Why i love the Speedia
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 8:42 pm
My first forum post.
I used to be a regular rod on the Kennet. ( moved away now). I had a bronze ticket with RDAA allowing me to fish all night on the north bank of Upper Benyons. I used to fish one rod across to the far bank bushes with a feeder full of pellet, and 2 or 3 glued pellets as hook bait.
On my bank, i used to drop a lump of spam about 5yds down, only a yard from the bank. This rod had a Speedia as its winch. Id set the drag, lay it across my landing net, then focus all my attention on the tip of the far bank rod.
For i knew, that should my quarry take the spam, my Speedia would pierce the darkness with a scream that would have me on my knees in a millisecond, knocking off the drag with my index finger, and feeling the pull on the drum with my thumb.
The sheer excitement of that noise sends shivers down my spine. Ive had loads of barbel on my Speedia, and i dont think any of them were below 8lb, indeed my second and third largest captures at 12.0 and 11.7 were on the Speedia rod.
One august aftternoon, i went to fish the free stretch at Theale, only to find workmen putting up fences to block the access off. The bloke who had bought Kate Bush's place had also bought the field across the road, and was fencing it off stop us herberts fishing it.
Not wanting to go anywhere else, i found a gap in the trees downstream below the new fences. I squeezed through and found myself in a tight 'cave' in the trees. It was hard even setting up a rod, so tight was the swim, but I got both rods out, one across, and one just gingerly flicked downstream mindfull ofvall the branches, under my bank on the Speedia.
It was a hot sultry afternoon, not helped by the humidity around my little arborial cave. I settled into my chair, watched the tip of my far bank rod, and slowly but surely my eyes started to sag.
I probably nodded off for no more than 2 minutes, but the scream of the Speedia had me at full attention in a moment. Playing the fish, with so little room to move the rod was interesting, but i remember the absolute control my thumb had on the Speedia rim. Minute variations in thumb pressure allowing me to hold or let the fish run, cancelling out the limitations the surroundings conferred on the control allowed by the rod.
9lb 12 oz of beautiful golden summer barbel sat in the deep mesh of my net as I slumped back in my chair and let the fish rest.
I patted my Speedia. My old, battered, paint-chipped Speedia, after so many dark gloomy damp autumn nights on Upper Benyons, we now sat together in the beautiful August afternoon sun, with a magnificent fish in the net.
And that folks, is why I love my Speedia.
I used to be a regular rod on the Kennet. ( moved away now). I had a bronze ticket with RDAA allowing me to fish all night on the north bank of Upper Benyons. I used to fish one rod across to the far bank bushes with a feeder full of pellet, and 2 or 3 glued pellets as hook bait.
On my bank, i used to drop a lump of spam about 5yds down, only a yard from the bank. This rod had a Speedia as its winch. Id set the drag, lay it across my landing net, then focus all my attention on the tip of the far bank rod.
For i knew, that should my quarry take the spam, my Speedia would pierce the darkness with a scream that would have me on my knees in a millisecond, knocking off the drag with my index finger, and feeling the pull on the drum with my thumb.
The sheer excitement of that noise sends shivers down my spine. Ive had loads of barbel on my Speedia, and i dont think any of them were below 8lb, indeed my second and third largest captures at 12.0 and 11.7 were on the Speedia rod.
One august aftternoon, i went to fish the free stretch at Theale, only to find workmen putting up fences to block the access off. The bloke who had bought Kate Bush's place had also bought the field across the road, and was fencing it off stop us herberts fishing it.
Not wanting to go anywhere else, i found a gap in the trees downstream below the new fences. I squeezed through and found myself in a tight 'cave' in the trees. It was hard even setting up a rod, so tight was the swim, but I got both rods out, one across, and one just gingerly flicked downstream mindfull ofvall the branches, under my bank on the Speedia.
It was a hot sultry afternoon, not helped by the humidity around my little arborial cave. I settled into my chair, watched the tip of my far bank rod, and slowly but surely my eyes started to sag.
I probably nodded off for no more than 2 minutes, but the scream of the Speedia had me at full attention in a moment. Playing the fish, with so little room to move the rod was interesting, but i remember the absolute control my thumb had on the Speedia rim. Minute variations in thumb pressure allowing me to hold or let the fish run, cancelling out the limitations the surroundings conferred on the control allowed by the rod.
9lb 12 oz of beautiful golden summer barbel sat in the deep mesh of my net as I slumped back in my chair and let the fish rest.
I patted my Speedia. My old, battered, paint-chipped Speedia, after so many dark gloomy damp autumn nights on Upper Benyons, we now sat together in the beautiful August afternoon sun, with a magnificent fish in the net.
And that folks, is why I love my Speedia.
