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What Does Light Tackle Mean To You?

7K views 90 replies 21 participants last post by  WorcesterAd 
#1 · (Edited)
Good morning members,

I make no apologies for repeatedly referring to the halcyon days of sea angling, the late 60's, 70's and into the 80's, a period whch enjoyed a "revolution" in tackle, techniques and aspirations born of that period, and the upturn in catch rates for those who grasped the opportunity with both hands. Not every angler embraced these changes, even ignoring the opportunity and future potential of the new movement. Fortunately, the presentation and enthusiasm with which the new scene was promoted both through the magazine ANGLING and the thought provoking articles of the team, there was a general awakening to the new look, methods, mental approach and principle of taking the fight to the fish rather than relying on good fortune for any successes! Whilst a lot of the attention at the time was put to improving tackle, rods, reels for the sole purpose of achieving "long distance casting" aimed primarily at the substantial stocks of winter cod present off the East coast of England at the time, practitioners practiced rigorously and performed these skills where appropriate all around the coast of Great Britain including South Wales (cod fests of the 80's) and beyond! This is one aspect of the "revolution", long distance casting, that has endured and improved beyond recognition down the years until today where lead only casts are reaching well over 200 metres. (Surfcast Wales results). Isolated incidents and special individuals have passed the "Holy Grail" of LDC, with throws of 300 metres plus! Good News!!! All due to technical advances in tackle down the years, accompanied by style improvements applied to the early, original fledgling Pendulum.
Although embracing and applying the benefits of the new style on the beach including involvement in the promotion/demonstration of the "Long DistanceCasting" programme in the early days, my instincts moved me the other way from Big Sticks to light and ultralight tackle/techniques/tactics with several species but specifically bass, right up until I "retired" from active fishing. Looking back, it was the right decision for me and attempting to land fish (barbless hooks), not by bullying them ashore, but by giving them full rein to run all over the sea testing the skills of the "captor" to the max, particularly in rough ground. This, plus improved sensitivity and the accompanying adrenalin rush, is what light tackle can offer!
Light Tackle means different things to different anglers but the mere fact that they are motivated to think along these lines, bearing in mind a tolerance allowance for difficult ground, is welcome. It does mean predetermining the species being sought, whether rays, smoothounds, bass, flounders etc together with the chosen location, and tackle up as appropriate with "Light tackle" for the species and the nature of the ground. It is amazing what monofilament can withstand, 15 lb (blue Sylcast) plus leader was the max for most species like rays, smoothounds and cod, from the beach, when accompanied by a minimum of 8 turns (see Surfcast Wales rules/recommendations) of an appropriate strength monofilament leader and a tough knot. Monofilament lines for bass were 6-8lbs on a clean beach, 10lbs in semi rough ground, 15lb in really testing terrain, plus leader if appropriate. Investing in additional spools, loading each with a chosen line test as above, was a big convenience at the venue, selecting the spool to cope with the fish, the reality of the weather conditions and terrain on the day was a big plus!

A classic example of "over engineering" or "grossly outgunning a species" is fishing for flounder or a similar flatfish with a root and branch beachcaster, replaced by a spinning rod, 1000 rated fixed spool reel outfit! Flounder possibly weighing in at circa 1 lb would produce resistance, a 2 lb fish a more active resistance plus the weight factor, a rare 3 lb plus fish would definitely give the angler the run around testing the skills and managing the extra weight factor. This happened to a pal of mine on one of our early 70's trips to southern Ireland. We were fishing apart when he turned up carrying this huge wriggling 3 lb plus flatfish, a plaice as it happens. We had it for tea back at the lodgings! In all cases a single 12 inch, beaded, baited, small hook, snood attached to the mainline or trace about 24 inches above the 1 (or 2) ounce lead is an attractive set up. Holding the rod, wind in a small amount of line every now and then, this will cause the lead to kick up a cloud of sand or silt, curiosity attracting the fish to the bait. Flatfish are notorious for taking down the hook so holding the rod gives the angler half a chance at preventing this, good practice if the fish is to be returned. Around the end of November, beginning of December, usng a similar technique and tackle as above, has provided an hour or so of simple fun with small flounder on a local shelving beach. I had a similar very enjoyable session at a mark in Barry with Richard (10 rods) using the described outfit, casting along the surf line picking up small flounder in early January, the extreme cold was held at bay by the continuous run of small flounder up to circa 3/4's lb. This is a good way of getting the feel for light tackle and treasuring that moment when the instincts and a "feel" of fish interest at hook is identified.

Down the years, some of the ideas born of the halcyon days have either been lost or at least watered down as commercialisation of sea angling has taken hold. The resourcing of materials or even the desire to design and build your own specialised rod is in decline, assembling your own traces, collect or dig your own bait are also largely at the mercy of commercialism, searchng and the thrill of locating a successful "secret" mark alas is replaced by the likes of Google and Social media. "It is what it is"!!

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)
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#2 ·
In the past i used to fish the river ogmore for flounders using 4lb main lines and 2lb hook lengths, swim feeder on a coarse rod with a donkey tip spliced in. On the boat now i have maximum 15lb line and use a shock leader. Cannot remember the last time i snapped off the main line and have caught 40lb plus tope on that set up. Using multipliers i play them on the drag but rather use a fixed spool and not use the drag and play them using the backwind on the reel. in my opinion it gives you more of a feel of the fish.
 
#6 ·
On the boat i only use a 6-12 and a 12-20 plus the uptider never had a problem with this combination landing fish. Forgot also use a carp rod for drifting 2.5lb.
 
#7 ·
This a great post,,,love fishing light,,,lighter the better for me,,,and i dont use shockleader...i know some disagree,but thats my choice....when fishing for bass,,,i use mainly a penn battle 11 3000 fixed spool....8lb main line 6lb snoods,,,there are places where i go heavier 10lb and 8lb....and light rod,,,and 1 or 2oz rolling lead in the surf,,,,holding rod in hand and walking the beach..The same tactic used for ggs mullet,,,,and they go crazy on light gear....great fun,,,,Had a fish last year about 25ft out in 8ins of water...and it went down the beach following the tide line,,i went with it,could see the dorsal fin out of the water...and on it went,,,not out to deeper water stayed in close,,,after about 10mins landed a lovely fish of around 3lb....i still remember it well,,,it took a few yards of line,but i had clutch set so no problem....If the fish got off well credit to the fish,he won the day...That day it was my turn to catch....I returned the fish alive as it was early in the session..As for hounds 10lb main line..30lb snoods....light rod and off they go....great fun.....There is so much quality gear on the market today....you cannot go wrong.....There are times when i do use heavier weights,,depends on tide pull or surges to left or right.......Could say a lot more,,,but im not as clever with words as ticker....sorry derek....ha...and crap at spelling....All have a good day....
 
#8 ·
Things have changed from the days of the monster pendulum casts on the beach using multis and the broomsticks that used to resemble a rod and needed a fair bit of skill to put some energy into the rod to achieve long distance. The distance casting is still needed in some places, but the tackle has changed. Talking light - I'd include the continental style rods and a modern FS reel loaded with braid. On my patch when winter fishing, you see les a less of the old school Multi's and broomstick casters and more continental style rods & FS reels. Things have changed in the last few years and everything is a lot lighter. As for using Google to find marks, yes they probably do but South Wales is very much like Cornwall and if your anglers are anything like the Cornish anglers, they will find their own marks. The art is in keeping them to yourself.
 
#9 ·
Brilliant post, at work reading this, exactly what we need to learn and advance with our fishing, thank you so much.
 
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#10 ·
I fish 2 rods always at'knab rock for instance' either a bass rod or light beachcaster matched with abu 6500 mag reels i put this out at distances rrom 70 to a 100 yards!
The other rod might be a short carp rod or even a waggler pellet float rod close in my favourite being a Shimano tribal tx1a 9ft 3lb test carp rod matched with a small daiwa procaster 3000 size fs reel loaded with 6 or 8lb mono with a15lb tapered leader single size 2 or 4 aberdeen with a 1/2oz or 2oz bomb this outfit can show a bite off a goby iv had flounder plaice bass Pollock dogfish pulled up the wall at knab as soon as the leader hits the reel spool for confidence this is the lightest i would go for sea fishing!
 
#11 ·
I started my fishing journey as a flyfisherman and found it very strange moving to sea fishing with thick line and gigantic hooks. When beachcasting I tend to use 4oz leads and only using 6oz if i really have to. I've caught plenty of low double seafish - conger, rays, hounds and pollock, but none give the same thrill as a 3lb trout on a fly rod. My favourite sea fishing sessions are definitely standing in the surf chasing golden grey mullet - 9ft spinning rod, 6lb snood and 1/2 to 1oz of lead. They are favourite not just because of the strong fight, but also the visual aspect of seeing a shoal of fish near to where your bait is. I also enjoy float fishing for pollock, bass, wrasse and garfish - again light line and 9/10ft spinning rod. On a recent trip I saw a young lad catch a 4/5lb bass. He was using a beachcaster and literally just reeled the fish straight in. He would have had much more fun with a small spinning rod and a fish that wasn't dragging a large lump of lead behind it.
 
#12 ·
I think a lot of anglers would catch more if they went lighter . It's not unusual around here to see anglers swing a telegraph pole, with a sting of feathers, and an 8oz led and whack it out an unimpressive 30 yards when the light guys are flicking jigs over twice that distance with ease.
Same with bait anglers, try casting a worm with a 2 -3oz lead on lighter gear compared to the same rig on a beach caster and I bet you get more distance on the light set up. Sure there's a few of you who tournament cast but Mr lobitout will get better distance with lighter gear.
A lighter weight will naturally roll into the "right" spot on a sandy beach when the heavy set up just sits where it lands. I've fished 5oz leads on a AFAW rod next to 2oz weights on a Shakespeare agility bass rod, same rig and bait and the latter gets the most bites.
I get not every mark or species let's you go light but if you can it's well worth it and carrying your gear to the marks a lot easier too
 
#15 ·
I think a lot of anglers would catch more if they went lighter . It's not unusual around here to see anglers swing a telegraph pole, with a sting of feathers, and an 8oz led and whack it out an unimpressive 30 yards when the light guys are flicking jigs over twice that distance with ease.
Same with bait anglers, try casting a worm with a 2 -3oz lead on lighter gear compared to the same rig on a beach caster and I bet you get more distance on the light set up. Sure there's a few of you who tournament cast but Mr lobitout will get better distance with lighter gear.
A lighter weight will naturally roll into the "right" spot on a sandy beach when the heavy set up just sits where it lands. I've fished 5oz leads on a AFAW rod next to 2oz weights on a Shakespeare agility bass rod, same rig and bait and the latter gets the most bites.
I get not every mark or species let's you go light but if you can it's well worth it and carrying your gear to the marks a lot easier too
I got 4 agility 2...11ft .and..2...14ft and if you want to a good rod for the price ..they are great....and easy to handle..
 
#13 · (Edited)
Good afternoon Paul (Bluebird 8),

Thank you for your interesting post, very detailed , never fished for the G.G.'s but they sound like my kind of fish. How is the BONE'S coming along, and a little bird told me you are in the market for a Flattie Fanatic....sounds like a nice stick for that species, again look forward to seeing one of those when you have it! Any trips or catches to report and hope the leg has now completel recovered.

Best regard, Derek (Ticker)
 
#14 ·
Good afternoon Pralla,

Thank you for your post and the information that light tackle is replacing the big sticks in Cornwall. I have visited and fished locations in Cornwall on many occasions in the old days and enjoyed both the bass and wrasse fishing. Unfortunately, I have missed the opportunity to tackle the Gilts, would have liked to have tried that species on light tackle!

Best regards,

Ticker(Derek)
 
#16 ·
Good afternoon Pralla,Thank you for your post and the information that light tackle is replacing the big sticks in Cornwall. I have visited and fished locations in Cornwall on many occasions in the old days and enjoyed both the bass and wrasse fishing. Unfortunately, I have missed the opportunity to tackle the Gilts, would have liked to have tried that species on light tackle! Best regards, Ticker(Derek)
The Gilts certainly do go well on light gear, however - they scrap so hard that often it's too much for them if you want to get them back in. I don't believe in the case of the Gilts that you should play the fish too much, honestly Derek they go like stink when they know they are hooked and don't give up, they are still scrapping when you land them. I've even given up using a landing net for them because they thrash the net to bits when they are in it, easier to slide them quickly onto the weed covered bank. Most of the Gilts I put back these days only keeping them if they fail to recover and swim off. I wind them straight in, believing that the less energy they expend the better chance they will swim back. I know a lot out there use lighter gear, even some around that use carp rods. For the Gilts I fish them how I believe is best and light gear isn't in my view best.
 
#19 ·
With modern braid being as good as they are it’s amazing how light you can go.

Most of my fishing in summer is offshore for sharks. 30lb IGFA for porbeagles and 20lb IGFA for blues. However, I’ve had 100lb+ blue shark on 20lb braid and 12lb class boat rod.

Most memorable was a 80-90lb blue shark on an 6-12lb class boat rod, 15lb braid with a 15lb mono backing on an Abu 6500C3 synchro!

When fishing for these bigger species I’ve found sometimes you can too light and exhaust the fish. Something to bear in mind for sporting fish like Tope, you want them to go back not absolutely exhausted as this doesn’t help their chances of survival.

Back in my shore fishing days 12lb line, 2oz lead in the surf for bass and flounder. If you needed more than 3oz it was too rough!
Golden grey mullet on a 5-20g spinning rod, 4-6lb line in 1ft of water and you’d be chasing them in the shallows!

When fishing the Rocky marks I used to use hesvier gear to get the distance required and the amount of lead to hold bottom…. But a light rod lobbed in close at Sker picked up some lovely bass and hounds….

Makes me want to dust of the spinning rod and gave a go for the mullet off the beach on Saturday now… should a good surf running too…. 🤔🤔🤔
 
#23 · (Edited)
Good morning Pralla,
I appreciate what you say about not using "Lght tackle" when fishing for gilts, but just to clear up any misinterpretation of what you said, never the less, you would use the most appropiate, considered and not excessive bs.test line, that would counter the extreme machinations of this particular species, Gilts, in order to save the fish from its own actions whilst still playing and enjoying the fish activity rather than haul it straight ashore on over the top line test strengths. What line test are you using? You have obviously thought this matter through and come up with a line test which is appropriate, so in my mind, that would constitute "Light Tackle" for this species ! My biggest regret is that I never got to enjoy this species! I don't know if you are aware but I have a stcky thread on this species at the top of this page. I would very much appreciate it if you could post your experiences and recommendations regarding tackle and tactics etc on the "Sticky" to help the anglers in Wales who are investigating and catching this species in small numbers in our rivers to the West. More and more we are receiving reports of Gilt catches as the species seems to be slowly but surely establishing itself in particular Welsh waters. Thank you once again and look forward to your reports.

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)
 
#24 ·
Good morning Odyssey Angling,

Just read your post on the thread "Golden Greys" and am delighted to read that this thread has encouraged you to return to the beach. Apparently plenty going on with the GG's under the right conditions at Llangenith , so they say. Look forward to readng yout report,
Best regard ,

Ticker (Derek)
 
#25 ·
Ticker. The small tackle box, is that all you take with you when fishing, I know you must take bait ofcourse. Is it a ledgering rig, it looks so simple. I used to fly fish, 4Lbs line for trout, and it's amazing how heavy a fish can be caught on that. What weight of rod do you use, I have 10 to 30 gram a 2 to 10 gram and the reels and line etc. I will be going out and trying this. I did discover last year that reeling in 3 or 4 mackerel wa a king to pulling in a sack of spuds. So I changed down to a light lure tod and small lures. Caught them one at a time and it was good sport and a better stamp of fish,
 
#26 ·
Good morning,nearly afternoon, Oldbones,

Thank you for your post. The small box in the photograph contains all the items I would need to prepare to make ,say, traces, beaded hook snoods etc specially for a light tackle floundering expedition, I have other boxes filled with the relevant bits and pieces specific to other species, i.e.mullet , bass.. Whatever species I was going to target , I would do all the prepatation at home and take the minimum bits and pieces necessary for the session. Always, travelled light, no seat boxes, one rod only. I was a professional rod builder and had my own business in the 70's/80's so was able to make my own design rods to my own spec. Again ,myself, I only believed in targeting 1 fish at a time except if fishing for bait. You did exactly the right thing fishing for those mackerel, light lure rod and small lures. SPOT ON!! That was light tackle fishing at its best . You are definitey on the right track,don't forget fly fishing for bass and mullets using your previous skills is a very worthwhile option. Look forward to your future reports.

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)
 
#27 · (Edited)
Good afternoon members,

Pen Fishing Rods.com

It must be some 10 to 15 years ago, maybe more, that I first came across the miniature fishing fixed spool/ multiplier reels and telescopic rods manfactured and distributed around the world by Pen Fishing Rods. At the time there was a dirth of cheap imitations of the telescopic rods on Amazon , but these Pen Rods items were the real deal, professionally designed, serious miniature items of fishing tackle out for consideration by the ultra light tackle specialist. I bought them with LRF in mind despite the claims of big carp catches. These miniature rods and reels are worthy additions to my collection. I am bringing these miniature items to the attention of the members just in case others may be attracted to their potential like I was. Any Interested parties can visit the manufacturers site by Googling in the following address Pen Fishing Rods .com If not intending to purchase it is well worth visiting this site to see real miniatures of reels and telescopic rods! Best regards. Ticker (Derek)

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#31 ·
Golden Mean rod Post Holder.

Good orning members,

Standing in the surf light tackle fishing for GG's, Bass or any other species to be found in this environment, is one of the most exciting, enthralling situations the angler can find him or her-self in. Nothing replaces that overwhelming sense of adventure, partially emersed with the water lapping around your waist, in full knowledge you are sharing the same element with the species being sought..The bait in a pouch around the neck or on the belt at the waist, spare lead or two, hooks pre-sharpened to extreme and D.I.Y.. pre assembled traces, all contained in a pocket of your jacket for convenience or a small over the shoulder bag, totally immersed in your own little world, all faculties geared to the challenge ahead!! The only downside to this scenario is when you have to change a fly, bait, lure or carry out remedial work on tackle or traces, which requires the use of both hands. I solved the probem by purchasing one of the early"Golden Mean Rod Rest Post Holders", attaching it to my coat waist belt, thus releasing both hands to carry out those tasks. I used my holder many times when bass fishing, spending up to 2 hours plus n the water without having to leave for the beach.
The new "Golden Mean Rod Rest Holder" has been improved since my early version. Googling in the name will take you to the current page, shopping around could result in savings.!

Best regards

Ticker (Derek)

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#36 ·
Golden Mean rod Post Holder.

Good orning members,

Standing in the surf light tackle fishing for GG's, Bass or any other species to be found in this environment, is one of the most exciting, enthralling situations the angler can find him or her-self in. Nothing replaces that overwhelming sense of adventure, partially emersed with the water lapping around your waist, in full knowledge you are sharing the same element with the species being sought..The bait in a pouch around the neck or on the belt at the waist, spare lead or two, hooks pre-sharpened to extreme and D.I.Y.. pre assembled traces, all contained in a pocket of your jacket for convenience or a small over the shoulder bag, totally immersed in your own little world, all faculties geared to the challenge ahead!! The only downside to this scenario is when you have to change a fly, bait, lure or carry out remedial work on tackle or traces, which requires the use of both hands. I solved the probem by purchasing one of the early"Golden Mean Rod Rest Post Holders", attaching it to my coat waist belt, thus releasing both hands to carry out those tasks. I used my holder many times when bass fishing, spending up to 2 hours plus n the water without having to leave for the beach.
The new "Golden Mean Rod Rest Holder" has been improved since my early version. Googling in the name will take you to the current page, shopping around could result in savings.!

Best regards

Ticker (Derek)

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£57😂rather spend 50 quid on fuel up and back Swansea for the air show weekend🙄
 
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