A guide to coarse fishing for the absolute beginner.

Welcome to Angling,

On the following pages you will find information on the basic fishing tackle you will need to go coarse fishing and what you need to know to start fishing for coarse fish. I have given a run down of the fishing tackle you will need and how to set it up for float fishing and the general techniques for fishing. As time permits I will be adding further pages to this section.

What you need to know before you catch your first fish.

What is Fishing?

Fishing (also called Angling) is the sport of catching fish, freshwater or saltwater, typically with rod, line and hook. Fishing originated as a means of providing food for survival.

In its most basic form, fishing is throwing out a fishing line and pulling in the fish when it goes for your baited fishing hook or fishing lure. It sounds so plain and simple, however, throughout the history of fishing, various fishing disciplines have emerged that target specific fishing conditions and species of fish. These fishing variations have their own unique fishing equipment, know how, and technical skills that may be specific to the type of water in which an angler will be fishing or the kind of fish targeted.
There are three genres of fishing, or angling as it is commonly known: Coarse, Game and Sea. Coarse angling is fishing for any species of fish other than those that live in the sea and Trout and Salmon. Game fishing pertains to the pursuit of Trout and Salmon. Sea fishing as its name suggests is fishing for species that inhabit the sea.

An off-shoot of coarse angling is Carp fishing. Carp is the common name for the fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. These fish can grow to really big weights and over the last decade or so anglers have specifically targeted these specimen fish. Hence the birth of Carp fishing and the ‘Specimen Angler’. As a beginner to angling you may want to know what some of the words and terms mean when used while fishing.

ROD LICENCE

Any angler aged 12 years or over, fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels in England, Scotland, Canada, USA, Fracnce…must have an Environment Agency rod licence.

Be warned!
It is an offence to fish for freshwater fish and eels without a valid rod licence and if you do you are looking at a fine of up to £2,500 in UK.

 If your serious about taking up fishing then it is cheaper to buy a 12 month licence. If you are unsure then I would suggest buying  a 1 day or 8 day licence.

 CLOSE SEASON

Close season means no fishing (you are not allowed to fish in certain areas in a specified period)

Coarse fish close season – 15th March to 15th June inclusive.
The coarse fish close season applies to all rivers, streams , but does not apply to most stillwaters, however, there are some exceptions that retain the close season.
In the areas where there is no coarse fishing close season the fishery owners and angling clubs are free to introduce a close season through club or fishery rules if they wish to.

  Where to go fishing.

For safety reasons ALWAYS tell someone where you are going and what time you will be back.

As a beginner try to choose a stillwater (pond or lake) for your first fishing trip with a fishing depth of around 6 feet.

If you have angling friends they will know where to go fishing and will probably ask you to accompany them on a fishing session. If not, speak to the staff in your local tackle shop and tell them your a beginner and want to go fishing  You will find they are only too willing to help and might even suggest someone who will take you and teach you.

Most waters you go fishing to will have an owner or be controlled by a fishing club. You will have to pay for a ‘day ticket’ (permit allowing you to fish that water) Day tickets cost from £3 upwards. Remember to follow all the fishery rules, return all fish to the water and take all your litter home with you. I bloody hate it when I turn up at a fishery and find the peg I have chosen littered with old fishing line and rubbish left by some one who calls himself an angler.

The basic fishing tackle you will need for float fishing for coarse fish.

Prices I have mentioned for fishing tackle are only a guideline. Many bargains can be had from your local fishing tackle shop  and online fishing tackle dealers

Some good fishing tackle can be bought second hand. Have a look in your local paper. Try and take an angling friend with you when going to buy fishing tackle.

Fishing rod
Choose a ‘float’ fishing rod of around 12 foot with a ‘through’ action. (bends in a curve from the handle to the top of the rod). A suitable ‘float’ fishing rod for the beginner can be bought for around £15 to £40.

Fishing reel
Choose a ‘fixed spool’ reel. This will cost you around £10 to £35.

Fishing line
For the beginner I recommend starting with 3lb or 4lb monofilament fishing line. A 100 yards (metres) spool of general purpose fishing line will cost around £3. Ultima, Bayer and Maxima are good choice fishing lines. The line needs winding onto the reel filling the spool to about an eighth of an inch from the rim so you will need some backing line. Ask your tackle dealer or friends if they can help out. If not use some wool and wind this on to the spool tightly.  This isn’t perfect but will suffice. Fill the spool with wool, leaving enough room for the line.

In order to minimize line twist during the loading of the line, looking down at your reel, turn the handle as if you are retrieving the line and note the direction that the bail rotates around the spool. Most fixed spool reels rotate in a clockwise direction. Now lay your spool of line on the floor and look at which way the line will come off it (clockwise or anti clockwise). If its clockwise fine if not turn the spool over. Now from the top ring on your rod, thread the line through your rod rings to the reel, open the bail arm and tie the line to the spool of your reel. Now, this is the tricky bit, close the bail arm and holding the rod with the line between two fingers to keep it taut start reeling the line onto your reel, keeping it taut, until all the line is on your reel. If you can get someone to hold the line for you, it makes it a lot easier.

Fishing floats

There are many different kinds of floats for different waters and types of fishing, but for now choose a couple of 5 BB waggler floats. (in case your unlucky and lose one) These will cost around 50p to £1.50 each

Fishing hooks
As a beginner a packet of barbless, size 14, hooks to nylon (breaking strain 3lb) should get you started. Price around £2. As you become more accomplished you will be able to scale down the hook and line size.

Split shot
You can buy a dispenser with a mixture of shot sizes (around £7) or a tub of BB and a tub of Number 4. (£1.25 – £1.75 a tub). We will be using BB to lock and weight the float and Number 4 down the line.

Disgorger (essential)
This will be used when you catch your fish to remove the hook from the fish’s mouth. (price £50p to £1)

Plummet

This will be used to check the depth of the water you will be fishing.

Landing net and pole  (essential)
This is an essential piece of tackle for landing your fish. Choose one that with a net made of safety mesh material which will prevent any damage to the fish. (price around £10 to £15)

Scissors

For cutting the fishing line when you have tied your hook length to the main line and also to cut the line if the fish is deep hooked. (price £1? or borrow a pair)

Seat box or chair

To sit on of course! If you have a seat box fine, if not a deck chair or similar will do. Fishing can be a waiting game and if your not catching you will get fed up and your legs will ache from standing. (price seat box second-hand £15 deckchair £10)

Rod rest

To put your rod into if your waiting a while between bites (around £1 or £2)

Bait box or container

For your bait – an old butter container well cleaned out will do. Make sure it has plenty of ‘small’ holes in the top. (free to £2)

Bait  (essential)

There are literally hundreds of types of fishing baits. I would suggest you start out fishing using maggots (£2.40 pint)

Unhooking mat

Not always needed but in the interest of fish welfare you are advised to buy or borrow one. (from £5)

Tackle box

A tackle box is good investment if you decide to take up the sport of fishing seriously and will be necessary to keep all of your accessories in i.e. floats, hooks, shot, plummet and scissors etc. Believe me, when you get into fishing its surprising how much gear you amass!

For now a small plastic tool box or plastic container to put your tackle in will be ok.

Fish welfare.

The welfare of the fish is paramount to the the future of fishing and all fish that are caught must be returned to the water without injury.
Preferably use barbless hooks as these do less damage to fish. They are a lot easier to remove as well.

Handling fish.
All fish are covered with a protective layer of slime and this acts as the first line defence against parasitic infections, bacteria, and other diseases that a fish may contract.
When you catch a fish you must make sure you don’t remove too much of this protective coating, so always wet your hands before handling the fish and never use a cloth to hold a fish. ALWAYS unhook fish quickly but carefully and return them to the water as quickly as possible. If the fish is too large to hold, don’t unhook it on the ground as this can damage it and remove the slime, use an unhooking mat. With a smaller fish hold it tightly so that it doesn’t flap about and slip out of your hands onto the ground but don’t hold it too tight or you may damage its internal organs.

Unhooking a fish.
Never pull on the line to remove a hook from a fish – this WILL NOT work without seriously injuring the fish.

If the fish is too large to hold in one hand then lay it on an unhooking mat for removing the hook (unhooking mat = padded cushion to protect fish from being injured on the ground)

If the fish is lip hooked you may be able to remove it using your fingers. If the fish is hooked inside its mouth and you can see the hook, use a disgorger (a thin plastic or metal rod with a slot in the end). Hold the line tight and put the slot of the disgorger over the line and slide it along the line until you reach the hook. Push the hook in the opposite direction to the way it went in until it is free and then carefully remove it. If the fish is deeply hooked and the hook cant be removed safely it is better to cut the line as close to the hook as possible. The hook will dislodge itself or will eventually rust away. If its a Perch and its deep hooked, these fish can bleed VERY easily, have a careful go with a disgorger and if it wont come free, cut the line as close to the hook as possible. Using barbless hooks make removal a lot easier!

Returning fish to the water

NEVER throw a fish back into the water. Always get down close to the water to release a fish and let the fish swim away. If it is a large fish, especially Barbel, it may have tired itself out while you were catching it. In this case hold the fish in the water facing the current until it is ready to swim away. Moving the fish backwards and forwards sometime aids its recovery.