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Sea Angling for Spearos

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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What type of fishing are yoou doing off the Yak? Just the same as boat fishing or mostly lure with a bit of drift fishing with bait or the other way round?
 
Good question ADM. We currently usually just troll an Eddystone eel on a hand-line. Will probably continue doing that as it is simple & relatively hassle-free.

I've built several jigging handle-lines: killer-rigs (each with 2 eels or 2 muppets or similar) , feathers, squid jigs (lures to catch squid), some with a home-made pirk at the end. But we didn't get the chance to use them last year. We're planning to spend more time beside the sea this year. Realistically, the hand-lines (& spear and shore fishing) are more than enough to keep us busy this year.

Usually we consider ourselves lucky if we catch the odd mackeral, small pollock or modest bass from the yak, but I rig with larger fish in mind - a 4-6lb bass would be nice. I guess we'd ideally target 3-6lb fish and hope for bigger. I've never been proper boat fishing but I guess I'm looking for something versatile: able to cast small-ish spinners for gar, 11cm+ plugs inc. those real big ones that don't get so much use from shore, but also basic rigs such as basic baited ledger/flapper/flattie/killer rigs. I guess even a float rig - for mullet or gar... saw a lot of large mullet in the Devon rias. I guess for light spinning, I could probably take the little carbon Shimano spinning rod that we already have - but it now has another owner(!) and I wonder what would happen if we hooked something big with it.

Some flattie fishing for plaice, flounder, dab, etc. (with rods0 will probably feature in my holiday fishing. And some estuary fishing for mullet. Mainly spearing from beaches though .
 
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Sea angler article this month P14:
 
Mr X,

Nearly all my kayak rods (I was kayak fishing long before the spearing!), have been boot fair rods that I have cut down (£2 - £5 max!)

For me I liked stiffer rods (boat rod types) and short. Hacksaw off a length, Drill the butt and alradite (epoxy resin) it into the handle. Most the time I prefered to troll a lure or jigged lures. The remains of the rod can be used to make a flexible lobster stick with some jubilee clips and a bit of bent metal.

This was only after losing a good Bass from a handline (I was using handlines for a longtime before swapping over to a rod, as most the time landed my fish). This was originally all from a sit inside kayak with a spray deck. We are spoilt now with these sitontops and rod holders!

Took my inflatable yak out (with outboard) out in the esturay yesterday for the first time. Fitted with a 3.5hp outboard (similar setup to Omega). I'll try and get around to posting some more details in a more appropriate thread later.
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Thanks Pav. Good idea. Come to think of it, I did see a father & son selling a bunch of old sea fishing gear at a local car boot some years ago - multiplier and (probably solid) glass fibre rods - but try as I might, I couldn't think of a good reason to buy it at the time (and I think the prices were a bit too high - same as cheap new modern gear). The boot sale closed down shortly afterwards though, too much bad weather, mud & too few people, pity .

Came across a car boot sale near Looe in Cornwall while on holiday a few years ago. Lots of sea-related stuff at that one. Couldn't spend long there though . I picked up a huge shark hook on a chain leader (the guy had 3 or 4 more, some hooks were probably than a foot long) with a massive swivel; I didn't have a use for it at the time but the chain & swivel are now part of my anchor! I also got a fish scale & some bits of thick old mono, which I used for my dive-knife's lanyard.
 
If you are really just trolling then a 12/15lb class cheap rod will do the job. If you want to get in close and throw lures into gullies and nice looking areas then get a 7ft bushwhacker as well. Not as cheap (£50) but you can use it from the shore as well.
 
BushWhackers/bushwackers & jerkbait rods

Never heard of a Bushwacker/Bushwhacker before but google found plenty of links for a Savage Gear Bushwhacker, inc. these:
https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/Spinning.html
[ame=http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240563]Best place to buy a Savage Gear Bushwhacker? - World Sea Fishing Forums[/ame]

[ame=http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207982]Baby Bushwhacker 7ft rod - World Sea Fishing Forums[/ame]

Sounds a bit like it might be similar to the Shimano graphite spinning rod that we already use but perhaps stiffer for "jerk baits", poppers, etc. & maybe stronger for bigger fish(?).

These Daiwa rod look very interesting (only 6f 6" but rated 14-84g 0.5oz-3oz or 52-168g i.e. 1.8 oz - 6oz!) but too pricey to be disposable for me: Daiwa Powermesh X Jerkbait Rod | HarrisSportsmail.com

Actually a Jerkbait rods look like they might fit the bill. Here is something less expensive by Wychwood: Wychwood Agitator JerkBait Rod | HarrisSportsmail.com
Or how about this £25 Shimano rod (0.25-1oz/10-20lb rating)) - perhaps only slightly heavier than our current spinning rod though: Shimano Solara 2pc Casting Rod ( SLC66MH2 )
 
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Multipliers right or left hand wind?

BTW I notice multipliers come with either left or right hand wind. Does that mean a right-handed person should normally choose a left hand wind? Multipliers are normally held with the rod "upside down" too aren't they!
 
It is a funny thing that most right handed folk use a left hand wind fixed spool & a right hand multiplier!
 
foxfish said:
It is a funny thing that most right handed folk use a left hand wind fixed spool & a right hand multiplier!
Click to expand...
Me included, but then left handed multi reels used to be hard to get hold of and more pricey so I got used to using the multi with rod in left hand. It feels weird if I try and do things the other way round now, but also because when spinning/plugging, you need more wrist action to work some lures and i'm very right handed there so rod in right hand makes sense to me.
 
Went for a quick half hour on dusk this evening to winkle out another rockie on the soft plastic.

And here he/she is!!

Weighed in at 3lb 15oz. Double the size of the one at the weekend, let's hope to double the size again on the next trip out!!

This style of fishing with medium/light spinning rods and soft plastic lures is an absolute joy. Puts the fun back in fishing. I can tell you that a rockie that size really does pull your string on the right gear!!
 

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Come to think of it, I used to freshwater fish with two rods at the same time: a right-handed (left hand wind) Abu and a left-handed (right-hand wind) reel (Ryobi?). Not for any good reason - probably bought the the wrong type of Ryobi by mistake (although I no longer recall where or when I bought that one - so maybe not!).

I sold a cheap but really nice, solid, smooth Penn multiplier when I returned to the UK a few years ago. I'm regretting that now, it would have been good for the kayak rod "project".

Having looked up the Bushwhacker yesterday, I came across several jerkbait rods (esp. Daiwa & Whychwood) and am quite taken by them - most handle big & v. big lures. They'd be fun from shore in some places too. I used to see dozens of jerkbait & spinning sets (rod & reel, sometimes line & a few lures too) all over the place in the USA, usually real cheap too. Even decent brands like Daiwa, Shimano and Bassmaster. Everybody carried racks & racks/boxes of them: K-mart was v. good for them, Wallmart I think, Sportsmart, Costco had a few good ones at low prices, etc., etc.. They all looked pretty much the same too - all short (5.5ft-7ft), most with the small "baitcaster"-style mini-multipliers. Hard to get real excited about them -- they were plentiful, just a tool that could be bought cheaply and easily anywhere. Rather than the exotic, specialist novelty they appear to be here in the UK .
 
I have a half decent 3 part spinning rod, but at least 3 of the ring guides have rusted. I know how to repair tips, but can the other ring guides be repaired. Shop repairs about £10 a ring! , so its only viable if I can do it at home. Possible??

Cheers.
 
Yes, it is possible to replace rings - getting the correct size/style/quality replacement ring is the challenge. I ordered a ring from Veals a while back but received something much smaller than I expected and the height was different to all the other rings . In the old days you'd bind the ring on with thread and then varnish & glue the thread used but I think these days you can tape them on with special adhesive tape... where you find suitable tape though I have no idea (a well stocked fishing shop or Veals perhaps or even Hardy Brothers for the minted?).
 
You can whip your own on but it can be a tad fiddly and never looks as neat (at least not when I do it) and then the cost of getting thread and varnish plus eyes and it's likely not a huge saving on the shop doing it.

Tape might be easier and cheaper though, just a couple of times would with electrical tape and some super glue, job done!!
 
Whipping on a new eye is a 5 minute job when you're used to doing it. There are guides all over the internet. Lacquering it just takes a bit of patience turning the rod regularly until it sets (you can get rod turning jigs, or make your own out of a windscreen wiper motor and some mechano like I did).

To get the right rings either take the rod to a decent shop to compare, or look through a good site like: Hopkins Holloway - specialist fishing tackle and fishing tackle components - Seymo, Fuji, Stonefly, Tomlin

You can tape them on, but it'll look terrible, and you'll have to redo it quite often if the rod gets wet. Sorry Andy, but don't use electrical tape. It stretches far too much and the eyes will work loose unless you pile lots and lots of layers on. Simple selotape, bagging tape like they use in supermarkets or foil decorative tape are much better. We tape rings onto tournament casting rods as 1) It's lighter and 2) it's easier to move rings around to get the best spacing, but neither of the options are that relevant to you.

You're much better wipping rings onto fishing rods.

As Andy says, if it's not something you're likely to be doing often, you're just as well getting it done by the shop.

Cost to do it yourself:

Rings £5 x 3
Thread £3
Lacquer £8
Total = £26

The extra £4 for a better finish and not having to do it yourself is a no brainer really.
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Hi Folks,

I spent many a dawn and dusk last year plugging for bass along the purbecks but had no luck. Therefore i'm considering buying a speargun because I'm under the impression I would have more luck actually catching some dinner once in a while!!

Is there anybody who plugs as well as spearfishes? can you tell me which method brings you more fish? I get the impression that spearfishermen are more succsessful, but I may be wrong!?

Im not interested in catching alot of fish. Just one every other week through the summer would be nice.

Any advise would be apprechiated.

Cheers

The Big Blue
 
Actually that's a very good question. Quite a few of us both angle and spear.

In terms of bass per hour I'd say I spear more bass. In terms of total numbers I'd say anglers have the edge. The thing is spearing needs the right conditions not the least of which is good vis. Anglers can fish almost any conditions and frequently do. After all the bass are always in the sea somewhere doing something.

Overall though it comes down more to who the angler/spearo is and how good they are. Also depends where you live and what the fishing conditions are in your area.

I went with a local expert angler as I wanted to learn how to catch a bass on a plug. First time I went I caught my usual nothing while the expert with identical tackle fishing alongside me caught 13 bass between 4 and 8 lb in an hour. I was gobsmacked.

I have seen pictures of spearo's with large numbers of bass but in my area I catch as much as most and my best ever catch was 7 bass.

Anyhow back to the original point. If I had to feed myself or starve I'd angle but for pleasure and a few good meals I'd spear. Best answer is to do both. Spear when conditions are good and angle the other times.

Then of course there's the fish anglers seldom catch and spearo's (some spearo's) do. The mighty (as in mighty tasty) flatfish. That's a whole other story.

Dave.
 
Only 24 hours left to vote for the April Fish of the Month. Voting open to ALL members. If you haven't voted but want to then follow the link in my signature below. Support your favourite website and vote in this great DB feature. Go on, you know you want to.

Dave.
 
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