Starting sea fishing. What to buy

We are about to head out for Annual holiday on the Isles of Scilly

I promised my son a road for his 18th birthday but we have no idea what to buy

We know you can catch Pollock and some times mackerel standing on the rocks near the campsite

We tried phoning the shop on Scillies for advice but they weren’t very helpful. Other than they do have the foil lures we have used in the past (from a boat). So we think we will leave hooks and lures until we get their

That leaves Go Outdoors with 100s of rods and reels and us with no idea

We think not too long a rod as we will hopefully have small boat we can use it from as well

So any advice would be gratefully recieved. Particularly of Go Outdoors stock it and its low in price

Thanks for your help

Go for a cheap kit to get you started, something like this. You can add extra line/lures/hook/swivels etc when you start using it.
You won’t be able to use the same rod for beach casting and boat fishing; it’ll either be too short for one or too long for the other, or both. You can get cheap boat rods for around the £15 mark and use the reel and tackle off the beach rod.
A tackle box is pretty much essential (you can use a cheap tool box from Aldi or something). You’ll be surprised at how much stuff you accumulate and how keen it is to entangle itself into a giant mess.
Whatever you do DON’T start with a multiplier reel unless you want to spend the majority of your time picking a bird’s nest apart.

Hi as above you need to decide if off the rock or on the boat

there are a huge variety of different types of tackle

If you want a nice setup for rock fishing for pollock, wrasse etc

look for an 11 foot rod rated to cast 2-4oz, pair this with a 4000 or 5000 shimano reel (buy best you can afford) put some 80lb braid on it (ebay) and then just get terminal tackle from local shops (weights, floats hooks lures etc)

Thanks for that Rusty. Part of the problem I think it’s that the fishing people do is bit unique to where we are. It’s not beach casting as the water can be very deep just off shore. But it’s not fishing from a Pier as is not quite straight up and down. I think we just have to go and buy what looks correct.

Propebikeco

That’s helpful, thanks

Just hire one of these….

I do a fair bit of fishing off rocks in Cardigan bay that sounds similar. Not beach casting, but you still need to cast, rather than chucking it over the side as per boat fishing. What properbikeco suggests is similar to what we use, you can actually cast quite a long way with something like that and the correct technique.
If you want to get decent stuff you can’t go far wrong with Shakespeare/Daiwa/Shimano. Tons of online angling shops cutting each other’s throats on price.
Don’t underestimate just how many little bits and pieces you need – weights, hooks, swivels, snap links etc – and it’s well worth getting some pre-made rigs like mackerel rigs and 2/3 hook flappers.

Thanks folks road and real done. 10 foot Rock road and cheap real to see how it goes

I would suggest a spinning rod and reel setup about 8ft or so. Very versatile.

Check sports direct for bargains

Try not to get tempted to become a tinsel tosser. See so many novices with a pile of fish that they don’t want .A nice spinning rod with a one ounce lead and a single mackerel spinner will give good sport. Stick to 10 lb line max .

Based on my knowledge of day boats, you’ll need a crate of ale, a dictionary of new swear words, some industrial strength grumble and at least 200 cigarettes. Oh and some fishing gear.

Sounds like your rock rod is a good choice. And i totally disagree that you can’t have a rod that does boat and shore. Not only have i won a west coast club boat comp with a 20-60 spinning rod, catching 86 pollack and wrasse 1/2 – 8lbs in 5 hrs, I’ve also cast a 4oz lead over 130m with an uptide rod! If i could have only one sea rod it would be a 3-5 oz uptide rod with a stiff lower and tippy.

Your rock fishing sounds nice and tidal, try pinning a bait to the bottom with a 4-5oz gripper and see what happens. If it’s pollacky or bassy try a firetail jelly 3ft below a 3oz lead cast far and drawn deep. Float fishing with ragworm under a sliding float can be amazing fun too.

thepurist – Member
Based on my knowledge of day boats, you’ll need a crate of ale, a dictionary of new swear words, some industrial strength grumble and at least 200 cigarettes. Oh and some fishing gear.

Haha beat me to it. Though by me if you want to fit in substitute ale for Carling

Only one rule for sea fishing…….. UR GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT!

If i could have only one sea rod it would be a 3-5 oz uptide rod with a stiff lower and tippy.

Ugly Stik?

I’ve got an 11’6″ Ron Thompson ‘Travel Beach’, 6 piece rod which I reckon is a good all rounder. It’s good for heavy ground but lobs a 6oz lead a fair way & you can fit in a suitcase!

(My main rod is a Century Carbon Metal Express, different beast!)

Glasgowdan speaks sense!

Based on my knowledge of day boats, you’ll need a crate of ale, a dictionary of new swear words, some industrial strength grumble and at least 200 cigarettes. Oh and some fishing gear.

We were out 2 weeks ago from Hartlepool on The Wandering Star & the only thing missing from that list was beer, but you need a bloody good sense of humour especially with a skipper who takes the water out of everyone! Brillaint day & caught loads of fish.

Never been a fan of ugly sticks, a little TOO tippy with the glass. I have a Mick Toomer/Browning uptide rod which is ace but tired, a Gemini Gem 2000s which is sublime, and a Shakey Salt Sea 10ft uptide rod, which again is superb. I’d prefer to use them with the 525mag reel but I used to occasionally use a big Shimano Power Aero 10000XT which I sold as it was too nice a reel for sea fishing and I was always worried about scratching it! Some power in it though, 3.5:1 gearing and the smoothest drag I’ve ever had.

Whats wrong with a bit of tinsel tossing and a bag of mackerel for the barbie?

nomnom, and indeed, nom
🙂

Indeed. PS Use these for mackerel, you’ll catch twice as many as folk using feathers 🙂

Its quite technical now. I’ll let you know if anything is caught when we get back

We will eat any Mackerel caught

If you have rod, reel and line, I’d just go into a tackle shop and ask for a slider float kit.

They will show you how to set it up – put a sandeel on the end and you will get mackerel.

It is also an easy way for a beginner to fish.

Nothing wrong with Tinsel tossing . I do it occasionally myself to stock up on bait or like you say for a barby. It’s the idiots who pull out fish after fish after fish and just leave them dead at the side of the sea.

Have you seen the price of mackerel at the supermarket ??

Have you seen the price of mackerel at the supermarket ??

£10.99 a kilo? Caught more off Seaham pier last week & was in the smoker same day. Absolutely gorgeous!

Gonna try on Wednesday again.

@Glasgowdan, do you get out fishing on the west coast much? (apart from around Glasgow that is)

Jesus, used to do abit of sea fishing, thought i may have a contribution to make but it appears things have moved on! Er. Go and dig some lugworms?

Er. Go and dig some lugworms?

Got to find them first!

Essel, not been doing much fishing for a couple of years, but mainly fished arbroath-montrose-aberdeen through winter for cod, luce bay for bass, tope etc, mull of galloway for pollack , wrasse. Did a few matches here and there, some boat fishing on our seatrooper, drifting off berwick and.dunbar for lovely summer cod. Got a peachy 7 1/2lb bass on crab close in at luce bay one of my last fishing sessions, plus dozens of fast smoothounds. I do miss it but biking and training os the focus for now 🙂

Nice one Dan. As I’m getting on a bit the fishing takes over, more so in winter when the cod are around. Try to do a couple of charter trips each summer too. Living 65 miles from the sea doesn’t help.

My best from last weeks outing…

Ling, 03.07.2015 by jimmyg352[/url], on Flickr

The guy in red behind me is OrangeCrush off here, AKA Peter, from Edinburgh.

Dabbled with sea fishing off the rocks over the years – seems to me that it’s about 1. Where you go, 2. When you go, 3. What gear you choose, 4. skill with the rod. That order sound about right?
Wrong time of day in a bad spot and the world’s best fisherman is catching nowt off the rocks. Go somewhere good in the evening and all hands are hauling them in left right and centre.

Takes a bit of skill / local knowledge not to lose your hooks, mind – reet ballache getting the spinner caught on the bottom.

Garry, I’d say the gear is the least important factor. When is most important…tide state, tide size, swell, ocean colour, rainfall, day/night, temperature all affect it.

A 35 lb shore eel, lost a bigger one as line parted before i got the drop net in place. Also had some near scottish record wrasse from this venue. Oh, and a garfish, and watched a sunfish flap around on the surface one day!

And one of these speedy fish, from Isle of Whithorn.

Nice ones Dan lad!