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Camo Leads!!!

Keith Humphreys

Keith Humphreys

Senior Member & Supporter
Am I the only one that thinks 'Stonze' are brilliant but far too big for their weight?

Anyway whilst looking for some Plasticine to wrap around small leads in order to Cam them up, I found a product called 'Fimo' which you mould and then bake in the oven! Decided to have a play and made the best camo leads I have ever seen!
Provided they don't dissolve (which I'm sure they won't) weight to size verses camo effect (looks like a pebble) I will never buy another Stonze!!

Any thoughts???
 
Hello Keith, im also a fan of the stonze weights, but as you say, weight to size ratio is not good. Any chance of letting us know where we can buy some " Fimo ". PM if you prefer :) Thank You.
 
Keith Humphreys said:
Am I the only one that thinks 'Stonze' are brilliant but far too big for their weight?

Anyway whilst looking for some Plasticine to wrap around small leads in order to Cam them up, I found a product called 'Fimo' which you mould and then bake in the oven! Decided to have a play and made the best camo leads I have ever seen!
Provided they don't dissolve (which I'm sure they won't) weight to size verses camo effect (looks like a pebble) I will never buy another Stonze!!

Any thoughts???
Click to expand...

Indeed, Stonze are not as dense as lead...but you miss the reason for using a stone. The stonze is just a stone and as such it dissapears from sight.. to the fish it is just a stone... to the angler who has been brought up with dense lead..it's perceived to be too big... to the fish..quite simply..it ain't there!

Plastic wraps, lead coatings, plasticine are all good ways of camoing up a lead..but it's still a lead and assumptions are made that because it's camo'ed up then it's out of sight to the fish... nope, you perceive it to be...fish don't make assumptions, fish know their environment..

In some waters I'll fish some stonze that are 5/6 ounces in weight and 'look' huge... however, as I say above, it does not matter how big it is, it's still just a stone. I've yet to see a barbel, carp, tench, bream etc spook of a stonze weight..but seen them do it plenty of times on lead, feeders, method feeders etc...

Sad to hear you'll never buy another stonze, but hey, that's your choice.

You are correct though... Stonze are brilliant :) ... (and environmentally friendly)

Tight lines
 
As paddy says the stonze are brilliant,I've done very well this season and I put a lot of my success done to the stonze,they are not a gimmick,but very good item of tackle..ignore them at your peril..

Luke
 
Stonze are a great product, I once won £50 worth in a competition and still have most of them plus a few others I have purchased over the years. I have also made a few of my own which is east enough with a diamond tile cutter but tbh is hardly worth the effort when you consider the cost.

The only criticism I have of them is they are a bit clean and sterile when new, this is easily overcome by storing them outside in an old ice cream tub full of water, they will soon take on the staining and algae growth we associate with the river bed.

If you fish the Teme with its sandstone bottom they do look a bit alien but if you buy the white ones and leave them soaking in a bean tin with some used tea bags they will match the river bed perfectly.

If you wish to retain a small profile but need extra weight then a bit of builders lead fixed with epoxy to the flat side of the stone will do the trick, they always land lead down.
 
Patrick Leigh said:
Indeed, Stonze are not as dense as lead...but you miss the reason for using a stone. The stonze is just a stone and as such it dissapears from sight.. to the fish it is just a stone... to the angler who has been brought up with dense lead..it's perceived to be too big... to the fish..quite simply..it ain't there!

Plastic wraps, lead coatings, plasticine are all good ways of camoing up a lead..but it's still a lead and assumptions are made that because it's camo'ed up then it's out of sight to the fish... nope, you perceive it to be...fish don't make assumptions, fish know their environment..

In some waters I'll fish some stonze that are 5/6 ounces in weight and 'look' huge... however, as I say above, it does not matter how big it is, it's still just a stone. I've yet to see a barbel, carp, tench, bream etc spook of a stonze weight..but seen them do it plenty of times on lead, feeders, method feeders etc...

Sad to hear you'll never buy another stonze, but hey, that's your choice.

You are correct though... Stonze are brilliant :) ... (and environmentally friendly)

Tight lines
Click to expand...
While it's true that nothing looks more like a stone than an actual stone, I would be wary of assuming that a fish recognises a lead weight (plasticene/fimo) that is perfectly disguised as a stone, for what it is. What perception does a fish possess to enable it to tell the difference?
 
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I did not say that a fish recognises a lead weight....

I said, a stone is a stone ... a lead is not, nor is a feeder , neither are natural elements, no matter what fancy coatings or disguises we put on them .... we do not know that they can recognise leads (as in see them) but they can 'tell' when something is not 'right' in their own envrionment... see it? feel it? smell it? taste it? who knows? but I'd rather use something they 'know' should be there..

My view is, it's natural, simple and they work.. big or small :D

pre-sales pitch they were my weight of choice too :D
 
Alex Gowney said:
While it's true that nothing looks more like a stone than an actual stone, I would be wary of assuming that a fish recognises a lead weight (plasticene/fimo) that is perfectly disguised as a stone, for what it is. What perception does a fish possess to enable it to tell the difference?
Click to expand...

Probably the same one that tells them that everybody elses bait is eminently desirable, but not mine :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
Guys my intention was not to start a debate about the pros and cons of Stonze or indeed to argue that they are in any way inferior!
I am simply saying that if you buy some Fimo from hobbycraft in a selection of colours/textures (stone look available) you can mix it together just like Plastercine, wrap it round a lead of your choice,bake it for 30 min and presto you have a very realistic looking STONE and I do mean realistic! Only difference is that for it's size it is heavier than a Stonze!
As said, each to their own but I tried these today and they do look the business!!
 
The main benefits for using the Stonze is in gin clear water ,and the lilo system incorporating two,and rig lowered in or with a pole cup is the ultimate for me.

As a lover of daytime fishing,and one who prefers the often deserted banks at that time when the sun is beating down,and the fish can be spotted,small stonze are the way to go,usually low flows mean that only small ones are needed,so the rig can be introduced with absolute minimum noise and disturbance.

Try the "tiddler" stonze ,totally top ,tiddly ,Pukka gear ,man:)

They transformed my fishing on low clear rivers ,and on cost,be honest how often do you actually lose a rig in summer .

Brilliant Product ,and that is my honest opinion.

Chris
 
Keith Humphreys said:
Guys my intention was not to start a debate about the pros and cons of Stonze or indeed to argue that they are in any way inferior!
I am simply saying that if you buy some Fimo from hobbycraft in a selection of colours/textures (stone look available) you can mix it together just like Plastercine, wrap it round a lead of your choice,bake it for 30 min and presto you have a very realistic looking STONE and I do mean realistic! Only difference is that for it's size it is heavier than a Stonze!
As said, each to their own but I tried these today and they do look the business!!
Click to expand...

I will certainly be buying some Keith
 
For those that reacted positively, thanks! I have no money to make from this ( i'm just an old squaddie). I had an idea, tried it, it works brilliantly so thought I would pass it on for the good and benifit of other anglers!
Tonight I made some bigger sizes and produced some in the 1-2oz size which are not much bigger than a standard lead!!
 
Not the best photo but I hope you can see that although I am no artist! With a little 'tweeking' you can come up with some realistic weights which weight to size ratio are very good!!
KeithrhfishingPictures005.jpg
[/IMG]
 
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Keith Humphreys said:
Not the best photo but I hope you can see that although I am no artist! With a little 'tweeking' you can come up with some realistic weights which weight to size ratio are very good!!
KeithrhfishingPictures005.jpg
[/IMG]
Click to expand...

Keith

I realise you have 3 different colours there - can i ask what colours/mix you used to get the colours (i am presuming you mixed more than 1 colour)?

Chris
 
No rocket science mate! When you look at FIMO there are so many colours, textures available, it's hard to choose! I just chose a couple of colours that I thought worked and mixed them together!
 
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