northsea

Could someone please explain to a beginner why rods designed for kayaks are so short? I've been using a 7 foot boat rod and see no problems with it. Is this simply to bring the fish closer to you? Thanks.

Seems, having done a bit more research on the subject, it seems saltwater is the arch enemy of neoprene and should always be rinsed with fresh water as soon as possible. Along with corroding the material, salt water introduces bacteria which makes is smell rotten.

Oh no! That aint good! I'm going to need to think about how I'm going to go about rinsing the waders with fresh water before getting in the house as I have no access to a hose living in a flat. Also I got to find a good nice free place to hang them up after they have dried. I'll maybe make some kind of hanger. Thank you for the tips guys, If there are any more they would be most welcome.

Brilliant report there! Very interested in your " bubble float/Storm Sandeel combo " rig. What sort of length of leader do you use between the float and eel? Any chance of a tip on method you use please?

Hello all, how's the fishing going? I have just purchased some nice chest waders and would like some info on how to look after them after use please? Do I need to rinse them with fresh water after been out in the sea? If I manage to get them dirty how should I wash them? Also, are there any guidlines on storage and drying them out? Any info on this subject veruy much appreciated indeed.

Ah, perhaps this is where I've been going wrong then. The other important reason I use the drogue is to keep the bow pointing directly into the waves. As I say this does not work very well in choppy conditions at all. Thank you for your help. Any other comments much appreciated indeed.

Thanks for the picture mate. Aye, I'nm not sure what's wrong. It's work fine until things start to get a little choppy. Does your drogue have an opening on the other end?

Hello to you all. How's the fishing going? I've make myself a drogue for my kayak and seems to work very well when the wind is stronger than the current but I do find it is not nearly so good when water becomes even slightly choppy. I'm wondering if ( a ) My length of rope is too long (About 5ft) and ( B ) if it would help if I put a float on a length of line and a weight on the opposite side to keep the drogue down below the waves? Also I'm wondering ( c ) what sort of diameter your narrow end is? Mine is about 5 inches. Could this be too wide? Sorry about all these questions but would really appreciate any input on this. Many thanks indeed.

That certainly is of great help! Many thanks indeed for your advice there.

Very, very interesting this krysb. Thanks for you reply here. It is true, I do recall finding worms in mackerel and pollack but this is the first time actually in the fillet. I think you have a valid point about gutting them soon after the catch. I'm very interested in the point you make about "bleeding them out". How exactly to do do this and in what way does this keep the fillet clean? Sorry about my ignorance here.

Thank you for the replies all. That is very interesting about fish fingers. I'm guessing this is something birdseye would have wanted to keep quiet. Would you say cod worms can be more of a problem in certain parts of the coast or are the pretty much everywhere?

Hi all, just caught a few cod and the biggest was full of cod worms! There must have been 12 or so in the fillets. I understand this is a fairly common thing caused by parasites. As it happens before I started fishing a couple of blokes said they were using cod fillets as lobster bait because the wife said they were full of worms also. Seems perhaps this is a bad area for them. My question is, if they do not harm the quality of the fillet is there a effective method of making sure you get them all out? Or do you tend to simply chuck them away? Any help on this subject greatly appreciated.

These recipes sound fantastic!!! Thanks for the tip there Vagabond. I always try and fillet the fish before freezing but will definately make a point of doing it all the time from now on. Very interested in your final comment about removing two bone-free fillets without gutting the fish. What is the main advantage of doing this? Is this to avoid the smell? Could you explain to an idiot how to go about filleting without gutting please?

Interesting point there Mark. Do you mean both legs over the same side or one on either side? I have a prowler 13 so not sure if that would create a problem.

Brilliant report there! Wondering how you guys manage to stay afloat when you do hook a good sized conger? I find generally that when I hit a fair size fish it dives for the bottom and it can be a battle keeping the kayak pointing where I want if there are some waves to contend with. Is there a knack to stay on with a big beast on the end of the line?

Thanks for the suggestion so far sounds good. Gannet, would you mind briefly explaining how you cook your pollack in the proper way please? As you can tell I'm totally useless in the kitchen and desperately need help! Chris

Agreed, Mackerel feathers work extremely well. I've tried all sorts of colours etc but in my opinion the best ones are the silver sparkly ones with glow beads on them. For some reason, the ones I get still have sticky back films left on them. Carefully peal them away and super glue them together. They will last a lot longer this way. (;o)

Hello to you all. How's the fishing going? Been having a fair bit of success this season with Pollack and wondering if any have some nice recipes to share for this fish please? Any tips on getting the best flavour when battering them etc? Any help gratefully received. Chris.

Hi all how's the fishing? Just wondering if anyone else out there finds they mainly drift as opposed to using the anchor? I have never actually used my anchor as I prefer to cover water using a drouge. I'm considering doing away with the anchor completely. Is this crazy? Does anyone else rarely use the anchor? I always thought I'd better take it incase I get that huge whopper that tries to take me for a ride out to sea. So far the biggest fish (Cod and Pollack) seem to just try and dive straight down and not taking me anywhere. What are your views on this. Are there any other reasons why it would be advised to keep an anchor handy? Any comments appreciated.

Many thanks to you all for your imput here. The main reason I am asking this question is because I'm currently using my magnetix reel for kayak fishing with a boat. Because I'm using braid I only need a small multiplier. I was curious to see whether I could use the same braid for beachcasting when the weather does not permit me to go out for a paddle. I'll certainly have a go and see if I can cast further with multiplier and braid as opposed to fixed spool and mono. Thanks again, Chris.

Very interested in this topic myself as I've just bought a mag multiplier but not used it yet. When using the brakes, does this prevent you from having to thumb the spool completely during the cast?

Many thanks indeed for the sound advice there. (;o) I'll see if I can find some split shot that will be big enough for the job. Cheers.

Hi all, I've just got myself an okuma Magnetic reel which I plan to use with 30lb whiplash braid. Wondering If any of you guys actually use braid for beachcasting? Obviously care has to be taken that you do not burn your thumb at the end of the cast. I was thinking the magnetix function would prevent me having to brake the spool manually. Any comments on this much appreciated. Also I mainly use 3oz weight to fish with jelly worms. Am I correct in saying 30lb braid should be ok to use without shock leader? Or would I be better using a shock leader simply to prevent braid from fraying with rocks etc? Thanks, Chris.

Enjoyed watching the way you fillet there mate. Is there any particular reason you favour pulling off the fillet at the end? Chris.

Hi all, how's the fishing? Wondering if any could offer me a tip or two on an effective rig to use for jelly worms off the shore please? I was using a 3 way swivel with main line on top swivel, weight with a split ring on the middle and jelly on the end. What I kept finding was the line attached to jelly kept tangeling around the swivel. I was using 15lb main and 12lb trace and the trace was about 4ft. Any help gratefully accepted indeed! Chris