Lidl Fishing Gear?

[nigelmercier]

Lidl are doing fishing gear from Monday 17 March:
http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/SID-AB562206-808295C2/www_lidl_uk/hs.xsl/our-offers-2491.htm?id=242

I've often thought of having a short rod (like 1m) on board, as I find the hand-spools just get tangled. Any thoughts on which of these may be suitable?

 

[rob2]

So long as you don't catch anything too big, they should suffice, but you're right that a boat rod is better at only around 1m long and most are rated to 50lbs or more. It isn't uncommon even in the Solent to be fishing for smaller species and accidentally hook a smoothound - a small shark. Landing gear such as a gaff is required if the rod can't bear the weight - and the shark family make good eating, just try rock salmon from the chippy! Even a half decent sized cod would be quite a handful on an overlong and bandy rod...

Rob.

 

[Searush]

The Lidl & Aldi gear is usually aimed at lake & river coarse fishing, but they do sometimes have boat rods altho I don't ever remember seeing a sea reel (multiplier?)

 

[vyv_cox]

I have to say that 'pilk' was a new word for me (it's new to this spell check too). Googling it was not helped by the search engine's insistence that I was looking for a pink fishing rod. Even when I found a site that was about pilk rods it still could not tell me what they are.

 

[alahol2]

A quick google seems to indicate that a Pilk is a Pirk by another name. A pirk is a dummy fish with a hook on the end. Apparently another name for a pilk rod is a jigging rod. Funny people these fishermen.

 

[Niander]

I read it as Pike an obvious spelling mistake I thought

 

[Highndry]

Steer clear, I know fishing tackle and this stuff isn't in the same league as their DIY products. If you really want a rod for boat fishing, look for the best price you can get on a travel boat rod and the shorter the better. A stand up rod (so called because they're designed for playing fish standing up rather than sitting in a big game type chair) is best but difficult to find in a travel rod. The only range I know of is Shimano's XTC range. When assembled they're short enough to be used under back stays.

 

[rbmatthews]

Pilk seems to refer either to a carbon fibre rod (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080330090305AAIgmIL) or is Norwegian for pirk (http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilk). Given that the Lidl ad refers to the rod rather than hook, it seems as though it might be the first of these.

Whatever, we always carry two 2-piece boat rods similar to the Lidl Pilk rod - cheapest of the Shakespeare range with multipliers - we've caught loads of cod and mackerel with them, and they are still going strong after 7 years.

Rob.

 

[Highndry]

On second thoughts, if you want cheap and cheerful (and Lidl's3 year warranty) the Pilk set is the one to go for. For jigging jigs, feathers or pirks up and down from the stern it will certainly do the job. However, it is a £19.99 outfit, it's not a heavily discounted £50 outfit.
My comparison with their DIY products is based on the fact that you'd struggle to get anywhere near the quality of their £49 crosscut saw for double that in a DIY store, you can pick up rod and reel combos like this for around £25 quite easily.
In my opinion, the best length for a boat rod to be used on a sailing boat surrounded by rigging is six feet or preferably less. The reason I like the Shimano XTC range is that they're easily transportable when I travel abroad to charter.

 

[nigelmercier]

if you want cheap and cheerful (and Lidl's3 year warranty) the Pilk set is the one to go for...
you can pick up rod and reel combos like this for around £25 quite easily...

Cheap is important, as I will rarely use it. I wondered about throwing away the thin section, essentially then a reel on a 1m stick.

Where else should I look then?

 

[Highndry]

Just using half the rod would be awful. You might as well use a handline. I'd go for this and add a cheap set of feathers. http://http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009E1K060/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0062XGUK8&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=18953SCFSQFJCBT3DS97

Whatever you buy though, flush it with fresh water after use, cheap fishing tackle is designed to rust!

 

[Searush]

Look in second hand shops, auction houses & local internet sales sites (ie on Face book etc) you may pick up a reasonable used one cheap. I was given a decent but old boat rod set up by a neighbour of my dad's who remembered me as a kid. The kit is probably from the 60's but still works fine when it gets pulled out of the aft cabin twice a year.

I also have a couple of cheap telescopic rods for spinners that I got from toy shops that keep the grandkids quiet for a while, but of course they never catch anything!

 

[rbmatthews]

Cheap is important, as I will rarely use it. I wondered about throwing away the thin section, essentially then a reel on a 1m stick.

Where else should I look then?

Why chuck away the thin section? If storage is an issue, it folds up to about 1m anyway. It would be difficult to get anything new much cheaper than £20 with a 3-year warranty to boot. I'd go for it - a few good mackerel and it will pay for itself in no time even if it lasts only three years!

R.

 

[srp]

Never used a rod for mackerel - some 1mm or 1.5mm line wound round a bit of plywood, a weighted paravane, 5 feathers and a spinner on the end is all you need. Occasionally catch bass and pollack on this rig, but generally it's very selective so nearly all mackerel, with the odd garfish in very hot weather.
Always use a rod when spinning for bass though, with an unweighted rubber sand eel - in the old days we called them Mevagissy eels.

 

[Highndry]

Never used a rod for mackerel - some 1mm or 1.5mm line wound round a bit of plywood, a weighted paravane, 5 feathers and a spinner on the end is all you need. Occasionally catch bass and pollack on this rig, but generally it's very selective so nearly all mackerel, with the odd garfish in very hot weather.
Always use a rod when spinning for bass though, with an unweighted rubber sand eel - in the old days we called them Mevagissy eels.

Mackerel on a light rod are fantastic fun. Multiple mackerel on feathers on a heavier rod (like this one) are also great fun. However, the boat rod on offer here is a pilk (pirk) rod which is designed to lower things down (feathers attached to a lead weight or heavy pirks) and simply work them up and down. Ideal for mackerel and pollack. As a boat rod it isn't designed for casting (tip isn't flexible enough) so the only way you're likely to catch bass is by fishing on the bottom with bait or towing a lure (such as a rubber eel) behind the boat.

The advice about second hand shops is good but you really need to know what you're looking at. There's an awful lot of over priced (through ignorance rather than greed) **** in most of the second hand shops I've seen fishing kit in.

 

[Ruffles]

Cheap is important, as I will rarely use it. ...

I have the Lidl rod from a few years ago. Still works. Well, except for the catching fish bit, obviously...

BUT the gear does rust. Which is a pain for infrequent use as it leaves rust stains everywhere. I assume proper gear doesn't rust?

 

[Highndry]

I assume proper gear doesn't rust?

Sadly that isn't the case. Even my £100 Shimano reels need to be hosed down with fresh water after use. The salt is the killer.