Shore fishing - newbie

[CorsAX]

Hey folks, I started fishing about two weeks ago and recently went out and bought myself a decent rod and reel.

I was wondering if anyone would give me some in depth advice as far as rigs go - with my previous rod I was losing 10-14 pounds worth of spinners and weights on the rocks / sea weed a season.

I've been looking around and everywhere is telling you to make rigs slightly different; I'm just looking for a rig for spinning and one for float fishing that are pretty reliable.

Thanks a lot im sure as the weeks go on I'll have a thousand questions thanks for advance for any advice and answers!

CorsAX

[Nooo Fish]

Alright mate. Welcome to the site.

Here's a link I used when I started fishing a couple of years ago.

http://www.planetseafishing.com/downloads/psf-book-of-rigs.pdf

As for losing weights/spinners if your fishing rough ground you will always lose some. What are you using for your rig bodies?

[LiamNE]

Hi bud, welcome to the forum & fishing

A very broad question! But I guess you are targeting lure species such as pollock and mackerel?
You shouldn’t be losing so much gear £10 of spinners is a lot unless your buying stuff like retail bought savage gear – spinners I use are pennies and they work! But it is good to experiment so don’t let me put you off buying the “good” stuff
Assuming your just sticking a spinner on the end…all you need is a simple knot. I use the good ‘ol uni knot (Duncan knot) and honestly its never failed me…pulling in pollock >5lb recently – on spinners too.
HOWEVER – if you’re using braid, go for a different knot – I’d use the Palomar knot…the uni knot slips with braid very easily and is rendered useless.

So yeah, no need for a “rig” as such…I wouldn’t use shock leader just 30lb line right through for your little spinners and you’re good to go. I’d recommend re-tying your knot and snipping off a foot of line every 20 casts when spinning off rocky marks – you will feel the faults in the line with fingers

For float just your basic set up again will do using uni knots to tie the line…usually the floats you buy come with a diagram of a basic set-up –TOP TIP – buy yourself some PowerGum for a couple quid to tie a stop knot and adjust depth – honestly, I can’t recommend this stuff enough, such a time and frustration saver.


Again, a broad question but I hope that answers a few things along with the link nooofish provides….lots of helpful lads here with top advice so don’t be afraid to keep asking questions. You can’t really go far wrong with spinners and floats mate

[CorsAX]

Hey nooo fish and liamNE,

Cheers for the message guys really appreciate it the advice and kindness.

I'll have a peak at the link when I get home currently on my phone at work!

Previously fishing I had a really cheap combo set thing purchased for like 25 pound which was the rod feel ect ; I have no idea what the line strength was im afraid.

The new rod and reel ive purchased just yesterday IVE never actually used it yet will hopefully get out later tonight for a fish at Coldingham/St abbs.

The line they put on the reel was 30lb braid I believe they also gave me some 15lb spool which isn't braid can't remember what it was Id need to get back to you on that one.

Yea pollock and mackerel is certainly what I expect to be catching; I caught a small pollock with my previous rod how ever I put it back in the water as it seemed super small.

Looks like I'll go for the palomor knot, I guess when you say I will feel faults it will just feel stretched, thinner at parts ect is this the case with braid also?

I think I'll wait until I've done abit more spinning get used to that before I start experimenting with floats probably for the best.

Thanks a lot of the advice guys really appreciate it.

[LiamNE]

Whilst theres nothing wrong with using braid for spinning I’d stay clear of it for a few reasons when fishing a rocky mark

• Wind knots – 30lb braid is bound to encounter a wind knot at some point whilst spinning unless it’s a day with little wind and your careful & experienced laying the spool. This can be VERY annoying as a wind knot in braid will probably result in you having to snap + loose the braid…and braid is very expensive compared to a mono line
• Abrasion – and this is an important one… braid has almost (and possibly) zero stretch. If your line gets a nick from the rocks…and it will…you will snap off where as a “normal” mono line will take a bit damage and stretch
• Skin abrasion – maybe not such a problem with a little spinner, but braid can cause pain/irritation when repeatedly casting a lead weight – and SERIOUS damage casting a 4oz > weight with no protection (glove / finger stall)

Now…again, theres nothing wrong with using braid when spinning– catching mackerel on braid is great fun…you will “feel” more of the fish with super sensitive braid compared to mono. But if you’re going to use it on a rocky mark you will want whats called a shock leader which is a length of line tied to the end of much thicker diameter….this will take the damage from rock resistance.

I don’t want to make it sound complicated so I’ll stop there, after all lure spinning should be fun! But…stick with your normal mono line for spinning on rocks if you can...for now at least until you have gained a bit experience – you will cry if you lose a good fish due to line break!

[Nooo Fish]

Float fishing is a doddle mate. I always try float fishing if I'm not getting anything on the lures. I think there's a simple sliding float rig in the link I posted.

Also good braid is expensive. I always tie a fluorocarbon leader that's slightly lighter breaking strain onto my braid. About 4ft long so if I get snagged or rub on any rocks the leader goes leaving my braid nice and new.

[davidhayley1945]

the seas away,st abbs not a sensible mark to fish when sea rough,when the sea drops try dunstonborough castle great mark for the type of fishing your after,pollock,coalys,cod,wrasse,all easy to catch. davy.

[CorsAX]

Thanks a lot for the advice there sounds like I should probably be taking the braid off the reel in this case unless you believe me using a shock leader which I will need to have a read up online to learn to actually knot that on - I did actually recall reading that somewhere online is why I bought a spool of - other stuff which I can't remember the name of to save myself! Will sort that problem.

Oh trust me at this point all I want is a bite if a line snaps because a fish that's a victory for me haha!

Ahh alright awesome well when I get home I'll look into the sliding float rig you're speaking about and give it a bash.

Also thanks for that advice Davidhayley very appreciated ive actually heard dunstonborugh castle is a really nice place to look around aswell as fish so I'll certainly check the spot out sometime in the close future.

Does anyone have any spots I peticular they recommend on using on slightly rougher days out there in the sea between North berwick and bambrugh?

Thanks again guys; the advice is perfect.

[Phil83]

You could also try weedless lures if not mentioned already.

You mentioned you'd lost a lot to weed/ snags, look up weedless lures and give them a shot. You may even be able to convert some of the gear you already have.

Good luck and welcome to forum.

[Geodark]

Whilst theres nothing wrong with using braid for spinning I’d stay clear of it for a few reasons when fishing a rocky mark

• Wind knots – 30lb braid is bound to encounter a wind knot at some point whilst spinning unless it’s a day with little wind and your careful & experienced laying the spool. This can be VERY annoying as a wind knot in braid will probably result in you having to snap + loose the braid…and braid is very expensive compared to a mono line
• Abrasion – and this is an important one… braid has almost (and possibly) zero stretch. If your line gets a nick from the rocks…and it will…you will snap off where as a “normal” mono line will take a bit damage and stretch
• Skin abrasion – maybe not such a problem with a little spinner, but braid can cause pain/irritation when repeatedly casting a lead weight – and SERIOUS damage casting a 4oz > weight with no protection (glove / finger stall)

Now…again, theres nothing wrong with using braid when spinning– catching mackerel on braid is great fun…you will “feel” more of the fish with super sensitive braid compared to mono. But if you’re going to use it on a rocky mark you will want whats called a shock leader which is a length of line tied to the end of much thicker diameter….this will take the damage from rock resistance.

I don’t want to make it sound complicated so I’ll stop there, after all lure spinning should be fun! But…stick with your normal mono line for spinning on rocks if you can...for now at least until you have gained a bit experience – you will cry if you lose a good fish due to line break!

Totally agree with this - got a reel with 50lb braid on it - went rock fishing at the weekend and the wear on the line was unreal - ended up snapping the line 3 times when reeling in. Keeping that reel for beech fishing from now on and sticking a reel with mono onto that rod.

[CorsAX]

Interesting never heard of the weedless lures before they look quite interesting;

I gave it a bash using a 4 foot leader attached to mono from the braid I just threw a spinner in between them and it went pretty well had a bash last night and a spinner lasted the whole session (my cheapest fishing session to date).

[berwick]

Been a long time since I was on here and a while since I wetted a line. Reading this post reminds me of myself when I started out a couple years back and all the kind advice I received from nesa members.

What is your location? You mention popping to St. Abbs after work so can't be that far away from me.

If you are going to fish this part of the coast you will have to accept you are going to lose gear! Especially if you are bait fishing. I suspect your rod might not have enough backbone for that so you may wish to stick to lures for now.

In the summer months when the sea is away, as it is at moment as davey said, I would not bother fishing. You want it flat calm and sunny ideally. This summer has been very poor for fishing from what I have heard, worst in a long time!

If you are looking for advice on fishing marks around here you can't go far wrong with buying a copy of nesa member David Storeys book The Codling Crouch. It is worth its weight in gold! Obviously, the clue is in the title, it is more towards catch summer kelpy cod but any of the deep water marks will be ideal. Some of the marks require a certain level of fitness and ability to get to but will get you started. The cannons at Eyemouth would be good to start with as easy fishing. Easier to get on if you have a head for heights but you can take the long way round.

I also use a website called tides 4 fishing to get info on best tides and times to fish.

Good luck with your learning, once you hook into a decent size pollock you will have the bug for life

[CorsAX]

I live just outside chirnside; how ever I work in Coldingham I spend a big chunk of time in Coldingham between fishing snorkelling and working! What about yourself I see your name is berwick,you from berwick?

Yea to be honest I don't really mind losing the gear it's more I don't want to be losing it because if my lack of experience! Using the braid and a mono leader has certainly helped it feels much nicer with my new rod and reel too casting and reeling seems a lot more smooth and natural - just require a fish on the hook now!

Ahh okay, yea I think the fact I've just got into it im very eager to just get out in all conditions - how ever I'll take the advice and stay in on the days the sea is mental.

Thanks a lot for the advice I'll look into the website and also look into the book highly appreciated!

[berwick]

Coldingham is a lovely part of the world. It is also well covered in the book i mentioned as Daves holidays as a child were based from the caravan site there.

Yeah i get that you are itching to get out and learn but the fact is mate when the sea is away in summer the chances of catching are slim to none. Dont want you to be disheartened by blanking time and again. Also the rock ends are not the place to be in big seas and the rocks around here are like ice when they are wet.

What to think about is calm conditions, good water clarity, vary the depth you are fishing and the vary your speed of retrieve. Depth is important as there is little to be caught casting and retrieving in top 4 foot of water each time, you need to find the depth the fish are feeding.

Everyone has their preferences when it comes to line and what works for them. For me personally I use 30lbs powerpro braid on my spinning reel. To the end of this i tie a clip. In my lure box i carry pre-made lengths of lower breaking strain Flurocarbon line with a clip on the end that i clip to the main line and the spinner. If i get snagged this will break before the braid plus flurocarbon is meant to be invisible under the water (or so i believe.) Some might say the clips are something else to get snagged but it works for me.

I am far from a lure fisherman though mate. 90% of the fishing i do with the set up above is using Zeniths or 'the trusty old Zen', which is basically a silver minnow. Very little experience with soft lures etc.

There is a member on here, you will find posts by him mostly in lure section, called phill-it-o-fish (or close to that), in his signature he has links to maps that have been marked up showing good fishing marks - worth a look for you.

If i had a session planned I would invite you to come with but looking at surf forecast I dont know when i will be out. Another good point for you is that the surf shop at Coldingham (St. Vedas i think it is called) has a web cam so you can check the conditions before you decide to head out

Good luck

[CorsAX]

I've been struggling to find anywhere to buy daves book; it's on Amazon but out of stock. I'll have a look for him on the fourm and try contact him directly.

So you actually put a clip into your main like and a clip into the pre made lengths of fluorocarbon and when you get to your spot you just put the clips together and your set; sounds a nice quick way; always takes me 15-20 mins to erect the rod and thread the line attach the leader and spinner ect ( still learning all the knots - nightmare )

Thanks a lot mate I'll have a look for phill it o fish's signature and have a look at the marks.

Yea the surf is booming at the moment went out to dunstonborugh castle yesterday on a walk after surfing at a reef close by there just to check it out for fishing - was quite a walk to get there but stunning area.

I've actually worked for St Vedas for the last 3 years. I'm in the beach cafe 7 days a week though the summer
Currently at work now - surfers having a blast out there!

Thanks a lot and don't be shy to give me a shout if you plan going out and if I'm able to meet up even to watch and get some advice and tips watch your technique that would be amazing.

Thanks so much for the help and advice.