Contrasting Reels on the Avon

‪@MarkWintleFishing‬ I revisit the lower Hampshire Avon which has more flow than the previous week. As a change I fish with a Dave Swallow centrepin with an Avon float for a while before switching to a light stick float.
The line on the centrepin is some old Dave Harrell Float line in 3lb but it seems to bed in so I've changed it since then.

[@andrewjackson9603]

Nice video Mark. I bought my Swallow pin (Mk 1) from Dave himself when he lived at Ibsley Bridge. We watched the early pre release copy of Passion for Angling that he'd been sent. He said to me to put the line on backwards so it comes off the top and I've always done that for trotting ever since. I bought one of the new Trudex reels and the first thing I did was take the line guard off. I've been using the Dave Harrell pro match this year and so far pretty good though all lines seem to go curly after a while. Certainly Supplex does! 🙂

[@brianreed1451]

I fished alongside that tree for the Roach. That was on Tuesday. Going there tomorrow. always good to watch. footnote. Match on Sundat Canford was won with 15lb Roach

[@brianreed1451]

I fished that awim twice in a week if you let the float trot way down there are some nice chub sitting back. in 3hrs I had 5 chub some around 1lb and a couple,e of orou d 2lb. loads of nice Roach

[@pureblood1978x]

What's an "awim"? You crazy Belgians!

[@brianreed1451]

@pureblood1978x school was shut the day I went.

[@felgate11]

I can't do with the line coming off the bottom of the drum, seems totally foreign for me, and most anglers around me that I know. Maybe it's a Northern thing ? We also "Bat In" the line on a no fish retrieve. "Bedding In" usually happens when you've too much line on the drum, I normally just put about 80 yards on which prevents that from happening !

[@MarkWintleFishing]

There doesn't seem to be a right way - from the top or from the bottom, and as anglers tend to copy those who are successful local to them you often see a local trend, e.g. West Midlands anglers favoured closed-face reels whereas the Nottingham anglers preferred Mitchell Matches/'pins. I have a wonderful picture of Jim Sharp, a Nottingham legend, with the line coming off the bottom. Then having grown used to something, doing it different seems wrong. When I was a kid I originally fished with a RHW reel, holding the rod in my left hand then switched when I was 13. I took that line off and now have a different line with just 60 yards, yet to try it though.

[@UNCLETOEKNEE]

Agree with you on the " Batting in " - when I used to use a pin years ago I also found the line bedding in if I reeled in the non bites In the end I gave up and sold the reel and stuck to my 300 and 440

[@DepakoteMeister]

Do you do all the filming yourself Mark?

[@MarkWintleFishing]

In the past a mate has helped me but lately, yes, I'm on my own; one or two camcorders on tripods plus mics. I make plenty of mistakes and things rarely go to plan but I'm trying to overcome various challenges.

[@DepakoteMeister]

@@MarkWintleFishing It comes out really well, that's the main thing.

[@ColinPickney]

Cost you several £100s to buy a original swallow centre pin now

[@MarkWintleFishing]

I paid £35 back in the mid 80s when what is now Bournemouth Fishing Lodge was Custom Tackle. Soon after I dropped it and dinged the edge but when I took it back to Dave he just gave me a new one.