Spinning_around-the_world

Sounds like a good plan to me hehe

I dont want to get into a debate here. But i simply think that thats a waste of fish, why do people do that? And what can be done to work with them and sort it out? Its clear autorities are just saying, OK dont do that! And your allowed this much catch..... Good luck If i catch more than 3 legal cod in one session (ive caught 10+) i only ever keep the first 3 sometimes only 2!!

Well done on the return, the last time i read an artical in the sun about a record fish being caught in the irish sea it was on shore dead! so well done on the return!

I would go for the greys... I use a masterline Codfather "Cheesey name" but its a good stiff rod and very cheap, not as good as the greys for distance tho....

Hey ive been away and ive not been online, how did it go? was a long time ago now!

Yeah it looks like you get alot with it, the rod stand is interesting, i need a new one lol! but i say "looks" ok ive never used any of that named equipment except for the Shakespeare, and tho they build good rods but i think there is better out there. Budget is what your getting there, certainly better then your first choice! it does come with a box and lots of hooks, beads etc etc, but i prefer to choose my own in my local store, this way the rig is all created by me, kinda makes me more proud when i catch a fish. My biggest concern here would be Reliability! not with the 2 piece Shakespeare but with everything else im not sure. Also they claim it has a HUGE casting weight on it, for that price at least! 120 to 240 gramms 4-8OZ wow! max i use is 120 and thats rare, 80 gramm gripper usually does me from the beachn if not i use about a plain 60 in harbours and off piers, the weight in the last picture i put up was only 40! so all that aside, its a Beachcaster, look at the Hellbender here, http://www.anglingcentre.net/acatalog/s_abeach.html notice the price?? so imagine your getting a rod claimed the same quality as that with a reel, stand, box, bits and bobs and 18LB line, sounds like an awsome deal, but that rod would never match up the Hellbender. Its gunna be nice heavy gear either way, and better from a beach than pike rods, but if you wanna learn to cast?? start smaller! Im not gunna say get it or dont, simply as its your decision to make, but i must say ive looked around there website and wasnt impressed. And as for smaller rods at sea, i also use an 8ft, 8-24 gramm, casting Berkley series 1 to catch 3-4+ Lb Cod all the time, Simply spinning in deep water off rocks and harbour edges. (Check my profile for a pic of a 2LB catch) Berkely Series 1 skeletor with an Okuma EPX30 Pro Match:

OK, I would also need a location to give u the best advice, however i would say that the heavier the better at sea, i use that as a general rule! However this doesent mean you should go out and buy a Beachcaster straight away, i did and i found it very good, but i would have prefered a lighter rod would have been better, 10" is what i prefer, unless im at a beach then i opt for a 13ft with 80Gramms casting weight. i have found a rod and reel set for you, i found it in a Pike section but to me it looks like a perfect budget set, and here im prosuming your in the UK. http://www.tackleshop.co.uk/tackleshopcouk...reel__free_line This looks perfect and nice and cheap for a beginner! however i dont know anything about the site! ive used n Okuma/ Ron Thompson combo before and it was fantasctic! But its not the Rod and Reel that catches the fish, if you fish fresh water you no more than ever its about the Rig, or set up of whats in the water. I like to use heavy weights (upto 60G on that set, but carefull with line strength as it could snap on a strong cast) and a nice simple Rig (setup of hooks/weights/swivels/Bait etc etc) How simple??? 1 hook, 1 Weight, 1 three way swivel and a couple of colourful beeds. get a 3 way swivel, and from one of the vertical eyes tie the weight in a short distance from the swivel, about 2 or 3 inches, then use 3 times the length of that to attach your hook, but before you tie your hook slide a few colourful beed up and le the rest on the hook once its tied. Bait it with your selected bait and tie the last which is now you top eye to your mainline and get fishing! !!!!MAKE A FEW OF THESE!! DONT WANNA BE SITTING AROUND TIEING KNOTS ALL OVER AGAIN IF YOU GET A SNAG AND LOSE YOUR GEAR ON A ROCK! Do some research on your local area and have fun! Here is an example of my rig, notice the beads and the length of the hook from the weight, you cant see the swivel however!

OH Addrossan! It sounded like it was in the med at first. Im sure you will find some Pollock up there, so find some deep water or nice rocky bays, i ddnt look to much at the map but i know there is fantasctic fishing at a place called "The mull of Galloway" im sure its around that part of Scotland, theres a good charter boat from the aswell, think the record for Tope was 52 in 8 hours or something crazy. But im pretty sure u could get into a good pollock, but not 100%, and the first thing i thought of staright away is Lug and Mackrel! and of course some Spinners, big bright ones! Im so jealous no ive seen where your going! I wanted to Fly home and spend a bit of time up that way this year but i never got the chance! try getting on those piers and use a set of mackrel feathers if all fails.

Where are you going? have you got any google map coords?? Good to hear about the 2 rods!

Haha, Do you really need a spare wheel? plenty of space where that goes and i think a teloscopic would fit under the seats, or maybe under the rear seat. Actually i could come up with lods of space saving ideas, like double sided sticky tape and put it on under the seatbelt hoist. But if you only got the 1 rod, then stick to your plan, pack up heavy stuff for baiting and a decent mix for Spinning.

Its always a great Idea to get in there and set up before the tide changes, i personaly find the best time to fish is late eveing as the tides rolling! but thats here in Denmark. I have noticed on a few occasions that more fish seem to bite as the tide changes, both in and out, but more so on its way in. Your game plan seems solid enough! so stick to it. As for your baiting Question, i always like to make a juicy combination, but sometimes justa simple work or strip of herring works great, i prefer to use Lug over rag but its a pain in the side to cast with! i always finish it of with a strip of fresh oily fish! But i must say when i wanna go for Sea Trout you cant beat a Sand eel! They seem to love em, i just use halfs at a time and i find the Head half is more effective. But if there is sand eels where you are going, but all mean take a second rod aloong and spin with a silver and green or a silver and blue Spinner, nice long 1.

I gotta try bass fishing sometime, it sounds like a challenge. Well done sounds like a good trip, Id be very happy with a 4,10!

I Quote and second chevin here "Many sea fish are predators and will often take artificials voraciously!" I agree! Mullet however wont take a Spinner, again best to use a bit of bread. If your gunna use a Spinner then id suggest wading as much as you can, I wade for Sea Trout and and its great fun fishing a fish thats making you turn full circles! If your not up for wading, what i do when i am spinning in a new area is find a harbour with a rocky pier or whatever and fish the harbour entrance but remember to enquire about fishing patterns and permits, over here in Denmark you could fish all day from a Harbour and only catch a few sand eels, then pack up at 9pm and miss the 2-3KG Cod that come in at 10pm. Again most Sea fish take anything so dont be afraid to use poppers, skitters, those brass spinning trout hooks you never know! take a good selection of everything! even those illuminous things that look silly, actually i find Cod love illuminous spinners! When it comes to bait fishing, i think the heavier the better at sea, you can get a better distance and hold your rig better in the rougher waters. If your catching sprats of some sort on the spinner dnt be afraid to bait them up, just make sure you know what your handling. My prefered bait rig at sea goes like this: 3 way swivel, 3-6 0z weight, size 2 Trout hook, and either worms or the local prey. From the bottom eye of the swivel attach your weight about 2-3 inches down, from the middle eye on the swivel attach your hook, use 9-11 Inches, Tie the 3rd eye, which is now your top eye to the main line, bait up the hook and get it in the water. I prefer to have my rod elevated when im bait fishing, so i would recommend having the rod pointing up on a sorta 130 degree angle if you can. sometimes i just jam my spare rod into a rock, pointing a full 180 degrees while im spinning to the side of my, its not unusual for me to take a fish on both rods at the sametime, so the heavy weights help secure the 2nd fish if you choose to do this. Again enquire about the best times and rights, also ask in local resturaunts what fish is caught local, i asked iaround when i was in Gran Canaria and i even found a place that would cook anything i caught for me so dont be afraid to ask! Finally research any poisonious fish there might be, Imagine a guy coming accross from the states to the UK, hooking a Weaver and just grabbing it! ouch!! But more importantly enjoy the fishing and have fun!! Have a good trip and i hope you have a few busy days! Hope this helps Paul.

WOW, thats incredible money for a reel, i dont mind sharing how much i paid for my setup, I have Berkley series 1 Skeletor and the reel i use is a Okuma EPX30 "Match" obv with fireline for the lot (Inc the line) i spent around 300 quid (English) Now i can see a huge difference between the gear i have now and my old "Budget" gear. The rod has more bend and therefore needs less casting weight, the reel has a pretty good retrieval rate and also a Dual handle for a more balanced setup, BUT 1,200 USD for a REEL! WOW! To me its incromprehendable what kind of a difference that would make to my casting action or even the fight. My "Budget" to "Decent" equipment transfer was a very wise move and ive never looked back, infact ive always looked forward since then. However i would not buy something like this, not even if i had say a lotto budget, id go for a reel made by a proven company i have heard of like Shimano or Abu Garcia. For the money i may even be able to get myself something "Special Edition" But that reel looks to plain for me. Even buying the reel now, the extra money would mean extra hours at work and that would cut down on the fishing! OOOH NOOO!! I paid approx 700 - 800 USD less for my Entire setup, i'll catch the same fish in my local harbour, beach, lake etc etc.

Hi again, so ive been to my local store, asked about and basicaly he recomended 3 types but hinted towards a "Shimano" mid range rod. the option he recomended where, Greys (Expensive) Shimano (Mid range) and Ron Thomspon (Budget to mid range) and while you can get telescopic rods i was advised a 5 Piece rod is best, 5 small light pieces fitting into your suitcase etc etc. I was doing some hunting about for you and i found a few here http://www.twenga.co.uk/dir-Sports,Fishing,Fly-rod-2150 They seem reasonable in price to me but i dont know anything about there website. As far as advise goes tho, if your fishing in mozambique id take a huge selection of flies, illuminous, black, green whatever and just ask the locals or try/test sorta thing always fun fishing the unknown. best of luck with your tours!