New to beach casting

[john b 38]

Last year I bought my self a beach caster because every time I'm sat on the beach with the kids in the summer I get the urge to fish.

 

Are there any restrictions about where you can fish from ? Any public beach ? Do I need some sort of rod licence ?

 

Next question - what am I likely to catch ? what bait/float/lure should I use ? Can I use spinners and maybe get some mackerel or is that just daft ?

 

ta

John

[john b 38]

around this time by just spinning feathers, mackeral feathers and 3oz weight or similar on and in coming tide and when the tide turns again you should hopefully be cathcing mackerel,

 

 

Sorry to be thick.

So is that a weight on the end, then feathered hooks on individual short lengths of line, off as spurs from the main line ?

 

Do I need any float or just use the angle from the weight up to the tip of the rod ?

 

Cast it once and leave it there ? or pull it in to check every now and then ?

 

thanks

John

[wife 1]

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QUOTE(john b @ Jun 10 2006, 05:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Last year I bought my self a beach caster because every time I'm sat on the beach with the kids in the summer I get the urge to fish.

 

Are there any restrictions about where you can fish from ? Any public beach ? Do I need some sort of rod licence ?

 

Next question - what am I likely to catch ? what bait/float/lure should I use ? Can I use spinners and maybe get some mackerel or is that just daft ?

 

ta

John

hi john,i am guessing you have got a fixed spool reel mate,you would need a rod stand if you fishing on a beach,if fishing off a pier you can usually lean your rod against the wall but i use a rod stand as your rod will get scratched ,as far as the sort of set up you will need for off the beach i would start off with a simple rig ,i use 1 hook,it gets quite technical as far as some rig designs go when you get more into it,for simplicity i would use a 1 hook pasternoster,i will pm you some pics off the rigs i use,also as far as bait is concerned rag worm or lug worm is easy to use,simply thread it on to the hook,if you struggle with this you can get a baiting needle,some people cut the heads off there rag worm if they are worried about getting bit,i always put a small bit of squid on the end of the hook,this is known as tipping your bait off with a bit of squid,hook size is important when fishing from the beach,all depends on what you are trying to catch,if you are trying to catch a conger you will have to up your hook size and also your bait,if you are generally fishing for a bit of fun small size hooks and small bait,as far as casting is concerned a overhead thump will get you out around yards to 100 yards,to get any further you will need to to learn to pendulum cast,as far as weight are concerned if you are fishing off a beach you cannot go wrong with a 5 or 6 ounce gripper,i recommend a gemini gripper,you can buy the moulds to make them yourselve as well,one thing with casting allways make sure you have a least a rod and half length of shock leader on your line,if you get stuck with tying the shock leader to your main line which should be around 15lb to 20 lb which is ideal for beach fishing get in touch,how it usually works is if you are using a 5 ounce weight you would use 50lb shock leader,if you are using a 6 ounce weight use 60lb shock leader,one thing which is good when you cast into the water just slip the hook so it is hanging onto a gripper,try not to use to many swivels as this makes weak links,if you need any more help mate get in contact,tight lines

[john b 38]

Thanks Wife, I think I get most of that.

 

I'll take my thumbstick as a rod rest.

 

How much line should there be between the weight and the bottom branch of the rig ?

 

John