Newbie query, and 'hello'!

[joolz_red]

Hi there, I'm Jools, a lady from Somerset/Dorset area & a returner to fishing after over 25 years away - I used to go fishing for tiddlers as a kid! - find the whole angling arena a bit daunting being female, slightly disabled and also on a tight budget but hope to pick up some excellent advice hints & stuff from the wise sages here.

 

Stuff's certainly changed from when I was a sprog! no carbon fibre rods & we used old spark plugs or wheelnuts for weights and empty jif lemons for seafloats (for our bumper caches of sprats). It's all a bit over whelming now & I'm reading like mad & asking a couple of experienced anglers I know.

 

Anyhow... on to the question!

 

I want to take up some lightish pier,harbour,rock, shore fishing - nothing too strenuous, a few mackerel, garfish or whatever to pop under the grill

 

I visited a local-ish tackle shop and chatted to the owner about what I wanted - an 8-9ft spinning rod & durable reel - I ended up spending £50 on a Storm brand 'Predator' 10-40g 9ft 2pc rod (nice & light) & a Mitchell Avocet II c2000 reel. I felt so put off by all this stuff around me, and flustered, that I couldn't quite bring myself to get more ( or afford it LOL!) Can't find much info about the products online.

 

Did I get a fair deal??

[Newt]

I can't help with specifics - mostly a fresh water angler and we tend to have different brands of rod & reel - but the price isn't bad and hopefully the tackle shop guy wanted a repeat customer and did right by you.

 

There is lots of new gear available that wasn't around a few years ago but luckily the fish still have pretty much the same habits so what caught then will usually catch now. Embrace the new stuff that makes sense to you but otherwise, what worked then should still work now.

 

I've drowned many a sparkplug and lug nut (wheel nut) over the years and still do when fishing really rough ground. The fish don't seem to be bothered.

[Zigs]

Hi Joolz red & welcome to anglers net.

 

That sounds about right for a reasonable rod/reel combo, which tackle shop did you use ?

 

You'll soon pick up on what tackle you need, a dexter wedge spinner can be all you need for a bit of light fishing. With regard to pier fishing a float would be usefull. You can't feather off weymouth stone pier or west bay piers anymore. If i'm going pier fishing I usually take a drop net to catch prawns as well.

 

Somethings have changed in 25 years, best to check a minimum size chart, as thats probably different now, also, eel fishing is now banned.

 

The worse thing to have changed, and theres no easy way of putting this, theres hardly any fish left. 10 years ago, i bought a chest freezer to keep my catch in. Its now full of vegetables, its not thru lack of trying, been fishing 4 weekends in a row, usually trying a couple of different venues, all i've had were 3 sandeels.

 

Hope this don't put you off, as it will pick up later in the season, just didn't want you to go down & think you were doing something wrong.

[Dan]

Hi Joolz red & welcome to anglers net.

 

The worse thing to have changed, and theres no easy way of putting this, theres hardly any fish left. 10 years ago, i bought a chest freezer to keep my catch in. Its now full of vegetables, its not thru lack of trying, been fishing 4 weekends in a row, usually trying a couple of different venues, all i've had were 3 sandeels.

 

Hope this don't put you off, as it will pick up later in the season, just didn't want you to go down & think you were doing something wrong.

 

Hi Joolz - now dont you go being put off by Ziggy and dont go fishing with him or he'll eat your bait!! -- having said that Ive only been out once this year and I only caught 2 pouting

 

 

Dan

[joolz_red]

Heh heh, thanks for the info everyone who replied. Good to know that the basics are still the same plus the essential luck factor.

 

I didn't know you couldn't use feathers off Weymouth jetty any more, so tvm for letting me know. Any reason for this being so? I must do some more research on Dorset coast marks I think!

 

Dan - I'd even cook 2 pouting so your bait ain't safe round me even

[Zigs]

Hi Joolz - now dont you go being put off by Ziggy and dont go fishing with him or he'll eat your bait!! -- having said that Ive only been out once this year and I only caught 2 pouting

 

 

Dan

 

He will you know.

 

The feathering is a safety issue, too many idiots not knowing what they are doing. Someone caught a woman swimming with feathers a few years back, at west bay, not nice.

 

No casting off west bay piers, not a problem for me as I just use a french peer boom which only need lowering into the water. But i mainly fish off the beach.

[joolz_red]

The feathering is a safety issue, too many idiots not knowing what they are doing. Someone caught a woman swimming with feathers a few years back, at west bay, not nice.

 

No casting off west bay piers, not a problem for me as I just use a french peer boom which only need lowering into the water. But i mainly fish off the beach.

 

 

Thanks for the info ziggy, always good to know what's allowed in different areas - and West Bay is probably one of the spots I might visit when I can get a lift there (I live inland nearish Yeovil)

[Zigs]

Thanks for the info ziggy, always good to know what's allowed in different areas - and West Bay is probably one of the spots I might visit when I can get a lift there (I live inland nearish Yeovil)

 

So do I. I go down there at the weekends, trouble is, I stay over. I usually fish the east beach near the pier. You'll know if its me as I will have a bottle of wine next to my fishing gear

 

I guess you know the whole harbour was rebuilt in 2002 ?

[joolz_red]

So do I. I go down there at the weekends, trouble is, I stay over. I usually fish the east beach near the pier. You'll know if its me as I will have a bottle of wine next to my fishing gear

 

I guess you know the whole harbour was rebuilt in 2002 ?

 

Yep, was down there last week and looking over the new walls & flats etc - very smart now.

[barry luxton]

Hi Joolz red & welcome to anglers net.

 

That sounds about right for a reasonable rod/reel combo, which tackle shop did you use ?

 

You'll soon pick up on what tackle you need, a dexter wedge spinner can be all you need for a bit of light fishing. With regard to pier fishing a float would be usefull. You can't feather off weymouth stone pier or west bay piers anymore. If i'm going pier fishing I usually take a drop net to catch prawns as well.

 

Somethings have changed in 25 years, best to check a minimum size chart, as thats probably different now, also, eel fishing is now banned.

 

The worse thing to have changed, and theres no easy way of putting this, theres hardly any fish left. 10 years ago, i bought a chest freezer to keep my catch in. Its now full of vegetables, its not thru lack of trying, been fishing 4 weekends in a row, usually trying a couple of different venues, all i've had were 3 sandeels.

 

Hope this don't put you off, as it will pick up later in the season, just didn't want you to go down & think you were doing something wrong.

 

 

What about off the rocks on portland ziggy for the wrasse or fishing the wrecks off portland beach for the trigger fish in the summer? i have the added luxury of always being on a charter boat, so a bit spoiied, however, we have fished near the hood due to the wind very near the rocks and had a couple of very good days, would also like to try for the trigger fish from the seaward side of the wrecks.