Basic Bushcraft Fishing pt 1

[Scoffham]

Hey All.. Just a quick message to let people know Aldi are selling fishing equipment currently.

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/offers_week23sunday09.htm?WT.z_src=main

I've just popped in and brought a allrounder rod and reel set for £12.99. I'm wasnt really expecting the best quality, but my telescopic rods never last that long anyway. Must say I was pleasantly surprised, I shall pop down to the lakes today to see if I have any luck!

Scoff

 

[Husky]

Great thread!
Someone stated that they don´t eat much fish on account of the bones.
That is to bad but easily fixed! There are a lot of neat ways to clean fish into more or less boneless fillets. I could try and bring a camera on my next fishingtrip but its a bit messy to clean fish and take pictures at the same time!
There are som good tips on youtube though. Here is one of how to get completely bonefree fillets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3-GLr9bTXM

Here is another great one on easy cleaning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3-GLr9bTXM

Just catch a fish and try. You get better at it pretty fast and if you ruin the fish, just boil it into stock and make a nice soup with some cream, white wine and some mussels. There is not much that gives the same good feeling as having eaten a nice fish that you caught, cleaned and and cooked yourself the same day.

 

[spiritwalker]

hi first off im new so hello everyone

i read this a few weeks ago with interest and though id offer my two penneth.

Spinning is a good way to start however you are limiting yourself to predatory species
ie pike perch trout freshwater etc and to use the same kit in the sea would need considerable changes ie line breaking strain and casting weight (shore sea lures are much heavier to get the distance)

a small float set up for would be better allround in my opinion first off on freshwater your species list is greatly increased limited only to what bait you use (worms and maggots good staples and easily aquired from under rocks and carrion) and with larger floats you can float fish the coastal rocks too using bait collected from the shore limpets,winkles, bivalves as well a marine worms will get you a meal from the rocks again all freely obtainable.

lastly you can always opt for flyfishing set up which can catch more species than youd imagine you can get 6 piece fly rods and a reel quite cheaply a nice selection of hand tied flies or shop bought and your away (also useable on the coast)

Bushcraft im fairly new to but fishing ive done for 30 years coarse sea and game and i rarely fail to catch

recently ive just bought a wee pen fishing rod with dinky reel you can google them they look wicked but i havent tested it yet folds down to nothing and promises to handle fish up to 7lb or so ill be giving it a blast soon.

if your really into eating fish id recommend the complete angler by issac walton(off the top of my head) it has info on all freshwater species and suggestions on eating them including the wee gudgeon ive ate alot of fish but still havent tried a wrasse due to them tasting poor apparently i must try it some day for myself.

on another note regarding bones if you bake a fish until the eye goes white you can generally life the tail and the two fillets drop off the bone bone free this works well with trout.

erm ive waffled on long enough

 

[Le Loup]

Good post woodsmoke. I always carry my fishing kit in my belt pouch.
Le Loup.

 

[Indoorsout]

Thanks for this WS, I'm just getting into fishing and this is a great source of info

 

[w00dsmoke]

]hi first off im new so hello everyone

i read this a few weeks ago with interest and though id offer my two penneth.

Spinning is a good way to start however you are limiting yourself to predatory species
ie pike perch trout freshwater etc
Which are the most commonly eaten fish in the uk. Generally speaking coarse anglers would go crazy if you were known to be eating carp, roach, or rudd etc...

and to use the same kit in the sea would need considerable changes ie line breaking strain and casting weight (shore sea lures are much heavier to get the distance)
Nobody suggested this kit was for the sea-it was clearly written as fresh water fishing but if needed it would easily be adapted for the sea. I've caught mackies on this set up with no adjustments at all, just a good rinse in fresh water after wards.


a small float set up for would be better allround in my opinion
I disagree, as in the uk you generally eat, trout, salmon, pike and occassionally perch, all predatory fish and easier to catch on the spinner imo but a bait set up will catch more species of fish, but as this is a uk based site I chose to concentrate on UK species for the table.

lastly you can always opt for flyfishing set up which can catch more species than youd imagine you can get 6 piece fly rods and a reel quite cheaply a nice selection of hand tied flies or shop bought and your away (also useable on the coast)

I'm a fly fisher mainly and I agree however fly fishing is a highly skilled form of fishing and I would not consider it as "basic bushcraft fishing".

Bushcraft im fairly new to but fishing ive done for 30 years coarse sea and game and i rarely fail to catch

Well my point is that you don't need that 30 years experience to rarely fail to catch if beginners got to grips with the very basics. The very basics will get them fish in the UK to eat and that's the point of the thread.

 

[johnnytheboy]

I want to add my two pence worth here, but i think if any serious pike angler sees you killing a pike you could be in serious trouble, they are a very fragile species in terms of handling and population. Be aware that regular killing of pike can affect the population of other species dramatically, for example its one of the reasons there are no trout in Loch Ard.

Trout and perch are smaller and more plentiful in numbers and can sustain harvesting in most waters, I would however serioulsy consider killing of any pike over 5lbs.

I would also be checking your permits as well as many fisherys know all of this and the permit ensures pike are returned.

 

[eskimo]

Hi Woodsmoke, what make is the black plastic box you keep your hooks lures in?

It looks ideal.

Cheers

 

[w00dsmoke]

Hi Eskimo

there is no brand name for the lure box but if you go to a tackle store and ask for a "lure box" there should be several available. If you are stuck pm me and I can probably pick one up for you. I think I paid around £3 or £4 for mine.

 

[eskimo]

Thanks W00dsmoke, went to my local supplies shop today and managed to get a lure box. A bit more expensive than yours though £13 it's by a company called Theseus, probably saw me coming.

Looks pretty solid though.

Do you mind me asking where you got the lures to go in it? Thanks again

 

[Allie]

Thanks so much for this woodsmoke - this is literally exactly what I've been looking for: I'm an utter dunce when it comes to fishing , but I'd love to be able to do a little bit!

 

[w00dsmoke]

Thanks for the comments folks I'm just glad it helps and encourages you to go out there and have a go. It's so much fun and a lot easier than most fisherfolk would like to make out But you will have blank days too lol

:You_Rock_

Eskimo, as for lures, well O'd start off with basic spoons such as aglia mepps or copies of, buy a variety of sizes and I swear by vibrax spoons, expensive but they work for me. But even basic spoons from the pound shop will work too. Just remember that you will lose lures initially until you learn to read the water for weeds and other obsticles. Rememebr and do not wind in too fast and vary the retrieve. Lift your rod up and down occassionally or from side to side and this may just trigger a bite

 

[Broch]

Thanks for the comments folks I'm just glad it helps and encourages you to go out there and have a go. It's so much fun and a lot easier than most fisherfolk would like to make out But you will have blank days too lol

:You_Rock_

Eskimo, as for lures, well O'd start off with basic spoons such as aglia mepps or copies of, buy a variety of sizes and I swear by vibrax spoons, expensive but they work for me. But even basic spoons from the pound shop will work too. Just remember that you will lose lures initially until you learn to read the water for weeds and other obsticles. Rememebr and do not wind in too fast and vary the retrieve. Lift your rod up and down occassionally or from side to side and this may just trigger a bite

On the subject of the pound shop - I picked up a small lure box for £1 from them over the weekend - a basic plastic divided box but good value!

Cheers,

Broch

 

[gsfgaz]

brilliant post woodsmoke

 

[Le Loup]

Yes thanks Woodsmoke. I think you are right about getting too technical, fishing being easier than some make out. I have never considered myself a fisherman, I only fish for food and only ever use 18th century tackle and have never failed to catch fish to date.
Regards, Le Loup.

 

[Shewie]

Just bumping this one for Tank to read

 

[gowersponger]

[/IMG]

this schoolie was caught on a handline she cooked up nice over the fire whilst we was camping on a nice spot in the cliffs not to far from my house. i caught this on a crab bait ,,easily found,, buble floated just 3 foot away from me in a gully . i do like to keep the small ones and put the big breeders back to spawn again.

 

[shutz]

Quick question about spinners,
When your looking at mepps spoons is the bigger the number the bigger the spoon (or like freshwater hooks the other way round)
Cheers

 

[Home Guard]

Brilliant advice, thankyou very much.

 

[uncleboo]

In this case a small trout (I put all my small trout back and only keep the bigger ones for food)

I do the exact opposite. I reckon if a wild troot gets to the pound mark then there's a lot of good strong genes to be passed on at breeding.