Glasgowdan

Just wonder if anyone has any good ideas where to buy a kayak and kit? There's the obvious ebay and local ad trader / gumtree but I'm not seeing much in the way of suitable boats. Not quite got a new boat budget yet, and sort of like the idea of being able to try kayak fihsing first before paying out for new kit. Just after an average kayak with as much equipment as possible! Cheers D

Donfish, we won't have too much in common in terms of angling practices unfortunately. We return all of our tope so generally fish barbless hooks, we don't lift them by the tails as this damages their delicate linings around the organs. I understand in principle why you have posted, and maybe understanding the UK way of fishing for these sorts of species might be a benefit to you guys. I'm not preaching, just pointing out that we hate pictures of dead sharks!

Thanks for replying folk. Yes it's the good old conger on my mind. I'll think carefully about all of this. The problems I can see are fishing with heavy line to get the fish out of the snags might prove problematic if it wins and I get hooked up with 50lb line, and the force of heaving out a big eel might trip an anchor that is otherwise holding. Food for thought though. I don't see any benefit in the twin anchor system on this particular mark due to the layout of the structure in comparison to the tide. Might be worth a recce to decide for sure if it's possible or not to tie alongside a pillar

Indeed. I have 30 watchers on a set of mtb cranks I'm selling so that's got to be a good omen! Sorry to the OP for this OT nonsense!

Yup I see that, that's a surprisingly good price. A few things on ebay have gone for much more than I would have expected recently - I guess because the price of fishing tackle has gone up recently.

Sounds at least worth a try. It's a scottish mark and I wouldn't be fishing floats (whole mackerel on the bottom with a boat rod and reel set to max drag!). Might consider it...got to get a kayak first but this mark would make that worthwhile in itself. Cheers Dan

n/a

SOLD

I am thinking of fishing uptide of the pillar, as downtide is away from the fish.

I have a 5010 and want to put a gte spool on it...seen some on ebay so will order one up and hope for the best!

Also I can't seem to see any difference between the 5010GT and the 5000RE...anyone got an idea?

To bring this back to the front, does anyone know if the spools are interchangeable? I have a 5010 but would like to use the metal-lipped spool from a 5000gte. Cheers D

I'm with Dave B on this one...the crabs go in the freezer whole and unshelled. When it comes to using them, as long as they are fully thawed, they peel even easier than when fresh, and do not turn black in the least, plus they catch just as much! It's a no-brainer, unless you want peeled crab for a match where speed is of the essence. And when I did used to peel before freezing, I also didn't wash them. Why get rid of all the fish-attracting juices?

Just wonder what opinions people have here. I have a mark in mind that can be fished from a kayak. It is in a bit of tide, around 2 knots, and is approx 30ft deep onto a sandy bottom. The fishing I am planning is basically under a large failing concrete structure, so you'd be anchored a few yards uptide of it. How do experienced kayakers feel about this? Would they do it? Danger would be if the anchor slipped and you got wedged against the concrete before you had the chance to paddle to safety. It might be possible to escape under the structure and out the other side if the tide was low, but there would still be the matter of the dragging anchor to deal with first. Would holding yourself against a concrete leg in a 2 knot tide be an issue?

300 yards of 30lb line...isn't that a bit big for spinning? Otherwise I'd buy a few as you say!

There's a seawolf reel on ebay at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shakespeare-Seawolf-...409112001r35369 currently £4. It won't sell for much more. You might get a tenner for the rod and reel together, better off keeping it in case you fancy a trip out sometime, or give it to someone who you know that wants to give boat fishing a try.

Go to worldseafishing and type 'etive' into the search box...you'll get about a billion hits.

20lb would be fine for sure...can land large tope (record breakers even) on them. As long as they can handle the required lead without bending to buggery. Common skate over 150lbs are regularly caught on 20lb class rods intended for other fish so put that one out of your head! I wouldn't use roller guides as they are just another moving part to look after/consider. No need for them whatsoever.

FS - As new K2 Team Supreme 5m rod / Grauvell Zeus Reel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I got this combo as I hear a lot about fixed spool and long rod outfits, but I tried it and am too used to multipliers so it didn't feel comfy. The rod is a beaut though, rrp about £260, and comes with a very good quality rod bag. It's a powerful rod with a forgiving tip section, and is fitted with those low friction guides. The reel is a very smooth front drag reel with a spare spool. I went fishing once with this outfit so there's not a mark on either rod or reel. £150 for the pair (under half price).

Something like a shimano charter special 1000 would be perfect but they don't do elft hand wind. not sure which reels do come in left hand wind so maybe you'll need to hunt around a bit. I suggest a lever drag reel, with or without a levelwind, about the size of an abu 7000.

I suggest you get a large suit. The medium will just feel a bit short in the leg. Fladen sizes are smaller tha sundridge/mustad...I use a large sundridge 2 piece (sundridge jacket, titan salopettes) and a large mustad 1 piece. Flotation suits are more weatherproof than any of the alternatives suggested here so if you find you're fihsing a rock/harbour that's kicking up a lot of spray in addition to rain and wind, you'll thank your lucky stars you have the proper kit on. I can very highly recommend the brands suggested in this reply. Do not buy IMAX...they have a terrible reputation for falling to bits.

Which baitrunners are they?

The whole thing's a p*55 take! The photo of the dog... where's the blood around the hook where it protrudes? Where's the swelling and redness? It's photoshopped. How long would a dog or cat survive in the water? It's one of the older internet hoaxes right enough, but still suckering people in.

For bait I'd take medium sandeels and stinky lug, perhaps a mackerel. You generally don't need to fish at range, and can usually get away with 15-18lb main line. Grip leads and small hooks (size 1). Good luck

Does he have to hold it in the eye socket like that???