Fishing help needed.

[roycruse]

OK - Firstly lets start with explaining I'm a raw beginner here so any replies need to be well explained with no fancy names for things as I wont know what they are.

Secondly - I don't want to be carrying around a fecking great tackle box etc - I'm not taking it too seriously - just want to catch the odd fish for tea.

So far I have had great success with mackerel with a simple hand line with a huge great weight on the line followed by 10ft more line and a simple spoon type spinner on the end. I chuck this over this side till it hits the bottom - then start up the boat and tow it at about 4 knots. Using this technique I have never gone longer than 5 minutes before dumb ass mackerel has jumped on the hook.

However I'm getting bored of eating only mackerel.

I already own a nice little 6'5" Fladden powerstick boat rod - with a multiplier reel. I keep this in a 1.3m rod bag along with a cutting board and a fillet knife and at the moment not a lot else. As i said i don't want to have to carry a tackle box so i want everything i need to fit in the pockets on this bag.

My plan is to troll for mackerel and then cut up the mackerel for use as bait to catch something else.

So what I'm looking for is the simplest rig that I can bait up with strips of mackerel that will catch me something else. I would also like to be able to take the same setup and chuck it over the local harbour wall with the kid sometimes.

Also if anyone knows a good beginners fishing website with diagrams etc - of how to rig and bait your weights and hooks for this type of fishing - i would be very grateful.

[Hightower]

The simplest rig is where your weight sits on your mainline next a bead and then a swivel. Next attach your trace to the other end of the swivel and make this trace as long or short as you think 6' is a nice mid way point. Stick your hook on the end of this and your away. There are slightly different things you can do with this basic set up like add extra hooks and place colours beads near the hooks etc.

You might like to wind on 20 or 30' of 50lb shock trace on the end of the mainline. This does two things. 1. Doesn't wear so easily and so is great for your weight to run up and down on. 2. When landing that big fish, it gives you a couple of turns on your reel so that you're not so likley to loose your fish. (Most fish are lost on the surface)

Hope this help a bit/bite .

[roycruse]

Thanks for the reply.

What do I do with it then - tow it - drift with it - stick it on the bottom and wait, ???

I really am that ignorant at this fishing stuff - I blame my old man

Also - what size weight are we talking typically.

[Hightower]

Oh..Stick it on bottom and wait. You can Anchor and have a beer or drift and have a beer . Best to ask around your local fishing tackel shops as to where the best spots are, some even have maps that they've made and photocopied.

When you've found your mark look at the depth finder to where the runoff of a deep gully or rough ground starts. Unless it's sand banks that is.

[Nick Thompson]

Andy,

I am in the same state as Roy 'I'm a raw beginner here so any replies need to be well explained with no fancy names for things as I wont know what they are.'

Originally Posted by Hightower

rig
mainline
bead
swivel.
trace
hook
30' of 50lb shock trace

?
?
?
?
?
OK, I know what a hook is
?

Regards

[Hightower]

Rig....Is a general name for the whole setup

Mainline.... is the line wound onto your reel

Bead....Is a bead , a little round object with a hole in the middle of it, stops the weight from snagging the knot

Swivel.....Stops the trace from getting all tangled up

Trace......Length of line beteen weight and hook

Shock trace....Is a heavier line than the mainline, as expland it's really a safety measure to stop the weaker mainline from breaking.

Hope that's more clear now.

[roycruse]

Originally Posted by Nick Thompson

I am in the same state as Roy

Im not that bad

I have actually just found quite a usefull website. http://www.seafishingsupplies.co.uk/reference_rigs.php

[Hightower]

Yeh, I've done a search as well http://www.geocities.com/tony2kuk/rigs.html

[Nick Thompson]

Originally Posted by Hightower

Yeh, I've done a search as well http://www.geocities.com/tony2kuk/rigs.html

Thanks

[roycruse]

thanks andy

These sites are great at explaining these rigs but they don't tell you exactly what to do with them or how much weight to stick on the end.

I think I like the idea of a simple set of mackerel feathers - especially the fact that once you've caught the mackerel - you can then bait up the same hooks with the mackerel and use it to catch whiting etc... (well according to what I've read so far anyway)

my next questions are about technique.

on my boat I guess I just weight up the end of the set of feathers and stick it over the side, but

1. what size weight would i need
2. do i let it sit on the bottom or jig it up and down or put it at whatever depth the fish are on my fish finder or all 3 ???

when at the harbour do I just cast it out and let it lie - or keep it moving or what ???

[Nos4r2]

try worldseafishing.com as well-it's got some more basic explanations and shows you how to put bait on the hook so it's displayed most effectively. It helped me no end when all I was catching was sodding wrasse.

[Alice]

I think what would surprise you Roy is just how few fish there are out there. Unless you are over a "mark" of some description. Like the Mackeral there are plenty of Wrasse which arn't worth eating. Ideally you need to get some wreck marks etc into the GPS. When I'm spearfishing, apart from the odd Pollack, it's fairly sparse pickins'.

[Andy Moore]

Here is another useful place to ask questions about good places to fish in your area:

http://www.sea-fishing.org/forums.html

[roycruse]

Thanks everyone - Im off to the tackle shop at lunchtime - to kit myself out.

Suppose I will have to buy some bait or are the mackerel here yet ? They start arriving about now dont they ?

[Andy Moore]

Originally Posted by roycruse

Suppose I will have to buy some bait or are the mackerel here yet ? They start arriving about now dont they ?

Can I suggest looking at the Rapala lures. They are great for bass!

When you see the birds working, chuck one over the side and troll it about for a while. Good fun. No messy bait to deal with.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Alice

I think what would surprise you Roy is just how few fish there are out there. Unless you are over a "mark" of some description. Like the Mackeral there are plenty of Wrasse which arn't worth eating. Ideally you need to get some wreck marks etc into the GPS. When I'm spearfishing, apart from the odd Pollack, it's fairly sparse pickins'.

Not suprising really considering the way our fisheries protection people have hounded our fishermen out of exsistence whilst allowing the Spanish factory ships a freehand!!!

[Alice]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

Can I suggest looking at the Rapala lures. They are great for bass!

When you see the birds working, chuck one over the side and troll it about for a while. Good fun. No messy bait to deal with.

Trago's sell 'Rapala' lures Roy. You'll be able to sort ya' tackle out down there.

[Andy Moore]

Originally Posted by Alice

Trago's sell 'Rapala' lures Roy. You'll be able to sort ya' tackle out down there.

Look out for the Yo-zuri Crystal Minnows too. The silvery ones really look like sandeels.

[woot]

I have done loads of fishing from boats over the years and in my humble opinion if you have control of your own boat don't get bored fishing static baits at anchor go for a mobile approach. Over the last few years I have had some great sport with Pollack on Jelly worms fishing either over rough ground/reefs or wrecks. With your boat and area Roycruise you could have some superb sport. Here is how it works for me.
Buy some Jelly Eels as shown in the piccie and some strong hooks (ask your dealer for a suitable size and strength, I use Mustad 6/0).
Tie a hook onto a length of 18lb breaking strain line (trace). The length of line depends on the strength of the tide. If the tide is running hard use around 6ft, if the tide is slack drop it down to 3ft or you will get tangles.
Thread the worm onto the hook head first and pull the hook out through the body at the distance of the straight portion of the hook (about 30mm)
Tie a swivel on the other end of the cut length of line (trace).
Attach a five ounce weight onto a carrier of some description and thread the weight onto your main (reel) line. I don't know the name of the weight boom/carriers I use but they look like red duffle coat toggles with a metal clip on.
Thread a plastic bead onto the main (reel) line to stop the weight crashing into the swivel and then tie the main line onto the other end of the trace swivel.
This is a very basic set up but very effective and puts you in very direct contact with a taking fish.
Here is the important bit and the bit most people get wrong. To fish the lures find yourself the rough ground/wreck and let the boat drift naturally. Lower the weight SLOWLY to prevent tangles until the weight touches botton. When you hit bottom wind the reel handle QUICKLY for 3 full revolutions this means you shouldn't catch bottom too many times. You now need to wind the reel handle SLOWLY and SMOOTHLY to allow the worm to work its magic. Keep winding slowly and smoothly even if you feel knocks when the time is right the fish will hook themselves.
Finally make sure the clutch of the reel (star wheel on side) is set light enought that you can pull line off the reel with a good tug. If this is set too heavy when a good fish takes it will either snap your line or rip its mouth.
I hope this helps and I wish I was a faster typist.

[roycruse]

Very thorough description - many thanks for taking the time to type all that out.

Nice looking fish by the way - I look forward to eating my first non mackerel catch.