new to shore fishing

[djrooni]

hi im Ronnie ,live in Devon have done a little small boat fishing off of beer, and am keen to do alot more, but recently had a hopeless attempt at shore fishing on branscombe whilst the mrs baked,i didnt know what tack use , so i put a strip of mackerel on a hook used a wieght with the metal grippers on that my dad gave me and cast out ...plop, must be doing something wrong 20 casts (20 awful casts)i think i managed 40yards but with every cast i had a birds nest, the very last was so bad i had to cut it off and give up. so determined i got some new line and got out another beach reel?that my father inlaw gave me and the other night i went back to branscombe armed with the knowledge it was high tide and full moon(i thought from reading numerous forums and the sea angler mag that it would be ok fishing,)got there and there wasnt a sole around, now id been practicing casting in the field acheiving a terrible 42yards.....help...how hard can it be, any way did over come one hurdle ,finding the new reel doesnt birds nest...yippee, again fishing blind i tried mackerel feathers for an hour,nothing,then rubber sand eels, i was in front of the tea shop bit, any advise, when i should go,and more helpful how to cast,will be trying to improve with yet more field practice, am desperate to get it rite,to catch some fish, the mrs wont let me spend any more money on tack until i do

[toomanyhounds]

Hi Ronnie,

how may questions in one parargaph? lets start with the obvious. if you are complaining of birds nests then you must be useing a multiplier? which is really abitious for a newbie beach caster and to be honest 40 yards would be quite an achievement. try a fixed spool first, these can be had off ebay or from can boot sales for next to nothing and will dramatically improve your casting distance.

what rod are you using? to get the best results you need a long rod (mine is 15ft, but 13 is fine) and a dedicated beachcaster is designed for the job.

if you are using mackerel feathers, how are you using them? its not just a case of attaching a weight casting out and waiting for the mackerel to bite!.
you have to make them appear to behave like bait fish for them to want to eat them, so cast out as far as you can using a fairly light weight (not one with the prongs of a grip lead), wait for it to hit the water and count, starting off at a second or 2 befor begining to reel in at a steady pace while occasionally jerking your rod to simulate the movement of a small schoal of fish. if no yoy then add a second or 2 to your count before reeling in to get your feathers to a deeper depth. this only really works from a beach on a really good cast, if you are still struggling with your cast try from a headland as this will get you further out into the feeding zones of mackerel.

The new reel probably insnt birdnesting because its braking is too much, hindering your casting distance, the trick is finding the sweet spot in the reel braking for your style of casting and the weight you use, personally i have my reel unbreaked and just use my thumb to stop any overrun and prevent nesting.

the other thing that makes a difference is the ammount if line you have on your reel. I know people that can cast around 80 yards but have around 200 yards of line on their reels. why?

lots of fish feed from scent so unless you are using your artificial baits properly, you may as well be chucking unbaited hooks out there, try lug, rag or mackerel (or combinations of the above)

other than that, keep up the practice

[djrooni]

thanks for the reply,in addition thanks to utube it would appear my entire casting technique is poor and will be field practicing again 2moro.may i ask what the wieghts with prongs are for i thought i needed them to anchor me down so my line didnt drift in,also are there better times day night tides moons to fish,oh and flatties whilst obviously at this stage it would be great to catch anything but ultimately id love to target specific fish?
thanks again

[devonutopia]

I don't profess to have the best cast in the world, but when spinning with a 4oz weight I can usually get 70 yards+. I've never been to Branscombe but there's some good fishing to be had between Exmouth and Budleigh. One thing I noticed was when bottom fishing, you can get a small float to slightly lift your bait off the bottom to prevent crabs getting it, and also helping with weeds too I imagine. :)

I can't cast with a multiplier for some reason, but love using fixed spool - Was just how I was brought up by the old man.

[toomanyhounds]

hi ronnie,

the ones with the prongs on are used to hold bottom when there is strong current or adverse weather conditions although i tend to us them whenever I am bottom fishing as i like to keep my lines tight and my rods with a bend in them.

you can use float beads to get your bait off the bottom but I tend not to bother, many species scour the sea bed for food, especially the ones you should be looking to catch at first to give you the encouragement you need to carry on with this frustrating hobby. crabs are just one of the annoying things about sea/beach fishing, but if they werent around to annoy us then we wouldn't have peelers which are by far the most effective bait to use (around my area anyway)

I dont understand why people practice casting in to a field? if you are going to practice casting anywhere, why not into water? there is no reason you shouldn't stick a couple of baited hooks on your line. you may actually catch a fish, which I can confidently say you wont do in a field

[pompy.bass.man]

hi

welcome to the forum

regards

ollie

[djrooni]

well guys going to continue with my spinner reel for a while,went out 'field casting' again just now,(and yes i agree it seems a bit daft, but i have one rite in front of my cottage and any practice i can get rite now is a bonus),any way further to watching techniques on utube am now managing a consistant 56yards!lame i know im sure all you boys are simply amazing....hmmm i think it might be something to do with the size of my rod!its 9ft and my reading tells me size matters....time to persuade the wife to allow me to spend some £, any recommendations?

[toomanyhounds]

recommendations on getting your wife to allow you to spend money or recommendations for beachcaster rod?

the former is definately not my field (i have the same problem myself) the latter however i can suggest ebay where I picked up a brand new Ron Thompson Zensorflex 15ft 3 piece beachcaster for £20 +p+p. and that rod can send your bait out a hell of a long way.

[djrooni]

you guys are great, what a brilliant forum,off to ebay to find myself a new rod,looking for a 'reel' good deal lol

[djrooni]

14ft fladen charter beach?good rod ?cheap rubbish that will break?