Off Topic Away from football....

Besides farming, I can be equally boring about fishing (trout, grayling and salmon).
Anyway, I was recently gifted a hardy princess fly reel (an expensive reel in its day).
I'm going to pair it with a 9' hardy perfection split cane fly rod ( an expensive rod in its day) which was also gifted to me 10 or so years ago.
Been doing a bit of research on both, to see if they are contemporary.
The rod is easy enough from its serial number. July 1959, so about 5 years older than me.
The reel less easy. No unique number (or number of any kind) just features particular to construction, though features did overlap, partially because they'd use old stock parts on new designs until they were gone. Apparently, does the line guard have one fixing screw or two is an indicator, two is older.
So, got it dated to between 1965 and 72. The princess was made before and after those dates, but the features of my reel narrow it down.
Unfortunately, you won't get lines that age.
Most fly lines now are plastic coated. In the 50s, silk was still prevalent. You can still get silk lines from specialist boutique manufacturers. Might need to splash out. They're comparatively expensive (£200 compared to £60 for a modern line).
It wouldn't get a huge amount of use as modern equipment is far more user friendly.
I've used the rod on a number of occasions with modern reels and lines. It is heavy though.
It would nice to have a full set up of 'antique' equipment for occasional use.

 

Hmmmm, that sounds woefully familiar - just don't ask Mrs Brizzle about the state and age of my tackle!!!

 

Penny Lancaster has an antique rod.

When silk lines were in use, was bait still needed. I ask because silk comes from worms.

Seriously though, I had no idea how technical the equipment is.

 

A lot of it isn't that technical. Some of the manufacturing is though.
Modern kit is all about the materials. Old kit about the production.
A new carbon rod is about the quality of the carbon cloth, the resin and the design of the mandrill. Once the design is done they can make 1000s of rods that are more or less identical in build and performance. Cane rods were crafted. 6 pieces of cane for each section (my perfection has two sections) hand planed, glued and whipped. The quality and consistency of individual pieces of cane, how accurately they were planed, the consistency of gluing and whipping all played a part. Really, no two rods were the same. A real craft. Sifting though a bundle of canes to find consistent grain in the wood, accurately splitting them (split cane rods), shaping and joining them. A long apprenticeship.

Reels are a bit different, though CNC lathes and milling machines make things more accurate.

 

All well and good Remote. Technical detail impressive.

BUT

Feck me, can jck please post something on here to wake me up.

No offence.

 

I'm going to stick to collecting ceramics

 

Is that something to do with Irish men?

 

Wrong country mate.

 

Sat here having a cooling lunchtime drink outside our hotel at Orebic. Watching the ferry making its way to the neighbouring island of Korcula. (Didn't he used to play full back for Spurs about 10/12 years ago?)

However in closer vision, on a sunbed on the beach, lying face down away from me, is a young lady in nothing more than what I would describe as a cheese cutter. It's a very cheeky view.

If someone gave her a wedgie she would be split in two.

I would volunteer but Mrs BfB wouldn't be happy with me.

 

A friend once told me, 'if you're not boring about your hobby, you've got the wrong hobby'.
I think I'm OK with mine.

 

If Ugbo was fishing he'd land at least 10 fishes. Meite wouldn't catch any fish because Tan has invested millions and you all think Bullit/Bullet/Bulut is better than Pep. Also Bulut said let the fish have the worm without the hook. The point of fishing is to catch the fish...all of them and I'm not interested in just sitting there and enjoying the surroundings. It's about time everyone understood what Einstein meant when he said that thing about jumping fish. How simple does it need to be before you all understand? You know nothing about fishing compared to me. I even find subatomic particle fizzics simple to fishing is a piece of cake.

There you go BfB. Hope that helped.

 

I think Fizzic is just up the coast from us. Near Ivanellofanic.

They scratic for a living there

 

OK, been corresponding with a guy in the states who is an administrator on the fishing forum I frequent.
He specialises in hardy reels ( in fact, his user name is hardyreels).
Anyway, after sending a few piccies, he believes my reel is older than I first thought. Certainly early 60s, possibly late 50s, so contemporary with my cane rod.
Just need a line to go with it. Then catch a fish on the combination.

As an aside, not606 is the forum I frequent most. Salmon Fishing Forum 50% behind, then The Farming Forum 50% behind that.
I leave Ladies That Lamb to Mrs Remote.

 

Fishing rods and reels put to one side (though I did catch 8 trout this morning). A tough couple days on the farm.
A blind lamb we had succumbed to the weather of the last couple days. Mrs Remote was going to fetch her home last night, but it's a fine line between helping and interfering.
Another problem with the weather, wet and warm, is fly strike.
They should have been sheared in the week, but the rain put paid to that.
Daughter walked the sheep yesterday without spotting issues. Mrs Remote walked them today and found a ewe showing signs of fly strike. Discoloured fleece, surrounded by flies, looking distressed.
Daughter came out to hand shear affected areas and spray with chemicals that kill everything.
Anyway, the more she clipped the more she found. Big area and deep into the flesh.
Mrs Remote awaiting the knacker lady to come and shoot it.

 

I know it's one of the "joys" of farming but it must be terrible to lose any animals that way. My sympathies.

Hope you don't get any more like that.

The knacker lady!!! With a euthanasing gun.......... Best keep her away from Masky.

 

Sheep die in lots of ways, many unplanned and unpleasant. Being fly blown must be one of the worst.

Yes, a family business and the wife does her bit.
It's east to become numbed to it, but she does the right thing by the animals.

 

Just about to band the tail of the lamb at home.
A little girl, so only 1 band.
I'm OK with tails. It's the 2nd band for little boys I'm not so good at.
You need to make sure they are both in there.
I don't know if it's my dexterity or my sympathy that let's me down with that.

 

How to Band a Sheep’s Tail // Lamb Tail Docking (youtube.com)

Castration (I'm squirming already!)
As with tail docking, there are many techniques that can be used to castrate ram lambs. The easiest and most common method of castration is the rubber ring or band. Using an elastrator tool (or ring extender), the band is placed above the testicles, around the neck of the lamb's scrotum. Care should be taken not to place the band over the lamb's rudimentary teats. Banding will cause the testicles and scrotum to shrivel up and fall off in a few weeks. As with docking, the shriveled scrotum may be removed before it falls off. Both testicles must be below the placement of the band. If one testicle is missed, it will be retained in the belly cavity, resulting in a "bucky" lamb that will have male characteristics.

 

I regularly find tails about the place. I've never found a pair of balls though.

You'd need a big band to get around masky's third bollock.

 

Just been feeding the lamb.
Thought I'd join her for a bottle.