A set up for all occassions

[lb1]

Greetings,

I've been reading the site for sometime, with much enjoyment, and now seek some advise.

After been out the country for over a decade I am repatriating back to Uk and plan to spend many summer's nights fishing the likes of Cleddau,Nevern and occassionally the Teifi.Also plan to fish lakes and reservoirs when not getting in a tangle at night.

I've been looking at various rods/reels lines but feel totally out of touch.My tackle is over twenty years old and comprises of 9ft/9.5ft and 10ft rod,old Rimfly reels,lines and flies.

What would be a all round set up for the type of fishing I plan with a budget of 300-500 quid inc lines 2 lines (sink tip + floating)?

Reels and rods should be well balanced,2 spare spools for the reel.

Are chest waders necessary,or will waist/thigh do?

Fosters of Brimingham seem very good with the prices but can anyone recommend any other shops that are well priced, ideally in the Pembrokeshire area?

Thanks in advance,

LB1

[bobronte]

Hi ib1

Welcome onboard!

As much as its nice to have nice kit I would like to point out that your set is probably more than adequate the original rimfly has never been better and will suffice i'd say - fresh backing & lines maybe

if anything join a club, rod license and the most important thing is your flies THESE catch fish not a £500 rod £300 reel etc etc
if you roll your own buy top quality hooks - branded threads etc don't concern fish but a straighten hook does.

If your rods are in good nick, rings OK, throw 7-9 lines and you've used them in the past with Intermediates etc get fishing and learning the ropes again before getting new tackle etc.
As i said Flies are the thing overlooked the most - nice kit is good but sometimes too much eumthasist is put on some US rod etc.
there ain't no sewin in the States, BFR where based in Plymouth and helped countless anglers into the sport and have stood the test of time for salmon, sea-trout, trout etc .

By all means treat yourself if you wish but invest in good waterproof clothing and the above mention license etc and get on the riverbank, then If you want invest in new rod, reel if you want, but its the angling that catches fish not the latest casting paraphenallia (?).

Best of Luck and i'm sure some of the other members will give more advice to your area and tackle

BB

[silverinvicta]

Hi Lb1...Good waders....needed...Rimflys.. I still am using rimflys over 30 years..not often, but i do still use em. If you wanted a new reel look at Vision koma...or Greys grx.....no need to be a tackle tart....some excellent lines on Ebay for pennies...I hate saying this, ;D but i must... the airfloRidge and 40 plus series are super for the price......IF you dress your own there are links to good quality cheaper materials , just shop around... and when in doubt......ASK. Thats good advice from bobronte as well.

Have a ball mate

and good luck

Si

[shocker]

as bob says,new line and backing,or backing at least.Then some waterproof clothing,its no fun when you're cold and wet.Chest waders are nice in that you can flop down on soggy riverbanks and keep your backside dry!However,check out the many threads on here for the many problems people have with waders.

What I would best advise is that you spruce up the gear you already have and get out there and see what you think is lacking.What doesn't your set up do for you?Dont go spending lots of cash before you really feel something is missing .You can pick up some nylon waist waders for 20 quid-ish that will give you an idea wether you need to go deeper or not.You dont say what rating your current rods are,but like bob says,#7-#9 range should cover everything adequetly.

Its nice to have fancy kit,and shopping for it is half the fun of owning it but its not really necessary.Theres a lot of emphasis (repeating bob again) on US tackle,but a whole lot of the US stuff is far east made and just badged up there,you can buy more or less the same thing in its Ron Thompson or Scierra guise much cheaper.For a real no nonsense run down on current tackle trade have a look at steve partons site
www.spartonfly.co.uk/index.html

So,mate,get out there with what you got,hold off on the big spend til you know what you really need,then enjoy spending that cash with a clear conscience.

Or you could just look at the main site
www.seatroutfishing.net/
which will give you some idea of whats needed

[lb1]

Thanks Gents - I guess its the 'Boys with Toys' syndrome.

I used my old kit(9ft #4-6) the last two years on the Nevern and seemed to work well but but unfortuntaely both times was mid July,terribly low river and next to no action.

My 9ft #4-6 has a lovely soft action (even with a #7) but my 9.6ft has the top 3 inches missing which changes its 6/7 rating to a...well I am not sure.

BB - you mentioned good flies.Is there a brand? - most shops seem to have big slection of flies in display boxes,but no brand.Are these worth bothering with or do I go to Sid Knight etc?

Thanks again and tight lines.

LB1

[buzzerman]

there are plenty of good tyers on her mate who sell top class flys

[beanzy]

LB1 you can call me a tackle tart but I'd go for a nice carbon rod at a cheap price.

I've been using a 9' Greys GRX#8-9 for my Salmon & SeaTrout, it's a grand rod but hefty for the trout on our river, but then I bought a Fulling Mill 8' #3/4 for the browns on the upper river, well it's been a little revelation for £99. Now for a dedicated ST rod I'll be doing the same if I'm still tight with money, or the Greys G-Tec #7 if I can sneak it under the radar. I reckon it's worth getting light well finished rods, not expensive ones, they make the job so much more enjoyable. As long as your reel balances nicely and you don't feel like you've got a small keg tied to the rod, then the reel just needs to be solid and reliable.

If you're putting the money out, do it on a nice supple slick casting line, good leader material, a fly vice and some decent flies until you get to tying your own. Bulk sets are ok to fill the box but I found the Sea Trout sets from Fulling Mill good confidence builders to start me off (no I don't have any association except giving them my money ) . However there are much better flies available on here and I'm sure some of the sellers would do you a 'selection box' to kick you off if you ask.

On the #9 set up I use a Snowbee XS Floater as my current experiment which feels great and casts a dream, "soon to be changed crap annoying intermediate mill-end with a better memory than I have", and a Cortland fast sinker. A Hardys #4 on the trout rod (not my choice but it seems to do the job).