ROD SHARING

[salmonking]

Q....When sharing a rod with a mate,can both of you take your own rods?
I personally wouldn't be too keen using or catching a fish on a rod that wasn't my own...would'nt be the same,or is it just me being daft?

[easky]

my experience has been the same as Alan's - you can fish your own rod as long as it just one of you at any given time It can be frustrating sitting watching your partner pull em in while you site on the bank. My advice is to agree up front how you are going to split your time eg. rotate on the hour or after a fish is caught. Makes for some lively discussion ;D

tight lines

E

[castlikeaghille]

SK

There is no set rule, but sensible to:

1) Check with the beat owners in advance what is acceptable to them. IME Beat owners usually have no problem with rod sharing provided the two rods behave as if they were one. What is not acceptable, particularly where you have single bank fishing, is where you are sharing a rod and your mate is waiting at the top of a pool to go in as soon as you come out at the bottom. Your friend should not go in until you have walked (thats walk, not run as I have pathetically seen on a number of occasions) back up to him. If you don't do this you are effectively preventing the rod on the other bank ever getting in. While that might seem like a good short term strategy, it is bad manners and will only start a war which will be to everyone's detriment.

2) If you are going with a party/group of people it is courteous to let whoever is running it know that is what you intend to do before hand and check that is ok. Generally, in a party of 6 you wouldn't want more than two people sharing at any one time, especially in lower water.

Finally, it's normal in a rod share for the sharers to use their own tackle. I have not come across a situation where the beat says only one rod can be set up, although that is not to say some don't. As for how you split the time we usually do it by fishing a defined piece of water rather than time (unless you are out in a boat with a Ghille). However, if you catch a fish, and certainly 2 in a spell you might think it good for your friendship to let your friend take the rod even if you haven't finished fishing a pool/water/session etc

Regards

CLaG

[salmonking]

CLaG, Top answer....i know how rod sharing works ,the question was if we could set up both our rods,obviously not fishing at the same time.

cheers col.

[sinkingtip]

I would generally echo the Reverend CLaG's stance on this one. What it boils down to for me is simple communication ahead of the event - is the owner / ghillie happy with this request ? Is the rest of the party ok about it ? and how is it managed ?. In my experience it tends to be the 'sharers' fellow fishers that can take the hump, rightly or wrongly, and more of a problem when its a 'split' party as opposed to a cemented team.
One rod or Two ? - on the assumption that prior discussion has taken place and that you and your mucker are of 'good character' and at least appear trustworthy (cos, lets face it, some of them ain't !!) I don't think anyone would have a major problem with two rods being built up. Sort it in advance - usually works.

[salmonking]

Thanks all....the reason i asked was during a recent trip to the tummel,two of the guys in our party shared a rod ,1 rod,i havent rod shared before but like the idea,but not if i wasn't using my own,i was so busy trying to catch my first fish this yr i forgot to ask the guys

[splash]

I think there are are a couple of extreme scenario's you sometimes observe when you see rod sharing on the opposite bank.

1. "The Benitez" or dual squad rotation policy. This was outlined to some degree by CLaG in his response but in its most extreme form means that every rod is shared on the opposite bank and therefore someone is always fishing opposite you in all pools at all times of the day because as soon as one guy finishes at the tail of one pool, his shadow squad member is straight into the head of the next one. On rivers such as the Tummel, this can mean flyfisher fishes down nice streamy run prior to spinner jumping in at the head of the ajoining slower moving dub

2. "The Graham Poll" - often observed in the evening once the ghillies go home. This happens when the opposition, fail to observe that one of their members should have been withdrawn prior to adding an extra rod on the beat. When observed, the "Poll " is known to send a well known Deeside ghillie apoplectic with rage.

3. The "Trojan Horse" - a caravan (oh yes it happens) is parked next to fishing hut from which fishers on the squad rotation system emerge at all times of the day and night, leaving you completely flumoxed as to who is fishing on the opposite bank and when.

Joking aside, we shouldn't castigate rod sharing too much if conducted properly because it permits a couple of positive things. It helps beginners to be able to spend time actually fishing when learning and also to help rods in meeting the sometimes egregious costs that we need to fullfil our passion and fish on the top beats at the best times. However squad rotation is another thing altogether, can be problematic and luckily doesn't happern in this extreme form too often

cheers

Splash

[ceilidh]

For many years three of us have shared a two rod beat (with, of course, the owner's consent) and, for those of a certain age who can no longer fish solidly from dawn to dusk, this can be an excellent and very sociable arrangement. The "resting member" can act as ghillie and brewmaster as required. We do, however, have both banks, so the problem of spoiling someone else's water does not apply.

[flybox]

What with changing flies, retrieving casts from trees, walking between pools etc., watching the water, smoking, lunching, drinking, helping somebody else with a fish on, you probably only have a fly in the water/air what? 66% of the time?

So... if three men share two 'rods and all fish as hard as they can, it's unlikely there will be more than two flies in the water on average!