Great - I'd always recommend the thing that works for you in the field and you can rely on. Sometimes dialling in a particular knot can help bring up its scores for "ease" and "reliability" too.

@@FishingDiscoveries right i totally agree

@@mikekennedy4549 A major one is it’s super fun and pretty technical. More practical reasons are the control over the casting compared to a spinning reel. You can dial in a very consistent cast and also more easily influence the flight of the lure through the air and also how it drops into the water. When playing fish, if you reel in while the fish pulls drag, it doesn’t twist the line up like a spinning reel would.

@@FishingDiscoveries Brilliant. Thanks

I’d say it is all about loading the rod on the back-swing and being a bit more gentle on the forward cast. The lighter the lure is, the earlier you need to release your thumb from the spool. Here’s my casting guidance article to help explain more details: fishingdiscoveries.com/bait-finesse-casting/

“Tell me you have zero clue how music is used as a storytelling device to create a comic mood without telling m….you know the rest” 🐣🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

No problem 👍

Cool, thanks!

@@gamefixxer5974 Hi Thank you! 🙏 it’s a Tsurinoya Ares C472 UL. But - they aren’t sold any more. I would recommend a Purelure Creek Dance CE C492 UL if you wanted something of similar quality and performance. Here’s an affiliate link for AliExpress for that rod (just make sure to select the correct model number - including the “casting” version instead of the “spinning” version): s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_EuBIpTj

@@FishingDiscoveries thank you so much, I will check it out! ☺️

@@fashopimpin I’d say if you have the funds, the cormorant version of the flight feather is genuinely excellent - especially below 1/16th (I’d go as far to say “best in class”). For a more budget friendly option, the DMK silver feather is pretty much unbeatable out of the box in terms of casting down to 0.5g. Affiliate link for Silver Feather: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_EGALUiJ

@@FishingDiscoveries Thanks

@@FishingDiscoveriesJust ordered the Cormorant

@@fashopimpin I’m sure you’ll love it, very smooth as well as excellent ultralight lure casting performance.

@@FishingDiscoveries I just ordered the Aldebaran also. It was only $40 more on Amazon. One stays one goes lol.

Hi there, I think it really depends on what function you want the loop to have and also whether you have 40lb leaders for abrasion resistance or “pulling power” (and the forces the rest of your gear is capable of creating).

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: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XtkcYzUDSXk.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!