spinning

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:24 pm

Hi all been bech and pier fishing for only a couple of months and i was thinking of giving spinning a go for mackerel and bass. as I dont have much of a clue about this could anyone give me some tips, is it just simply casting a lure and reeling in or jigging up and down of a pier, what sort of rod and reel would i need i currently have 12ft beach caster and fix spool reel, was thinking of buying a secound rod and reel. what sort of conditions are suitable, i mostly fish at southend.
thanks andy

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:55 pm

hi mate
i use a ron thompson 11ft bass rod for lure fishing havent had the chance to use it yet but the bass are starting to show but you could also use a carp /pike rod they are all good
im sure someone in your area can give better advice but enjoy cheers steve

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:22 pm

Hi Andy
I use a Shimano 11ft Beastmaster rod coupled with a Penn captiva 5000 reel, For spinning just cast out, let the spinner sink and reel back in at a steady rate.

Member Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 6

Hi andy, i have also only jsut recently started spinning in the sea, but have found it (so far) much much easier than spinning in freshwater, the kit i am using is not that great quality but it is working for the moment..i use a ron thompson 10-40 gram spinning rod with an okuma reel loaded with 10lb berkeley trilene XL.
buy some dexter wedges and cast them out far..count down until you feel it hit the sea bed and wind it back..then each cast count down to say 3 off what the previous cast was and work it back, then you will work all the levels of the water..i kow thats pretty basic advice, but has worked for me so far catching mackerel and pollock!

good luck!

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:38 am

Hi Andy,

I use an 11ft Grays spinning outfit, with an old Shimano 4000 baitrunner that I used to use for Carp fishing, I use 20lb braid for mainline and would really recommend braid over nylon as it keeps you in touch with every little knock.

I use a range of lures depending on what I am after, but as that is mostly bass I have a number of surface lures, poppers, shallow and deep diving plugs and spoons depending on the venue, state of tide and the type of fish.

The surface poppers are an amazing way to fish, really visual and incredibly exciting when you get takes as the bass just slash at the lure from the underneath. If the first take doesn't result in a hooked fish then resist the urge to keep winding and leave the lure floating on the surface for a few seconds as the bass just come back and take it again thinking its a stunned fish. I use Yo-Zuri Mag Poppers and they are the perfect, also Sammys for 'walking the dog' and then shallow divers in minnow and mackeral patterns for the first 2ft of the water.

Bass will feed in 12 inches of water, on a rising tide when the water floods back in over the seaweed and rocks, chasing fry, small fish and crabs so you dont need to cast far if you are fishing an area where bass are present, I fish the first 20 yards at most and just keep mobile fishing the shoreline in front of me as I move. You can cover a couple of miles in a session and always keep your eye out for signs of fish, bass don't tend to keep themselves secret especially if they are around in numbers.

Tight lines, Jon

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:25 pm

thanks for the info the surface poppers sound exciting might give go
what does walking the dog mean?
what sort of rigs do you use for the lures? do you think i can get away with useing a shakespear tidewater rod and reel?
thanks andy

Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 5:43 am

Sorry Andy, walking the dog just means fishing the lure back across the surface in an erratic style using the rod tip to give the lure some extra movement, the Sammy doesn't create as much surface disturbance as the poppers do so the action of the lure all comes from working it back in short sharp movements as you retrieve.

Different people attach the lures in different ways. As I use braid I used to attach the lures via a lead clip on the end of the line but now I just attach the lure straight to the end of the braid. Even though the lead clips make changing the lure easier I have heard that when the bass roll these clips can come undone losing the fish and the lure.

Others use a length of nylon between the braid and the lure to benefit from the stretch of the nylon but I prefer the close contact between rod tip and lure that you get from braid, you can feel rocks and kelp and can avoid snagging up far easier.

I dont know the rod you mention but as long as you can handle holding it for a couple of hours and constantly casting and retrieving then it will be fine. I used carp rods originally and only bought a spinning rod because the outfit was a bit heavy for 3-4 hours of fishing at a time.

Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 8:22 pm

thanks bassaddict you have been very helpful, I may need to get a new rod for this, but ill probably borrow my brother in law carp rod at first, and see how i get on, one last question I asume you need the sea to be relatively calm for spinning so the fish stand a chance of seeing the lures are the conditions suitable at this time of year.
thanks andy

Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 10:05 am

im goin to have a go at spinning for mackerel aswell any spinner idea's i already have a good spinning rod but i need info on spinners to buy

Joined: Jun 11, 2008 Posts: 4

Any 1 here uses to spin in saltwater???

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:18 pm

I have 2 tidewater rods and they are a bit heavy for spinning. Hope this helps. keith