View Full Version : Are we all getting lazy?
Fylde Phil
28-03-2008, 19:55
Just wondered how many of us when beachcasting whether high or low water, on the beach, or off a promenade etc.. automatically, after casting, put the rod onto the rest and then sit down nearby, perhaps chat away to others & just give the rod tip a cursory glance now and again to see if anything happening? How often do you hear someone shout ' Hey, you've just had a bite, I think?' With a reply ' Have I, didn't see it, wasn't looking, I'll wait and see if it does it again'.
My Father in Law, who got me into sea fishing many moons ago would almost always, after casting, sit holding the rod so he could detect any bites, or fish sniffing around .. and only put it on the rest if he needed a leak or when he had reeled in to change bait, land a fish etc.. He maintained that, especially in rough conditions, it was the only way so you could get the feel of things and know for sure what, if any bites, you were getting. Also it helps to learn from the conditions on the day what is out there from the bite, or sniffing around, 'feel' & if and when to strike, from practice.
I must say that I rarely ever saw him miss anything and he could happily sit motionless as if in a trance for 20 minutes before deciding it was time to reel in and change bait, cast again.
We tend now, from what I see & I admit practice myself a lot, to wander about a lot, busy ourselves with other things & not pay as much attention as we should, chatting on mobiles, taking pictures, brewing up, eating sarnies, putting the world to rights with others nearby, rather than concentrating & hoping that if one comes along to our bait, it'll perhaps hook itself anyway and give us a clue with some slack line, or just be there when we start to reel in.
Anyone else notice this (lazy angling with mod cons), or is just me?
Phil :whistling
You forgot cracking open the beers and having a kip.
Totally agree with you, when I was youger I was always holding the rod ar the line, nowdays, 2 rods on tripod, settle back in the beach shelter, but, at least I keep my eyes on the rod tips. I think as far as I am concerned it's an age thing, I go home nackered as it is without holding the rod all day, no excuse for the youngsters though.
There is the social aspect of fishing I suppose, where mates chuck a bait out, put the rod in the rest and have a wander over for a chat. If it's a bite a chuck I'll hold the rod but be damned if I'm going to hold a 14ft rod for 20 minutes when it's quiet.
Sea fishing does give you that cushion where you CAN wander over for a chat but still be able to get back to a rattling rod if needed and it's probably that aspect which has made it such a social pastime, you seldom see coarse anglers move from their boxes and chat with other anglers next to them.
So I don't know if it's being lazy, I would think that there are some who are though, and I have noticed some anglers who cast in and don't reel in for anything up to an hour, and for about 45 minutes of that time the bait has been stripped from the hooks and are totally bare. That's lazy in my opinion, but then if you're enjoying yourself then what does my opinion matter?
I think that a lot of anglers rely too much on tackle as well, they really should learn to look around and react to the situation, for example, a change in wind direction, the activity of seabirds etc.
See your point though, I'd like to know what everyone else thinks. :)
crazyplums
28-03-2008, 20:16
lol. i normally fish with at least two rods, can't hold both at once, if i had a bass rod out too, it's even harder!
I think too, a lot of the weather i fish, it would be pretty impossible to tell a bite from a crashing wave of gust of wind when holding the rod, only by sitting it in the rest can you get used to the wind / wave actions on the tip.
jmho!
i do like the social aspects though, wander about chatting to mates and so on.
only in matches to i use one rod. occasionally i'll hold the rod in my hand, on my lap, with it resting on the rest (when using braid), but normally i'm spending time rebaiting rigs etc.
anotherbarrelMrHooper
28-03-2008, 20:28
Im guilty of all above, beers, catching up with mates, trying to find the end of my bait elastic, my best bass came when i was putting my split shot back in there size compartments.
I think if the fish hits your bait theres a good chance its hooked already.
However a keen young angler will always out fish me.
Just wondered how many of us when beachcasting whether high or low water, on the beach, or off a promenade etc.. automatically, after casting, put the rod onto the rest and then sit down nearby, perhaps chat away to others & just give the rod tip a cursory glance now and again to see if anything happening? How often do you hear someone shout ' Hey, you've just had a bite, I think?' With a reply ' Have I, didn't see it, wasn't looking, I'll wait and see if it does it again'.
My Father in Law, who got me into sea fishing many moons ago would almost always, after casting, sit holding the rod so he could detect any bites, or fish sniffing around .. and only put it on the rest if he needed a leak or when he had reeled in to change bait, land a fish etc.. He maintained that, especially in rough conditions, it was the only way so you could get the feel of things and know for sure what, if any bites, you were getting. Also it helps to learn from the conditions on the day what is out there from the bite, or sniffing around, 'feel' & if and when to strike, from practice.
I must say that I rarely ever saw him miss anything and he could happily sit motionless as if in a trance for 20 minutes before deciding it was time to reel in and change bait, cast again.
We tend now, from what I see & I admit practice myself a lot, to wander about a lot, busy ourselves with other things & not pay as much attention as we should, chatting on mobiles, taking pictures, brewing up, eating sarnies, putting the world to rights with others nearby, rather than concentrating & hoping that if one comes along to our bait, it'll perhaps hook itself anyway and give us a clue with some slack line, or just be there when we start to reel in.
Anyone else notice this (lazy angling with mod cons), or is just me?
Phil :whistling
afriad sign times am guilty too always fish 2 rods and but them straight into rest as leaves me time done over stuff.shaggy
Fylde Phil
28-03-2008, 20:37
Funny C P that you feel that the best way to distinguish from crashing waves/gusts of wind from a bite, is to sit the rod in the rest and watch the tip. My father in Law always maintained that it was easier to distinguish by holding the rod as you soon learnt the difference in what he called ' an out of sequence definite bite ' and the regularity of waves/wind that had a pattern.
I suppose each to their own in that regard.
Interesting all the other comments though and I suppose that back then he also only fished with one rod and his tripod was a crossed pair of bamboo garden canes tied together! LOL.
Phil
crazyplums
28-03-2008, 20:42
Funny C P that you feel that the best way to distinguish from crashing waves/gusts of wind from a bite, is to sit the rod in the rest and watch the tip. My father in Law always maintained that it was easier to distinguish by holding the rod as you soon learnt the difference in what he called ' an out of sequence definite bite ' and the regularity of waves/wind that had a pattern.
I suppose each to their own in that regard.
Interesting all the other comments though and I suppose that back then he also only fished with one rod and his tripod was a crossed pair of bamboo garden canes tied together! LOL.
Phil
lol, thats a fair point. thought that said, a couple of my sessions this year (one a match) meant i had to hold the rod, was using 8oz uptide leads in a force 8, weed / waves was pulling the tripod over in seconds, so had to hold it, couldn't hold it still though, such were the surges up the shingle beach, that the rod was at 9 oclock on second, and 12 oclock next! mad. blanked too!
No doubt Phil, there were more fish to be caught years ago, maybe methods have just adapted to the reduction in target species.
I fished with a bamboo cane tripod up until about 10 years ago, never blew over and was easy to carry. :)
Floaty Phil
28-03-2008, 20:51
I do try and keep an eye on my tips, I have been know to walk fast, or even run, over the pebbles at Barry, when one of my tips is bouncing like a good un. Yep we all do tend to get a bit lazy now and again, but, come the better weather, and I start float fishing again, then I very rarely put my rod down, and then I have the baitrunner on, just in case!
I also agree about the social aspect of it as well, I have been known to talk utter drivel at times, ok ok most of the time. Some people would say I talk utter bow locks as well! :bangin::bangin:
gulp me drug
28-03-2008, 20:53
Just wondered how many of us when beachcasting whether high or low water, on the beach, or off a promenade etc.. automatically, after casting, put the rod onto the rest and then sit down nearby, perhaps chat away to others & just give the rod tip a cursory glance now and again to see if anything happening? How often do you hear someone shout ' Hey, you've just had a bite, I think?' With a reply ' Have I, didn't see it, wasn't looking, I'll wait and see if it does it again'.
My Father in Law, who got me into sea fishing many moons ago would almost always, after casting, sit holding the rod so he could detect any bites, or fish sniffing around .. and only put it on the rest if he needed a leak or when he had reeled in to change bait, land a fish etc.. He maintained that, especially in rough conditions, it was the only way so you could get the feel of things and know for sure what, if any bites, you were getting. Also it helps to learn from the conditions on the day what is out there from the bite, or sniffing around, 'feel' & if and when to strike, from practice.
I must say that I rarely ever saw him miss anything and he could happily sit motionless as if in a trance for 20 minutes before deciding it was time to reel in and change bait, cast again.
We tend now, from what I see & I admit practice myself a lot, to wander about a lot, busy ourselves with other things & not pay as much attention as we should, chatting on mobiles, taking pictures, brewing up, eating sarnies, putting the world to rights with others nearby, rather than concentrating & hoping that if one comes along to our bait, it'll perhaps hook itself anyway and give us a clue with some slack line, or just be there when we start to reel in.
Anyone else notice this (lazy angling with mod cons), or is just me?
Phil :whistling
you've been watching me! guilty as charged. my grandad, a real boozer, would not drink when fishing, considered it too serious. if he's looking down on me fishing, he'll have a fit.
Fylde Phil
29-03-2008, 08:28
Certainly agree with the point Rob made about less fish around nowadays - not that I myself caught much more when they were plentiful here on the Fylde Coast! LOL.
We've had a really dismal winter this year with (at least from my experience) only dabs being around in reasonably good numbers.
When my Father in Law used to fish back then holding his rod for bites there were certainly more fish around and I reckon that they were much more predictable in regards to when they would be there i.e. time of year weather, tide, venue etc... These days, whilst still following the basic instinct of what should be there and picking the best tides, weather conditions etc., I certainly am not surprised anymore to catch nothing in perfect conditions and then have a half decent session another time when from past experience it's a time and tide not worth bothering with!!
At least it keeps me wanting to get out there and give it a go - just in case I strike lucky.
Phil :fish:
fishyrob
29-03-2008, 10:52
I fished with a bamboo cane tripod up until about 10 years ago, never blew over and was easy to carry. :)
If you ever hit hard times again Rob, just say and we will have a whip round, get you one of those nice MTI rodrests......
It rather depends on what you are expecting to catch. In a few weeks time I will be back on the carp rods, and putting the rod down wont be an option. Especially with braid, youu would be amazed at how much you can work out about whats happening to your hookbait from holding your rod!
Booze and fishing. Very bad combination. Other than the obvious danger implications you cant do either properly. If I want to be drunk, much better in the pub (more opportunities for intellectual conversation with atractive members of the opposite sex) Drunk while fishing just makes the fishing more difficult, and makes the sport look to passers by a sport for down and outs. I tried it once last year. It wasnt good. Ask Mr Colmer......... :(
smiley73
29-03-2008, 18:24
I bought a seat-box and i think ive only sat on it once...
being an ex-chef i tend to stand all sesh, managing 14hrs once at Brands all nighter.
it depends how the fishings going really, if its dead i am sometimes guilty of taking a wander for a yap or mooch, but ive always used the drags on my reels to give an audable warning if something takes interest!
most of my better bites normally come when im pouring a coffee or taking a pee, if its dead one of the above 'faked' normally livens up the sesh LoL :)
al.
Floaty Phil
29-03-2008, 18:43
I bought a seat-box and i think ive only sat on it once...
being an ex-chef i tend to stand all sesh, managing 14hrs once at Brands all nighter.
it depends how the fishings going really, if its dead i am sometimes guilty of taking a wander for a yap or mooch, but ive always used the drags on my reels to give an audable warning if something takes interest!
most of my better bites normally come when im pouring a coffee or taking a pee, if its dead one of the above 'faked' normally livens up the sesh LoL :)
al.
You mean the guaranteed method of getting a bite after it has been dead for hours. Yep it has happened to me, especially when I have been pouring a cuppa from my flask!
My eyes are always focused on those tips 99.9% of the time.
lol, thats a fair point. thought that said, a couple of my sessions this year (one a match) meant i had to hold the rod, was using 8oz uptide leads in a force 8, weed / waves was pulling the tripod over in seconds, so had to hold it, couldn't hold it still though, such were the surges up the shingle beach, that the rod was at 9 oclock on second, and 12 oclock next! mad. blanked too!
Ok that is truly extreme conditions, but I have to say I disagree with you generally. I find by holding the rod in the rough you can feel the difference between waves & wind and the bite of a fish quite clearly. I know that most times fish will hook themselves when beachcasting a decent size lead but I often prefer to concentrate on one rod and actually experience the bite.
I truly believe that a lot of Bass are missed because people fish it as the 'other' rod instead on concentrating on it - striking on gentle bites has deliverd quite a few for me and others I know in the last couple of seasons.
I always hold my rod when surf fishing,just take rod, reel,spare rigs,weights and bait in a waist pack.It's the only time when ledgering that I hold the rod.
I all so like a good chat and wonder down the beach , But when I'm doing that i know I'm missing a few bites unless they self hook. Its not untill later on in the session when I cant think of any thing else to talk about I settle down in my shelter rod on rest butt by my side , sit back relax and keep a good eye on the tips thats whan i really feel like I'm fishing. One thing i will say is when I do fish on my own I all ways seem to catch more no distractions.
Fisherdan32
30-03-2008, 13:30
i often have a little walk around, if im not doing that then im sitting down watching my rods carefully..... (asleep) :)... depends where i am usually if its comfortable where i am i will just sit and watch but if its windy or cold i move about abit...
FISHYSAM
30-03-2008, 16:35
No I Dont All The Time As I Make Up Extra Rigs And Sort Ot Bait
FISHYSAM
30-03-2008, 16:35
I Do Sometime Though
If i'm bass fishing i will try and hold the rod as much as possible, my grandad taught me from an early age about striking bass bites, a couple plucks then a hard pull and if you weren't holding the rod you missed it. For most other types of fishing i think your ok to put the rods in a rest.
smoothound54
30-03-2008, 21:52
I think after 40+ years fishing you develop a kind of sixth sense
I kind of have periods of focus and periods of alzheimers were my mind wanders onto important things - like what am i doin on this beach - what day is it - who am I - and wots that warm wet feeling in my right welly etc.
I fish with my daughter and her boyfriend - they are really keen and watch the rods like terriers after a rat
but guaranteed - they always choose to look away just as i spot the bite
this kind of thing does wonders for my image of 'old wise man of the sea who knows more than they will ever know'
but really i am just a spawny jammy ould g*t :hypocrite
al
gulp me drug
31-03-2008, 21:39
took my new plugging rod to heysham today. not plugging, but ledgering with a two ounce lead. when holding the rod, i was thinking about this thread. i was wondering whether i'd feel the bite. within seconds, i felt a definite "tug". yep, i felt the bite.
a smallish flattie. whether a flounder or plaice i'm not sure. but that's a subject for another thread!
i must say, that backache aside, it was much more fun than having the rod on the rest.
caught one more mystery fish, then gulp me dog insisted i took him home for his tea.
gulp me drug
31-03-2008, 21:40
I think after 40+ years fishing you develop a kind of sixth sense
I kind of have periods of focus and periods of alzheimers were my mind wanders onto important things - like what am i doin on this beach - what day is it - who am I - and wots that warm wet feeling in my right welly etc.
I fish with my daughter and her boyfriend - they are really keen and watch the rods like terriers after a rat
but guaranteed - they always choose to look away just as i spot the bite
this kind of thing does wonders for my image of 'old wise man of the sea who knows more than they will ever know'
but really i am just a spawny jammy ould g*t :hypocrite
al
right welly???????
depends if u hang to the right or left :lmao::lmao::lmao:
We tend now, from what I see & I admit practice myself a lot, to wander about a lot, busy ourselves with other things & not pay as much attention as we should, chatting on mobiles, taking pictures, brewing up, eating sarnies, putting the world to rights with others nearby, rather than concentrating & hoping that if one comes along to our bait, it'll perhaps hook itself anyway and give us a clue with some slack line, or just be there when we start to reel in.
That sound's about right, although i do keep a close eye on the end of the rod.
You mean the guaranteed method of getting a bite after it has been dead for hours. Yep it has happened to me, especially when I have been pouring a cuppa from my flask!
Same happens to me phil, either that, or when I'm rolling a ciggy. I've probably missed plenty of fish cos i aint prepared to just throw the baccy. Thats why now I'll take proper ciggies when i fish, but, strangely I never get bites when I'm lighting one, now its when I'm taking out a sarnie or having a pee.
Damned smart them fishies...........:wallbash:
Fylde Phil
01-04-2008, 10:06
Anyone out there had a really good bite whilst trying to pick out a big birdie & if so what happened? Did you try and hand line the fish in, hope it stayed on till you had sorted the reel, cut the line and swore a lot, or what?
Phil :headhurt:
Anyone out there had a really good bite whilst trying to pick out a big birdie & if so what happened? Did you try and hand line the fish in, hope it stayed on till you had sorted the reel, cut the line and swore a lot, or what?
Phil :headhurt:
My latest catch of a Sea Trout (3 3/4 lb),....... after i set the hook i started to crank, the reel felt unusually stiff, i thought i had knackered the inside of it, so i whipped the spool off for a closer inspection, and found the line had managed to wrap itself around the spindle underneath the spool ( fixed ).
I managed to sort it,........ and land the fish.
ickypimp
02-04-2008, 00:00
I fish 2 rods most of the time so a tripod is a must, however i sit and i watch my tips 99% of the time, i see bites happen and i am on them in moments
gulp me drug
02-04-2008, 08:14
My latest catch of a Sea Trout (3 3/4 lb),....... after i set the hook i started to crank, the reel felt unusually stiff, i thought i had knackered the inside of it, so i whipped the spool off for a closer inspection, and found the line had managed to wrap itself around the spindle underneath the spool ( fixed ).
I managed to sort it,........ and land the fish.
me too, but sadly just a flounder, not a sea trout!
my best ever bass came after the line had wrapped itself into a knot (casting into a strong head wind)
and causing the cast to land at about 10 yrds out.put it in rest, as had noticed a bite on second rod wich i missed.
while reeling in second rod i noticed the first lurching over put rod inhand back into rest,struck first rod result 7 1/2 lb bass..just reeled in over knot .on subject of holding rods if fishing very lite(ounce or two of lead on bass rod) i will do but if using me casters always use rest, nigh on impossible to hold rods up here (upper bristol channel)
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