have had very few 'line' issues at all - that said, I never normally backwind, which undoubtedly helps. On final point
- click here to see the
warning that appears on the boxes that the reels came in
In contrast, I've totally trashed several Shimano match reels,
including the Exage 3000SRC (see below); these clearly don't respond at all well
to the salt and silt of the mullet fishing environment. I really like using these, but although they still work, their formerly-silent operation has
been replaced by a subtle grinding sound that just can't be good. I've stripped and rebuilt them, but I was unable to restore them to their
former excellence; I may still have another go at fixing them - just how difficult can it be? Other than their distinct aversion to muddy water, these
are excellent reels, and are a joy to use. During 2014, I almost exclusively used an older model, the
Shimano XT-7 Aero Match Super, which is still performing well despite several horrendous dunkings
When I added the Shimano Exage 3000SRC in 2017, I
really liked the idea of the 'fighting drag', which seemed especially usefulfor mullet, with their strong tendency to bolt
suddenly and brutally, particularly towards pontoons and at the point of nettting. In use, I would definitely say that the additional control that
this feature offered was key in executing a rapid and appropriate response in those circumstances. I've now replaced the Exage with the very
similar Sahara 3000S-R, which has performed very well
I've been using a 24 inch triangular landing net since 2018 plus a
3m Drennan Super Specialist handle, which I very much recommend - this is light, rigid, and the twist lock
allows the length to be set to whatever is most suitable - compressed, it's about 63 inches in length, excluding the
spreader block and net. If kept moderately clean and free of accumulated silt, I would never expect any problems with this item, other than
general wear and tear, over time. That said, for the moment, as of 2020, I have been using an
NGT 3m fibreglass twistlock handle, as the Drennan model has finally succumbed to many years of use and abuse - the NGT handle is a very convenient
44.5 inches when compressed. Time will tell whether I continue with this arrangement. It's worth adding that a landing net float is also useful, to
take the weight of the net until the mullet is 'ready'
A couple of venues are particularly problematic when netting fish, either because of high banks / walls, or due to an expanse of
dangerous mud between the stable part of the bank and the waterline. To counter this, I've added an inexpensive telescopic
5m carbon fibre landing net handle, which is proving totally
effective, and is very manageable, despite its extra length
When using self-cocking Drennan floats with a plug-in that provides the ring for the line and the weight, I always super-glue these in place, as
they sometimes pull out on the cast, or on the strike, or when playing a fish. The plug-in will often break if it strikes an object when casting,
resulting in the loss of the irreplaceable part of the float. A very good alternative is to construct some
custom floats, as shown here
I keep any used night lights and paint these up to provide a variety of interchangeable float tips for different lighting conditions; the most
useful colours for me seem to be fluorescent pink or yellow, black (some with white bands) and white
I drilled out some other floats and introduced a small rubber insert to accept
night lights - these were invaluable in low light
There have been a couple of modifications to the bait bucket.
The first was to add an anchor, as there have been far too many
occasions when the bucket has floated away on an incoming tide while I've been overly occupied with a mullet. The second addition was a
'float caddy', so that I have a few float change options
whilst away from the main tackle bag - it's proven a vast improvement over stuffing spare floats into pockets. More recently, I've added a
mount for a thermometer, which is informative at the start
and end of the season when water temperatures are 'borderline'
Until 2018, I didn't manage to catch any thinlips on the spinners, although they would repeatedly follow the lure right up to the bank; I had a
couple of vicious takes in 2016, and again in 2017 - I thought I maybe needed to try varying the length of line between the lure and the hook. The bass
would take the lure OK, even when using artificial ragworm on the hook at
times when I had no fresh bait. I will also be trying out a larger size of spinner, as recommended by some of the articles that I've read.
Finally, in 2018, I caught my first thinlip,
again using an artificial ragworm on a spinner that was closer to being a
flounder spoon, and there have been a few more since; all of them,
so far, have been attracted by a spinner with an arificial bait, either a
brown or red 'worm'
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