Just My Luck

[luderick -angler]

Thanks for the welcome back, okay no photo as welef tt he charger in Sydney and the battery was dead, the fish came up like a bag of poo, couplebig tsil thumps on the bottom and up he came throug h25ft ogf water like a lazy big lizard and gave a few tail splashes before being netted and released, estimated her to go about 65cms and roughly 6lb big fat gutds full of mud from the harbour bottom!

Those old butterworths have seen more fish than most blackfisherman have dreamt about they have done the rounds from Tweed Heads south to Sussex Inlet over the last 45 years! They just don't make them like that, but if you want the ultimate vintage blackie stick get your hands on a sportex 663 or 3902 or 3901, bit heavy but the ultimate machine for subduing big breakwall fish nice slow taper but heavy walls and near indesrtuctable, keep your eyes open Roberta as the old boys part withthem when they feel too heavy in the hand and they go ivest in modern composite rods, check your local pawn brokers and 2nd hand shops as well as the trading post, generally a sportex will be a sanded yellow glass the very late ones are unsanded, they are either a deep orange /yellow or a lighter yellow the earlier ones, the very early ones are a orange/brown.

Cheers

Royce.

[arpie]

Hmmm, very interesting ..... I may have seen a 'dull' yellow one (brand new) about 6 months ago (in a petrol station that also sold fishing gear & the like.) It was a very nice rod - light but flexible & strong. Asking price was $100 and it carried the Force Ten brand name. I googled it & couldn't find it anywhere!! Who makes Force Ten stuff?? I gave my brother an old brown 'heavier' one with a centrepin reel, when I was considering 'giving up blackie fishing' in a moment of madness back when I first started & hadn't tried a spinning reel ...... I'll get him to check the name (if it had one!)

I just Lurv checking out junk shops, 2nd hand & garage sales for gear ..... don't do it enough up here tho (garage sales that is .....) Keith reckons I have too many rods as it is!!!

Shame the big fish fought like a bag of sand!! It would have tasted horrible, too, probably. Not like our cunning big ones!

Cheerio

Roberta

[gretsch]

Mark,

I haven't read all the responses but, the best way to repair it in my humble is the cut it either ide of the spilt and splice it with a piece of glass tube from an old rod. Plentry of 24 hour Araldite and conceal it with some threadwork. This should do the trick.

PM me if you need some more info.

[mark84]

so heres a couple of pics of where the break was. certainly not what i planned but oh well i have lost interest in doing a good job on the bindings now will dummy it up and use it as a 2nd now as the actions pretty dam good its got way more grunt in the butt.

[arpie]

Looks good, even tho you lost interest, Mark - I am sure you'll have no hassles with braining the fish .... as you say, now even stronger in the butt, so that is for the better! Il looks like a nice 'extra' grip for those BIG ones!

Look forward to reading of your successful reports soon!

Cheerio

Roberta

PS I like the idea of the rope as a grip - nice & light & easy to do!

Edited January 29, 2008 by Roberta

[mark84]

Looks good, even tho you lost interest, Mark - I am sure you'll have no hassles with braining the fish .... as you say, now even stronger in the butt, so that is for the better! Il looks like a nice 'extra' grip for those BIG ones!

Look forward to reading of your successful reports soon!

Cheerio

Roberta

PS I like the idea of the rope as a grip - nice & light & easy to do!

cheers roberta and cheap too.