Tricks of the Trade. Dave Roe – Part 1
Over the next few months i’m hoping i’ll be able to do a few posts focussing on what makes anglers successful. Each angler has their own style, their own personal traits, and individual preferences when choosing equipment etc., and it may prove beneficial to incorporate a little bit of what they do into your own style of fishing. (Apologies for not being able to fit it all in one part, but i can’t input multiple galleries into single posts with this website provider.)
I caught up with Dublin match-angler Dave Roe at a competition in Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow, and persuaded him to open his tackle box to find out what makes him successful. He eventually agreed, on the condition that i wouldn’t give away too many secrets and that i wouldn’t mention that he used to have long blonde hair. No problem – my lips are sealed.
Dave has won many opens here in Ireland, and has also won both the Penn Sea League and the Penn Final in the UK. As with any sport, be it professional or amateur, consistant success does not come easily and is only achieved through hard work and dedication.
Kilcoole would be considered a home beach for Dublin match anglers, and the tactics for fishing it are well refined at this stage. Casting a good distance can be important on this beach, and so is having equipment that will enable you to get it all back in one piece, so a rod and reel capable of this is crucial. Dave favours a Zziplex Tournament International Bullet coupled with an Abu 6500 mag – proven performers for many years that continue to shine amongst a minefield of modern junk.
Of course not all modern tackle is junk. The evolution of match fishing has forced anglers to look further afield to try and gain any advantage over their competitors. Long rods, fixed spool reels and light tackle have become an important part of a match angler’s armoury. A favourite of Dave’s (and also mine) is the 15′ Grauvell DH Surf. The soft tip is perfect for scratching in close, and the stiff tip ideal for when distance is required. Dave pairs the Grauvell with a lightweight Daiwa fixed spool from Japan. You can see from the empty spool in the last picture below that big distances are easily achieved with this setup. The line would have parted had Dave not stopped it!
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- “No chance are you getting a cast”
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- Abu 6500 mags
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- Zziplex Tournament International Bullet. Sadly discontinued.
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- Grauvell 4500 DH Surf
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- Lighweight Daiwa fixed spool
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- Empty reel!
9 comments on “Tricks of the Trade. Dave Roe – Part 1”
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Irish Sport Fishing 
is there a part two to this please???
Hi David, yes – if you go to the main page and just scroll down you should find it.
keep up the good wrk.
The tricks of the trade reports are excellent and very enjoyable to read.
What model is the Daiwa Lt weight fixed spool? It looks massive!
Hi Bill, thanks for your comments!
The reel is the Daiwa Windcast. It is the Japanese version so i’m not sure if it is the same as the one available over here.
Hi Steve,
Thanks yet again. I will have investigate this a bit more.
Keep the reports coming, they are just too good to miss.
regards,
Bill
Hi! Steve, I have found the Daiwa Windcast japanese model on the net. Do you have the model no handy? They seem to come in 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000.
regards,
Bill
The numbers are just the sizes Bill. For general match fishing/beach fishing i would choose the 5000 size, but a 4500 or 5500 would not be out of place if you felt the need to go a bit lighter/heavier.
Its also worth considering if you need a drag system on your reel. I don’t for my match fishing as the fish i catch don’t take line! Some of these reels don’t have a drag system which helps make them a bit lighter. Might be worth checking if this one has or not!!
Hi! Steve,
Cheers for all the info.
Match fishing, mm. Maybe I can pick your brains then.
I am considering entering a pegged match for the first time next month. Its on a on a beach, catch and release with a minimum size limit of 18cm. One rod max of 3 hooks.
Do you have any tips you could give me?
Regards,
Bill