Glad it was helpful!

I don’t believe trout have the capacity for conscious reasoning. However, the power of natural selection could act very strongly against any fish that failed to respond to any cues signalling the onset of bad conditions by temporarily increasing their food intake. In other words, all the fish that failed to do that may well not have lived long enough to reproduce and pass on any behavioural tendencies influenced by their genes. If this type of subject is of particular interest to you John, there’s a lot more of this kind of thing covered in “The Nature of Fly Fishing”. (Both inside the book and also in the accompanying digital media): www.amazon.co.uk/Nature-Fly-Fishing-Decoding-Biology-ebook/dp/B0BSNZ2CQX

What an amazing session!

@@alphabob12000 And they say TikTok is ruining attention span 🤪😂

Hi - apologies for the delay (when I replied to your other comment I didn't see you also asked about the rod in this comment). I hope the information in the other reply was helpful? In terms of the rod, it is hard to find now but it was the Tsurinoya Ares C472 - a solid carbon, one-piece blank of 4ft 7" long. It's probably a little easier to cast 1-g lures a bit further with a slightly longer rod (say 5' 6" to 6-foot). One that you might like to look at is the Mavllos Plume - my affiliate link would earn me commission without increasing the cost to you: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DCnj0z9 Paul

@@FishingDiscoveries hello no worries. I’ll have some time to look into this rod. Thank you. I’ve had a very difficult time ordering through AliExpress. Maybe it’s just me but the website site seems to be unable to allow my purchases and my account seems to always have a hold on it. Submitted a claim/appeal to reactivate the account but have not heard anything in a couple of weeks now. Thanks again or your help I really appreciate it.

@@cavazosa4 Hi although the Dark Wolf “Ultra” no longer needs the upgrade (they changed the brake design now); the regular Dark Wolf can still benefit. I did a demo video on my personal channel rather than the main FD channel here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jtqblryruqq3iJ8.htmlsi=pWSUK39UfB6oZljM

Hi there, rod or reel? Both were bought from Japanese retailers that shipped to the UK within a few days.

@@FishingDiscoveries Hi there. Thanks for the reply. The reel. Its not a ‘UK’ model and the Shimano service centre said they “wouldnt touch it”, so I bought the 22 Aldebaran.

Awesome stuff - I’ll follow your insta to keep up with your fishing adventures. Todo lo mejor para ti! Paul.

@@FishingDiscoveries 🙏

Awesome- very glad it was useful and thanks for the generous feedback. Paul

Nice Dylan!

If Umpqua was selling it under the JP name then they probably owe John some royalties hahaha. Simple but very effective.

Yes, I would recommend the version shown for creating droppers and trimming the ends short. As long as there isn’t a huge difference in diameter between the pieces you are joining it should be stronger than a blood knot.

Hi @Parrotsalt yes the BMC100 has the fixed inductor brake shoes so they function exactly the same left or right hand wind.

Hi, it was filmed in Yorkshire and I’ll steer clear of hotspotting the exact venue - though there are quite a few venues that are very similar around the mid and northern parts of the UK. Paul

@@FishingDiscoveries Thanks Paul, I quite understand your reticence!

Thank you! Cheers!

I have to stop you there- it's absolutely NOT a whip finish (and I say this as someone who sells fly tying videos). The wraps in this video criss cross over each other in alternating directions. The wraps in a whip finish knot all progress in the same single spiral as they wrap over a parallel but static "leg" of thread. Thank you for jumping in to the conversation though, it's appreciated. Paul

That’s useful feedback John and something I can look at incorporating for future demonstrations (perhaps as part of my “River Perspectives” content creation for example)

Thanks for the kind feedback, I’m using the type of wet wading gear that Japanese anglers use for mountain streams. Quick drying leggings under quick dry shorts (e.g mountain bike shorts). On the feet are neoprene socks (kayaking ones are good) with “sawanobori” or “waterfall climbing” shoes. Good alternatives are made and sold by the 5.10 branch of adidas. The shin and knee gaiters are also used in sawanobori and the ones I have are made by “Waterclimb” in Japan. You can also find similar made by brands such as montbell, gamakatsu and Little Presents. It can be worth searching on the Japanese Amazon store or you can speak to keiichi at tenkaraya.com and he can get pretty much anything you need as a special order. Paul.

That’s absolutely brilliant, thank you! Amazing content!

Hi thanks for the kind feedback. The spool shaft bearing measures 8mm (external diameter) x 3 mm (internal diameter) x 2.5mm (width) and the side-plate bearing measures 10mm (external diameter) x 3 mm (internal diameter) x 4 mm (width). Paul

In terms of length, lure weight and quality, it could be worth looking at the Purelure Creek dance. My affiliate link for that rod is s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_EIXHYgR

Hi, I use a lot of different setups (it gets kind of addictive after a while hahaha). A good, budget friendly setup would be a Mavllos Delicacy rod and a HICC50 ACURA Pro reel.

Thanks for the feedback! Paul

Hi there, apologies for the slow reply - I've only just had chance to open up the reel again and take some measurements (calipers needed a new battery). The side plate bearing measures 10mm (external diameter) x 3mm (internal diameter) x 4mm wide. Hope this helps. Paul

Most of the Japanese retailers ship globally - and with the Japanese Yen being valued much lower against many currencies currently there are significant savings available. The rod in this video was bought and paid for as a normal customer as part of John's fishing interest and the video was made as a customer review (so it wasn't created as publicity - and there aren't even any affiliate purchase links for the product in this video). If it is helpful, I noticed that there was just one of the 4ft 7" versions of this rod in stock at Digitaka as I write this: www.digitaka.com/item/5/6/6/4969363395535 Their shipping seems to be fast and I hear good reports from BFS anglers belonging to the FB group "BFS Finesse Fishing" who order from that particular store on a regular basis.

Ah, that's actually a heartwarming story - love it. Paul

Hi Ben, it's definitely not the same reel (it's much bigger than the Doviello/Soloking/Silfast) and the bearing count/distribution is totally different. I'm fascinated by you finding the ACURA doesn't beat your Zephyr reels in your experience. What kind of weights are you casting and in what situations? For me the ACURA pro is much better than the CastFanatic and the Zephyr (while all of the reels mentioned are very capable).

GREAT SUCCESS!!

@@FishingDiscoveries yakshemesh! 😂

Strange, I don’t have that experience at all. What leader material are you using?

There’s definitely a poetry to traditional soft hackle wets.

Hi Stephen, here's a list (with my affiliate links for full transparency) of tools I personally use the most: Bearing Puller Tool: rorolure.com/products/roro-bearing-puller-tool?sca_ref=611308.8TvCny8PJ0&sca_source=YT Spool Pin Removal (For DELICATE SPOOLS including Alphas Air TW 20, Flight Feather Cormorant/Kingfisher): rorolure.com/products/spool-bearing-pin-remover-tx6?sca_ref=611308.8TvCny8PJ0 Spool Pin Removal (a bit quicker to use for most "normal" BFS Spools): s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmQEZ1X Wrench for handle locking nut removal: rorolure.com/products/trust-wrench?sca_ref=611308.8TvCny8PJ0 I also use the full range of Deuthlon lubricants designed for separate parts of the reel, from casting bearings to drag washers and main gears: fishingdiscoveries.com/best-lube-for-fishing-reels/ For screwdrivers, I tend to use what I have to hand in things like eyeglass repair kits or small components (I should probably invest in more specialised ones, but I have always been able to find the size/type needed so far). Hope this is helpful! Paul

It’s kind of insane how much choice there is across all price points now.

Glad you like it!

Thanks Russell, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll have to look up the music piece next time I have the laptop open - it will be by one of the artists on Artlist.io. Paul.

Thanks for sharing!

Once you can run through it two or three times for yourself it becomes pretty comfortable to tie. Just remember to only thread the line through the hook eye once. Paul

Finally got it right and taught it to my school;s fishing club! Thank you!@@FishingDiscoveries

That's Awesome @@Hoveyish !

Yes, I absolutely would get hold of an Acura Pro Dennis. Possibly worth getting the option that comes supplied with two spools for increased flexibility (one shallow and one deeper). The Acura will cast much lighter lures and is generally better engineered. The manufacturing tolerances mean there should be a much smaller gap between spool and reel body. From experience, they can be a little stiff right out of the box, but a few minutes winding to load with line and then 10 minutes casting and any lubricant that settled during transit spreads out evenly and everything becomes smooth. Here’s my affiliate link for a deal that seems to be on offer for today (at least in my location!): s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_EJxeTwp

👍🏻👍🏻😁Hehe, thank you and very glad you enjoyed it Chris.

Yep, it’s the reel I tested this one against in the casting trials portion of this video. I like the ACURA/DOVIELLO/SOLOKING HICC50 very much at its pricepoint - the new “Pro” version also features a lighter spool which is great. The main significant difference I would say is that the Castfanatic has a larger diameter spool - and this tends to be suited to bombing heavier BFS lures further than a small diameter spool like the HICC50.

Good luck! Make sure to have an UL action rod to go with it! Paul