Equipment Advice for Complete Novice

[Ben]

if the cars a convertable i dont knwo what you are worrying about really

[cbr6fs]

Not sure why we shouldn't worry if we've got a convertable Ben, cause usually it means no back seats and tiny boot, and it's defffinatly not recomended to drop the roof and have ya rods poking out at 100mph +, besides what do you do if it's raining??

Don't get too pissed off Steve, everyone has thier own opinions, it just takes a little time and experiance before ya can think they are talking aload of clap trap, All this distance casting is just about blokes bragging, near on all the time.

I do and you will catch good fish with ANY rod, over here and in Spain etc they fish without rods mainly, they just stick a big weight on a spool and throw it out, and if ya see some of the fish these guys catch its amazing.

In my mind the distance ya cast is probably the least important part of fishing, it's how you present the bait and what bait you use, it's selecting the correct times to go (tides), and it's selecting the correct mark, and casting into the correct place, its no coinsidence that most porfessional fishermen try to get thier boats as close to the shore as they can.

70m or 150m does it really make any difference at all to catchers?
Especially as when ya bait gets to 150m + what sort of state is it in?
Mate get yourself a very basic setup 3 piece, telescopic what ever takes ya fancy, then let the bloke on the mark say all his stuff about ya kit being no good, then when ya pulling fish out 2 to his 1 just turn and smile.

We don't go fishing to see how far we cast do we? We go to catch fish and thats all that matters, it don't matter how fast you go down the straights it's how fast you complete the whole race that matters,
We have an expresion in bike racing you've first got to finish a race, before you can win it.

[kiwimarty]

Someone with some sence......thank you.

[Pross]

I cast just as far with my Shakespeare telebeach as with my 2 piece Shakespeare rod (about 20 yards with both lol!). Besides, what does it matter, just find a mark where you catch at short range which I reckon is probably at least as often as at long range or use a pier / breakwater etc. to get you out further than anyones casting range.

[Ben]

or a boat

[Steve_640]

Thanks Guys,

Well I went to another tackle shop last night, and got a far more positive reaction to 3 piece rods, the only advice I did have however, was that if I was going for a three piece, that I should buy a better one (which seemed reasonable). So ignoring everyones advice here, I bought a Penn Surfblaster Seatrek twin tip. At £175, this was more than my original budget, but apart from the two different tips, it did come with a free 525 SuperMag. Seemed a bargin. Now all I need to do is to work out how to cast with a multiplier.

Thanks again, Steve.

[Pross]

Glad you're sorted out, now you can get on with the important stuff like catching fish.

[delboy]

cbr6fs
i have to disagree with your thoughts on casting i go fishing with a bunch of guys every week who use the same bait as me same rigs and all that but the only difference is that i can cast at least 30 yards further than the best caster out of them and i have caught 16 codling this winter all sizeable and none of the others have caught a sizeable one yet, now you cant say that is luck and you say my bait must be in a right mess if i cast it 150 yards but i do catch quality fish at that distance with a messed up bait if you have good bait and put it where the fish are you will catch along with a couple of secrets but i can only say that about the beaches i fish in norfolk and suffolk i am not saying this is the same on all beaches but being able to cast a good distance i would say does give me an advantage around my way and i can always drop one short if i need to, before i was able to cast a good distance i used to go fishing with a casting instructor and he used to out fish me hands down all the time if the fish were at distance so i took a few lessons and now it has paid off well i think so anyway

[cbr6fs]

Hi Del,

As you know mate i am fairly new to this game, i know for me and i can guess for others there are a couple of things that can be really off putting

Firstly it comes down to kit advice,
A top of the range rod can help with bite detection and adds a few meters to casts, a top quality reel is not going to make much difference performance wise but they will last longer,
But how much more fish do you catch per quid ya spend?
And why is it in nearly all advice in various forms of media, judge rods by how far the journalist can cast it, on that certain day,
To me matching a rod to the persons abilities and getting it to work in unison with the rest of his kit and bite detection is way more important, yet its very rare you hear about that.

Second is distance casting all this talking about 150m - 200m is all well and good, but you do not NEED to cast 150m to catch a good fish.
A good fisherman is not measured by his tackle (fishing tackle) or how far he can cast; a good fisherman is measured by the fish he catches, and to do this he pulls on his experience,
His experience will tell him
What rig to use,
The size of hooks to select,
How much weight he needs to attach,
What line he needs to use,
When to go fishing and where,
How to select a good mark using his experience to judge tides, cross tides, seaweed and rock locations and swells
What bait is good at given times, locations, tides and how clear the water is.
And to position the bait where he wants it,

Casting 150m – 200m is just another weapon the experienced angler can use if required, but again experience has taught him how to cast smoothly and keep his bait presentable and in one piece, rather than thrash a 150gm lead 150m, meanwhile his bait is doing an excellent job of feeding the fish 50m from him.

In my mind it's more important to get out there fishing and get EXPERIANCE than it is to buy top quality kit, and as a newcomer it’s better to build up to better kit once you know what it is that you need, after learning from your own mistakes and gaining experience.

I am not pretending to know everything or even much at all, some of you guys have forgotten more about fishing than I know, but i think we have to be really careful with people like me coming into our sport, because my view from so many media sources is distance, distance, distance, and if you can’t cast 150m pack up and go home.

Most of the memorable fishing trips I have had I have caught diddly squat, still had a fantastic day out though, in the sun, rain or wind, listening to the waves crash on the shore, doing my best to battle against nature with all the kit I can carry to the beach.

Shouldn’t that be what fishing is about?

Cheers Mark.

[delboy]

no sorry i go fishing to catch fish whats the point of spending x amount on gear and not be bothered if you catch anything all the times you go you are trying to learn a little bit more than you did last time so you can use that knowledge next time but i suppose in greece there are plenty of bits of crumpet to look at and if you dont catch i bet you still have a good day we dont get any crumpet on the beach in july here you are so lucky