Time for a change

[jamesm]

This might turn out to be a bit of a waffle but here goes . I used to love my fresh water fishing , taught by my granddad , Going out early morning with mist across the lake . We never had barrow loads of kit with us just seem to have what we needed. It was the best fishing times of my life without doubt .
As i got older carp became my thing , but not with tents and sleeping bags , just a rod, packet of size 8 hooks and a loaf of bread . Was at my happiest while stalking that big one with just a small bag on my back , waiting for that big slurp as the crust vanishes .
When i moved here 3 years ago from the south I started to fish the same way , just going to the beach with a small bag of bits and bobs and enjoying it . But one day disaster !!!!! the bottom of my bag rotted out and i made the mistake of buying a box . It started here ... bits of this and that ,rigs for this ,rigs for that , shiny stuff that looked good on the net ,and a hernia from carrying it all .
I have forgotten what my gran dad taught me , I had become obsessed . Im just glad my budget would not let spend to much or i would become a tackle tart .
You may wonder where this is going but i am half way through reading the coddling crouch and Dave has reminded me of what i used to enjoy in fishing. Seeing his pics of his basic gear and reading his stories about fishing with his dad who influenced his fishing so much has made me want to get back to basics and just enjoy my fishing . Will i catch more or less fish ? Who cares . Its time to give up tying endless rigs and spending on stuff i dont need (sorry moonfleet and reel sport , you will be ok , i still need bait lol )
So from now on it is a triple swivel rig straight out of the Coddling crouch .
But i do have a few questions to ask , If i do away with shock leader should I fish with 60lb line or braid ? If so what do you recommend . Currently i use a aldi fixed spool (dont see many of these for sell on here lol) but i know i need to upgrade to a multiplier and learn to use it . Open to buying a second hand one ,if anyone got a dusty one they dont use .
Skeers is my next question , I think its where i would like to fish the most , hate the piers , and i am usually found on the beach at Marsden . I like being closer to the sea . So to progress from beach to skeers where do i go ? is there such thing as a beginner skeer ?
Anyway thats the end of my waffle , I would like to thank Dave Storey for the wake up call and the the memories he has woken up .For me it is back to basics and enjoyment .
Any thoughts guys ?
Tight lines .......James

[Abz]

It says in the codling crouch that dave uses 60 lb line straight through but keep in mind also this is on a scarboro reel which I believe are massive, I've thought about going bk to basics many of times but never followed through with it. Hope it brings you some gd luck mate you never no

[dale19]

yes mate you are correct about the tackle box, gone are the days with just a rod reel bits and bobs ,today the tackle tart has taken over, boxes full of gear you may never use and if you don't want a broken back a trolley to pull all the gear along.
when I started sea fishing at the age of twenty I just had an old army bag few sinkers 10ft pier rod and fixed spool reel odds ends and onto shields pier used to get the bus and the train down to shields as I lived up in Stanley.
used to take 2hrs to get down and 2hrs get back home
at the end of the day had very few sinkers left in me bag but always had some fish to bring home.
now at 67 go into the car park tackle box out rods stand bait box and sinkers think I going away on a weeks holiday.
but I still enjoy the time out that's what its all about M8

[topbanana]

Couldn't agree more mate. After reading the codling crouch myself it made me reevaluate my fishing. I think we all get caught up in the new must have rod, reel etc, I'm guilty of this myself. But over the last year or so of trying all sorts I've eventually settled on a rod that I can use anywhere, same goes for the reel. As you've said my budget won't stretch to owning everything. I mainly fish rough ground local to me in the winter as well as Northumberland in the summer. You mention 3 way swivels, at one time I would sit and tie every conceivable rig you could think of and now I tend to use the good old 3 way swivel for most areas I fish unless I'm flattie bashing when I'll use two hook flappers. I went through my bag, i don't do boxes, and sorted out everything that I need with me and put the rest in my box that I use for storage. The result is a much more organized affair which lets you enjoy your fishing more. After all that's what it's all about isn't it ?

[on the mark]

yes mate you are correct about the tackle box, gone are the days with just a rod reel bits and bobs ,today the tackle tart has taken over, boxes full of gear you may never use and if you don't want a broken back a trolley to pull all the gear along.
when I started sea fishing at the age of twenty I just had an old army bag few sinkers 10ft pier rod and fixed spool reel odds ends and onto shields pier used to get the bus and the train down to shields as I lived up in Stanley.
used to take 2hrs to get down and 2hrs get back home
at the end of the day had very few sinkers left in me bag but always had some fish to bring home.
now at 67 go into the car park tackle box out rods stand bait box and sinkers think I going away on a weeks holiday.
but I still enjoy the time out that's what its all about M8

4 hours on public transport, thats what i call dedication to fishing, beats my 30 mins and 15 min walk back in the day like.

[berwick]

I learned a lot from the book. It is a great read in the fact that it is both informative and at points quite emotional, Dave has done a good job with it. I was out fishing off the red rocks just last week!

Here are my thoughts on your questions. If you decide to fish with braid don't go for cheap and go for heavy breaking strain. Around 100lbs I would say, might sound like overkill but in my experience braid of around 50lbs cant stand up to the rocks well (the abrasive resistance is far less than mono.) I have 50lbs power pro on one of my reels and need a mono shockleader for the rough stuff as generally when snagged the rocks shred it! You will get away with 30lbs mono straight through in my opinion as you wont be power casting. There are pros and cons to mono vs braid, if you search on here you will find many a discussion

If you are looking to fish off the rocks look to get a multi with a levelwind as, much as these restrict casting distance, this will no longer be a concern for you as 10-80 yards will be your fishing range and has its advantages for night fishing/ ease of use.

Cant help with the skeers down your way mate but what you will find the biggest challenge is generally accessing the marks. For a lot of the marks in the codling crouch for example you need a head for heights and a reasonable level of fitness to get on or down to them but more so on the way back up ha! Remember to be realistic in your abilities, the rocks, weed and grass can be very slippery (some rocks are like glass) and if it has been raining some marks may be a complete no no. Assess the sea for 5-10min before venturing out onto the rocks, fish with a mate etc. No fish is worth dying for!