[Dave75]

I'm fairly new to beach fishing so would appreciate some advice.

I use mono and shock leader. How long should they stay on my reel for? For instance should I renew both every year?

And what about shop bought rigs - can I reuse them several times?

Thanks very much.

Dave

 

[Ianpick]

Check for abrasions on the line, you can do this as you reel in.
Hooks will be blunt but can be changed on shop bought rigs.
This means learning knots and buying terminal tackle. This means, eventually, going down the 'make your own rigs' route which is far more satisfying than buying them.

I change my mainline immediately after a crackoff or a pull for a break!
You will be forced into changing your line whether you like it or not.
This usually happens on the first cast just after you've spent ages, and money, refilling your reel and making nice shiny new rigs.

Take care of rigs, rinse them in fresh water and allow to dry. Check for cuts and abrasion and see if the hooks are still sharp.
Any nicks then it's best to bin them.
Hang them up to dry if ok and re-use.

 

[Sifta Sam]

Hi Dave,
Check your leader after each session, also while fishing in rough ground, changing it when there are signs of wear or damage, same goes for the main line, cut off the last 2 or 3 meters of line and tie on a new leader.
You need to consider rigs as disposable, you may get a couple of sessions out of a rig but by then they will worn out.
Hooks can get blunt quite quickly, sharpening is never as successful as replacing the hook, which may make made rigs unworkable.

 

[Michael Arnold]

Check for abrasions on the line, you can do this as you reel in.
Hooks will be blunt but can be changed on shop bought rigs.
This means learning knots and buying terminal tackle. This means, eventually, going down the 'make your own rigs' route which is far more satisfying than buying them.

I change my mainline immediately after a crackoff or a pull for a break!
You will be forced into changing your line whether you like it or not.
This usually happens on the first cast just after you've spent ages, and money, refilling your reel and making nice shiny new rigs.

Take care of rigs, rinse them in fresh water and allow to dry. Check for cuts and abrasion and see if the hooks are still sharp.
Any nicks then it's best to bin them.
Hang them up to dry if ok and re-use.

I completely agree with your post but I'm just curious why you would want to change your mainline after a crackoff? in my experience its normally just after the top of the leader, if you allow maybe another 10 metres of mainline for the rod length and several wraps around the spool (which will do the same job as the wraps of leader on the spool when casting in protecting the bulk of your mainline) you should then be into perfectly good unstressed line, throwing away maybe 250 or more metres of good line every time (it doesnt happen that often!) seems a waste to me.

 

[Ianpick]

No, not all of it!!
If it breaks just above the leader knot, tie on a new leader, but if you get a line snag and pull for a break with 100 yards of line out and a little nick in your line means it breaks above the reel then you'll lose a lot of line.
There are circumstances where you may have to re-spool on the beach.
I have on numerous occasions had a crack-off, right at the end of a cast, due to bad line lay and lost 100 yards of mainline, it happens.
Get a bad bird's nest and it's easier to cut it all off and replace the line if necessary.
Every eventuality will happen ................eventually

 

[Woody33]

Check for abrasions on the line, you can do this as you reel in.
Hooks will be blunt but can be changed on shop bought rigs.
This means learning knots and buying terminal tackle. This means, eventually, going down the 'make your own rigs' route which is far more satisfying than buying them.

I change my mainline immediately after a crackoff or a pull for a break!
You will be forced into changing your line whether you like it or not.
This usually happens on the first cast just after you've spent ages, and money, refilling your reel and making nice shiny new rigs.

Take care of rigs, rinse them in fresh water and allow to dry. Check for cuts and abrasion and see if the hooks are still sharp.
Any nicks then it's best to bin them.
Hang them up to dry if ok and re-use.

I fish a lot of rough ground marks, and therefore get snagged all the time..If I changed my line every time I pulled for a break I would never get any fishing done and I'd be spending £20 on mono every week...It'd be a massive waste..


With regards to the OP to check if a hook is still sharp enough run the point along the top of your fingernail, if it digs in its sharp enough. If it doesn't change it.

 

[highlandshorecaster]

The majority of my fishing is on clean ground, occasionally a bit of kelp but nothing really rough.
I change my main line every six months.
Shock leaders get checked before every session and retied and/or replaced.
Rigs bodies I keep for a few sessions unless damaged in some way but hook lengths and hooks get changed after every session without fail.

 

[Dave75]

Guys,

This is really great advice and a huge help - thanks very much.

Dave