fishing

[Soloman]

After reading Woodsmokes fishing tutorial i was wondering if there is anybody in my neck of the woods who is willing to give up a couple of hours of their time in order to give me the basics.
Ive bought a small shimano telescopic rod but dont want to start with any bad habits.
Im in fife.
Soloman.

 

[alpha_centaur]

After reading Woodsmokes fishing tutorial i was wondering if there is anybody in my neck of the woods who is willing to give up a couple of hours of their time in order to give me the basics.
Ive bought a small shimano telescopic rod but dont want to start with any bad habits.
Im in fife.
Soloman.

You've just started one you've bought a rod and intend to go fishing .

 

[Bushwhacker]

Take care of your line and your knots, it's the only thing connecting you to the fish.

A badly tied or inappropriate knot will severely reduce the breaking strength of the line. UV will also weaken it over time so store your line out of sunlight.

Match line, hooksize and bait to the quarry you expect to catch. A size 1/0 hook is not going to be any good for brook trout.

Bait should be as fresh as possible for best results.

If legering, try and use the minimum amount of weight possible to keep the bait stationary (unless using the rolling method). Fish don't like resistance when they take a bait.

Casting (distance and accuracy) can be practised in an empty field using just a weight. Best to have a go at that before attempting to cast for the first time at the water.

That's a few to get on with.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Soloman, i'm in Falkirk and would have no problems showing you anything you need to know.

If you PM me we can sort something out, let me know what sort of fish you want to catch, where you might go fishing etc, that will give me a good start to help you.

 

[stooboy]

I fancy a fishing trip to lochearn or perhaps castlehill reservoir some time soon, i can drop you a pm if you fancy it. think both are £10ish a day permit. Loch fitty is near you soloman but i heard it had closed, and loch leven is quite expensive for a days out fishin.

 

[Vibrant]

For fresh water, take a good look at what is around where you are fishing. Look at what insects are about, shake some branches near the banks and see what falls out, whats buzzing around your head etc. That will give you some clues as to what your prey are eating and will help you match your bait or lure to its preferences and diet.

Try and think a bit like a fish... if you were hungry where would you lay? Is there any structure (rocks, branches etc)? If its a moving body of water toss some grass or something in and watch how it moves through the water, and most importantly, where it gets trapped in an eddy or swirls behind some rocks. Fish like to hang about in places like these.

If its beach fishing, try and get up high, or get there at low tide and get the lay of the land. Look for gutters as the fish like them. An hour or so before an incoming tide is a good time to get your gear wet. If you are fishing in the surf you will see most people trying to cast beyond the breakers, but you can get surprisingly good results in close and in relatively shallow water. If you catch one, cut it open and look at its guts and see what its eating (same for fresh water). Again, this will help you target your baits.

 

[Big Mark]

For fresh water, take a good look at what is around where you are fishing. Look at what insects are about, shake some branches near the banks and see what falls out, whats buzzing around your head etc. That will give you some clues as to what your prey are eating and will help you match your bait or lure to its preferences and diet.

Try and think a bit like a fish... if you were hungry where would you lay? Is there any structure (rocks, branches etc)? If its a moving body of water toss some grass or something in and watch how it moves through the water, and most importantly, where it gets trapped in an eddy or swirls behind some rocks. Fish like to hang about in places like these.

If its beach fishing, try and get up high, or get there at low tide and get the lay of the land. Look for gutters as the fish like them. An hour or so before an incoming tide is a good time to get your gear wet. If you are fishing in the surf you will see most people trying to cast beyond the breakers, but you can get surprisingly good results in close and in relatively shallow water. If you catch one, cut it open and look at its guts and see what its eating (same for fresh water). Again, this will help you target your baits.

Spooning their stomachs when you catch one is a good way to see what they are eating. I often use a big lure to get one then spoon their stomachs to see what they are eating they use a fliy that looks like it. I did this once and found fresh water shrimps and then 16 fish in a day - one a chuck. The freezer was full for months!