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tips for pier fishing
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09-06-2010 6:55pm#1
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horsenaughton wrote: »Hey just started fishing lately off a pier, fished from boats at sea few times a year and wondering if any one has any tips or advise on fishing for mackerel and hopefully a bit of Pollock.
Been fishing the last few days but nothing biting. Is sunny weather the best time to head out? Im fishing bout mayo and Sligo using feathers. Heard also this northern wind doesn’t help them either is that true.
Also any one any tips too on how to improve the length of me cast?
Firstly with regard your cast you should start by making sure you outfit is balanced. I see so many people who don't regularly fish who are under the impression that sticking a massive lead at the end of their rig will make them cast far. Quite the opposite is true. Check on your rod and there should be a rating in weight (i.e. 45-70g) and try to keep your weights within this range. Make sure you have enough line on your reel so that it doesn't have to drag off the spool while casting. That can slow things down a bit too. And let the rod do the work.
Don't know the spots you are fishing specifically. Northern winds can affect things but they are generally ok at this time of year. Fish the incoming tide. You'll be able to check tide times in the local paper and head fishing a couple of hours before the full tide is due. A full tide in just as it gets dark is very good in most places.
Vary your casting, that is, if there's nothing on the surface after a few casts, leave it sink for a few seconds. Keep varying until you find the fish. Pollock are generally closer to the bottom and mackerel mid-water to surface.
Finally if you see somebody else getting fish keep you eye on them and see how far out they are going and at what depth they are getting the fish. You could always ask them too. Unless they are total @ssholes they should help you out!
Tight lines
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Heres a Question or two actually
- Should you cast out when shore fishing? If so how far should you aim for?
- Also is there a technique to ensure line doesn't get tangled in the reel?
- On boats I've always been a fan of using mackrel as bait.. What ye reckon?
There's two ways at looking at how far to cast. As far as possible or very close in. I'll explain. In some places you need to get out far to get into some deeper water such as a deep channel. If after mackerel casting as far as possible helps because as you draw the feathers back you are covering a lot of water and you can eventually work out where they are roughly. However, bass and wrasse and some others species can often be found at your feet so you would be aiming for a feature immediately in front of you rather than distance. Off pier as well Im a fan of just dropping it straight down in some instances. (sorry that paragraph is probably confising as fcuk!
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Line getting tangled on a reel is probably because there is too much line on it...I'm guessing here but I see a lot of beginners load up the reel too much (or reels bought preloaded). You should have a couple of mm around the lip of the spool to the line. There is a guide on every reel too on how much line to put on depending on the breaking strain i.e. 200m/15lbs that spool will take 200m of 15lb breaking strain. Try taking off some if this is the case. Prob make a difference.
Mackerel is a very good all round bait and will take most species of fish at some stage of another. Just remember to give the fish a chance to find it i.e. dont be reeling in it and re casting every couple of mins. That goes for all bait really.
You also mention your lack of success as maybe down to lack of fish....this could be it. Try to follow the tide guide i gave in the first post or ask other anglers when is the best time. If its a spot thats fished regularly but when you're there, no one else is then you've got something wrong!
Good luck and any other questions just give us boardies a shout.0 -
There's two ways at looking at how far to cast. As far as possible or very close in. I'll explain. In some places you need to get out far to get into some deeper water such as a deep channel. If after mackerel casting as far as possible helps because as you draw the feathers back you are covering a lot of water and you can eventually work out where they are roughly. However, bass and wrasse and some others species can often be found at your feet so you would be aiming for a feature immediately in front of you rather than distance. Off pier as well Im a fan of just dropping it straight down in some instances. (sorry that paragraph is probably confising as fcuk!))
No not that confusing, I have to try and hone my casting technique so I can 'aim' for different points and locations.Line getting tangled on a reel is probably because there is too much line on it...I'm guessing here but I see a lot of beginners load up the reel too much (or reels bought preloaded). You should have a couple of mm around the lip of the spool to the line. There is a guide on every reel too on how much line to put on depending on the breaking strain i.e. 200m/15lbs that spool will take 200m of 15lb breaking strain. Try taking off some if this is the case. Prob make a difference.
Yep I think I might be guilty, I just got the roll of line and put it all on the reel. ended up cutting away a bit of it yesterday and it seemed to help. Some reel are better than others I guess.Mackerel is a very good all round bait and will take most species of fish at some stage of another. Just remember to give the fish a chance to find it i.e. dont be reeling in it and re casting every couple of mins. That goes for all bait really.
You also mention your lack of success as maybe down to lack of fish....this could be it. Try to follow the tide guide i gave in the first post or ask other anglers when is the best time. If its a spot thats fished regularly but when you're there, no one else is then you've got something wrong!
Good luck and any other questions just give us boardies a shout.
I think it does be fished regularly but its remote, so chances of seeing another is limmited. Hoping to land the first fish before the weeks out!
Given that 72 Mackrel were caught by a boardie up the coast in Achill Im hoping to be sucessfull0 -
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