Sea fishing

I realise this is a very basic level post about Sea fishing, however some readers here have asked for a basic explination of what exactly sea fishing is. Its really kind of hard to define, but I have attempted to cover most of the bases.

Sea fishing is the art or practice of catching wild fish in thier natural environment. Rod and line fishing has gained in popularity over the years and is now one of the largest sports in the western world, with sea angling making up a large percentage of anglers.

You are not restricted to the open ocean. Fishing in an estuary is also generally considered as Sea fishing. In fact many popular species are found high up where the salt water meets with fresh in rivers. Species including Bass, Flounder, Mullet and Bream are regulary caught in esturies across the UK.

The main niches of Sea fishing are,

• Shore fishing
• Boat fishing
• Kayak fishing - I include this as seperate to boat fishing as its almost a halfway house between shore and boat fishing.

There are many techniques available to sea anglers whether you are fishing from the shore or a boat and depending upon which species you intend to target including,

1. Beach Casting/up tiding (ledgering) - Casting baited fishing tackle from the shore line / boat into the sea.
2. Lure fishing - Using plugs, rubber eels, spinners etc as an artificial attractor to catch fish.
3. Fly fishing - The use of artificial generally hand tied lures to catch sea species.
4. Float fishing - Thhis method can be used in many situations and it allows alot of groound to be covered, its also a very exciting method of fishing and often not used to it full potential.
5. Kite fishing - not a widely used technique in the UK. It allows long range shore fishing and for alot of ground to be covered.

The fishing tackle varies from one method of sea fishing to another, but the basics are Rod, Line and reel. The sky is the limit when it comes to tackle choices and other equipment. There is now a massive range of accessories available, some gimmicks, some fishing equimpent to make life more comfortable like beach buddies (light weight shelters) and important safety equipment like floatation suites. I would guess that you could set your self up with some basic tackle, for light shore fishing for about £150. This would not include a set up for all occasions and weather!

You can start Sea fishing as soon as you are old enough to hold a fishing rod and wind the handle. I caught my first cod aged about 3 and I have not looked back since. I would suggest that 7 - 9 is a more typical age as patients and a bit of strength is required in most situations. Here is a post about the day I took my 4 and 6 year olds boat fishing

There is a wide varity of species available to you, many of them a dependant on the season. For example the Mackerel are now leaving our shores, but the Flounder are now comming into the esturies and many areas of the UK should be seeing Cod come from the beaches soon.

Basic considerations in matching your fishing tackle to your species should include the type of fishing, the tidal currents, the conditions you expect to attract fish to your location, the distance the fish are from you. The more balanced your tackle, the more enjoyment you will have!

Bait used for sea fishing includes almost anything found in the sea, and other food stuffs as well. Bread for example is a popular base for Mullet fishing. Earth worms have produced good flounder when they in the boundray of salt water and fresh.

My ethos is just to go and try. There are no hard and fast rules, and if you experiment and test you local water from the shore or boat you will learn about the location and discover what out-fishes other methods. Try using ground bait, experiment with unusual baits. Most importantly enjoy your sea fishing.