Hello from SE London

[fishplate42]

My name is Ralph and I live in South East London. A few weeks so ago I decided that as I am now pushing 60 and my 'little' brother, Tim, is now pushing 50, it was about time we found something we could do together that we were both interested in. We hit upon fishing. Having never fished before (other than sticklebacks from a stream 50+ years ago) I decided to search the internet for information and guidance. As the heading will tell you I had zero knowledge of fishing techniques, tackle or even the fish. I am pleased to tell you the task was successful. I am now an expert on all aspects of fishing with a rod and line - I have watched several on-line videos and read many pages of text....

... All joking aside, I have learnt the very basics. A few weeks ago I had no idea how to attach a float to the line or what a plummet was, let alone what it is used for. I have taken the plunge and bought some basic gear for two and hopefully will be able get my brother along as well. He did some fishing as a kid but when he was interested in fishing, due to the age gap, I was more interested in the birds and I do not mean the feathered kind.

I have been reading some of the fishing forums and got some advice about how to start. All good advice too, so I have ordered a rod and reel, and reserved a starter set at Argos that was on special offer. I suspect that some of the stuff in the starter set will get replaced fairly soon but with an outlay of about £130.00, all in, I have more than enough kit to allow both of us to go and drown a few unsuspecting maggots. I wonder If Tim has told his wife he will be storing the bait in the fridge...

​

I have posted some more pictures of the tackle we have already bought on our blog, I need to work out what else I need. First on the list will be a couple of nice comfy seats; don't want this to be too stressful.

I hope I can contribute some useful stuff in time but for now I might be just asking very basic (silly) questions until I get used to the terminology....

Ralph

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

welcome to FM - as a pointer when asking questions put ibn the venues you will fish , pond, lake, rive big or small water as the answers you get may depend on where you fish and what you are targeting

good luck with your new hobby

 

[greenie62]

Welcome to the forum - best wishes for your first season.
Apart from the displayed tackle I'd suggest you also get:
- small towel,
- small container of anti-bacterial hand gel,
- pellet bander, bands and pellets, as an alternative to maggots (and more missus-friendly!)
- thermos flask (from next month it's going to get chilly!)
- EA Licence

I dare say other members of the forum will chip in with their suggestions, too!
Tight lines

 

[Derek Gibson]

Welcome aboard Ralph, enjoy your time here and rest assured any advice you may need will be readily available, just ask.

 

[fishplate42]

welcome to FM - as a pointer when asking questions put ibn the venues you will fish , pond, lake, rive big or small water as the answers you get may depend on where you fish and what you are targeting

good luck with your new hobby

Thanks Paul,

I intend to make my first attempt at drowning a few maggots tomorrow at Bax Farm near Sittingbourne, Kent. I will have a go with a Waggler float and maggots as bait. That seems to be what everybody I have spoken to recommends. I plan to plummet the depth and set my hook to sit on the bottom at first an see what happens.

Ralph

---------- Post added at 12:16 ---------- Previous post was at 11:14 ----------

Welcome to the forum - best wishes for your first season.
Apart from the displayed tackle I'd suggest you also get:
- small towel,
- small container of anti-bacterial hand gel,
- pellet bander, bands and pellets, as an alternative to maggots (and more missus-friendly!)
- thermos flask (from next month it's going to get chilly!)
- EA Licence

I dare say other members of the forum will chip in with their suggestions, too!
Tight lines

It is exactly this sort of information I need - Thank You!

I would not have thought of a towel, but as soon as I started fishing I can see it is obvious.

Is the hand gel to protect me or the fish?

I have no idea what a pellet bander, bands are, I know pellets are a type of bait but more than that I am in the dark. I will go and investigate

Flask is in hand and I have my licence.

I am sorry about the absolute lack of knowledge but I don't know anyone who goes fishing. I am happy to have a go and work it out from there. Once I have had at least one go, then I suspect I will have some more considered questions.

Ralph

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Hi

start fishign on the bottom but be prepared to come up in depth if the bites slow down as small fish tend to coem up in the water to intecept the bait you throw in

Pleet bands are small round elastic bands that you put round the pellet to hold it on to the hook - a pellet bander help make this easier but isn't a nessesscity

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

You haven't mentioned a landing net (I would strongly recommend one)

Baitwise, never ignore the humble slice of bread, cheap and just like maggots, capable of catching anything. I would suggest buying some decent hooks to nylon, I've had cheap ones fail at a crucial moment, current personal choice are Kamasan Animals (18 to 2.5lb should work fine with single or double maggot)

Ian

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Hello Ralph and Welcome to FishingMagic

 

[fishplate42]

You haven't mentioned a landing net (I would strongly recommend one)

Baitwise, never ignore the humble slice of bread, cheap and just like maggots, capable of catching anything. I would suggest buying some decent hooks to nylon, I've had cheap ones fail at a crucial moment, current personal choice are Kamasan Animals (18 to 2.5lb should work fine with single or double maggot)

Yes, I have a landing net, I just forgot to photograph it when I did the rods on my blog. I was wondering about bread and somebody suggested sweetcorn was good.

I will heed your advice regarding hooks to nylon - I have the ones that came with the 'set' and there is a tackle shop at Bax Farm (where I plan to go tomorrow for my first outing) they will probably sell some better quality ones.

Ralph

 

[law]

- small container of anti-bacterial hand gel,

Controversial.
Never use it mid session. It destroys the fish's protective slime. Even when you think it's off your skin, it can still be transferred to the fish.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I will heed your advice regarding hooks to nylon - I have the ones that came with the 'set' and there is a tackle shop at Bax Farm (where I plan to go tomorrow for my first outing) they will probably sell some better quality ones.

They are the best for some up to date advice if you don't know the venue. If you find that you like it then consider joining a club.

 

[peter crabtree]

Hi Ralph, looking at your gear in the picture you have 29 floats.
They're a lovely assortment for use on very differing waters..
If you were to learn how to use them all for their specific purpose, you probably wouldn't need much else..
IMHO....

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Hi Ralph, looking at your gear in the picture you have 29 floats

Only 29! How can you fish with so few mg::wh

 

[fishplate42]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and useful advice.

Hi Ralph, looking at your gear in the picture you have 29 floats.
They're a lovely assortment for use on very differing waters..
If you were to learn how to use them all for their specific purpose, you probably wouldn't need much else..
IMHO....

The floats are a bewildering at the moment. I bought a 'starter set' and all those were included. I have watched an old Matt Hayes video (that I have posted on my blog HERE) in which he shows how to float fish in the first 30 minutes. The video is an hour and a half long and I have to admit that I have not managed to watch it all without falling asleep .

Tomorrow I intend to try out that first 30 minutes and then go from there. One thing at a time. At the moment, the more I read, the more confusing it is.

Ralph

 

[fishplate42]

Only 29! How can you fish with so few mg::wh

Hmmm... And I though I only needed one...

Ralph

 

[bennygesserit]

Welcome to the forum and an excellent first post , its the same way I joined a forum just a few years ago. Ask as manyquestions as you like.
There is an excellent Matt Hayes how to float fish on youtube.

I would invest in some decent hooks to nylon , kamasan non barbed are good , size 18 is a good size if maggot fishing.

Winter is coming as it gets colder fishing becomes more difficult ( on still waters at least ) a constant small amount of maggots is the key - little and often , throw those over your float , say six maggots a minute would almost guarrantee a fish on most commercials, plus fish a light float with the shots spaced so your bait looks like it is naturally falling thrpugh the water.

Never handle fish in towels make sure your hands are wet before handling , I keep a small bait tub next to me or use the water from the landing net if the fish are big enough.

Sorry you already mentioned the Matt Hayes video , will you be fishing farm lake ? ( I just googled it ) seems to have nothing to massive ( fish heavy for big fish which makes the tackle to heavy for most of the lighter fish ).

 

[greenie62]

Is the hand gel to protect me or the fish?

It's for your protection - mainly to protect you from Weil’s disease which is a severe form of the bacterial infection leptospirosis. Use it before eating and when you pack up - don't do the "I'll wash me 'ands when I gets home" routine 'cos you'll forget - by which time it could be to late!

Law is quite right about avoiding transfer of bactericide to fish scales/skin - there is a chance you may affect the bacterial balance of the fishes outer defences - this needs to be balanced against your own Health & well-being. Weil's disease is nasty - google it for symptoms, etc. - there are forum members who will give you more details - or search for old posts on it!
Tight Lines!

 

[fishplate42]

It's for your protection - mainly to protect you from Weil’s disease which is a severe form of the bacterial infection leptospirosis. Use it before eating and when you pack up - don't do the "I'll wash me 'ands when I gets home" routine 'cos you'll forget - by which time it could be to late!

Thank you . I know about Wiel's disease. One of the major reasons for the increase in Wiel's disease among young men is said to be due to the trend of drinking bottled beer, from the bottle. If the bottles are stored in the cellar, storeroom or even outside... You can work the rest out for yourself.

I will get some tomorrow... I had not though of that.

Ralph

 

[hunters moon]

welcome to the forum ralph, I hope you will enjoy F/M and I wish you and your brother tim TIGHT LINES.

....I have fished through fishless days that I remember happily without regret.
....Roderick haig-brown.

 

[fishplate42]

I finally went fishing today and caught some fish!

I started a new thread about the day here:

http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/beginners-improvers/353732-first-catch.html#post1314211

Time for one of these, methinks... :guinness:

Ralph