Innholdsfortegnelse for #1 Shore Fishing i Sea Angler Guides

The Sea Angler Guide to Shore Fishing is a handy reference work created to help make you become a better shore angler and to catch more and bigger fish. Whether you’re just getting into the sport or have been fishing for decades, we’re sure you’ll find something useful within these pages. Inside we cover everything you need to know, from the basics of choosing a rod and reel to tying your own rigs and which baits to use where, when and how. We’ve also picked out some of the UK’s favourite shore target species and explained how to fish for them, too, with plenty of handy hints and tips.…

The four seasons all offer a variation in species and sea angling tactics, so why do some anglers fish the same way throughout the year? This may have worked in the past, but modern sea angling has moved on because of changing sea conditions and the changes caused by commercial overfishing. If you want to catch fish then there is no point just turning up anywhere at any time, especially during summer, when, believe it or not, daylight fishing can be harder. Apart from seasonal weather changes having an influence on the species available, venue variations in temperature, especially between north and south, can influence what you are going to catch. You need to know where and when the fish are present; these key factors will play an important part…

BLOW LUG Without doubt, blow lugworms are UK’s most popular shore fishing bait. These inhabit the more sheltered areas of lee beaches protected from the prevailing weather and they’ll heavily populate wide expanses of inner estuary saltmarshes and creeks towards the high-water line. Blow lug live in a U-shaped burrow with their presence revealed by the worm casts covering the sand like a carpet. These can be dug even on smaller neap tides because the ground they live in is relatively shallow and drains off with each ebbing tide. Generally speaking, they should be readily available from most good tackle shops, as well as from private diggers, on a day to day basis. SEASON This is a bait for all seasons but proves slightly less effective during the midsummer period…

All live baits can stay that way longer in a fridge, depending on how you store them. The quality of the bait when it goes into the fridge is important – a fridge won’t bring dead or rotting bait back to life! Marine worms: Lug and rag can be stored in a fridge wrapped in dry newspaper and will stay fresh for three to six days. This method relies on the worms staying dry and it is best to restrict the number of lugworms to 10 or 20 per newspaper parcel and not to pile the parcels on top of each other. Ragworms: These are best stored in damp peat, weed or Vermiculite loft insulation. then wrapped in newspaper parcels. You can also use trays lined with newspaper to store…

When it comes to fishing at range over cleaner ground, the two-hook clipped rig comes into its own. This rig allows you to present two baits as far as you can cast it, often bringing good results. However, a frequently asked question concerns the size of bait to use. Some anglers reckon that big is best, while others prefer using tiny offerings for best results. In truth, there isn’t an answer set in stone, but you must consider a few points. Look at a venue, likely species and the rigs you will be casting out. It is best to match your bait to the size of hooks you are using. Regardless of size, though, it should be presented properly too. Worms that have been carelessly squeezed on a hook can…

Rig making is a very personal thing. Exactly the right hooks, lines, leads and accessories, or indeed the way they are put together, can never be duplicated in a shop-bought rig. Or can they? For the novice or those with limited time and knowledge, a ready-made rig is a welcome addition to the tackle box. Just remember that when you buy these they will reflect another angler’s preferences and opinions, not your own. WORDS OF WARNING! Many ready-tied rigs come from the Far East and a common fault with some is that knots can be trimmed too close, which can result in a weak knot, or alternatively have a longs tag of line that can ruin bait presentation and spook fish. So check out how the rigs are constructed before…

Summer is a great time to start fishing the float, especially from a pier or rock mark that allows the bait to be drifted or trotted back into the tide and hovered under or behind a pier pile or just above rock ledges or kelp. It’s a way of presenting bait directly to several species that are found off the seabed. The key to successful float-fishing is getting the bait in the right place and keeping it on the move, naturally – a lot different from the normal sea angling tactic of casting a bait attached to six ounces of lead and sitting back waiting for a fish to find it. Float-fishing is all about using the current and your angling knowledge to get bait to the fish in a…

MACKEREL Over the full 12-month calendar year, mackerel is probably the most used bait nationwide. Some anglers choose to catch and freeze their own, though blast frozen mackerel is available in most tackle shops throughout the year. Its universal success is due to the high oil content that emits a steady stream of food scent into the tide. It also appeals to both predatory fish and to scavengers. Mackerel is taken by fish in almost every fishing situation you can think of, ranging from legering over rough ground to float fishing off man-made structure and all boat fishing situations from flatfish to shark. If you’re new to sea fishing and not sure which bait to try, then this is a good starting point. SEASON As a bait, it works for…

Crabs will search out and shuffle into many hiding places throughout the tidal zone and the key to finding them includes imagination and leaving no stone unturned. 1 Mud around groynes: Soft mud around wooden and concrete groynes is a great place to find peelers, although they do bury themselves in soft sand too. Crabs will hide on both sides of the groyne, but favour the side the sun is on for the longest time. 2 Seaweed on walls and groynes: When crabs peel they try to get as far away from the fish as possible. This means retreating well inshore or towards the surface or land, so they can be found well up in weed along harbour walls, groynes and even pier supports. Another favourite place is among mussel…

The two-hook flapper is one of the easiest to tie and it’s what most shore anglers cut their teeth on when it comes to tying multi-hook rigs for the first time. Making your own rigs not only saves you money, but also you will feel a sense of satisfaction as you begin to catch fish. It will help you to judge bites better and you will get a good understanding of how different fish feed. This experience will set you on your way to improving your beach skills. This versatile rig can be used from beaches, piers, breakwaters and jetties. The big advantages it offers over a single hook rig are it allows you to present varied baits on each hook and doubles the chances of a hook-up. HOW TO…

When the sea is calm you can enjoy some great sport as your rod tip bounces and rattles to the tune of feeding flatties and whiting. One of the best rigs for bagging up on these species is a boom rig. It is great for keeping snoods standing off from the rig body, especially when the tide isn’t running as hard. Booms also enable you to use much shorter snoods that account for more hook-ups. If you use a longer, Continental-style rod with a fixed-spool reel, try lengthening the rig and spacing each snood further apart. Th is is a great trick for covering more ground and helping to locate the fish. BOOM RIG TIPS • Booms prevent lighter snoods from tangling. • Six-inch wire booms are better than the…

The retrieve technique is all-important to fishing snag-free, but it is just as essential that your tackle is balanced and suited to the venue. Stiff, beefy rods are usually recommended for fishing in the thickest kelp and rocks. To bully gear and fish from rough ground they have to be stiffer than normal. Some anglers and rod builders do go over the top, but it’s horses for courses, so think important to fishing snag-free, but it is just as essential that your tackle is balanced and suited to the venue. Stiff, beefy rods are usually recommended for fishing in the thickest kelp and rocks. To bully gear and fish from rough ground they have to be stiffer than normal. Some anglers and rod builders do go over the top, but…

Most species of fish will move closer to the shoreline under cover of darkness, and winter offers the most suitable tides and weather conditions for the sea angler to target cod. But a short, prime tide night session, when you decide on the times and venue beforehand, will always be more productive than a random fishing marathon. Winter beachcasting gear is fairly standard stuff, although you may wish to beef up your lead weights, line, terminal rigs and hook sizes and use a beachcaster rated at 6-8oz. You’ll also need the means to keep warm and dry, an efficient light source, and reliable tackle that will perform under the worst weather conditions. CLOTHING AND COMFORT Comfort should be your number one priority. Fortunately there’s a vast choice of wet weather…

The plaice is slow growing, with a 5lb fish said to be in excess of 10 years old – that’s an incredibly slow growth rate and explains just why plaice numbers and average size are in freefall. It’s a highly prized commercial species too, and being a shoal fish is easily caught in numbers by netsmen and trawlers. From an angling standpoint the first challenge is to find a venue that produces plaice, and not one that used to produce them. Like many other sea species, plaice prefer a specific type of seabed habitat, in this case a sand, mud, mixed shell grit type bottom or sandy patches between mussel beds or seaweed-strewn reefs with pea mussel beds – a definite favourite food source. This also explains why the occasional…

RAZORFISH Found around the spring tide low-water line on shallow to medium depth surf beaches, the bigger the tide and the further it goes out, the better chance you have of finding razorfish. They burrow deep into the sand but rise in their burrows as the tide floods in order to filter feed by poking their tops out of the sand. They are susceptible to pressure near their burrows and will spurt water upwards as they dive. They are stocked sometimes live in fish markets and some supermarkets, but in tackle shops they are usually only available frozen. SEASON Generally only accessible on the very biggest tides falling from late August through to late April, this period is also when they are most effective as bait because they get washed…

Some of our fishing mates do not have a bait fridge. That means when they cannot obtain bait from a dealer they cannot fish. A readily available supply of bait is crucial to the regular club angler, and although they go to greater lengths to get it than some casual anglers, a fridge is still an essential bit of kit for everyone. Just the fact that you do not waste bait at all is enough to justify a fridge – worms are now very expensive but with a good fridge system they can be stored for long periods and save you money. The fridge itself does cost money to run, but if you have one in the garage it can double as a reserve for drinks and other sealed cooled…

If there is one rig that catches more fish than any other around our coastline it has to be the pulley. It has advantages with casting, avoiding snags and more importantly, hooking fish. It is also very easy to construct, so making your own to fill a rig-wallet will not take too long. Clipped pulley rigs cast superbly because they are streamlined. It does not matter what clip system you use, but the closer to the sinker you secure your bait, the better. Although they can be used with plain sinkers, they actually work better with breakout versions. When a fish takes the bait and moves off, it has the freedom to swim before the anchored sinker will actually set the hooks for you. Another great feature of the pulley…

The bomber rig is perfect for presenting two larger baits at distance. It has two snoods – short and long – and both sit neatly on the same clip making it is easier to cast and will dismiss wobble and spin during the flight. Because two hooks are clipped together, the bomber rig is very streamlined and that’s the secret to finding extra distance. Long and short snoods work well together on the seabed when fished into a decent tide run. Dimensions and hook sizes can be varied to catch certain species – that’s why it can often be the first choice of rig for many anglers. Generally size 1 Aberdeen hooks are used. STAYING SAFE The first thing you need to decide when constructing any rig is whether or…