Getting Started
There are many styles of Course Fishing you can undertake,
Waggler,
feeder,
Pole,
wip,
Carp,
All require specific equipment, and all are enjoyable ways to fish.
But what do you need to really get going ?
This list is a simple guide for those interested in starting fishing using a traditional method "The Waggler", it shows how little tackle is actually required.
You will need :
Fishing Rod, The Rod should be 10 - 12 feet in length and made of Carbon Fibre,
Reel, The Reel should be small to medium sized, and should have a spair spool,
Line, The Line should be monofilament and choose 2 different strengths between 3lb and 6lb breaking strain,
Floats, The Floats need to be a selection of 4 or 5, between 2BB and 3AAA shot patterns,
Split Shot, The Split Shot should not be made of Lead, they must be made from a lead replacement, Dinsmore Split Shot are reliable and cheap, you will need sizes AAA, BB, No.4 and No.6,
Hooks, You will need a selection of Hooks, ranging in sizes from 12 to 20, a good selection is 12, 16, 20, Hooks must be strong, Kamasan animal are good all round hooks and will cope with most situations, you can also buy Hooks to Nylon which come already tied to line, these are ideal for beginners,
Plummet, You will need a Plummet, these are used for finding the depth of your swim,
Disgorger, You will need a Disgorger for getting the hook out of the fishes mouth,
Landing Net, A Landing Net is an essential peice of equipment, I would not advise going fishing without one, a 22 inch landing net is ok and you will need a handle for this which should be at least 2 metres long,
Seat, The Seat you choose is up to you, a small fold away stool is perfect for starting out, but over time you may want to invest in a proper Seatbox,
Bait Box, The Bait Box can be a Margarine Tub with some small holes in the lid to help keep bait fresh, but even proper Bait Boxes cost as little as £1.50
And a bag to carry it all in.
For young children simple Wip fishing is an ideal way to start out, for this you replace the Fishing Rod and Reel with a Wip,
A Wip is basically a Fishing Rod without the line guides (eyes), you simply tie your line to a ring that is glued to the end of the Wip,
For this type of fishing always ensure that the length of line you are using, from Hook to where it is attached to the Wip, is no longer than the length of the Wip itself.
All of the equipment listed above can be purchased from any good tackle shop, avoid cheap kits from big chain stores, they may seem like good value at the time but will let you down in the long run.
Many of the major Fishing tackle manufacturers have budget rods and reels on the market now, and many are good value for money.
