How To Get Started Fishing: What You Will Need (uk) This applies mainly to the UK but other countries too. What you will n

[shadowx 0]

Hi folks, with the beginning of spring its time to crack out the coarse fishing rods and land a few fish, i was supposed to be fishing today but the weather took a turn for the worse so instead let me try to convince a few of you to go fishing and take your kids too!

 

I dont need to explain what fishing is, everyone knows that but let me clear up a few misconceptions:

 

1) Do you eat the fish? Or do you kill the fish? Or otherwise remove them from the lake?

A) No! There is a nasty habit of some eastern Europeans to remove and eat the fish from lakes and that might be fine in their countries but not in the UK! There are a few exceptions but the general rule is you NEVER kill the fish you catch if it can be helped. The exceptions are on some trout/salmon waters you are sometimes required to remove the fish because there is a chance they could infect other fish from contact with you or your net (which may have been contaminated in another lake) Or if there is a fish cull, there are some fish, predatory fish that eat other fish, namely the Pike. In some lakes the owners/runners arent sure what to do about the pike, they can really destroy a lake by eating everything so they tell anglers to kill any pike they find, or put them in another lake/tank. This doesnt happen too often because the pike manage themselves but it can happen.

 

If you see anyone killing a fish, either by hitting/cutting it or purposely leaving it to suffocate in the air either have a word with them, or the owners of the lake. If it happens a lot call the environment agency (search google, i dont know the number). A popular method for catching and killing these fish is to tie a line to a tree or rock, put several baited hooks on it and throw it into the lake, wait a few days and haul out 10 or 12 fish, it is cruel to the fish, ruins the lake and can easily kill other wildlife too, if you find such a line pull it out ASAP and call the owners/the EA.

 

2) Does it hurt the fish? or is it cruel?

A) Personally i think not, and i love animals. The fish's lips are mainly cartilage like our ears, and many times i have had a hook stick into a finger and it really doesnt hurt, i wouldnt do it for fun but it isnt terrible and judging by the fact there are very few blood vessels in the lips of a fish i suspect it hurts very little or not at all. Im sure the fish doesnt enjoy being caught but it causes no damage if done correctly and the fish will almost always swim off unharmed.

 

3) "But it costs so much!"

A) No it doesnt! Ok a rod and reel CAN be expensive but lets look in argos. They have the very basic starter kit, ?15 Includes a rod, reel floats, weights, box etcc (i will cover the tackle later) It literally is all you need for fishing. you can buy this and a few maggots or some sweetcorn and go fishing. I recommend a net, about ?10 for a decent one so for ?25 you are fishing, and its not exactly a terrible set up. the rod strength is actually stronger than many robs (the test curve is 3.5lb and i think my carp rod is 2.5lb so it really is pretty strong) The reel and line arent the best in the world but it will do. for a much better kit you could spend ?50 and have everything to go fishing that hour but have better quality stuff. Bait can be expensive if you buy it from a bait shop but Tescos is just as good and half the price!

 

4) You need to be taught/Its complicated

A) No no no! Most kids are taught from young ages but to be honest you can easily teach yourself. You need the kits i said above and a lake with lots of smaller fish. within 3 hours you could easily be fishing as well as many others on the lake. Understanding how fish behave takes a little longer as does knot tying, but to be honest fish like weeds, cover and sandbanks/islands/underwater channels. And as for knots most of them are based on a "Granny Knot" which is where youmake a loop in a string and pass one end through the loop and pull tight! Simple!

 

So let's go fishing!

 

Things you will need:

 

Before you buy anything you will first need a rod license, this year a rod license for an adult will permit you to use two rods at once and ill only cost ?25 for the entire year, it is well worth buying as without it you can be fined anything up to ?2000 and have your gear confiscated, dont run the risk! All the money (supposedly) gets put back into lakes in the form of taking care of them, stocking them etc... and for ?25 its not bad so get it! At the post office ask for a year license for coarse and no-migratory trout, it will cost ?25 if they say is ?60 they're talking about the salmon and trout license, you only need the ?25 license to fish for all fish except trout and salmon. you can get a day or week/month license but you might as well get a year worth!

 

You can get them from the post office, or from the EA website at their website. You will also need to pay a small fee on the bank of the lake to the owner/runner of the lake, you will need to buy a day ticket which permits you to fish there for the duration of the day between the open and closing times of the lake. Typically this will cost less than ?10.

 

A rod, i would suggest something of between 7ft (for smaller people/children) up to 9ft to begin with. Mine is a 12ft rod and i wouldnt be without it but to start with you need something you can easily control when casting (the hardest part of fishing!) If there is a "Test curve" weight in Pounds (lb) go for something above 2, 3lb is great but 2lb will easily be plenty for small fish. This rating essentially tells you the weight the rod can hold before it curves right around. 2lb might not sound much but it really is given the fact that a fish in the water weighs very little and you're unlikely to be lifting a lot of weight with the rod, and that weight is spread along the rod and line. This rod could cost anything between ?10-?30. Argos is a good place to look for all of this!

 

you will also need a reel. For your first reel expect to pay anywhere between ?10-?20 if you want you can pay more. There isnt much difference between reels, only their ball bearings which make for a smoother ride. Try to stay away from reels that are entirely made of cheap black plastic, this arent very nice to use. Something in the ?15-?20 range is ideal for a first reel with something like ?30 being a nice reel.

 

Now onto fishing line, this really depends what the lake is like, but i would suggest something like 7-8lb line. A lot of people might think this is a bit high but at the beginning of fishing you wont know how to "play" a fish properly and if you do catch something bigger you are likely to break the line so a heavier line will make sure you dont do that and help you get out of any snags if you accidentally hit a tree or bush! As for length they normally come in 100m or 300m "spools" 300m will be plenty and 100m should be fine too. Look on the side of the reel you bought. At the bottom of the round spool (where the line is/will go) will be some writing hopefully that says a diameter eg 0.1mm and then a length eg: 0.1mm/300m So if you buy line with a diameter of 0.1mm your reel will hold 300m of it. If all else fails buy 300m!

 

Now the rest of the tackle. In order it will go on the line: Floats, these are the sticks with the bright orange tops that float in the water and go down when you get a bite from a fish. Expect to pay ?1 each for these but again check Argos, you can get 26 floats for ?11 so if you are serious about fishing go for these, you will need about 5 floats anyway when you get into it so 26 is a really good deal! If you're buying them individually go for self-weighted floats, these are already balanced to float well in the water, you can ask in the tackle shop which ones are which or you can tell easily because self weighted floats have a ball of lead on the bottom of them or are labelled as "self-weighted", "weighted" or "self-cocking" (cocking is that action of the float going from flat (_) to upright (|) when it is weighted correctly) As for size go for ones about 3-5 inches tall.

 

Now you need weights. This are small balls that are called "leads" but arent actually made from lead anymore, they are generally cut almost completely half so they can be clamped closed with pliers or teeth around the line. Expect to pay about ?3-?4 for a small box of these. Get them in assorted sizes ranging from pea sized to half the size of that. as i said they come in a box and generally have between 4-8 different sizes. Also get some small rubber bands from the tackle shop. These are tiny, tiny rubber bands normally called just "rubbers" or "float rubbers" Ask the guy at the counter! They are the right size to fit snugly over the end of a float and hold the line to the float.

 

Now the business end, hooks! There are literally hundreds of different hooks out there these days. the ones you want to look for are stainless steel, barbless (a barbed hook is where they make a small "splinter" of metal on the inside of the bend so it is very difficult for the fish to get off, and also difficult to remove and often banned on many lakes) "eyed" hooks. They also come in different sizes, aim for size 10 or 12. 10 is bigger than 12 but they should both be the right size for his fishing trip! these will normally cost about ?1.50 for about 10 hooks. make sure you get "barbless, Eyed, stainless steel hooks size 10/12" It clearly says this on the packets, if in doubt ask the guy!

 

Also get a pair of forceps like these to get the hook out of the mouth of a fish. These are ESSENTIAL! some people use a small stick called a disgorger but forceps are much easier to use, if you can get two pairs, one straight and with a curve at the end, both should be small, about the length of your hand and with an end width no bigger than a medium sized float. You will very rarely need to insert these into the fish's mouth to remove a hook but hooks can be very fiddly when the fish is moving and you might get the hook inside the mouth of the fish in which case you will NEED forceps! Essential kit! About ?1-2 each

 

Also a pair of scissors and if you have them pliers, scissors are again essential for cutting lines and such, you may also want to take a small knife, a swiss army knife is good or even a Stanley/crafting knife. I recommend always having this in your fishing bag, NEVER in your pocket, you know what the laws are like here in the UK so keep it in your bag or near you whilst fishing but not in your pocket. You cant be charged for carrying a knife in fishing but you could be if you forget it is in your pocket or happen to take a meat cleaver with you! Be sensible! And remember a tin opener!

 

As i said a landing net is also fairly useful, if you catch a fish that weights more than a pound or so it is a good idea to net him to relive any strain on his mouth. A pole of 7ft or more is perfect with a net size about the size of a large melon or more is ideal.

 

So off to the bank! Find a local fishery and before you go ask what baits work well there. In general maggots are a killer for small fish which is perfect for a start with spam and sweetcorn and sometimes bread being better for bigger fish. I dont use maggots or worms as i feel it is rather cruel to the worms/maggots but there you go. En route to the lake/river pick up a tin of corn, some maggots and a tin of spam (get everything but the maggots in Tescos, maggots can be bought in a fishing tackle shop, ask for half a pint of mixed maggots and either bring or buy a bait box to put them in, they do supply them in bags sometimes but a box is better, they are small round or square boxes with lids with small holes in the top)

 

Optional extras include a chair to sit on, umbrella, sun cream and sun glasses and a towel to wash/dry your hands with after catching a fish and of course a camera

 

Now to the lake! Check out my second tutorial for how to actually fish. I felt it would be too long if i did them both together!

 

If you live in or near Rainham, Essex, UK give me a PM and i can tell you a couple places to start out. If you live in Essex UK check out http://essexfishing.com/

 

If you live elsewhere search the net for your county and terms like "fishing" "fishing forum" etc...

Edited April 23, 2008 by shadowx (see edit history)

[flashy 0]

woah - nice and detailed! Thanks a bundle! My uncle used to take me fishing once every month or so but he can't now because my license ran out. After reading that i am going to start fishing again!

 

Oh and by the way the environment agencys number if anyone needs them are:

 

General Enquiries: 08708 506 506 (Mon-Fri 8-6)

Incident hotline: 0800 807060 (Freephone* 24 Hour)

Hazardous Waste Registration number: 08708 502 858 (Mon-Fri 9-5)

Agricultural Waste Registration: 0845 603 3113 (Mon-Fri 8-6)

Floodline: 0845 988 1188 (24 Hour)

Enquiries (non-UK calls): 00 44 1709 389 201 (Mon-Fri 8-6)

 

source: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

[shadowx 0]

After reading that i am going to start fishing again!

Good to hear! I think fishing is a great sport as it unites people, you dont get fishing hooligans overturning buses! and it keeps kids off the street, which is always good!

Thanks for those numbers too, they will come in handy =)

when you buy the license you can get it online like i said and you dont need to wait for the paper to come trough the door, they give you a license number and if you write that down you can go fishing straight away while you wait for the paper, which is very handy!