Sea Angling for Spearos

[atomichaggis]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Excellent, I'll give that a try. I don't under the use of the silicon tubing though - does it go on the snood near the mainline to stiffen it? I often fish after spearing -- so could use guts or a fish head (otherwise fresh bait is usually impractical for me).

The silicon just holds the hook still. because its only looped on (useful for changing hooks) and not knotted it can loop itself off in some cases (rarely). The snood is already stiff cos its doubled (loop).
Method is so...
After you slip the beads up the snood then You slip a couple of centimetres of silicon tube onto the snood the same as the beads.
Then You loop the hook onto the snood then push the silicon down the snood over the eye of the hook so it covers the connection.
Here is a photie... silicon is red on this one...


Clear silicon on this one...


You can silicon the entire snood if You have beads with a large enough bore, I have done on various rigs but it costs a bit considering the amount of lost gear... plus its tricky... worth it in certain cases though.

RE bait... Small strips of white fish will work for Dabs and whiting, not sure about other flatties tho as I've only ever taken others on mackie, herring, sandeel, squid, prawn and mussel. Mussel is excellent bait if available... takes a bit of effort and a bit of bait elastic but its absolute killer bait. I wouldn't bother with guts... stomach acid puts fish off.

[atomichaggis]

The Exage STC mini was on special at the co-op here. A few people got it to keep in their boot (one is a taxi driver) and say good things about it.
For fixed spool type spinning I would have to say Shimano all the way, Beastmaster gets my vote... important to balance the rod with the right size reel.

I only use multipliers myself so my light rods are baitcasters matched to low profiles. I use a greys baitcaster and a Shimano Exage STC special bass (casting version), both 7ish footers with a Daiwa Viento reel..before that a cygnus. For beach fishing You'll want something longer than a baitcaster tho.

Using thicker line harms your casting distance. Go as light as You dare for best performance.
I'm using 12lb dyneema (ron thompson) with a few metres (rod length and a few turns on the reel) of 20lb mono up front as a leader. the leader takes the force of the cast and the light line causes less drag in both air and water.

Don't worry about the fish breaking the line, thats what your drag is for. I've taken 15lb cod on my light setup.

[Lockedin]

Sorry to break subject, but this weekend's mess (Blew my launch in 1-3' surf , lost a few lures, pliers, a knife, and my dignity), my financial planner / Wife gave the go ahead to some new gear

Are any of you using an anchor?

What size / weight?

How is it rigged?

I'm on an OK Mal 2. Currently, my "anchor" is either 4 surf leashes (appx 10m) from the 'yak to my ankle, or a single surf leash attached to a thick bunch of kelp.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Lockedin

Sorry to break subject, but this weekend's mess (Blew my launch in 1-3' surf , lost a few lures, pliers, a knife, and my dignity), my financial planner / Wife gave the go ahead to some new gear

Are any of you using an anchor?

What size / weight?

How is it rigged?

I'm on an OK Mal 2. Currently, my "anchor" is either 4 surf leashes (appx 10m) from the 'yak to my ankle, or a single surf leash attached to a thick bunch of kelp.

Hi LockedIn, I just responded on the kayak rigging thread -- you might get some responses from others with more experience. 1.5Kg should be more than enough for the OK M2 - that's what I have for mine. A simple, strong nylon line around 4mm-6mm x 20-60m & a small stuff sack* would be my suggestion.

*Plain Kid's swim bags, £1 in Tescos are pretty good value & useful for carry diving odds & ends too. Superhero designs are optional Walmart/Kmart/Target/Costco/... in the US probably carry similar product for a $1!).

[Mr. X]

Just ordered the Shakespeare Potenza Tele Spin Rod 11' (10g-60g) rod for my father-in-law. It is a good match for his needs & jims.org.uk had a great price for it. I would have preferred the Shakespeare Purist Travel Spin (or Shimano equivalent) but could not find them discounted sufficiently. I also considered a 4 piece 9.8ft 2.5lb TC carp rod (often listed on ebay) as he seems keen on using bait as well as plugs (he grew up by the sea), so a sturdier rod seemed like it might be a good idea.

His car has a very small boot. Although I am a bit wary of telescopic rods, I have only ever heard good things from people using them and I think the quicker set up will be greatly appreciated (a 4/5 piece rod would likely have frustrated him, or possibly me!). The Potenza looks good, is light, slim, has proper screw reel seat & a cork handle. I think a shorter, 9ft rod might have suited him better (less cumbersome) but the longer rod is rated to handle 60g (rather than 40g) & should help him avoid some weed/rock tangles.

Took the opportunity to stock up on Eddystone eels & beads for making flattie rigs. Also order some fancy mono - 15lb Ultima PowerPlus tougher/thinner than Ultima's popular regular line (almost got 18lb but looks like 15lb is often used for beachcasting, so should be ok for spinning) - just what I need for leaders & should be good for mainline on the big Leeda 60 reel.

I also visited the local angling store today, v. little sea gear but I did manage to buy a couple of Fladen flattie rigs to start with: "2 down" - I am guessing that means 2 hooks below the weight -- no sure how best to attach the weight yet. It has alternating black & green beads - 8mm on one hook & 5mm on the other. I also made my first attempt at making my own based on AtomicHaggis' design -- looks pretty good, I finally used up the beads from my cheap old Lidl's fishing kits. I also used a Lidls hook with pre-tied line length to the snood, which might not work as well as direct connection of the hook to the snood. We'll see.

Finally found my old copy of "Len Jones's Guide to Spearfishing" booklet, so I'm off to re-read that while I watch Joe Simpson on the Eiger.

[atomichaggis]

Mr. X,
2 down most likely means 2 hooks clipped downward paternoster (snoods connect off mainline with lead at bottom). like the one I described to You but with 2 snoods and baitclips.

[Mr. X]

I used to know what up & down meant w.r.t. seafishing rigs (having read about it in Sea Angler) -- but I have forgotten the details (was more interested in lures at the time). The Fladen rig in question surprised me by have one hook line off to the side & the other on the end of the main line i.e. no where to attach the weight.

Looking at this, I think down might mean the hook will hang below the weight & up means it will be suspended above the weight (although I found one example where that does not hold true: "3 hook flapper 3up" - darn!): Greys Sea Rigs

That's why I opted for lures in the first place

[atomichaggis]

LOL... Tie your own mate, at least that way You always know what You are getting. Ready tied rigs can often be of very poor quality.
Learn the differences between Paternosters, Leger/Ledgers and pulleys and what knots you need and You'll never get stung by a shop tied rig.

WORLD SEA FISHING | SHORE RIGS

[atomichaggis]

About the Fladen flattie rig... attach a zip slider to Your mainline and tie the end of your mainline to the rig. basically its a running ledger rig.

[Mr. X]

The Fladen rigs do not include bait hooks - perhaps different terminology.

Originally Posted by atomichaggis

LOL... Tie your own mate, at least that way You always know what You are getting. Ready tied rigs can often be of very poor quality...

Yes, I quite agree. I just tied 3 more flattie rigs based on your design - one for myself and the others for fishing companions. I used Ultima Power Plus "super strong monofil" 15lb/0.32mm & size #2 hooks (one has a 2/0 circle hook). Each with 4x luminous or white 8mm beads. They look good. Quite fun to do & much cheaper. Should the weight hang close to the hook or some way below (i.e. off the longer "half" of the mainline or the shorter one )?

Originally Posted by atomichaggis

About the Fladen flattie rig... attach a zip slider to Your mainline and tie the end of your mainline to the rig. basically its a running ledger rig.

"Zip slider"? A sliding weight of some kind presumably. I've got a several odd weights left in my amazing Lidl's box of strange fishing gear: some bullet (ball) weights, some flat coffin shapes leads & tubular one with a central nylon rod with a split in it . The billets should slide okay; I was saving them for casting Eddystone eels although I'm going to try Power Balls first - 99p for 10 from Woolworth (get the hard old fashioned ones, not the soft translucent & transparent ones) - they are compact, add casting weight but float.

[Mr. X]

BTW the fishing gear arrived yesterday, the Shakespeare Potenza Tele Spin Rod 11' (10g-60g) looks very good. Long, slim and light. It comes with a plastic "cup" to protect the rings & tip in transit and a neat little zip-up canvas bag which allegedly has room to leave a reel attached although certainly not enough room for my "surf" Leeda 60 with which it will be used initially - but might take a Shimano 4000 or similar later(?). I re-spooled the Leeda with some heavy backing mono, the remains of my original 17lb braid, a spool of 12.5lb mono (I think), a 16 foot-ish 25lb mono shock leader and a 2.5 foot 15lb mono hook length (a configuration carefully designed and modelled on NASA supercomputers).

[atomichaggis]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Should the weight hang close to the hook or some way below (i.e. off the longer "half" of the mainline or the shorter one )?
"Zip slider"? A sliding weight of some kind presumably.

Snood In the middle of the rig is always a good place to start. just keep the snood short enough so that it neither tangles with the weights connections nor the connection to the mainline when pulled taut along mainline towards the ends.
Under various conditions I.E. the substrate, tidal flow or angle you are fishing at, different dimensions on this rig work better than others... just experment til you find the one that works best where and when you fish. I use various different takes on the same rig for various spots.
The lead always buries itself, the rest is just placing the bait where you want it.

Zip slider is one of these.

[Mr. X]

A colleague lent me a copy of "The Complete Guide to Fishing Skills by Whieldon, Tony" earlier this year and I found it tremendously useful & interesting. It uses line drawings rather than a lot of text. I bought a copy for my father-in-law as he hasn't fished for ... maybe 50 years! I reckon it is just the thing for a youngster starting out too. Lots of cheap used ones available on Amazon too:

The version I read: Sea food, Free Diving, Spear Fishing and Angling DVD & Book Store - The Complete Guide to Fishing Skills

A newer, hardback version: Sea food, Free Diving, Spear Fishing and Angling DVD & Book Store - The Complete Guide to Fishing Skills

My only reservation with it was that at (c)1985 it might be a bit out of date. It had little or no information about braid for example. Well, it looks like they just came out with a new one (I don't know if they added braid but I think they might have added more info. on carp fishing).

The new version: Sea food, Free Diving, Spear Fishing and Angling DVD & Book Store - The New Complete Guide to Fishing Skills

[I bought our new TV from Amazon this week. Been meaning to get one for more than 3 years but hate shopping for appliances. Sony Bravia, best price I could find (& £150 cheaper than Tesco). Superb TV; the picture is much better that the crappy ones displayed in stores (which put me off buying). Incredibly easy to set up too.]

[Mr. X]

Was looking at getting a reel for the father-in-law. I figure the Shimano Exage 4000 should offer good "bang for the buck". I got the rear drag model but wondered if a front drag might be simpler & better in this case. Re-reading Miles' post provided some reassurance. I also found this article by Shimano's man in Canada which gives a pretty clear explanation (although, as I'm using mainly ultra-fine 30lb braid & 15lb mono these days, he now has me wondering if a baitcasting reel might be a better fit!).

OC Online - Fishing - Get Reel

[ADM]

Fishign books are never really out of date other than the telling you how much fish there is out there to catch and casting technique really which has changed considerably. I like older books, full of useful info.

Bass Fishing on Shore and sea is a good one to read for info on the bass whether fishing for or spearing or just interest.