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Line Class Records


Guest Steve Burke

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Guest Steve Burke

I've heard a rumour (or should it be rumor in this context?) that line class records are going to be introduced over here. I find this American idea abhorrent. I see nothing worthy about unnecessarily playing a fish for maybe several hours with a real risk of losing it, and so leaving the the fish either exhausted and/or trailing a load of line from a hook in its mouth.

 

Have I missed the point or do others agree with me?

 

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Wingham Fisheries

www.anglersnet.co.uk/fisheries/wingham.htm

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Guest Dave B

Line class records have been here for the last 20 years or so. In fact, there was a huge spate in the 80s where Berkley were offereing large sums of cash for records taken on their lines.

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Guest davidP

I think the line class prizes that were offered by Berkley were for IGFA records and that's an American based organisation that covers mostly game fish. The majority of species in UK waters wouldn't have been covered.

 

As regards the introduction of line classes over here then I can see the attraction - more people with a chance of a record and thus more publicity for the record keepers. It does make the record-claiming procedure far more complicated however as there tend to be very strict rules about main line, leaders etc etc. There'll be a lot of upset anglers who think they've got a record but then have it rejected because they didn't provide the 6 feet of main line plus entire leader and end rig that's demanded, or because the leader is 6 inches too long etc etc.

 

If they really want to go down that road then I don't see a major problem with it provided they're sensible about it. As Steve implies, the idea of them having a 5lb class for species that grow to sizes where fishing with 5lb line isn't sensible or normal would upset an awful lot of anglers, particularly considering the enormous strides forward that have been made in recent years as regards fish care and conservation.

Can you imagine the outcry if carp or pike anglers started delberately targetting 30 & 40 pound fish with 5lb line?? Why should it be any different in the sea?

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Guest waterman1013

David

 

Perhaps becuase anglers love to have that trophy photograph and even now most sea fish are taken for the table. It may not be right in conservation terms but it is the present reality.

 

We need to be aware of this development and to be pushing the conservation of stocks before line class fishing becomes reality in our seas.

 

Mike

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Guest Dave B

Unfortunately, the Berkley prizes were World line class records and they did include every species of fish. I think some of the pollack and bass line class records over here are held by women. There were a select few UK anglers that made a lot of money through Berkley on UK species.

I must admit I find the thought of using 2lb line to try and land a bass or pollack pretty silly. However, sea angling in the UK is most certainly turning more towards sport fishing.

I have been using a very powerful, but extremely sensitive Berkley Pulse rod for two years. It's a single handed baitcaster type blank with a trigger grip. I've coupled this with an Abu UC5601LH multiplier loaded with 20lb braid. So far I've had smoothies to 21lb, cod to 24lb, pollack to 19lb 8oz and a whole host of other species.

This is the way sea angling (boat fishing) is going - not so much light line, but light tackle.

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Guest Leon Roskilly

Originally posted by Dave B:

This is the way sea angling (boat fishing) is going - not so much light line, but light tackle.

Fishing in the Medway estuary, I couldn't see the point of using my heavy beach gear for flounders, schoolies and eels, so I went down to the point with my waggler and feeder rods.

 

I'd get bites on the waggler, which didn't develop. A couple of twitches then nothing Posted Image. On the feeder, I'd get the same hesitant bites, then the tip would bend around and I'd strike into a fish Posted Image

 

The guys fishing next to me, using heavy beach tackle, couldn't understand why I was getting bites, but they weren't.

 

I reckon that they were getting the same hesitant bites, but that the bait was being dropped without them even seeing their rod top moving.

 

On a stony beach, with surging waves, a feeder is out of the question, but on a calm night, and at slack tide, I'm convinced that a lighter rod and line will 'magic' bites that won't even register on the 'standard' beachcaster/15lb mainline/3oz weight.

 

Tight Lines - leon

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Guest waterman1013

Dave

 

I haven't sea fished seriousl;y for about tn years now Posted Image (too busy with work and no time). But when I was fishing out of Southend and then off Woolmer I was regularly using 12 lb. line to be able to use as little lead as possible for improved presentation. I would be doubtful about going any lighter, although braids must have made a considerable difference to how light we could not go.

 

The 12lb. was normally coupled with a heavier leader for boat casting and uptiding, this leader doubled as a rubbing length for tope etc.

 

The tackle would be under severe pressure in strong tides with a decent fish on but the tidal push generally lasts only a short whil;e and then eases back, so I was happy with a 12lb. rig. I would be doubtful about going lighter, although off the beachj and in estuaries I would regularly fish a waggler rod as does Leon.

 

When Berkely were offering their prizes in the 80's it seemed to me that people were willing to go extremely light in order to take the money and that practice would still concern me.

 

Mike

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Guest Steve Burke

It was using very light gear in relation to the size of the fish that I was referring too, e.g. 6lb line for 100lb fish.

 

I too have fished fairly light in the sea (and not just for mullet). Many years ago my Dad used to take us down to the Lagoon beach at Hove in Sussex. I had only coarse fishing gear and so had no choice but to fish 8lb line and a 1oz lead. To my surprise, and some of the local sea anglers' annoyance, I caught a lot more flatties than they did. The reason seemed to be that the lead slowly rolled round in the tide kicking up the sand thus attracting the fish.

 

I can't claim any credit as I didn't really know what I was doing. The sea anglers thought so too when I returned the fish!

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