TRAVEL ROD-CAST 12
First of all, on behalf of our small team at Rigged and ready we hope you had a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. 2022 has been fantastic for us and it has been a pleasure to see so many of you out using our rods catching incredible fish from all over the globe. We won’t dwell on the last 12 months too much though, as that will be coming in a yearly roundup soon! For now, let’s take a look at December, and see what’s been going on in the world of travel fishing.
For many of us winter is a time to consolidate, spend time with family over the festive period and (hopefully) acquire more fishing tackle to add to our already generous collections. This stunning photograph was taken by Wayne Sumser-Ali and features our 2-in-1 travel fly fishing rod and Rigged and Ready reel. A rod he says is “almost too good to use”! We don’t blame him for opting to take pictures rather than be out fishing in these conditions. So far, this winter has been far from temperate and is a challenge to fish in even for the hardiest of anglers!
If you were lucky enough to find some Rigged and Ready gear under your tree this year, we would love to see some pictures. This particular shot is of young Fisher (great name by the way) who received some Fish Rig spinners and spoons for Christmas, we can’t wait to see how he gets on with them! This photo also features a 4CAST Clothing beanie, Mr Claus definitely knew how to pick a good gift this year!
Now there’s not many fish more indicative of winter than the lady of the stream, or grayling as you may know them! This particular fish was one of around 8 caught over a short session filmed by George Lamb for the ‘Adventure Fishing UK’ YouTube channel. The venue was a small and very scenic untouched stream in picturesque snowy conditions. If you want to watch the video, then click here. The rod of choice was the Fish Rig 180 paired with the RR1000; a combination normally used for ultra-light lure fishing by George. Rather unsurprisingly, the sensitivity and flexibility of this rod made it a perfect fit for lightweight ledgering on the river.
During the cold spell when all the smaller stillwaters and canals were frozen, the rivers remained fishable and productive. Martin from ‘Vildmark.co.uk’ found some success while out on his packraft fishing for pike. This stunning river pike was caught on the Predator rod, an excellent choice when a shorter lure fishing rod is favourable like when on a small boat or kayak. I don’t know about you, but I’d be a bit uneasy out on a small inflatable craft in water as cold as that!
Now this next pike may not look like much, but it was actually a catch that won a £100 fishing competition. Also caught on the Predator and RR3000 combo, this was the last fish of the day for George Lamb when taking on Harry Crossley in a £100 fishing battle. The ‘Adventure Fishing UK’ vs ‘Bang Average Fishing’ video is live on YouTube, and you can watch it here. It’s likely Harry will want some revenge after the late drama that unfolded, and I’m sure we will see a part two with even higher stakes!
While these two finished the month taking each other on in a fishing contest, they began December with a 3-day fishing adventure in Amsterdam. The Netherlands has to be one of Europe’s top fishing destinations, and it absolutely lived up to expectations. Guided by local youtuber Jamie from the channel ‘Netfish & Chill’, between them all pike, zander and perch were caught including this exceptional specimen of 48cm within the last hour of fishing. It couldn’t resist a ned-rigged stick bait retrieved slowly along the bottom of a deep Dutch park lake. This full feature length video can be watched here.
While this next perch might not be of the same monstrous proportions as the last, it’s a fine UK example caught by Harry from ‘Bang Average Fishing’. This was caught using the Fish Rig 180 but utilising a different technique to the norm. This time of year lure fishing for species like perch can be very slow and very tough, but you’ll seldom find a stripey that’ll turn it’s nose up at a worm! Especially a big juicy one fished on a dropshot rig, a true winter hack for perch fishing!
Thanks for reading this month’s TRAVEL ROD-CAST! All in all, the weather made fishing slow with many of our favourite venues frozen over for quite a considerable amount of time. In addition to spending time with family and seeing friends we can all be excused for not finding as much time to be out on the bank. I’m sure January will be much more fruitful, and we look forward to touching base with you again soon. Don’t forget, if you get any pictures using your travel rods or fish you’ve caught on them, please send them in. We are always keen to see what our customers have been getting up to, and we may also share it on the next instalment of our monthly social media roundup.
