a bit of help please!

[Gav Walker]

hi guys,

going on hols for a week in saltcoats/ ardrossan area, hoping to do some fishin while there.

despite being a keen coarse fisherman for 20 years i've never really sea fished so a bit advice would be appreciated.

target would be simply to catch a fish, any fish.

i've dug out an old 2.5 test curve pike rod and a big old spinning reel for light shore fishing or harbours will that do? other than that i'm open to suggestions. i've read that mullet can be good sport on light tackle?

 

cheers,

Gav.

[Peter M]

Hi i am a bit of a novice myself but have been on a couple of sea trips in the last couple of years with a fishing club firstly if there is a peir or breakwater i would head there. get some feathers and 5 ounce leads and do a bit of Mackerel fishing. or surface working lures off the beach is good. hopefully some others will post soon. good luck.

[chevin]

hi guys,

going on hols for a week in saltcoats/ ardrossan area, hoping to do some fishin while there.

despite being a keen coarse fisherman for 20 years i've never really sea fished so a bit advice would be appreciated.

target would be simply to catch a fish, any fish.

i've dug out an old 2.5 test curve pike rod and a big old spinning reel for light shore fishing or harbours will that do? other than that i'm open to suggestions. i've read that mullet can be good sport on light tackle?

 

cheers,

Gav.

 

Hi Gav, I have never fished the Ardrossan Sea but I fish the Indian Ocean a lot and most of the tackle I use is only of freshwater strength. Sometimes heaveir tackle is required to cast heavy sinkers, but if you are casting off rocks or piers it is often not necessary. Mullet can, indeed, be good sport on light tackle and being a fresh water angler would put you in good stead when fishing for them. Even baits you would use in freshwater will work for them - baits such as bread and silk weed. Spinning or lure fishing can be very productive too. Many sea fish are predators and will often take artificials voraciously. Local tackle dealers will probably give you advice on hot spots and bait etc. By all means take along your old pike rod, but a carp rod could be a useful rod too. Unless there is a big surf, or strong tides you will be able to cast far enough and hold bottom well enough to catch a number of species of sea fish. I am not at all familiar with the conditions in the Ardrossan Sea, but there are likely to be flatties in bays and inlets. Some of them fight well and make a decent meal too.

[Spinning_around-the_world]

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.

[Gav Walker]

thanks guys, one thing it might sound basic but am i better fishing on a rising tide?

to keep things simple i'd intended to start with having a look for features when the tide is out, then using beefed up running leger tactics when the tide is in, perhaps 3-4 oz weights i dont think the rod would stand much more but i should get a decent distance with that. bait herring or mackerel strips or lugs if i can get fresh ones i've seen prepack lugs that a crow wouldn't eat! my local tackle shop sells frozen sandeels 4-5 inch they look pretty fresh are they worth a try?

gav

[Gav Walker]

p.s ardrossan itself has a large harbour but its a busy ferry port i think it'l be restricted for access.

[Spinning_around-the_world]

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.

[Gav Walker]

unfortunately i'll have the family in tow!

it means fishing time and space for eqipment will be at a premium.

the mrs can just about deal with taking a rod and reel with a small tackle bag, hence the reason i want to do a bit of groundwork. dont want to use up my fishing credits experimenting if i can avoid it, if it was up to me we'd have a small suitcase between us and i'd be taking the full artillery! but if i can squeeze in my telescopic spinning rod i will! there must be somewhere to hide it in a ford focus!

[Spinning_around-the_world]

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.

[Gav Walker]

ha! i'll tell her i need 2 rods because 'we never do anything together' !

seriously, i've had a look on google earth and i'm staying literally a stones throw from the beach. i'l be able to get up early and get a few hours in most mornings and be back to join the family for breakfast, then maybe an hour or 2 at dusk. everyone's a winner! there also appears to be a large rocky outcrop that juts right out into the water just a few minutes walk away that looks 2 good 2 be true.