seafishing

SEAFISHING

For sea rigs and baits

Sea fishing where do you begin?

For a great number of sea anglers, fishing from the shore is where it all begins. Many start as a youngster on holiday who have been taken to the local pier fishing for mackerel. You have Just been to the fishing shop to buy a chep rod because mum says, it will never be used again. "HA HA". You are now armed with a rod, tackle, a string of brightly coloured feathers and the promise of a fresh fish for dinner, that first day out by the sea is remembered forever. once that first fish is hooked, so to, is the angler - invariably for life.

Around our coastlines of great Britain the oportunities are superb for the sea angler to explore. From beach to rock fishing, piers, breakewater walls and a number of estuaries, to choose from. The species of fish you catch will often be down to where you fish. All I will say is, whichever venue you choose and whatever species you fish for, please ensure a future for your sport by unhooking undersized fish carefully and return them to the sea.

The off-the-ground cast

The pendulum cast

A- Stand with your shoulders parallel to an imaginary line out to sea, with your toes touching the line and your feet comfortably apart. Hold the rod level, a foot away from your chest, with your hands at shoulders' width apart. With your left hand at eye level, slope the rod down 30 degrees to the right. Then swing your shoulders 45 degrees to the right, and bend your waist and right knee to dip your right shoulder. B- Keep your arms in position relative to your shoulders, and straighten up and swing your shoulders back parallel to the imaginary line. Continue the swing untill your chest faces almost down the line. C/D- As your shoulders parallel the line, push your left hand forward and up, then down to your left hip, punching forward with the right. Stop the rod dead, with no follow through.

A - The starting position is the same as for the off-the-ground cast, but with the rod sloped upwards by 30 degrees. Hang the sinker on a 4ft (122cm) leader drop. Using minimum rod movement, swing the weight in a pendulum arc parallel to the line of cast, untill the leader is parallel to the ground. Practice this swing to a count of four, with the weight reaching maximum height on the backswing (four),begin the cast proper.
B - Start the swing, sweeping your left hand smoothly up to eye level. from this point on the remainder of the cast is similar to the off-the-ground cast which is described above.

This cast is used when rocky ground or the surf make an off-the-ground cast impracticable.

Tips on fishing safety

How to " read " the beach

Pick a place to fish away from carparks, holidaymakers splashing and screeching "beach" radios. Fish stay further out to sea opposite noisy shores, often swimming along to a quiet areas of beach, where they feel safe to venture closer inshore. If there is a cliff top, use a pair of binoculars to spot dark patches of water. This can tell you a lot about the beach, eg dark blotches shows the position of underwater rocks and reefs, brown spreads of seabed sand, dark blue pools of water over deep channels, light blue expanses of "shallow" water over sand, sand/mud or shingle. Large beds of sand between rocks and rough ground are favoured by Dabs,Flounders, Plaice and Rays. Sandy and sand/mud beaches may also attract Bass, Cod, Dogfish (smoothhounds, lesser spotted dogfish, spurdog), Mackerel,Mullet, Sole,Tope, Turbot and Whitting, this is according to locality and season.

Always tie a leader line to your main reel line.
Tips on doing this are on
Sea rigs and baits page. See above for link.

SAFETY HINTS ON BEACH FISHING

* Don't get cut off by a rapidly rising tide.
* Before fishing isolated beaches, work out escape routes in the event off a mishap.
* Don't assume a mobile phone will work if you have a problem, it may not if you have cliffs around you.
* Let someone know a time you will be home and stick to it.
* Before casting, see there's nobody close behind.
* Tie knots tightly. A heavy weight flying free from line you're casting could kill someone.

How to fish that pier or jetty

Walking on water takes practice, walking over water on a pier or jetty is easy,a cheaters way to fish deep water- no long casts from the beach to worry about. Just stroll to the end of the pier or jetty and let down your line. Piers and jetties attract fish. The weed-covered supports are home for many shellfish and shelter shoals of small fish from strong currents and waves. Holiday makers, boat trippers and pier cafes - each pitches their unwanted sandwich sraps and leftovers into the sea. All scrumptious food for big fish!
***TIPS***
* Study the seabed beneath the pier or jetty at low tide. Look for patches of sand or sand/mud between rocks; dips, holes, hollows and gullies likely to be searched for trapped food particles by fish patrolling the rising tide. Notice their precise position in relation to structures on the pier or jetty. As these may prove great places to fish. Also look out for any obstacles that might sag your line when submerged.
* The best times to fish from a pier are generally dawn, dusk and night (if permitted). Many fish are attracted by lights on open-all-night piers. Big fish not fascinated by the lights are drawn to shoals of fish dancing to the underwater disco effect of the lights, and big fish make a meal of the small fish! One and a half hours before high tide is a good time to begin fishing; this will peak at high tide. When a high tide accurs at dawn or dusk - BINGO! You'll catch more than your fair share of fish.
* Where possible fish on the lower deck of a pier. It is easier to land your fish from a lower level, whereas you'll need a drop net to haul hooked fish from the sea to a high pier deck. A good friend can be helpful by lowering a net down for you, then all you need to do is manoeuvre your fish over the net then hoist up the cord and net.
* When the sea's calm, fish off the pier or jetty end. In rough water, fish close to the shore. Heavy swell churns the seabed, dislodging natural food and buried titbits.
* Groundbait suspended in a fine mesh bag about 4ft (1.21m) from your hookbait attracts fish.
* To foil persistent bait - piching crabs, keep your bait 2ft (609mm) above the seabed.
* Fishing your bait at mid-water level can often produces results.
* If you're not getting bites, change the depth you're fishing by 2ft (609mm) stages until you find the depth the fish are feeding.
* Hold your rod at all times - be prepared for a bite. Keep a tight line and reel-in as soon as you,ve hooked a fish; otherwise it will go several times around the pier or jetty supports and SNAP!!!

BETTER SAFE THAN DEAD !

The sea is not your friend. The sea is neutral; it could offer you a big fish and drown you - with the same wave! Every year sea anglers drown, sadly the numbers are increasing. So take note of these safety tips and survive!

CLOTHING
Dress to stay warm and dry. Wear a woolly hat, carry a full set of waterproofs and a spare pullover.
Put on some bright coloured clothing to give rescuers clear sight of you in the event of an accident.
If you can save up for a comfortable sea anglers flotation suit and wear it - just in case!
SNACKS
Don't forget to take a packed lunch, flask of coffee and a couple of chocolate bars for emergencies. Also leave the alcohol at home as this doesn't warm you, quite the reverse - alcohol lowers your body temperture.
GENERAL SAFETY TIPS
* Tell some one where you intend fishing, and when to expect you back.
* Go fishing with a friend.
* Always carry some plasters, roll of bandage and antiseptic cream, just in case.
* Take a whistle as part of your kit. The international distress signal with a whistle is 6 short blasts in one minute, wait one minute, then repeat.
THE GOLDEN RULES
* Learn to swim? Never fish rocky areas, jettys or piers if you can't
* Learn basic first aid.
* If you find yourself in the water, stay calm and get out quick !!! Cold water kills fast.
* Should you see someone in distress and can't help, dial 999 and ask for police and/or coastguard; describe the exact location of the person requiring assistance.

River mouth estuaries and harbour walls are easy to fish and careful, cunning anglers bag big catches of sizeable fish.
ESTUARIES
An estuary is the meeting point between outflowing freshwater and incoming tidal sea water. The resultant mixture of fresh and salt water is termed "BRACKISH" water. Brackish estuary water supplies rich feeding for bass, conger eels, mackerel, mullet, flounders, and freshwater eels. Bass will follow the rising tide 2 or 3 km up river. Mullet sometimes venture as much as 4.82km (3 miles) or more inland. Most estuary-feeding fish move into the river mouth and cruise up river on a rising tide, have a feed on small crabs, fish fry, lugworm, prawns, ragworm, sandeels and shrimps. Then move back down river in to the sea on the ebb tide. Fish remaining in estuary water at low tide respond to a well presented bait.
HARBOURS
Harbours and cracks and clefts in harbour walls provide fish with a dependable and plentiful supply of natural food; scraps of discarded snacks; gutted fish offal thrown overboard by commercial fishermen. They also protect the fish from strong currents and bad weather conditions. Many harbours are a haven for bass, conger eels, flounders, mackerel, mullet, small pollack, pouting, whiting, etc.

SAFETY HINTS ON FISHING ESTUARIES AND HARBOURS

* Beware of standing on estuary mud or sandbanks at low tide, you may be swallowed!
* Stay back from the edge of harbour walls.
* Be very careful descending slippery stone steps.

Estuaries and Harbours

SAFETY HINTS FOR PIERS OR JETTIES

* Do learn the rules and regulations and abide by them.
* Do give unwanted bait to fellow anglers when you go home, don't leave it on the pier or jetty decks.
Safety hints:
* Stay clear of the pier and lower decks in storms seas. A high breaking wave may sweep you out sea. It has happened!
* Don't push or mess around with follow anglers, it's easy to slip over the edge of some piers or jetties.
* Never make an overhead cast from a pier or jetty. The weight might snap loose and injure someone.

A dropnet being used over a pier

Two types of dropnets

Fishing on the rocks

Fishing from rocks is an exciting and exhilarating experience. The seabed may be mainly sand with some rough ground and small rocks, or rough, rocky ground leading to a solid rock base rising above the waves and towering skywards.
Fish eat tiny creatures found in weeds growing on rocks, they also feed on crabs, fish fry, lugworm. limpits, sandeels, etc. If you can get down to the rock base at low tide, check for places to fish: clumps of weed and colonies of shellfish, patches of sand or sand/mud between rocks, hollows in the rocks and channels or lanes between rocks - well travelled fish roots leading from one feeding spot to another. As the tide rises, so do the fish, investigating evey nook and cranny for deposited morsels of food. And keeping an eye on the smaller feeding fish are the BIG predators. Rock fishing can give you some good catches and good sport at any time of day; the best bags of fish are often caught on a rising tide near dawn, or as dusk approaches. Among the fish that can be caught from rocks around the coast are, Bass, Bream, coalfish, Cod, Conger eels, Dabs, Flounders, Plaice, Dogfish (bull huss), Mackerel, Pollack, Pouting, Whitting and Wrasse.
***TIPS***
* Stay back from the edge of the rocks so the fish don't see you.
* Groundbait suspended in a fine mesh bag or loose feed will attract fish to your bait hook.
* Choose a bait the fish will recognise as a natural food eg crab,lugworm, sandeels etc.
* Keep your line tight so as not to get snaged on the submerged rooks.
* Reel - in line immediately a bite is indicated. the hooked must be stoped from diving the rocks as this can cut your line. And so no fish!
* You'll need a long handled landing net or drop net to lift fish from the water. If you are fishing from the top of the rocks you'll have to fish with extre strong line at least 30lb (13.60kg) breaking strain so that you are able to haul your catch up the rock face.

* Never go rock fishing alone.
* Wear walking or climbing boots; never rubber boots - they slip on wet rocks.
* Carry a watch and make sure you know the times and heights of local tides. Stay well above rising tide waves.
* Avoid slippery weed covered sections, stick to safe place you can get out of if the weather turns bad.
* NEVER run across rocks.
* wear a flotation suit.

SAFETY HINTS ON ROCK FISHING

Deep rocky gullies below cliffs are good places to find a wide variety of species.

Boat fishing

Fish shoals often follow regular routes across the seabed to established feeding grounds,called MARKS. Known "marks" nearly always give good results. To learn boat fishing properly and locate the local "magic" fishing marks, go out with a professional charter boat skipper.
Inshore fishing
Sea angling from a boat within 3miles (4.82km) of the shore is "inshore fishing". A dinghy or motor launch is adequate for this type of fishing.
Fishing near sand or sand/mud river estuaries produces fair - sized Bass, Dabs, Flounders, Mullet, Plaice, Thornback rays, and sometimes Turbot.
Rocky, rough inshore seabeds are good hunting grounds for coalfish, Conger eels, Dogfish (bull huss), Pollack, Pouting and Wrasse.
Deep sea fishing
Once 3 miles (4.82km) or more away from shore, you're deep sea fishing - regardless of the depth of water beneath the boat. A purpose-built sea-going vessel is essential for deep sea fishing. Among the larger fish caught from deep sea marks are: Cod, Coalfish, Conger eels, Halibut, Ling, Pollack, Rays, Skates,Tope and Turbot.
***TIPS***
* Don't drink too much alcohol the night before your trip! have a light breakfast.
* Dress in warm clothes.
* Pack a hearty lunch and a flask of coffee, (hot).
* Take a spare pullover and waterproofs or a sea anglers flotation suit.
* And don't forget to take plenty of bait; also a board on which to cut the bait, spare hooks etc.
* After fishing's finished, clean and tidy the boat. And you'll be welcomed back next time.

SAFETY HINTS ON BOAT FISHING

* Always wear an inflatable life jacket (either your own or one supplied by the boat's skipper). A sea anglers flotation suit is a good investment. Your life is worth the price!
* Never wear thigh boots in a boat. Should you fall overboard, they'll fill with water and sink you like a stone. Wear rubber soled walking boots or calf high rubber boots, and kick them off as soon as possible if you should go over the side.

DISCLAIMER: This web site is intended as a source of infomation on fishing. The author can not be held responsible
                                  for any specific individual's reactions, harmful effects or claims arising from the use of the general
                                  data and suggestions it contains. The use of any information contained on this web site is entirely at
                                  the reader's own risk.

Baits

Give a man a fish ..... feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish ..... feed him for life.

Recommended Retention Size Limits (RRSLs)

The UK Government, via MAFF, lay down only certain Minimum Landing Sizes (MLSs). However, with conservation in mind, the NFSA provide Recommended Retention Size Limits (RRSLs) for the majority of fish likely to be caught in UK waters. An RRSL is a suggested size for a fish, any fish below should be returned to the sea. All fish are to be measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail fin, except Skates and Rays which are to be measured wing tip to wing tip.

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