Where do I start?

Might be worth getting some Mackerel feathers and giving them a try
from the beach this summer. You will need a beachcaster rod with a
fixed spool reel and some feathers but that's about all. Alternatively
you could try float fishing for Mackerel and Garfish - a tackle shop
should be able to get you setup with the necessary floats and weights
for a few quid.

The great thing with sea fishing is you can spend as little or as much
as you want - don't let anyone tell you you need the latest and
greatest gear to catch fish - just start with the basics and expand as
you need to.

On 22 May 2005 13:35:05 -0700, Eric The Viking let rip with:
Might be worth getting some Mackerel feathers and giving them a try
from the beach this summer. You will need a beachcaster rod with a
fixed spool reel and some feathers but that's about all. Alternatively
you could try float fishing for Mackerel and Garfish - a tackle shop
should be able to get you setup with the necessary floats and weights
for a few quid.

The great thing with sea fishing is you can spend as little or as much
as you want - don't let anyone tell you you need the latest and
greatest gear to catch fish - just start with the basics and expand as
you need to.


Thanks.

That's pretty much what I want to do, keep it cheap and simple for a
start. Apparently I have beachcaster (well my father does), and I guess
it will have a fixed spool. I'm going to have a look later this week.

If I get the bug, I might look at freshwater fishing, but it always seemed
such a waste as generally freshwater fish don't make good eating. Around
here most would have hint of brickpit about them Basically I want to
eat what I catch, and mackerel is a good start. Garfish doesn't look to
appealing, but is supposed to make good eating. Nothing ventured, nothng
gained I guess.

Am I right in saying that there is no license required for sea fishing?
--
Pscylo

Hi Pscylo,

Garfish are more of a sport fish ( on light float tackle ) - like you
said, they are supposed to be edible but a lot of people get put off by
their green bones!

Mackerel can be easy to catch on basic gear and are good to eat too -
especially if you take a disposable BBQ and cook them on the beach.
There's plenty of other good stuff to eat in the sea but most of it is
hard to catch and often requires good local knowledge of where to go,
and sometimes requires more expensive gear to catch. When I say more
expensive gear I mean that mackerel can be caught as close in as a few
yards from the shore whereas bottom feeding fish are often further out
requiring better gear to get the distances required.

You don't need a license for sea fishing.

Cheers - ETV

On 23 May 2005 03:32:11 -0700, Eric The Viking let rip with:
Hi Pscylo,

Garfish are more of a sport fish ( on light float tackle ) - like you
said, they are supposed to be edible but a lot of people get put off by
their green bones!


Yeah, I had relised that. To be honest I took one look at it, and though
"that ain't for eating". Monkfish look that way to me to, but they taste
damn fine, so I'll try anything once, even with green bones.


Mackerel can be easy to catch on basic gear and are good to eat too -
especially if you take a disposable BBQ and cook them on the beach.

I'll start there I think. I've barbequed them with a tamarind and spice
filling i the cavity before and it's quite pleasant. I might have a go
at making a small smoker as well.

That said, I've got to catch some first, but as far as I can tell
mackerel seem a good choice for a complete beginner like me.

There's plenty of other good stuff to eat in the sea but most of it is
hard to catch and often requires good local knowledge of where to go,
and sometimes requires more expensive gear to catch. When I say more
expensive gear I mean that mackerel can be caught as close in as a few
yards from the shore whereas bottom feeding fish are often further out
requiring better gear to get the distances required.


There's a couple of websites that list Bass, Skate, Mackerel, Whiting
and Cod as regularly available (depending on season). One assumes that
Dogfish would be there too.

When I see how far I can cast with the rod I'll be borrowing (possibly
permananently, as my father doesn't bother anymore), I'll think about
the other fish. Mackerel is good for me though, but sea bass, mmmmmm!
I think I could spare the time to learn to ctach those.

You don't need a license for sea fishing.


Excellent. I didn't want to shell out as it's not likely to be a regular
thing.
--
Pscylo

On 23 May 2005 18:16:45 GMT, Pscylo let rip with:
On 23 May 2005 03:32:11 -0700, Eric The Viking let rip with:
Hi Pscylo,

Garfish are more of a sport fish ( on light float tackle ) - like you
said, they are supposed to be edible but a lot of people get put off by
their green bones!


Yeah, I had relised that. To be honest I took one look at it, and though
"that ain't for eating". Monkfish look that way to me to, but they taste
damn fine, so I'll try anything once, even with green bones.


You don't need a license for sea fishing.


Excellent. I didn't want to shell out as it's not likely to be a regular
thing.

Well, it turns out I have at my disposal a 10ft beachcaster, and
multiplier and fixed spool reels. There's a few manky old hooks and that
in there as well, but I guess they're cheap enough to replace.

I'm guessing you can buy a rig for float fishing ready made (not sure I
want to get into tying them at the minute). I don't mind spending few
quid, so it's off to find the tackle shop in Cromer.

BTW, anyone ever fish in the Wash?

--
Pscylo

The beachcaster with the fixed spool will be ideal. Multipliers can't
really be used for float fishing or feathering.

Tackle shops usually sell sea float kits that have the required float /
weight combination - the tricky bit is the stop knot to prevent the
float travelling all the way up your line as the weight sinks. "Power
gum" is a really good rubbery kind of line that can be tied as stop
knots. The stop knot can be hard to get right but a web search or chat
with the tackle shop should sort that out.

I use part of a match as a stop for floats

Simple to put in a line and pull out again when finished.

Dave



"Eric The Viking" wrote in message
oups.com...
The beachcaster with the fixed spool will be ideal. Multipliers can't
really be used for float fishing or feathering.

Tackle shops usually sell sea float kits that have the required float /
weight combination - the tricky bit is the stop knot to prevent the
float travelling all the way up your line as the weight sinks. "Power
gum" is a really good rubbery kind of line that can be tied as stop
knots. The stop knot can be hard to get right but a web search or chat
with the tackle shop should sort that out.

I'm guessing you can buy a rig for float fishing ready made (not sure I
want to get into tying them at the minute). I don't mind spending few
quid, so it's off to find the tackle shop in Cromer.

There's a good tackle shop in Sheringham, think its in Gunn Street.