RayZor

Hi,

I'm Returning to UK after a 3 1/2 year spell in Australia and got really into the beach / boat fishing thing which I want to carry on in UK, never did this in UK...but looking around seems some good places to go beach fishing as will be in kent. - seems a lot of it about albeit colder!.... not interested in the carp thing with a long pole though.

I was wondering whether fishing gear is cheaper/better in Australia (as there seems to be heaps of it about BCF etc..) so should I stock up before I head back or whether its same same but different...

e.g should I get a few more wilson rods/Alvey reels etc or wait until uk to buy...but cant see these brands over there??....rods seems more expensive and reels mostly overheads for beach casting which I thought were for boats or is it a different ball game altogether and Oz stuff no good??....any help appreciated...

I will get some thermals though.

Ray
..

Grayling

As I have replied elsewhere.....to catch fish off British beaches you need to make very long casts and this requires specialist geat. Alveys are simply not up to the job. They are on sale in the UK but very few people will use them.

Wilson blanks also tend to be glass composites and, compared to beach rods available in the UK, are simply too old fashioned and inadequate for the job.

G

RayZor

thanks again...

Grayling

The current trend in Europe (including UK) is to use very long rods (16-18 ft.) and a fixed spool (Threadline) reel which enables long casts relatively easily.

Remember.....to fish beaches such as Dungeness you may need to cast up to 8 oz. of lead to counteract the tide....it is very different to Australian conditions

G

RayZor

Crikey, thats a hell of a rod...maybe I should just buy a medieval catapult?

Can you recommend any brands/shops in kent...

Grayling

The reason the long rods are used is because they only need a simple style of casting like an 'overhead thump' and so have become popular. they are also useful for match fishing which is very popular.

The old style beach specialists will still use a shorter (12-13 ft) rod and an overhead reel using specialist casting styles such as the 'pendulum cast'....try looking on Youtube for demonstrations.

The Australian (alvey) style is really for casting light baits such as a sardine with little weight for fish which will come close inshore such as Bream, Flathead, Dart or Tailor. In the UK, on beaches such as Dungeness you will be fishing for Cod, Whiting, Skate etc. which will not usually venture so close.

Bass will come in close and you can catch them on lighter tackle but, in most instances, You will be undergunned.

The conditions on UK beaches are usually much rougher (on the best fishing days) with strong tides so more weight is required.

Look for brands such as Daiwa, Abu, Shimano etc. You will find that decent gear is no more expensive than, say, an Alvey 650.

I do not know any specific shops in Kent but someone like Sportsmail will give you an idea

http://www.harrissportsmail.com/

Try looking for a reel such as a Daiwa millionaire or and Abu 6500 as these are reliable beachcasting reels.

G

humpy

Bennets of Sheffield are good online tackle shop they sell everything

Red_V_Roger

Its all made in China.

Grayling

You obviously don't know much about fishing tackle then.

RayZor

thanks for all the input, but...

back to my original question...now that you've helped me narrow stuff down, I think you are right about rods...best buy one of these when in uk..you have get a nice 15' carbon-fibre for a few hundred quid as opposed to $600+ bucks....

However, been looking at the Shimano reels, the Trinidad 16DC in particular...have seen this for $800 australian here but retails for 680+ uk pounds....so clearly a saving as almost half price...

Should I snap this up before I head back...is it any good for UK shore/beach work if coupled with a decent rod?

thanks again...

Grayling

With a long rod you need to use a fixed spool reel .....not sure what the Trinidad is offhand

A decent reel would be a Daiwa emblem or one of the big Shimano models......these would cost around £150 or so.

I am not sure about spending a lot on a beach reel as they will get a lot of hammer so will have a limited life unless very well looked after.

If you really want to pay less for tackle then buy from America over the internet.....vastly cheaper than the UK or Australia for the same models.

For a casting multipler then you will not go wrong with an ABU Abassadeur 6500 or 7000 or daiwa Millionaire but then you would need to make sure that the rod is rigged for a multiplier (overhead) as the fittings will be different.

I would prefer to have two good quality reels which you could buy for the same price as the Shimano model mentioned.

G

Grayling

Just had a look at the Trinidad DC. They are nice reel but you would need to learn to cast with a multiplier (pendulum cast etc.).

TBH they are a lot of money when, in practical terms, the reels I have mentioned will do the job pretty well and are almost 'standard issue' on British beaches and far far cheaper.......although as mentioned the fixed spool/long rod option is becoming very popular.

Still, if you like good tackle and are a 'tackle tart' like me then why not

Tight lines

G

PS.....go for carbon fibre every time for rods....they are vastly better than composites

RayZor

ok, sounds advice....just love to see that digital breaking system....,might ask for a demo and go from there but will check out those other ones too.

I do have a penn 850ssm spinfisher which sounds like it will do the job matched with a longer carbon fibre rod..

Grayling

That is the type of reel you need.

It must have as big and wide a spool as possible.

It will also help to use as light a line as you can get away with....12-15 lbs. mainline is about right for British beaches but you MUST use a shock leader of around 50 lbs. as you will be chucking leads up to 8 oz. and if one of them breaks off on the cast they can kill someone.

G

RayZor

so what would your topr rod of choice be for this reel - willing to spend...