Glasgowdan

Looks great John, just my type of fishing. I'll either meet you or head out with a rope and a map. Got a few sneaky ideas up my sleeve for this summer! D

The water's too murky in those pictures for the fish to bite... It had been blowing a good few days beforehand so guess that put the fihsing off. Where exactly is that cafe? Is it right near the point just by east tarbet? I have spied that area on the map but didn't know if you can get down the cliffs... would be good to fish a sheltered tidal deep rocky mark when there's a big westerly wind.

The most effective mackerel lures I have used are the Mustad Mini Dayglo ones. They come in a set of 3, and combined with a 2oz dexter wedge at the bottom instead of a lead they are fantastic. You'll catch more than people with strings of 6 feathers no problem.

You got some replies on wsf on this question too. For me it's penn all the way, more durable, better drag, tougher handle, bigger gears, better sealed etc etc.

Lesson learned... don't buy cheap new abu's...stick to old second hand ones or go elsewhere!

Nope because he won't birdie with a fixed spool. I wish I had used braid from the off... mono has it's place for shore and in some cases boat angling, but there are a lot of people stuck with mono and missing out on better fishing because of it.

You're best buying a 15ft rod and a nice fixed spool reel. Look at Grauvell's rods, and for a fixed spool either a grauvell, or shimano. Budget for a 300m spool of 50lb berkeley whiplash pro (£19 at spotty dog) and some 80lb leader. This style of rod will let you use overhead casts, assuming the steep shingle restricts pendulum and other swinging styles. The braid will increase casting distance massively due to it's very thin diameter, and the fast retrieve of the fixed spool makes fihsing much easier. Try the "Grauvell Teknos Surf 4500X Due" from Veals at £165, a surfmaster reel at £50 and the braid at £20...leaves you some petrol cash for a fishing trip!

Now if the story had been straightened O'Shaughnesseys, then I'd have been impressed!

It was his mate's mate...not Rudd! The better option still is to ditch aberdeen hooks and get a few packets of Kamasan Uptides instead (as long as you don't need smaller than a size 1). You'll never look back.

I use 3M tape as I find it much more reflective than anything else. The key thing though is to apply it down to the 3rd or preferrably 4th intermediate ring from the tip, so 3-4 sections of the blank are covered, or at least wrapped with a spiral. This gives a much clearer image of what is happening and relaxes your eyes as you look at the rod. Granted, it's been all cod fishing lately and there's not much you can miss about a "OH CRAP THERE GOES MY ROD" bite, but for the more subtle fishing it's a big benefit.

***PRICE DROP ON THE APOLLO*** £80

Too expensive for me to seriously consider. At £2 I'd be tempted, though I cannot see where the extra money goes. Say £1 for a gemini lead... £2 for the plastic tube and longer wire? I'm all for tackle developments and appreciate set-up, design and tooling costs, but they could themselves a favour by reducing the price to the consumer.

I'm selling my Greys Apollo Mk2 13ft (£80). It has only a couple of scratches on it and is 1 year old, fitted with good shrink wrap and comes with sliding winch fitting.

Half the time it's just not safe for a sea angler to get down to the water's edge to dampen a fish mat, net it or slip it back by hand. The problem comes, as mentioned above, from the chav anglers that just want to kill creatures. A serious sea angler looks after his fish, keeps them in a bucket of water when fishing matches to be returned safely to the sea when weighed in. I think coarse angling in general has more consideration for the fish, as they are from a smaller stock; there isn't a vast ocean supplying the shore with a seemingly steady stream of new fish. Freshwater is also generally baliffed so there is a threat of action being taken against people who do harm fish. I have never heard of a sea angler being charged with killing fish. PS H.A.... I want one of those fish for my Birthday! Catching a 4lb shore plaice must be one of the most amazing shore experiences possible, what a beautiful fish! I must get in touch if I'm ever down that way and try it for myself!

Looking for a reel for the rough and tumble of shore fishing and as such it doesn't have to be like new. Anyone got one they can let go? Thanks Dan

When I was a student I researched this a bit and in fact think I spoke to Leon about it. I think it's a great idea and would like to see more of these. They are safe havens for the fish, a place where they cannot get swept away by nets, and can live and grow and provide sustainable sport for divers and anglers. At the same time they provide a means of disposal of large quantities of inert waste, solving other landfill space problems. I would like to see more of them all over the UK.

The bad thing with carp rods is that they are very floppy, soft butt section etc. I hate using them for sea fishing for that reason as they feel lifeless compared to a good sea spinning rod. I have an 11ft Greys Seaspin and it's an utter joy to use...it fires out 3oz easily and is very stiff through the lower 5ft, which gives you great control playing a bass or pollack and keeping it away from the edge of the rocks that you're standing on. If you can get hold of a greys seaspin, do it. You won't regret it. The other great choice would be a flattie fanatic. I think a lot of so-called bass rods are too heavy, too floppy and too long. I also don't really buy into the carp rod for tope thing, preferring a heavy spin rod or light uptide rod.

I was going to recommend the LED Lenser H7...just got one and do not feel the need to buy anything else for solo night fishing on rocks etc. It casts 140 lumens on max and will last a couple of hours on this setting, but there is a dimmer switch that allows you to dim it gradually to whatever you like, just enough to watch rod tips by etc. It takes 3 x AAA batteries and is so small and light it makes the tigas and samalites seem plain ridiculous. Oh...and it cost me £35 brand new! The construction is solid too... everything feels sturdy. IThe whole thing weighs about 4 oz with batteries.

FINALLY got round to getting some normal AA batteries, and I am very impressed indeed! If this thing lasts a couple of sessions of intermittent use for baiting up I'll be impressed even more. With rod tip lights and this for baiting I can keep using my tiny headlamp for fishing rather than splashing out on a new bigger fancier one, at least until LED headlamps get even better and cheaper. I reckon it will be reasonably waterproof as it is, and even if water does get inside there's not a lot to go wrong if it does. Cheers Asda!

Something to do with them being 1.2v compared to normal battery 1.5v or something? I'm not sure to be honest. Is anyone using rechargeables successfully?

Anyone tried these led lights with rechargeables? Mine doesn't seem to work and I don't have normal batteries lying around to test it with.

There's loads of good rods, but the Mk 1 Apollo has a life and steeliness to it that I haven't found with any other rods yet. I am not selling it sorry, but I would advise that others such as the Conoflex Highlander are also excellent. I wouldn't be too fussy to be honest as a rock rod generally is just a stick that you use to lump out cod baits.

Is it this thing? http://direct.asda.com/Rolson-16-LED-Utili...default,pd.html

vagabond that bass is just unreal too! I have caught some tiddlers in my time while coarse fihsing, but I don't think even on size 20's with single pinkie I ever got something smaller than that Nice skate too Davy, what's the easy way of telling a tiny skate apart from a ray?

I am a huge fan of greys Mk1 PZ Match rods... I have a pair and love them to bits. Not quite up to rough ground fishing as the tip is too soft, but for mixed and clean ground they are spot on. Light, great action, look fantastic