Advice needed on shore fishing rod please

[Stanleythecat]

Hi All

Total novice after some advice please.

The short of it is that I fancy having a go at some shore/beach fishing, I'm on a budget as we have recently welcomed a new family member to the household and this also means there is very little space for fishing gear on family adventures! However, I find myself at the beech and an opportunity presents itself to find dinner! I must stress I really don't know much at all, perhaps I'm a little naive!

Looking at another recent thread I was wondering if there were any telescopic or 'compact' rods and kit that might suite my plight.

I will probably be trying mostly in North Devon (Grandparents!) but on a recent trip to the dorset coast I saw a few chaps walking the shore with small rods, and only a small bag each. This lightweight wandering really appealled.

Any advice very welcome.

Many thanks

Leo

 

[pango]

Hi Stanleythecat,
You'll get cheap telescopic rods which are perfectly sufficient for your needs, mate. They're not the best quality but they do the job. Just be careful with the thing and try not to bump or bash it off rocks.

Kits including rod, reel and line can be bought from Aldi or Lidl, Argos etc, for about £10 or so. I'd substitute the nylon for better quality stuff, though and likewise for hooks!

Advice can be sought from angling websites, many of which have good FAQ sections and tutorials.

Cheers.

 

[Bushwhacker]

That might have been me that you saw on the Dorset coast!
I've taken to scaling all my tackle down now rather than lug loads of kit about - one rod/reel and a yoke to carry bits in.
The rod I now use for close to medium range casting, spinning, float fishing from pier or beach is an 11ft carp rod with a 2lb test curve and fixed spool baitrunner reel loaded with low diameter 15lb nylon.

You can get a carp rod/reel combo for around £30, maybe less if you're lucky.

A telescopic spinning rod (10ft minimum) will serve as a good all-rounder too, just check or ask about 'casting weights' you'll need to be able to cast a minimum of 1 ounce.

As Pango rightfully said, ditch the line if it comes already on the reel and invest in some quality, same with the hooks.

 

[Paul_B]

What do you think of those packaged rod kits that they sell in fishing shops for about £30? I've seen a few different variations (although not noticed what the difference was except the packaging) in a few places on Skye. They were telecoping and seemed quite light too. The fishing shop guy said they woudl bea good general purpose kit. Also sw them being sold in a cafe as well. Since Skye is an island I'm guessing they were for exactly the type of use you were looking for.

As a kid I was allowed to buy a rod kit from the hypermarche (west coast of France). They were cheap and had what you need but we also bought more weights and hooks as you always lose a few on the rocks off the ends of piers and harbour walls. Did us good as we often got 20 odd fish per trip off some cheap squid bait. Was a shortish rod with the reel type that stand off the rod a bit (no idea about names or technical things with fishing). My Dad was more into it and had a bloody big rod with those barrel type reels with some heavy duty line in it. He used to beach cast and off ships to wrecks. Caught dogfish, tope and the odd conger over the years. Before we came along though. Once went harbour wall fishing in SW coast of France with him. We ended up using my old rod with his heaviest weights on it. One looked like a mine, round with spikey bits around it. The other was like a square plumbline shaped weight with two metal square u shaped rods on each side at the base that could rotate so they stuck out at different angles. The wind was so strong that one gust sent them both flying back between us and about 5" away from my ear on one cast and about 5 times the speed of the cast!! Gave up after that and bought 35 small sardine type fish from the fishmarket as they were bringing in the catch (still not ipen as it was about 4-5am).

I really fancy doing it again but never have the sort of holidays that allow for it. I'd fancied on Skye that an UL rod kit could sit in my pack and I could possibly do a bit on some backpack one day. Dreaming though.

 

[Nick93]

Hi, Im also in North Devon. What area are you fishing in? Im in lynton/lynmouth area. I have a small telescopic rod, Shimano Exage that I bought from veals.co.uk. Its served me well for two or three years now. Its 7 foot and packs down to 12 inches, means I can carry all my fishing gear in one hand. Its advertised as a spinning rod but I use it as a general purpose rod. Its quite springy, strong and its perfect for catching pollack, bass and mackeral up off shore. It was only £35 when i bought it new. With a little practice it can cast a 2oz weight a nice distance. However its not a big rod so it cant be used with any weights over around 3oz else it bends wildly. Also the handle is very short so when reeling fish in it puts all of the force into your wrist. This makes fighting smaller fish much more fun Its been my favourite rod and I definatly recommend one. Perfect for scramblimg around rocky cliffs with and it means I can go fishing without carrying any heavy gear. It also has a bit that you can attach to a belt so you dont have to carry it. Currently I use it with just a weight and hook or I use it for spinning. Its a really nice little rod. Makes fishing really easy because its so light and whippy