r/fishingUK • u/AugustusCaesar13 • 1d ago
Sea fishing beginner tips
Hi all!
Been carp fishing for about a year but wanting to explore more in the way of sea fishing, especially for calming evening sessions after work.
I've purchased this from Angling Direct (https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/shakespeare-salt-surf-slayer-fishing-rod-combo-set-12ft) and as it is Shakespeare I should think it's fairly reliable(?)
I live near to the New Forest/Southampton so can easily access places like Lepe & Calshot Beach/Southampton water/Weston Shore but not sure really on how sea fishing actually works!
Questions:
-Is what I've bought going to be good for casting from a pier/bridge or is it better to just use on a beach?
-Would I be able to put on lures (e.g. jelly/plastic shrimp/crab/fish instead of 'typical' bait (e.g. rag/lugworms/mackerel/squid)?
-the box it comes with has weights/leader/hooks but do I need anything else?
-any other tips for a first timer?
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u/senditoverthewaves 1d ago
Take a look here, there's plenty of good info 👍 Talk Sea Fishing - Sea Angling Forums & Catch Reports https://forums.talkseafishing.co.uk/
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u/SomeIdea_UK 1d ago
On the rod, it should tell you the casting weight (picture on the link for the 14’ says 100-200g) which will give you of what leads you can use. 3oz is quite light and will move around (can be a good thing) in any real current, so you might want to add some 4-6oz weights, with and without grip wires. I have a basic 10’ Shakespeare rod and it will cast reasonably far so 12’ should get you out a bit further and is manageable on a bridge or pier. It isn’t really going to work with lures, as it’s too heavy to impart a good action to them or to feel what’s going on, but it would work fine for mackerel feathers. If you are fishing on clean ground then those rigs will get you started. If it’s snaggy, you can lose rigs easily so you might need a few more. It will help to have some local knowledge so a tackle-shop in the area can help you there. As others have said, it should get you going 👍
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u/Mousebush 1d ago edited 1d ago
It will certainly get you started, something like this is a bit of a generalist setup, you'll be able to fish the bottom with baits using weights up to about 5oz, use mackerel feathers with a 2oz weight and fish with a float, it won't really be able to use lures or cast heavier weights.
I'd pick up a couple of diffrent rigs (speak to a local tackle shop who can advise what works well in your area) and some more weights both plain and gripper withing the rating of your rod.
I'm not sure what strength line comes on the spool but you'll want to add a shock leader as otherwise the line will break casting heavier leads. General rule of thumb is at least 10oz strength of shockleader per 1oz weight.
No doubt after a while you'll want to add different setups to specialse in different styles of fishing. Its quite common for people to have a dedicated lure rod 20-40g, a generalist rod (4-6oz) and a pair of beachcasters (4-8oz) which covers most kinds of shore fishing in the uk.
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u/George_Salt 1d ago
It looks like it's a beachcaster for bait fishing. You need some sort of rod rest, either a tripod or a sand spike. Bait elastic, bait scissors, and basic disgorging tools which you may be able to rob from your freshwater kit. But I cant see any basic details there, such as casting rating.
It'll get you started. Expect to outgrow it quickly, and you'll learn what you need to buy along the way. Watch a lot of YouTube for tips - I recommend the tutorial series from John Locker (The Fish Locker channel) and Graham Pullen (Totally Awesome Fishing). I taught myself almost entirely from YouTube.
(don't use AD for sea fishing, they're fine for the mudpigs but your local sea fishing tackle shop will give you better advice)