Home | Blogs and Opinion | Mike's Diary Archive 2004 | How to get started in sea angling and how to collect razorfish
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How to get started in sea angling and how to collect razorfish

Mike Thrussell 10 November, 2004 05:15:00

GETTING STARTED WITH SEA GEAR
I'm getting asked frequently what is the cheapest way to start sea fishing and what should beginners buy.

Start off with fixed spool reels. These are the simplest to use and relatively maintenance free. You need a reel that carries around 350-metres of 18lb line. Budget reels start at around £22 but more robust ones cost £29.99.

Rods up to the job need to be 12ft to cast 4 to 6ozs or 170grms and be compatible for fixed spool reels. Always check the rods details against the company's catalogue. Rods start around £29.99. Some tackle shops do package deals where if you buy the rod and reel together they work out cheaper. Some dealers throw in free line too.

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Getting started in angling
If you buy line, go for a 600-metre spool of 18lb breaking strain to start. This will cover you for beach and pier fishing. Also buy 50 to 100-metres of 60lb line. This is used a shock leader to protect the main line from the energy exerted by the lead when you cast. Run the main line through the rod rings and tie the shock leader to the main line. Retrieve the line through the rod until you have at least six turns of leader on the reel spool. Leave 4-ft of leader beyond the rod tip and cut off. The end of the leader is then tied directly to the rig. You also need 100-metres of Amnesia clear 25lb breaking strain line for replacement hook lengths.

Buy your rigs to start. Most tackle shops carry good ready tied rigs from Gemini and others. Begin with just two-hook and three-hook rigs. These catch most fish and are excellent at close to medium casting range armed with size 2 to 2/0 Aberdeen pattern hooks.

Buy a packet of Mustad or Kamasan Aberdeen hooks in sizes 2, 1/0 and 2/0. Use the 2's for flatfish and smaller species. The size 1/0's for whiting and dogfish, and the 2/0 hooks for average codling and bass. You need six 5oz Breakaway leads, some bait elastic for securing baits, stainless steel scissors and a pair of long nosed pliers for unhooking fish. Woolworth's do cheap tackle boxes for less than a fiver if your tackle shop can't supply one. Three 7ft long garden canes bound together at one end make a cheap and adequate rod rest to begin with.

Total cost about £80 for the above. This gear will last a season or two with care, but it gets you fishing and will not break the bank if you decide fishing is not for you.

TIPS AND TRICKS
If you don't mind risking your reputation sections of ladies tights filled with gravel, a pebble or sand and knotted at each end make great weights for short-range casting. If the meshing gets snagged it just rips free as a fish pulls away with the bait leaving you free to play the fish.

If you tie your rig ends with a loop and a loose sliding knot you can put the loop over the knot of the tights, tighten the loop and slide the knot down to secure for casting. In reverse this allows a quick change over to a new section of tights for the next cast.

RAZORFISH COLLECTION

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Collecting razorfish
The big spring tides in October and November are good for collecting razorfish from the low water line of sandy surf beaches. Razors make exceptional baits just after big storms for flounders, early winter codling, dabs, late bass, and even takes rays.

Razorfish burrow deep down in the sand, but rise to the surface during flooding tides to suck minute food items from the water. They can be located by looking for a key hole shaped depression in the sand, or by watching for jets of water shooting from their burrows as they feel your body weight pressing on the sand and dive deep for cover.

The quickest way to collect razorfish is to use an old washing up liquid bottle filled with water and add liberal quantities of salt to it. Walk across the sand looking for the keyhole burrows, then squirt plenty of the salt solution in to the hole and walk away. Carry on adding salt to other holes as you go, but keep looking at the original.

After a couple of minutes the razor becomes confused, or maybe irritated, by the high density salt, thinks the tide has come in and rises up in the burrow to expose the top section of its shell. Gently walk to it, grab the upper shell and just hang on applying a steady upward pressure. Slowly you'll feel the razorfish release its grip and pull free of the burrow. Too much pressure can see the razor pulled clean out of its shell and left in its burrow.

Razorfish freeze well. Leave them in the shells but wash them in fresh seawater to remove sand. Put them in batches of six in a sealed plastic bag and place them straight in the freezer. They are excellent on their own, but deadly as splints along the sides of black lug baits, or as tipping baits with blow lug and ragworm.