Clueless!

[HJX]

Hello, newbie to the board and to fishing in general so apologies for the dumb questions you've probably answered a million times before (I did a search but couldn't quite get the info I needed).

Basically I'm just starting up as I have been given a bunch of gear but haven't used a fishing rod for around ten years, so need to be treated like a dummy with the most basic information - any links to diagrams would help because I've got no-one to teach me.

I'm going to be almost exclusively fishing from the beach - I'm wondering what the best rigs for a beginner would be to use, I've got a tackle box full of stuff, including floats, mackerel feathers, weights, beads, swivels, line and other junk so hopefully have all the stuff I need to knock up something basic.

I was looking at float rigs but wondered if there was something simple I could do with just mackerel feathers and a small weight to practice my casting, even if I don't catch anything at first I want to get into tying knots, knocking up my own rigs, casting and just generally learning the basics. Only problem is I don't have any 60lb line for a shock leader and I'm wondering if feathering from the edge is probably a bit tricky for a beginner. If there's a simple float rig which is more suitable then I'll try that.

Any advice is useful but my main question is what is or are the best rigs for a beginner casting from the beach. Thanks for reading and sorry!

[scottish_and_mental]

It's why we are here - don't worry about the newbie questions

forget the feathers for now unless you can find some deeper water where there are mackerel shoals .
where do you intend to fish ? this will help determine wether you should be fishing on the bottom and ultimately what rig you will need .

As a beginner i would suggest a 2 hook 'flapper' rig ( plenty pics on google and on here ) with a 5 ounce lead..
50 pound shockleader is a must when casting ( no need really when float fishing )

weed and crabs are a royal pain in the ass this time of year so sometimes float fishing is the answer - no good at night tho when most fish show up

Steve

[HJX]

Thanks for the reply.

I live on the south Devon coast which is chock full of beaches, I'll also be taking my son when I've got the hang of the basics.

I'll pop out tomorrow afternoon and pick up some heavier line, but this evening I could try a float rig with just my 15lb stuff?

With a two hook flapper am I going to have to cast then reel in to keep my hooks off the sea bed when fishing from the beach yeah? I assume that's the same for all rigs outside of float rigs?

[Spahill]

HJX

Most sea fish around the beaches feed on the bottom so that ius where you want your bait to be.
Once you have cast out your flapper you just tighten the line up gently to the weight and wait for a fish to give a tug on the line.
A rod rest is very handy unless you want to hold your rod ALL of the time.

Float fishing is generally done from walls/piers with a decent depth of water
Good luck

[scottish_and_mental]

Originally Posted by HJX

Thanks for the reply.

I live on the south Devon coast which is chock full of beaches, I'll also be taking my son when I've got the hang of the basics.

I'll pop out tomorrow afternoon and pick up some heavier line, but this evening I could try a float rig with just my 15lb stuff?

With a two hook flapper am I going to have to cast then reel in to keep my hooks off the sea bed when fishing from the beach yeah? I assume that's the same for all rigs outside of float rigs?

15lb for floatfishing is fine mate.
either buy a ready made float rig or make one up if you have the bits -

thread on - float - then bead - then bullet weight - then tie on swivel..

to the swivel tie about 2 foot of clear mono and attatch hook ( about a size 2)

to set the depth you fish at you need to make a 'stop knot' above the float from an elastic band or tie a proper stop knot .. set this about another 2 foot above the float if yo uwant to fish at 4 foot depth ..
obviously vary this to the depth of water you are fishing ..

this link might help explain it a bit more ..

http://www.torbayfishing.com/rigs/float-fishing.htm

as for the bottom fishing you want some bait in the form of ragworm squid or mackerel strip - this is cast out and left on the sea bed ...
yes the crabs might munch it but you need to check every 20 minutes or so by reeling in and adding new bait ..

plenty folk on here fish down your way and the best advice i could give is to go down the beach and find guys who look like they know what they're doing and just ask ..i know i personally wouldnt mind helping a novice and im pretty sure most other serious anglers feel the same
I will be down Charmouth , Budleigh AND Teignmouth fishing for a whole week for the RNLI charity thing 13th to 19th June .. not much cop for today but feel free to come down and pester us for any advice ..
Steve

[scottish_and_mental]

oh yeah...

mackerel feathers and other artificial lures are cast out and then retrieved basically because you are trying to immitate a shoal of small fish or a live sandeel perhaps.. as there is no scent trail fo rfish to follow this is purely a 'sight ' thing and works during the day fo rmackerel,pollack,garfish and bass as a rule.

cast out the feathers count to 5 ( depends how deep the water is - say Chesil where there are a trillion mackerel ) then wind back in - varying the speed .. repeat this until you either have enough mackerel or your arm falls off !

[HJX]

Thanks for the friendly advice, very helpful.

I couldn't go out this evening but it means tomorrow I can pick up some heavy line and try out some 2 hook flapper rigs and perhaps knock up a float rig to take out with me as well, I guess I'll try out the mackerel feathers in a few weeks once I've got my casting and knots learnt a bit.

So I'm casting out a flapper and just letting it settle on the sea bed? The 5oz weights I've got have upwards facing metal spikes on them but the smaller ones are smooth - will the 5-ouncers snag?

Again, thanks for the answers.

[scottish_and_mental]

Originally Posted by HJX

Thanks for the friendly advice, very helpful.

I couldn't go out this evening but it means tomorrow I can pick up some heavy line and try out some 2 hook flapper rigs and perhaps knock up a float rig to take out with me as well, I guess I'll try out the mackerel feathers in a few weeks once I've got my casting and knots learnt a bit.

So I'm casting out a flapper and just letting it settle on the sea bed? The 5oz weights I've got have upwards facing metal spikes on them but the smaller ones are smooth - will the 5-ouncers snag?

Again, thanks for the answers.

The ones with the spikes are called 'gripleads' and are used when there is a lot of tide pushing your bait and line along..they basically work as an anchor but on retrireve they snap back and allow you to wind in .you therefore have to 'reset' the wires before each cast .
use the plain leads ( normally called bombs ) for your mackerel fishing or when you want a little movement to your bait
both plain and gripleads come in 3,4,5,6 and even 7 ounce sizes but in general 5 oz leads will do you - 6 when its a bigger tide ..
Its normally down to what the rod can handle and most beachcasters are designed to handle 4-6 oz

2 hook flapper

arm it with some ragworm and a sliver of squid or a piece of mackerel at night ( less crab action ) and let it sit their until either you get a nibble or 25 mins or so has passed and then you will want fresh bait .

Oddly the best way to learn to cast might be with the feathers
please always use a shockleader of 1 and a half times the length of the rod plus 5 turns on the reel and a clip to attatch the lead ..
a 5 ounce lead flying at 50 miles an hour can do serious damage ..
tie on the shockleader - get some breakaway lead links ( about 1.75 for a pack ) for the lead and you are ready to go for the mackerel
If you can get to Chesil you will be greeted by a million other anglers doing exactly the same

[HJX]

If you think it's easier to go with the feathers what's the best way to work them into the rig - they're fresh out of the pack and never used, three hook and feathers pairs on a foot or so of line - tie a 5oz weight to one end then the shock leader to the other, then connect the shock leader to my reel?

Do you put mackerel strips on the feather hooks to increase your chances or are the feathers functioning differently enough to not bother with extra bait?

I've got the float rig sussed-ish (until I have to start learning all the new knots), will knock up a couple of 2 hook flappers when I get the heavy line and if it's a good idea I can get a weight tied to the feathers rig and take that too. The 2 hook flapper seems attractive to me at this point because it seems a little more simple to put into practice.

Once again, thanks a lot for the help, I'd mail you a pint but those padded envelopes just aren't water tight.

[scottish_and_mental]

Originally Posted by HJX

Once again, thanks a lot for the help, I'd mail you a pint but those padded envelopes just aren't water tight.

That's why they invented cans

feathers straight out the packet - no bait required ..
if they are actually the old ones made using real feathers then dont bother - they aint much cop compared to the new ones !
buy some dayglo/daylight mackerel rigs ( normally 5 hooks on about 50lb mono ) - pay about 75p a pack
on each end is a loop - attatch shockleader to one end
lead clip and plain 5ounce lead to other and youre away.

As with feathers you can buy ready made rigs cheaply enough - it might be worth buying a two hook flapper and looking at its construction - then simply copying it for future rigs

use feathers/spinners/plugs/artificials when targetting daylight sight feeders ie mackerel/scad/pollack and bass..
use bottom rig with bait for virtually any species - the size of hook and type of bait then come into the equation . as a guide a size 2 worm hook with a rag and squid cocktail is a tried and tested fish catcher ..

if you want to tie your own rigs you need some rig mono for the main body ( 50-70lb breakin strain ) plus hooklength mono somewhere around 15-30 lb ,some crimps,beads,swivels and lead clips ..
Most rigs are made with the same components and once you have masterd the single or 2 hook flapper it gets as complicated as you want to make it mate