Using a whip...

[TrevBoy]

I have been advised that a whip would be a good way to get a nephew into fishing - cheap and easy to use.

 

Never used a telescopic pole (I have one but its clearly rubbish) and so I will be buying him say, a 3m starter elasticated whip. That means though that he'll have 3m or so of line to swing out - surely that makes controlling the float a bit harder than it needs to be for a beginner, even on a stillwater....? Or am I missing the point?

 

Thoughts?

[davedave]

I would go with a 4m whip as I find 3m too short in a lot of circumstances. Your correct you set the line of the rig to the length of the whip so fish can easily be swung to hand. When set up it is very easy to use if you have got the length right, you can either whip it overhead or swing it underarm, it is easier to bring a fish in as the weight of the fish makes it easier to swing in. You may want to use a heavyish float as this will also make 'casting' easier.

 

It's hard to explain but it'll be fine once your fishing. Just get the length of the line right otherwise you'll have too much line and won't be able to swing fish to hand or too little and you'll also struggle to bring fish to hand.

 

Leeda do quite good whips, as do Ron Thompson. You can get a 4m whip for under £20 and they normally come with a pre-made rig and a disgorger so ideal for beginners. Unless your on a commercial where your likely to hit into carp or bigger fish i'd get a non elasticated whip with a flick tip as they're less hassle IMO.

 

Dave

[MatS]

Control should not be a problem with a three or four meter whip. the trick is to reach forward when you cast, sink the tip under the water then bring your arm back to a comfortable position keeping the tip submerged. If there is a breeze add two small (9-11) shot between the float and tip of the whip, and if it gets windy a small wagler works well.

[chavender]

with short whips i make my rigs about 6-8" shorter than the pole ,that way kids don't have to hold it too high and the fish shoul come in to about belly high making it easy for the kids to clutch it too them ,and the shorter length makes casting easier

 

sideways whip casting

 

you want the rig to reach their left hand (basically to come down to where their hand is holding the pole) with the bait hanging below ,then get them too hold the bait out to the side with the line taught or with a little bend in the tip ,then get them to twist to the side then swing back around & letting go of the line as they do .the tention in the tip will help propel the rig out and then lay out strait on the water .

 

overhead casting

i find kids tend to put too much humph into overhead casts .but they do pick it up easier ,get them to swing the rig to behind or just off the right shoulder then get them to get used to finishing the cast with the tip pointing at a feature or far bankline to avoid splashing the water.

 

some tips

kids do love using whips because its so direct just so long as they're catching ,or they'll get bored ,oh and get a knot unpicker ,their will be tangles ,i make sure i've got plenty of the same rigs with me (easier to pop another one on than waste time unpicking knots you could do later) a elastic band on the pole you can move up or down to mark the depth with aides a quick setup .and only give kids floats you don't mind loosing/getting smashed .

[TrevBoy]

thank you

[Ken L]

I used to do a lot of line to hand fishing with an 8m pole and the trick is not to fish light.

A good heavy float lets you swing the bait out with no effort and the rig is easy to control if there's a bit of wind. With practice, it becomes a very fast way to fish and is deadly where there's a few feet of water close in on a river.

Scale that down a bit (I'd go with 4 or 5m for a little un) but keep the heavy float and he should have no difficulties swinging the rig out.

[TrevBoy]

Hadn't considered a whip (or a pole for that matter) on the river.....kinda limits the trot doesn't it?

[Ken L]

Hadn't considered a whip (or a pole for that matter) on the river.....kinda limits the trot doesn't it?

Trotting is what a running line is for. Line to hand pole came into it's own when there was steady flow with 6 - 12 feet of water, usually in the autumn or winter when the main target was roach.

I would feed using a mini baitdropper or occasionally, a very small Drennen feeder fished in-line and fish a line of 5-7m, holding the float back and just stepping it through the swim.

I won several club matches on the Warks Avon and placed second in a big open on the trent using it.

It works on pools too but unless you can really get the fish competing for the bait, traditional pole rigs with their better tackle control beat it hands down - but then, I didn't mention it as a bagging method but as one that is very simple and suitable for a beginer.