Line - Pro Gold versus Tournament ST

Pro Gold is a discontinued but much lauded line. I'm fortunate enough to have a well kept bulk spool of it in 8lb Breaking Strain. 

I put some on a 4000 Shimano Bait Runner Reel yesterday for use on the Severn today.

This balances with an 0.21mm Preston Reflo Power hooklength.


Although this is robust enough for most open water Barbel fishing situations, snags can appear from anywhere and I prefer to err on the side of caution.


Without getting bogged down in diameters and breaking strains, I can put roughly the same diameter if not thinner of  Tournament ST line and have what I feel is a much stronger, equally supple and more abrasion resistant line, and as a result fish with a stronger hooklength.


To conclude, although it was nice to use what's now a 'classic' line again, I will soon be rrespooling with some 10lb ST.


All this of course is my personal opinion, without saying it's very subjective observations from me, Pro Gold has its devoted fan base and rightly so, but for me Tournament ST surpasses it.


         

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Kamasan B560 - A Versatile Hook

Image
 In an age where hook technology seems to improve by the day, it's easy to forget about more classic tried and tested patterns. One of the few Kamasan hooks I still use is the B560. With a relatively fine wire and wide gape, micro barbed, swept point, it's a versatile hook with deceptive strength but delicate enough to make a great silverfish hook. It's equally at home with maggots or tares, but what I like most about it is the reliable hook holds I get with these hooks.
Read more

Severn Matches vs Pleasure

Image
 I often read along the lines that matches on the Severn produce such big weights, often of Barbel, compared to pleasure anglers, that the match anglers must have some magic ability. Although you could say, I haven't been fishing the Severn for all that long, and don't as yet match fish it, I feel like sharing my thoughts on the matter. Firstly, I have heard it said you can catch Barbel on any peg on the Severn. I don't believe this to be true, and the fish will be where they want to be on the river given certain conditions. There will be flyer pegs on matches. This leads me to my next point, it's also said that there's more pressure on the river in matches, and as a result, the feat of match men is even greater. This is not always true. Often when there's no match on, the river will be just as busy, if not busier on some stretches. Going back to my first point, this fish will hole up in certain spots based on the conditions of the river, and it's not unusua...
Read more

I AM EXCITED... about the MAP 15' Parabolix Black Edition Float Rod

Image
 ... and it ain't even my rod! I'm collecting for a friend tomorrow for a great brand new second hand price. As mentioned previously, I have the 13' Light Float. All impressions lead me to believe this is one of the top rods on the market, surpassing the Drennan Acolyte. I'm so enamoured by my Light rod, I'm looking to get a Medium to go with it. Stay tuned for more impressions of the 15' tomorrow. NB. The thing about Acolytes, and I currently own just a 15', is although they're feather light in weight, they're softer in the mid section resulting in a floppier action and slower recovery. We are hoping to go to a section of the Severn near Worcester on Saturday to use said rods side by side.
Read more