[gonefishin]

I'm still un-decided but its probably going to be a K2 Blue Metal 16' 4" jobbie (or a long ladder so I can paint the house!) :giveup:
Has anyone ever caught a decent fish including a ray on one of these and if so how did it perform?
Thanks

 

[Rich pickins]

Hi mate!

..Go for the long ladder and paint the house!

Tight lines,
Rich

 

[Ajohn]

Think you will find as I did that like the titanium it will be good for straight overheads and maybe even ground casts. As to the rest they obviously put more strain on the angler as there is more leverage.
Strength wise I don't think there will be any problem at all. I loaded the titanium as hard as I could from 4ft up the butt after doing it from the usual place. Think the assistant was curious to see if I could break it.

John
You could also put a paint brush or roller on the end of it, maybe even a squeegee for the windows

 

[gonefishin]

You could also put a paint brush or roller on the end of it, maybe even a squeegee for the windows

I like your style Mr John - what a fantastic reason to tell er in doors ( the FPM) - a dual purpose window cleaner! Brilliant!:notworthy :clap3: :clap2:

 

[GBNeil]

I loaded the titanium as hard as I could from 4ft up the butt after doing it from the usual place.

Fair 'nuf :blink: :uhuh: :clap2: :schmoll: :idea:

 

[GBNeil]

Think the assistant was curious to see if I could break it.

Me too!

Sorry AJ - couldn't resist - the old ones are the best!

 

[gareth1234]

k2 extreme titanium here for £125 if you're still looking.

Harris Sportsmail - Fishing Tackle and UK Largest Lures Supplier. Buy Online. Same Day Shipping. UK, Ireland, Europe Mail Order.

 

[gonefishin]

Thanks for the recommendation Gareth.

If anyone is interested, at least 3 weeks ago I bought a 16’ 8" K2 Titanium Blah Blah rod (multi version) which I have only just managed to try it out.
Anyhow, the mail Order co forgot to send the coasters with the rod – they followed 2 days later.
Yesterday I felt it was time to bend this beast and as I was leaving the house I realised that I had I lost the coasters somewhere in the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I nipped round the corner and bought an Imax sliding fitting (wanted an ABU trigger grip but the largest size is too small for this rod)
Down the beach and put 5oz on it, set the drop to the first ring up and wondered how the bloody hell I was going to get myself set up for an OTG cast.
Ah well, off we go and where the bloody hell did the weight go. Way off to the right.
Good job I had the beach to myself.
5oz on a long drop on the end of this rod is HEAVY
Turn body more to the left and same again. - out to the right.
Shorten the drop by abt. 18" and try again, no better.
Change to 3 oz.
By now I’m nearly facing along the beach in the hope of casting straight out and straight out it went.
A few of those and back to the 5oz.
Deffo need to join a gym to build up the shoulders and arms.
Next time out will be with the reel down the butt.
That should be an interesting event.
Now the question is "how long did it take you the get the hang of your Long Rod and what were your early experiences"

If I cant use it for fishing its such a good looking rod I'll put it up on the wall as an ornament and then buy that long ladder!

 

[m.b3]

have seen ray landed on blue metal but i can assure you it is not suitable. whilst it will bring in singles of dogs, doubles and trebbles and it folds over. not for hauling.

took a few trips to get used top long rod. found blue metal easy to use with 3oz or 4oz. could cast far and straight as soon as i got it but found it wierd for short accurate lobbing. i love it now and it has caught me many fish. u forget about the lenght after a few sessions and it becomes just another rod. the distances they offer with simple cast for smallish fish- hard to beat.

 

[John Mason]

You'll find a very short drop with 4oz a good starting point - no more than 3-4ft.

I've caught small-eyed rays with them and they're happy enough with that. They have many uses really, one being on rock marks where the extra length means you can steer a string of fish caught on feathers to the waters edge, round close-in snags, and swing them straight in, instead of dragging them up the rocks.

On a calm day in winter, you can easily send a single-hook short snood rig a very long way, if dabs at range are all that is available.

I wouldn't use them for bottom-fishing in full-on graunch, or in heavy floating weed conditions - mind you, fishing when the weed's in is pretty miserable whatever gear you are using!

Cheers - John

 

[AndrewJS]

I use my long rod reel down and I found that I had to go slow with very little power. It took a couple of sessions to adjust to it.
Early experiences - I noticed the extra leverage (on me) with double shots on.

 

[Ajohn]

I found that the best thing to do was to use an easy relaxed cast. If I tried harder I didn't gain any extra distance for a lot more effort. 6ozs was fine for me too. After much thought I decided to stick with 13ft rods.

I also had a large fish on the k2 that dropped the hook - me being stupid. No problems there but the extra load on me was noticeable. I couldn't lift it from the bottom despite the extra length either.

John