Marker buoys

[glowworm]

I'm looking for advise on how to attach my marker buoy and wether to attach it to my weight belt or gun.This is for U.K waters so fish upto 10kg mark only.Any advise would be usefull as i am concerned about getting line caught around fins if attached to weight belt and the affects of drag if attached to gun.

Many Thanks Good Hunting

 

[Huan]

I have a small folding anchor that I use to hold the buoy.
It is only about 500g but holds in all conditions that I have been in.
I usually get to where I want to fish and then drop it, if I spear something I bring it back and string it on the buoy, I also have my alpha flag on the buoy and a bottle of water in a mesh bag below to keep hydrated.
The folding anchor fits into a little holster that I made out of an old seatbelt. The fit is snug enough that the anchor won't pull out.

Buoy attached to gun only really necessary if you are shooting big fish and letting them tow the whole rig around, any sort of swell will also make your accuracy suffer.
I wouldn't personally attach anything permanantly to a weight belt , if you are on the bottom and the line gets caught you could have trouble surfacing.
Try using an old 3lb lead weight as an anchor and drop weight.

 

[portinfer]

I used a home made float with 10m of thickish line and a cast iron window sash weight. You can drop down with it for an aspetto and ditch it so on the way back up you float back up faster.

Like Huan at the top I have a loop for attaching a stringer, mesh bag (if I could find it this season...), camera etc

When it is calm or shallow I take off the weight and use the loop over my hand.

Useful to have a weight so you can drop and come back to...

 

[glowworm]

Thanks for the advise lads but how do you get on if you drop your anchor then move away from it to fish,how far do you go before you come back to it?
There are lots of small craft and jet ski's near to some of my favourite spots and i worry about getting hit.What is the distance craft have to stay away from a marker buoy.I do have a string bag with a water bottle and my sandals in and my stringer attached to my float.I got caught in a large swell on saturday off portland bill and ended up being thrown up the rock ledge backwards by a huge wave and putting a hole in my wetsuit jacket.My buddy lost his gun in the swell and i think if my float wasn't attached to me i would have lost it too.Scary when mother nature shows you who's boss.

Good Hunting
Keep Safe

 

[Huan]

I often found myself 50-100m from the buoy, not a huge problem as there isn't as many craft where I go , although many boaters don't know it I think here in Ireland at least its 100m although many boats whiz by in blissful ignorance.
what would have happened if the line attaching you to the buoy had got caught in a crevice or something when the wave blew you back onto the rock? I would rather have to swim after the buoy than get stuck underwater because my float was attached to me.
My opinion, I do not like to have anything attached to me that floats around in the water, that goes for fish stringers as well.

 

[portinfer]

Recently taken to going 'euro' with stringers.. ie attach to the belt then wrap around you like a belt and tuck the pointy end between you and the belt.

I find this is a good solution in currents etc and keeps you streamline and the stringer out of the way, the fish ride behind you as - you shoot them you string them throiugh a dent in the top of their noses (bass this is...) and down through the lower lip. I find this closes their mouths and offers less drag.

Good in currents but if there are boats nearby take a float.

Most of my sessions are between 2 hours and 2hours 30 or so - I drink before and after back at the car but I guess if it was hotter and I was out longer I would use the float for these spots. (with some water...)

Cheers
Ed

 

[glowworm]

Will try the anchor method tomorrow night if the weather holds off.My stringer is a Rob Allen one which is metal so don't want it attached to me because i can't cut it off!!Thanks again for the advise and i will post back how i got on later.

Good Hunting
Keep Safe

 

[portinfer]

Mine is a metal one too - a bike gear cable crimped onto a piece of stainless I found and straightened out.

It loops onto the weightbelt through one of the crimped looped ends and the other part passes around your back and tucks in - like I say if you drop the weight belt it will go too - it is not ties onto me, merely passes around my waist.

It is pretty easy to crimp one from mono and any old piece of sharp metal with a hole drilled through. I made a mono one with a piece of metal tubing cut and sharpened and hole drilled from a piece of tubing from an old gas hob... seek and you will find.

 

[glowworm]

Tried the anchor method tonight and am happy with the way it worked.Has anyone tried attaching a bag of groundbait to their float???Anyway the fishing was awfull as was the visability. :waterwork