No experience - help needed!

Hi,

I've just taken up fishing (only been twice so far) and so any advice would be much appreciated.

I am trying to teach myself as none of my mates are interested in fishing. I have bought a number of books and DVDs and have some idea of what I am trying to do, but my execution is not great.

The first problem I have had is that I seem to get terrible tangles in my rig.

I have a 12 foot feeder rod. I have started out using a basic ledger rig where I use a small pear shaped weight free running on the line up to a swivel. The weight is running directly on the line through the eye at the top of the wieght. From here I have about 18 inches of 2lb hook line (I'm using 5lb main line).

I have found that often when I reel in, as the rig leaves the water the weight begins spinning with the motion of the realing in and consequently the hook line start spinning and tanlging around the weight.

I have considered trying a paternoster setup and different ways of attaching the weight, but I cannot see how I can avoid the tangles with the hook line and weight so close together.

I think part of the problem is that a couple of times I cast with the line looped over the tip. This made reeling in a problem until I noticed it. Could this be causing the rig to spin?

My second question is regarding the rod and the type of fishing I am attempting.

The river I am fisihing is a narrow (10 -12 meters) and fast flowing with some still pools and alot of snaggy areas.

I tried the ledgering approach with only one bite in two days. Everybody else I have seen fishing are using floats and moving from one pool to another (I think there are supposed to be Chubb in the area).

I am wondering whether to swap to float fishing and try and copy the more experience anglers.

My question is whether I can using my feeder rod for float fishing? It is a 12foot 1inch medium feeder rod. I have three interchangable quiver tips from 12oz to 2.5lbs. Can I use the rod and if so should I use the heavier or lighter tip.

Also would a stick float of a wagler be more appropriate in a fastish narrow river?

By the way I just want to catch any fish at the moment, I'm not going for anything in particular.

Cheers for any responses.

Hello mate,
Sounds like you're in a right muddle to me, first i would take your time when setting up relax and enjoy fishing regardless on any tangles you get into, it happens to all of us from time to time...
As for you ledger weight spinning i take it it's like a flat pear lead with a hole through that you have then threaded your mainline into??......if so ditch it!! go for weight with a swivel on, thus the swivel taking the spin and not your line or hooklink.
so now you would have mainline through the swivel of your weight like a bomb type one small bead knot smal swivel hook link hook jobs a good un ............as for float fishing i would go for a waggler myself a bit more weight than a stick float..............hope this helps in some way and enjoy your fishing mate, when it clicks in to place its great !!

[madcaravanner]

Originally Posted by Baitbucket

Hello mate,
Sounds like you're in a right muddle to me, first i would take your time when setting up relax and enjoy fishing regardless on any tangles you get into, it happens to all of us from time to time...
As for you ledger weight spinning i take it it's like a flat pear lead with a hole through that you have then threaded your mainline into??......if so ditch it!! go for weight with a swivel on, thus the swivel taking the spin and not your line or hooklink.
so now you would have mainline through the swivel of your weight like a bomb type one small bead knot smal swivel hook link hook jobs a good un ............as for float fishing i would go for a waggler myself a bit more weight than a stick float..............hope this helps in some way and enjoy your fishing mate, when it clicks in to place its great !!

Your point about the leger weight is right it needs a swivel between it and the line
Also a snap would help further by allowing him to change weights easily he doesn't want to use too heavy a weight but neither too small he neds one that just drags the bottom if great

BUT
on a fast flowing river a waggler float would bury itself wit the speed of the current


Watching how other fish will help but also chatting to them if they willtalk will help Talltaff to find out the best way to fish the river

Welcome to the site mate, i like to fish faster rivers with just a couple of bb weights (split shot) about 18" from my hook length this lets you get in and about the fast runs as well as the slower ones, its also a great way of picking up a variety of fish species, dont worry too much about your rod for now you can use a float on virtually any rod if your not targeting specific fish species.

I would try something like a small/medium controller float if the runs your fishing are particualrly fast it allows you to trot and hlod your bait in the run, but most of all fishing is about pleasure and enjoying and learning all about your surroundings and yourself sometimes just sit back and enjoy, and by the way your probably hooked for life now.

Good Luck

Cheers all,

That's a great help. I'll give those rigs a try this weekend.

One final question, when float fishing a river, when the float has been cast should I close the bail arm and try and hold the float in the current or should I release line with the arm open using my finger to slow the line and let the float move with the current (is this called trotting?)?

Cheers.

[madcaravanner]

Originally Posted by TalltAff

Cheers all,

That's a great help. I'll give those rigs a try this weekend.

One final question, when float fishing a river,

should I release line with the arm open using my finger to slow the line and let the float move with the current (is this called trotting?)?

Cheers.

Yes thats trotting can help get to where your casting won't

Hello,
Just a tip which I personaly think is good for beginers is that find a lake in your area and practise on the still waters before fishing on fast flowing rivers. By this I mean set up a rod which you are using eg float, ledger or one which you feel comfortable with and renember if you are float fishing put 2/3 of the shot under-near the float. If you are ledgering use a simple pear shaped weight with a shot 4 inches away from a size 10 hook and really this should take you through the first stages of basic fishing which I started fishing with and you just develop the skills and techniques as you fish later on. But river fishing is quite hard to master unless it is sluggish.

Hope this helps sorry to be a bore,
please give me some feedback if you do use these techniques.

Tom.