Fish Light

[sam-cox]

I have been reading a lot lately about how bad UK shore fishing is.

When I go to local shore marks every other angler is using heavy beach casters, 20lb test line, 60lb shock leaders and 6 oz leads. These heavy outfits are then cast to the horizon. After hours of this they then often start moaning that the ruddy gillnetters have caught all the fish.

When I fish from the shore I use a carp rod ABU 5000 real 10lb test line and very fresh bait. Most good bass can be caught 20 to 30 foot out, ok Most fish are faily small around the 2lb mark but there are larger fish around, and a bass of 3 to 5lb really goes well on light gear.

My point is realy fishing time is pressouse, you wouldnt go tench fishing with a boat rod, so why not optimise on whats on offer.

[spasor]

Sam. It`s no different with some boat anglers.

The number of times I`ve dropped out of trips, because the majority of the crew wanted to forget the inshore trip that was originaly booked and go wrecking instead is unbelievable.

One such occasion was truly memorable. A Weymouth skipper emailed me that a group from Bristol wanted a few other anglers to make up their numbers. I was told it would be an inshore trip, mostly scratching around due to the tide and time of year. It was early Nov`. Night before the trip I phoned the skipper `Paul Whittall, to check the weather and departure time. "Paul. The idiots all want to go wrecking. If you want to cancell, it won`t cost you anything". I cancelled on the spot. Got straight on to the James Bros in Minehead and booked a boat for myself the following day. A Friday. I was due to fish the weekend at Weymouth, and with Minehead being a tidal harbour, I knew I`d be back in the pub in Weymouth before the Bristol lads!!

What happens when I`m sat in the bar when they get back to port? They all inquire what I`d been doing all day. I told them I`d done a short trip from Minehead. "Any good", they asked.

"Well I`ve put half a dozen nice codling in the pubs freezer. But I threw most of my catch back." I didn`t have to ask how they`d fared. The look on their faces said it all.

 

Some folks ignore all local advice, even that of their charter skippers at their peril.

[Guest stevie cop]

It's horses for courses. There are times when you need to put a big cod bait out a long way. There are times when you only need to flick a 1/2 ounce lead about 20 feet. What is nice is to have the ability to do both, and more importantly, recognise when to do them!

 

O.K, we all know that summer fishing usually doesn't require long casting and heavy tackle, but if you want to catch any decent fish from the Essex/Suffolk/Norfolk beaches in the winter, then 9 times out of 10 it will require long casting. (and a few prayers, rabbits feet, four leaf clovers, etc ;o)

[sam-cox]

And to catch a decent cod from the shore around hear Steve it helps to live in cloud cookoo land mate.

[kentangler]

Sam, I don't think 20ld line is over heavy for surfcasting, you need to take account of wear and tear, and freeing snags etc.

That is not the reason for not catching today either. Twenty or thirty years ago, you could have large catches of all species on what you call heavy gear, and you needed it to haul in Cod all night! You needed a five ounce weight to stay out in a tide run.

It did not deter the fish at all. Because they were there.

It's just that the fish have been hammered, and all we have left are tiddlers.

Tiddlers are best caught on light gear, I do agree, but the light gear won't make much difference at night to a fish.It can't see the rig anyway. I don't see much fun in catching Pouting on 6lb line. But as things are going, it's all we will have left soon. Then I will pack it in!

[sam-cox]

last year I caught bass to 7lb on 10lb test line from the shore, bass to 5.5lb on 10lb test from my boat, smoothounds to 11lb on 10lb test line.

This year Ive caught thornies from my mates boats to 13.5 on 10lb test line.

I agree that for casting 175 yards into surf or fron rock marks this is a tadf light, but in the shallow water that i often fish from the shore(3 feet deep at times) using heavy line does reduce your catch rate. I have often out fished 6 anglers who are all casting to the horizon using 40lb shock leaders. I fish light and fish close and catch many bass, yes Kent they are often small but at times they can run bigger and i often catch 4lb fish from these shallow marks.

[kentangler]

Yes sam, I catch Bass to 5lb on 10lb line. ( i will leave out the test bit, it's a new fad)

They are 3ft out from a small 15ft jetty.

I think your comment about the guys casting far out and catching nothing, is more to do with the mark. They are fishing it all wrong. You are fishing it right. But not all marks have fish close in!

When you know a mark has fish close in, it makes sense to fish as light as is possible, I agree. I would then use my spinning rod, and one or two ounces of lead, and a long light trace.

But if you were fishing a mark that had a gully 120yds out, the other guys would be catching, as you wouldn't reach it with light gear.

It's horses for courses.

 

[ 08. May 2005, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: kentangler ]

[sam-cox]

Its called water craft Kent, knowing when to ring the changes and use tackle and bait to suit. A lot of anglers do not know how to do this and are more than happy to blame over fishing. All I am saying is that although over fishing has depleated our fish stocks there are still many good fish to catch if you know where, when and how.The days of chuck it and chance it are gone.

[sam-cox]

How many anglers use 10lb line in 45 foot of water for thornies and have never lost a fish through getting broken up?

[maximo]

one of my tactics in a match is if theres nout doing its surprising what there is close in especially on a bit of broken ground.usually best from may-oct for eels,rockies and flatfish and the odd surprise fish.i had two plaice with the leader knot showing last week in a match and the funny thing is folk watch what youre doing but dont try it themselves