Fng

[Capt Horatio McCallister]

Hello,

Well its another newbie, but you all seem very friendly so im surfacing and popping my head out.

I am a grouse hunter by experience and own a small farm in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, but have always held a strong desire to fish since i caught absolutely nothing with my Tom Sawyer 401 as a boy.

I am currently planning a trip to Loch Earn with a few friends who are also more hunters than fishermen and admit our knowledge of just about anything to do with technique or line lengths, lure depths etc etc and all that is zero, so hopefully you can help me with a few questions as im sure you knew i had. =)

I am set on this rod at present-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Which i will respool (?) with a tougher line as i hope to catch Pike with it as well as trout etc, maybe some sea fishing at somepoint too.

Ive already bought a standard ball float and a tiger stripe trout lure with a few hooks so i wonder what sort of lengths to put the hook from the float and where or if to put split shot between the hook and float too among other things?

As for Pike ive read you have/are encouraged to put them back? I may not even bother if this is the case as ive always wanted to try Pike, especialy if i caught it myself.

I suppose thats it, but any helpful reminders or common newbie blunder warnings are very welcome.

Thanks, glad to be here.

[MRG2000]

Welcome to the forum.

I dont think killing and eating Pike will go down too well with any true angler,but if your planning on fishing for them with the rod you mention you shouldn`t have that problem a decent Pike will destroy it long before you get it to the bank.

[Maddison_Twatter]

Id recomend a better rod if you are hunting for pike also as the telescopic will as MRG said fall to bits if you hook a decent fish.
Make sure you do your homework when fishing for pike as these are no easy fish to handle once landed and need to be treated with care .
I dont see a problem with eating them as long as the lakes rules permit it, I wouldnt do it myself but Ive heard they taste like shite anyway. for pike Id recomend a minumum of 12lb line 15lb even better, if you are using lures you will need to use a wire trace of at least 12 inches. also make sure you have a decent pair of forceps ,at least 12 inches.
I would try you local tackle shop to get some more detailed info and decent gear.

[Capt Horatio McCallister]

Originally Posted by MRG2000

Welcome to the forum.

I dont think killing and eating Pike will go down too well with any true angler,but if your planning on fishing for them with the rod you mention you shouldn`t have that problem a decent Pike will destroy it long before you get it to the bank.

Thank you for the advice, and yet here i am no further forward.

I suppose after a moments pause, yes im going to make my next question on what rod you would recommend, or if its a mute point as i of course will not be after Pike, and it will suit brown/rainbow trout.

Im also failing to follow you in relation to why Pike are not to be caught for food (which i have no problem with) and is frowned upon as you didnt explain it at all, not even a little bit. Sticking with those two unexpected queries.

Originally Posted by Maddison_Twatter

Id recomend a better rod if you are hunting for pike also as the telescopic will as MRG said fall to bits if you hook a decent fish.
Make sure you do your homework when fishing for pike as these are no easy fish to handle once landed and need to be treated with care .
I dont see a problem with eating them as long as the lakes rules permit it, I wouldnt do it myself but Ive heard they taste like shite anyway. for pike Id recomend a minumum of 12lb line 15lb even better, if you are using lures you will need to use a wire trace of at least 12 inches. also make sure you have a decent pair of forceps ,at least 12 inches.
I would try you local tackle shop to get some more detailed info and decent gear.

Oh, just saw this, thank you indeed, i knew telescopic rods werent exactly strong but i think you've convinced me against it.

I would ask the ghillie but this was just to save me prepurchasing.

Have been in Country Life in Edinburgh when my friend got his rod, but didnt pick up on the vast differance a telescopic really would be, ill probably just end up with the same one my friend bought there.

Will keep looking, thanks again, very helpful.

[MRG2000]

Originally Posted by Capt Horatio McCallister

Thank you for the advice, and yet here i am no further forward.

I suppose after a moments pause, yes im going to make my next question on what rod you would recommend, or if its a mute point as i of course will not be after Pike, and it will suit brown/rainbow trout.

Im also failing to follow you in relation to why Pike are not to be caught for food (which i have no problem with) and is frowned upon as you didnt explain it at all, not even a little bit. Sticking with those two unexpected queries.

Well i`m no expert as i fish in the sea ,but a rod suitable for Pike fishing ,wouldnt be much use for trout.The ways they are fished for vary greatly.

Pike rods are pretty meaty ,designed to tame a very powerful predator ,and handle large baits.Trout are mainly fished for on the fly,and these rods are a lot less meaty ,although Fly fishing for Pike is very popular ,but i would think fly rods for Pike are heavier built than a standard fly rod.

I`m sure someone who is much more knowledgeable about freshwater fishing will be along to explain ,much better than i can later .

As for not eating Pike ,its always been the norm ,for as long as i`ve been fishing, i have no more of an explanation than that .

[Capt Horatio McCallister]

So its one or the other, right, well i may just as i said end up with what the chap in Country Life suggested which was this-

http://shop.countrylife-edinburgh.co...d-9-2382-p.asp

I think if i cool my heels and get a nice rod for trout then im doing well, its just a bother that fly seems to be the best for trout and that would i assume require a bit of training to cast properly.

Unless its perfectly fine and practical to spin for them. There is Charr in there too though im told, not sure if they feed the same way as trout or not.

[Maddison_Twatter]

Originally Posted by Capt Horatio McCallister

So its one or the other, right, well i may just as i said end up with what the chap in Country Life suggested which was this-

http://shop.countrylife-edinburgh.co...d-9-2382-p.asp

I think if i cool my heels and get a nice rod for trout then im doing well, its just a bother that fly seems to be the best for trout and that would i assume require a bit of training to cast properly.

Unless its perfectly fine and practical to spin for them. There is Charr in there too though im told, not sure if they feed the same way as trout or not.

Ive spun for trout in a loch near Glasgow and I caught loads

[scottish_and_mental]

with a decent 9 foot spinning rod you can take pike and trout no bother .. ive had pike on a 12lb float rod but it was bent more than louis spence ..
buy some devon minnows ( a kind of spinner ) and you wont go wrong for trout ..
As for eating pike i cant see why you can eat a trout and not a pike - they are both rank as far as im concerned but i suppose to most folk its like eating a lamb but not being allowed to eat a cat ! ( the pike being the cat )
As most freshwater anglers on here are sport anglers the utmost care is usually taken to ensure the fish go back to fight another day ...
Its not like shooting a partridge and hoping you can shoot it again the week after

[Capt Horatio McCallister]

Well that was my hope to get a rod that would do both, but the consensus seems to be you need seperate for each, when my inexperienced self thought that if you have a tough rod and line then the rod should be even better at catching trout when its a pike setup.

Maybe with a rod thats sensitive but sturdy like this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[scottish_and_mental]

aye but if you only have spinning in mind then the one rod is fine - be wary of folk that tell you ( like the ad on that ebay rod ) that you can use a rod for 20 different purposes because no such rod exists and certainly not one for 25 squid !
the one in the pic tho is TOO heavy for your needs as the lures are smaller for pike and trout fishing -- the 100-150g rating is the casting ability ie what sort of size lures it will comfortably handle.. but whack a smaller trout spinner on it and it wont bend - therefore will cast about 10 foot !
A carp rod might just do the trick