Introduction to Coarse Fishing

Introduction to Coarse Fishing, wędkarstwo, Katalogi

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INTRODUCTION TO
COARSE FISHING
INTRODUCTION TO COARSE FISHING
Contents
Introduction
Fishing is the largest participant sport in the UK, with the latest estimate showing that around 3 million
people regularly make trips to the waterside.
Coarse Fishing relates to the branch of the sport where all freshwater
sh are caught with the
exception of Trout, Salmon or Grayling. Popular coarse
sh include Roach, Bream, Barbel, Tench and
Carp, although there are many other species that can
be encountered in our rivers, canals and lakes! Most
importantly, in coarse angling all
sh are returned to
the water after capture alive and unharmed.
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3
Know your tackle ................................................................................................................4-5
Preparing to
sh: Setting up the rod and reel .....................................................................6-7
What you are trying to catch – Fish Species .......................................................................8-9
Choice of Bait .................................................................................................................10-11
Get Fishing! ....................................................................................................................12-13
The good angler – Fish care and handling, environment ................................................14-15
What Comes Next – Di• erent Disciplines of Angling ......................................................16-17
Summary ............................................................................................................................ 18
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3
INTRODUCTION TO COARSE FISHING
Know your Tackle
Your
shing set includes all the basic items of tackle you need, and when used correctly it will catch you lots of
sh!
The rod
The rod allows you to “play” a
sh by absorbing the
movements and lunges of a hooked
sh and, used in
conjunction with the reel, also allows you to “cast” to your
intended
shing spot.
Float
This is the anglers “bite” indicator. When the š oat is pulled
under the water it usually indicates that a
sh has taken
the bait – in angler’s terms ... “a bite”! The bright tip helps
visibility.
The line
This is wound onto the reel and is the direct contact bet-
ween the angler and the
sh through the rod. The š oat,
shot and hook are attached to the line. The line supplied is
strong enough for the vast majority of
sh you will catch.
Hooks
These hold the bait and are used to “hook“ the
sh.
Modern hooks are designed to do minimum harm to
sh
but are very sharp, therefore care must be taken when
handling them to avoid being pricked. Barbless hooks are
safer and should always be used. To make them easier
to use the hooks are tied to short lengths of
ne line. Be
careful when unwinding the line to avoid knots.
The reel
This is called a “
xed spool” reel and is
tted to the handle
of the rod. The reel holds the anglers line. Line is released
from the reel when you “cast” and also retrieves the line
when you hook a
sh, or just want to remove the tackle
from the water.
Disgorger
The most important item in your tackle. This is used
to remove the hook from the mouth of a
sh without
causing any distress or damage.
Split shot dispenser
The Split shot in the dispenser are used to give your š oat
casting weight and also to help get your bait to the bot-
tom. The shot has a split which is used to
x it to the line.
Small shots are made of lead and must not be swallowed.
Lead Shot for use in the UK has to be bigger than size 8
and non-toxic due to legal requirements.
The landing net
This is used to lift a hooked
sh from the water onto
the bank side without straining the line and tackle, and
without damaging the
sh.
The keepnet
This is used to temporarily retain
sh that have been
caught. It is made from soft,
sh friendly material to
prevent any damage to the
sh. Some anglers prefer to
return
sh to the water immediately after capture, and on
some waters keepnets cannot be used.
Plummet
This is attached to the hook at the beginning of the
session and used in conjunction with the š oat to
nd the
depth of the water.
4
Some of your tackle may look di
erent to this but the way it is used
is excactly the same.
5
The rod
The rod
INTRODUCTION TO COARSE FISHING
Preparing to fi sh: Setting up the rod and reel
Follow these simple instructions and you will be ready to catch
sh within minutes! You may
nd it
di¢ cult the
rst time but you will very quickly learn how to set the tackle up.
Set up the rod
1. Push the sections of rod together
rmly ensuring
that the eyes on each section are lined up in a
straight line with each other.
Transfer the line to the reel
1. Open the bail arm of the reel (the wire loop
in front of the spool).
2. Attach the reel to the base of the rod with the
screw
tting on the handle.
2. Tie the line onto the spool of the reel and
close the bail arm.
3. Open the reel’s bail arm which will allow the line
to be pulled o• the reel spool. Thread the line
through all of the eyes of the rod.
3. Turn the handle of the reel slowly and the
line will begin to
ll the spool of the reel.
4. Pull around one metre of line through the bot-
tom ring on the š oat. Lock the š oat into place
with a split shot either side of the š oat – the line
is pushed into the groove and the shot squeezed
to
x to the line. You will need to use the correct
amount of shot to make the š oat sit in the water
correctly – some trial and error may be needed
to
x the correct amount of shot needed. Add
three or four small shot down the line, spaced
out at equal intervals, to make the bait fall
through the water.
4. Continue with this until all of the line is on
the spool or close to the lip of the spool, as
in the picture.
5. Remove one of the hooks from its packet and
carefully unwind the line. Tie the line from the
reel to the loop in the line attached to hook.
The hooks are very sharp so take care not to be
pricked.
You now have a fully assembled rod and are ready
to catch some
sh!
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INTRODUCTION TO COARSE FISHING
What you are trying to catch – Fish Species
There is a wide variety of
sh in the waterways around the UK and this is partly what makes coarse
shing so exciting as you never really know what you will catch next! Here’s a summary of the most
common and popular species of
sh :
Perch
This is the
rst
sh that many anglers catch and can often
be the
sh that turns a person into a lifetime angler.
The perch is a greedy
sh and particularly loves to eat
worms. It is almost prehistoric in its appearance and has
a large spiky dorsal
n that gives it a menacing look. The
record for the perch is over 2kg, although a 1kg
sh is a
large one.
Barbel
A very hard
ghting
sh that is mainly found in fast
š owing rivers. They are almost torpedo shaped with an
under-slung mouth surrounded by several distinctive
barbules which look like whiskers. In recent years they
have become increasingly popular and are now also found
in some still waters. They grow to over 6kg but a 1kg
sh
is a good catch.
Roach
Probably the most common
sh in the UK. The roach is
likely to be found anywhere and will give the angler some
sport at all times of the year. They are usually found in big
shoals, therefore if you catch one roach more are likely to
follow. They have a silvery body with red
ns and are one
of the most attractive coarse
sh in the UK. They grow to
2kg but a 1kg
sh is a real giant.
Bream
Characterised by their broad oval body and plenty of
slime! The bream is mainly a bottom feeder and is most
commonly found in slow or still water in rivers, lakes and
canals. A specimen sized
sh is over 5kg but even
sh of
this size are slow
ghters. Often nicknamed “skimmers”
when small, and “dustbin lids” when large, due to their
shape.
Carp
The most popular species of
sh in recent years. There are
several di• erent strains of carp, including mirror, common
and ghost carp. They are found in all man-made commer-
cial
sheries and many rivers, lakes and canals. They are
hard
ghting, feed most of the year round and grow very
big – in excess of 25kg! Even a 1kg
sh will
ght very hard
and give plenty of fun.
Tench
Often referred to as a “bar of soap” due to their thick layer
of slime that makes them almost impossible to grip. They
are particularly distinctive due to their olive green colour
and bright red eyes. A widespread
sh that has very
impressive
ghting qualities. Is often found close to cover,
lily pads being a favourite. Tench are warm weather
sh
and are mainly caught from April to October. Grow to 4kg
but
sh of 1kg are more common.
Chub
Primarily a river
sh that will eat just about anything
they can
t into their big mouths! Chub are nearly always
found near cover such as overhanging trees, bridges
or weed. They are a slender, silver coloured
sh with a
reddish tinge to their
ns. A large chub would typically
weigh 2 kg or more.
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