Equipment Advice for Complete Novice

[Steve_640]

Hi, I would like to take up beach fishing, but unfortunately know very little about it, or anyone who does. I was wandering if you guys could help?

My problem is that having no reference, I am finding it difficult to determine, on what and how much I should spend on a rod and reel. I have bought a couple of Fishing magazines, which to be honest has probably only confused me more.

What’s the difference between a Beach Caster, a Surf Rod and a Match Rod?

I live in Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex, and will probably be doing most of my fishing here, the beach is shingle up at the top of the groins, with gentle sloping sand below. There are the occasion rocky outcrops in the sand, but these could be avoided by a recci at low tide.

The key factor with my choice is the fact that for transport reasons, I need a rod that breaks down into sections no bigger than the 54”, so a 3 or 4 piece rod.

I have never used a multiplier reel, but I am prepared to give it a go, I am assuming that they are better, although harder to use than fixed spool.

Would I be better of buying a really cheap rod and reel, to keep me going until I really know what I want, or would it be better to spend as much as I can afford at the outset (approx. £150 for both Rod and Reel).

Sorry for all the questions.

Any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

[Ben]

you will get a nice rod/reel for £150 and you could spend alot less and still get 1 which does the same job
a beachcaster is what you will want really, can use it for pritty much anything
a match that with a nice fixed spool reel n you will be sorted(some people prefer multi but i have used both n find fs much easyer and get the same distance, you either love em or you hate them), wanna have a rod which can cast from 3oz-8oz ish
the best thing to do is go into a tackel shop n say what it is you want and for what price, dont say £150 though because they will sell you loadsa stuff you dont need, say around £75-100
hope this helps

[delboy]

firstly welcome to the forum
secondly if you want a multiplier that is easy to use go for a daiwa 7ht tornament look around and you can get one for about £79 rrp is £125 easy to use out of the box and when you get good at using it you can still use it to punch a bait out well over 140+yards as for the rod not sure but there are some good 3 piece ones about and if you get the reel for £79 you still have £70 to spend on a rod

[cbr6fs]

Hi Steve,

I’ve only been sea fishing for about 2 months, so my advice is pretty limited, but i have been where you are now only a few months ago soooooo.

Everybody has their own opinions so it's not easy getting straight answers, what works for 1 might not work for another, multi reels are a good example, some swear by them, others refuse to use them, here is what i know from my limited experience.

A multi will in theory cast further than a fixed reel BUT

As a beginner it is usually recommended to get a multi with some sort of braking system (usually magnetic), the reason for this is as your bait approaches the end of its travel its speed slows, the Multi reel spool does not, so if you don't slow the spool you get a birds nest, right after your reel, you should use your thumb to slow the spool but i am told this takes a long time to perfect, hence the braking system,
Secondly its is also usually recommended as a beginner to get a reel with level wind, this positions the line onto the spool in the correct position, if you do not have a level wind then you have to position the line onto spool with your thumb.

The level wind and the braking cause a lot of drag (the braking is adjustable to increase or reduce the drag), because of this I personally find a fixed spool casts further, but I am sure if I had the time and patience to master a multi I could eventually cast further.
For me an extra 20 or 30 yards is not going to make any difference, so I honestly can’t be bothered with the extra hassle of multi.

As for rods I prefer a softer action, I only have the use of 1hand so 150 yard casts are out of the question so I prefer a softer feel which helps detect bites from smaller fish (about all I can find here).

The only other advice I can offer is don’t go too expensive on kit yet, I have made mistakes with kit purchases luckily most of my kit is reasonably priced so no major drama, I now stick with the main well know companies like Daiwa, Abu, Okuma etc.
Try and meet up with a few of the other guys here, I am sure they would let try casting a few times with a few different setups of rods and reels.

Other than mate just enjoy it, enjoyment does not have anything to do with price paid, nor does it seem catching fish.

Cheers Mark.

[DownSouth]

I would avoid using a multiplier for a while. If you have never used one you will more than likely end up with birdnests. Not only does it become a pain in the butt, but it's so damned frustrating. This could put you off fishing very early on. Stick with a fixed spool reel until your confidence and experience increases.

Don't forget, you'll need more than just a rod and reel to get going. There are weights and rigs for starters plus line as well. If you are going to start fishing very soon, then you will want to invest in some decent waterproof and warm gear. On top of that you might want to consider some form of shelter for those really cold days. I know it sounds daft, but there are things like flasks too if you don't already have one. You'll certainly need a headtorch if you want to fish at night. So with Xmas coming up, you can ask for all those little extras that soon mount up for presents. This could be a good time to start fishing

How about looking at some of the combo deals that you will find in the Sea Angler and Total Sea Fising mags. Have a wander along some of your local beaches and have a chat with the guys fishing too. Most anglers are generous with tackle advice. You could also contact a local sea fishing club and ask for advice, again they would be more than willing to help. If you join, get along to club matches and start talking to the other members. I learned so much from joining my club in a very short time.

[delboy]

look in your local paper and see if there is any good secondhand tackle that way you maybe able to go to your local beach and have a go and then you can see if the rod and reel suits you, plus you will get twice as much tackle for your money but take another angler along with you so that they can say if its worth it or not and you may get the whole lot for a reasonable price plus you may be able to get some good advise off them as well, cant see them saying no to them coming with you to try it out if they want to sell it and with christmas coming up you could get yourself a real bargain if someone needs a few beer tokens

[Ben]

go for a combo, look at 1 around the £70 mark, nuthing more, then say about £30 for rigs, weights etc..
stick to fixed spool,
if you then decide you dont like fishing, well you have only spent £100 and with the other £50 you can try footy

[cbr6fs]

I wouldn't worry to much about the other stuff , all ya need is a bit of line some hooks and bait to go fishing really , the lights and waterproofs and every thing else you can pick up over time.
I just wear me clothes i use for cleaning the car, i can't bring meself to spend money on clothes that i don't even take into the house without fumergating.
Me waterproofs were 15 euros from a market

I really would not recommend buying a second hand carbon or carbon composite rod unless you know for sure the history or you completely trust the previous owner.

Firstly the resin which holds the carbon in position will eventually deteriorate from UV light so if it is an old rod then it may fail or seem as though it is soft.
Also if the carbon fiber is used under repeated stress then a process called fiber pullout (this is what makes the rod seem soft) occurs, the fibers are pulled through the resin resulting in the material loosing integrity over time, and eventually snapping, unfortunately you cannot see this.

So if you do buy second hand choose wisely.

Just another quick bit of advice guys do not use a silicon type polish on ya rods, this breaks down the resins causing them to become brittle, then snap.

Cheers Mark.

[delboy]

steve bet your even more confused trouble is everybody has a different thought what is best hope get what you want unless there are some members near you who you could meet up with and have a try with there rods and then make up your mind

[Steve_640]

Thanks Guys,

Ben, I have been into a couple of the local tackle shops, and they did not seem to have much choice, my corcern is that I will end up with what was best for the shop keeper (i.e. what they had in stock and what gave them the best profit) rather than what was best for me.

Mark, although I was aware of the continuing spool operation of the Multi reel, I had not thought about winding the line onto the reel level.

I think you guys are right in that a multi reel at this point may be a bit to much for me to cope with. It therefore makes sense for me to buy a cheap rod and reel for now, until I know more about what I am doing and have a clear idea of what I want.

Ron Thompson apear to do a three piece rod and Fixed spool for £50, so provided this breaks down equally, it looks suitable.

The only new complication is that having seen my fishing magazines my eldest son who has just turned 4, also wants to go fishing. As there is a discount for two rods, anyone any idea of what age he would probably be able to
1) Wind in the rod when cast for him (with help he could probably do this now)
2) Cast a 12/13' rod on his own a distance of about 40 + yards.

Thanks Steve.