Hi guys, so finally got to Warmbaths with this past weekend, myself an some friends fished 2 dams, fri and saturday at the resort.
I fished 3 rods for baber:
1) 7ft King Neptune 770 rod, Shina Friends 800R reel, okuma 10lb line, 50cm 60lb Maxima line, #5 mustard circle hook.
2)7ft Shimano XFX-AX rod, Shimano R4000 reel, okuma 10lb line,50cm 18lb braid, 180 turning swivel, #2 circle hook.
3)7ft Pioneer Deluxe spinning combo setup, EC-3003R reel, combo line, 50cm 60lb Maxima line, #5 mustard circle hook.
All rods where rigged with kurper heads.
On the friday we arrived I fished the smaller dam, using worms to catch kurper as bait, and I decided to put a kurper head on my brand new (never been used) Pioneer Deluxe while I continued catching more bait,( about 7m out),
Within 10mins the reel screamed!!!!
2 thoughts popped in my mind.... OH S###! An 2 WHO EVER YOU ARE ON THE END OF THAT LINE, DON'T SNAP OFF, LOL!!!.... So because this was my 1st time using circles, all I could do was follow the advice given on sealine barbel forum, point your rod at the fish and tighten your drag, an then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE AT THAT MOMENT!!!! Iv only heard stories of guys not being able to stop a fish.... But experiencing it yourself is really why I love fishing- that moment when you realise what ever is on your line is gonna blow your PB out of the water....
An then the fun began, so as soon as the fish felt the hook, it swam for deeper water, this fish took line like a bullet an nothing could stop it, I tried to keep my rod up and reel, bt nothing helped, in between me an the fish where 3 trees hanging over the bank, it was an easy choice wether or not to manoeuvre around the trees or loose the fish, after many scratches an slipping into the water (very funny sight I must say)... The fish decided to dig in under a log next to the bank, I made the amateur move (thinking I had lost this fish and it was just a hook snag) to try pull the hooklink from the log. When I tugged on the line with my bare hand the fish swam out an broke me off from the main line as it was only 10lb and my drag was set too tight.
Although I lost that fish, the experience was unforgettable.
Lesson learnt- "expect the unexpected" and always be ready.
On the Sat we fished the bigger dam from 9am to 12pm.
We cast out 4 rods scattered over an area of 10- 35m. Around an outlet pipe were we were told by management the barbel hunt around.
My uncle was the 1st to get action, he fished 1 rod same setup as mine with a kurper head an #5 circle, only he had a braided mainline.
Watching him in action, showed me what I did wrong the day before, after a screamer of a run he brought in an nice 4.5kg cat.
Not even a minute after he released his fish did my old faithful 7ft King Neptune rod bend an the reel scream as though the line was being pulled by sprinter.... I tightened my drag an raised my rod, the fish decided to swim towards me so I walked backwards reeling in, 2m from the bank it decided to show me what it feels like to feel its power, its true what they say about barber, brute strength and raw power!!! After an awesome fight (and a little prayer lol) I landed my new PB 5kg fatty! (See attached pic) on a 7ft rod (that is probably older than I am) an 10lb line! Awesome stuff!!!
My cousin caught his fish cat too on just over 4 kg! Not bad, and my uncle 2 more of just shy of 6kg.
A nice way to spend 3hrs, I'm looking forward to my next trip, defiantly gotta try step up my gear... But I had awesome fun on my light tackle. I'm very happy with the mustard circle hook performance. 5 takes, 5 fish- all hooked in the corner of their mouths.
Thank you to all the guys who gave advice.... Sealine is such an awesome forum.
:sval:
I fished 3 rods for baber:
1) 7ft King Neptune 770 rod, Shina Friends 800R reel, okuma 10lb line, 50cm 60lb Maxima line, #5 mustard circle hook.
2)7ft Shimano XFX-AX rod, Shimano R4000 reel, okuma 10lb line,50cm 18lb braid, 180 turning swivel, #2 circle hook.
3)7ft Pioneer Deluxe spinning combo setup, EC-3003R reel, combo line, 50cm 60lb Maxima line, #5 mustard circle hook.
All rods where rigged with kurper heads.
On the friday we arrived I fished the smaller dam, using worms to catch kurper as bait, and I decided to put a kurper head on my brand new (never been used) Pioneer Deluxe while I continued catching more bait,( about 7m out),
Within 10mins the reel screamed!!!!
2 thoughts popped in my mind.... OH S###! An 2 WHO EVER YOU ARE ON THE END OF THAT LINE, DON'T SNAP OFF, LOL!!!.... So because this was my 1st time using circles, all I could do was follow the advice given on sealine barbel forum, point your rod at the fish and tighten your drag, an then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE AT THAT MOMENT!!!! Iv only heard stories of guys not being able to stop a fish.... But experiencing it yourself is really why I love fishing- that moment when you realise what ever is on your line is gonna blow your PB out of the water....
An then the fun began, so as soon as the fish felt the hook, it swam for deeper water, this fish took line like a bullet an nothing could stop it, I tried to keep my rod up and reel, bt nothing helped, in between me an the fish where 3 trees hanging over the bank, it was an easy choice wether or not to manoeuvre around the trees or loose the fish, after many scratches an slipping into the water (very funny sight I must say)... The fish decided to dig in under a log next to the bank, I made the amateur move (thinking I had lost this fish and it was just a hook snag) to try pull the hooklink from the log. When I tugged on the line with my bare hand the fish swam out an broke me off from the main line as it was only 10lb and my drag was set too tight.
Although I lost that fish, the experience was unforgettable.
Lesson learnt- "expect the unexpected" and always be ready.
On the Sat we fished the bigger dam from 9am to 12pm.
We cast out 4 rods scattered over an area of 10- 35m. Around an outlet pipe were we were told by management the barbel hunt around.
My uncle was the 1st to get action, he fished 1 rod same setup as mine with a kurper head an #5 circle, only he had a braided mainline.
Watching him in action, showed me what I did wrong the day before, after a screamer of a run he brought in an nice 4.5kg cat.
Not even a minute after he released his fish did my old faithful 7ft King Neptune rod bend an the reel scream as though the line was being pulled by sprinter.... I tightened my drag an raised my rod, the fish decided to swim towards me so I walked backwards reeling in, 2m from the bank it decided to show me what it feels like to feel its power, its true what they say about barber, brute strength and raw power!!! After an awesome fight (and a little prayer lol) I landed my new PB 5kg fatty! (See attached pic) on a 7ft rod (that is probably older than I am) an 10lb line! Awesome stuff!!!
My cousin caught his fish cat too on just over 4 kg! Not bad, and my uncle 2 more of just shy of 6kg.
A nice way to spend 3hrs, I'm looking forward to my next trip, defiantly gotta try step up my gear... But I had awesome fun on my light tackle. I'm very happy with the mustard circle hook performance. 5 takes, 5 fish- all hooked in the corner of their mouths.
Thank you to all the guys who gave advice.... Sealine is such an awesome forum.
:sval:
