Beyond the Flouros – the next generation. Stoney Baker.

It is with great pleasure on my part that the first ever article to be produced by Stoney Baker, inventor of the Stoney Baker flip rig, appears in this column.

Along with Gert, I have suspected that flouros may be catching because of their flavour levels and not their colours in dirty water and at night time. However, I did decide to approach Gert to produce a range of leads which might be used in conjunction with the flouro pop ups so commonly available these days. Thus the Gert Louster range of Flouro Friction PT leads was born and manufactured for specific use in shallow clear water.

The photograph above shows a selection of the leads we produced, including the widely acclaimed Strawberry Pricker and Tutti Plopper. Both are compatible with lead clip systems. These were given to local anglers to field test and early results indicate, if nothing else, that they get 10 out of 10 for entertainment value. The serious side is that at certain depth bands where there is only partial penetration of light the lead not only appears as shades of grey but also the outline of the lead is broken up more than a single coloured lead. Some anglers feel the flouro colours might pull down inquisitive carp in clear waters while in very coloured waters and at night the carp will not see it anyway. Nick Smith and son Dominic have had great success on the Prickers at Hayle Kimbro, taking both the large commons, while Fistral Rods supremo Gaz Griffiths has caught consistently on them off Porth Island.

The Raspberry Runner is, as the name suggests a running lead system. It is available in red and orange fruity flouro colours to imitate a ripening raspberry. For those fishing the most difficult of waters it also comes in Guava green to fool even the most wary of carp into thinking it is yet to ripen. Very Crafty!! Running lead systems are, in my opinion, vastly under rated, especially when fished with braid in the winter. Maybe it is just the running lead system itself that is getting the results but wily old campaigner John Fox, on Skinners Pond, believes there is more to it than this. He fishes the Raspberry Runner in conjunction with a fluorescent yellow stiff link. John’s results on this most difficult of waters speak for themselves.

For users of the SBF rig I fully endorse the Cosmic Crumper PT lead pictured below.

It is available in six and ten ounce versions with full instructions for the safety release set up recommended for use with this design. It is recommended for use with short hook links over firm bottoms with a thin covering of silt. SBs popped straight off the CC have caught me a few at the Foundry Pool this last summer. It is to be hoped that the Crumper will become the first lead in the range to be coated with a glow in the dark substance that can be charged by a car headlight. A two minute charging will give a five hour release in water temperatures of 18 to 23 degrees. Colder water reduces release time as a result of thermoactyl hydroconvectivity. The turbulatory enhancement system of these leads makes them particularly efficient casters for inlines.

The final piece of the jigsaw comes in the form of the Astral Crumper PT in which the tulip bead doubles as a jack plug socket and the tubular insert running through the lead is made of an audiolyte amalgam. This enables the lead, to hold a small electrical charge which is then emitted, over a period of time, in the form of a sound wave. This is picked up by the acoustic resonator follicles along the carp’s lateral line and allows it to home in on the source of the signal which is of course the lead. Here the chemosensory system takes over and the nearby bait is easily located. The signal has a range of 25 metres in water of particulate density 45 nQP / m^3, thus allowing normal flavour levels to be used in the hook bait itself. Increased particulate density decreases the range of the signal as will the proximity of ferric deposits in the lake substrate. Thus, theoretically, it should be at its most effective in clear water lakes whose bottoms are devoid of mineral deposits.

This lead is still in the design / field testing stage and although results have been remarkable the prohibitive production costs may not allow the required retail price to be a viable proposition.

It is recommended that hook link materials choices are made from the various fluorescent sea lines available for stiff links and “Sylko” embroidery silk for more supple presentations. The isotopic properties of “Glowline” make it the ideal material for after dark hook links. Check it out at your local tackle shop.

I have used the Flouro Friction PT lead system on a number of waters and unsurprisingly, other anglers have frequently asked where they might be purchased. The angling fraternity in our neck of the woods appear to be giving them a big thumbs up. I hope you have found this as enjoyable to read as I have to write and that all of you have gained some enlightenment.

Stoney Baker. 1.4. 06