Deimonic Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Hello raiders, I'm from seven hills and relatively new to fishing. I used to go fishing as a kid but only ever caught small ones. I'd like to start fishing again, my goal is to learn how to catch fish big enough for me to eat! I appreciate advice you all can spare. I admit i tried to go fishing on Easter Monday but ended up with no fish. Just a couple of small bites. So to start with i have a few questions that hopefully someone can help answer. 1. What is a good value, cheap Rod and reel to buy? My current one was $20 and i spent 30 mins untangling it during high tide. Also i could only fling the line 5m or so, is that my fault or the rods? The line always kept drifting back to me too after a while instead of staying 5m out. 2. Can you recommend a good starter fish to learn to fish on and a good place to catch them? Preferably in a non polluted area so i can eat them. I'm willing to travel a bit to get there. 3. Is it easier to catch fish from a kayak vses estuaries? I'm guessing the fish at wharves get fished on all the time and thus know how to avoid hooks? Cheers, thanks in advanced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellzy94 Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Firstly, welcome to Fishraider! 1: I personally wouldn't spend less than $80-100 for a rod+reel combo, the big camping and fishing stores sell them. Your casting will be affected by how you cast, and also the rod, reel, line, and sinker you're using. What setup did you use? (Line, sinker, leader etc) 2: I'd recommend bream. They hang around structure so they're easy to target land-based, and require a simple setup. Good baits to use are peeled prawns, bread, or chicken breast/thigh (raw, cubed and marinated in garlic. I also add the cheap powdery parmesan cheese for extra smell). 3: I guess it depends what you're targeting. Some fish like deeper water and the edge of a drop-off, so need either good distance casts or some vessel like a boat or kayak to get out there. Cheers, Wellzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMG Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) Number 2 suicide hook,then a 1 metre piece of 6lb line tied to a small swivel,then run your bean sinker loose on top of that,say on a 10lb main line. This is a basic set up that will catch a range of fish. I would go to beaches and bays around Sydney Harbour or Botany Bay as I hate snags,maybe some wharves but rock fishing on the bottom normally you will get snags unless its a sandy bottom as for your gear everyone has a different opinion,I only buy more expensive gear for a specific fish that I want to mostly target all the time. what you was describing it sounds like the sinker was being pushed back in by the incoming tide and the line twist/knots/birds nest was probably due to using a too light sinker combined with your casting technique. I would also look at some you tube videos on how to cast and how to rig up and bait up for your general fishing breeds like Bream/Flathead/Trevally etc or even google and look at the images that way you will get a better idea of what to do. For bait I would use something basic like a piece in the form of a cube of Pilchard which is a good all round bait and this bait you will catch most fish with. Some wharves produce good fish others do not,just try around at different tides at a few wharves you like to fish at,it may take a few times before you decide your never going back there to fish its dead but its all about trial and error Keep things as simple as you can until you gain more experience and the more knowledge you have on the subject you want to know about makes you become a master sooner or later. Knowledge is power ! and experience comes with time. Time and Tide wait for nobody ! Read as much and watch as much as you can. Welcome to this forum where from what I have seen here offers the best advice if you want to fish. This is the best fishing forum ! Good luck bro ! and always be safe,safety comes first no matter what ! Cheers ! Edited April 21, 2017 by DMG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Welcome to Fishraider Deimonic. The information given by Wellzy and DMG will prove invaluable. I would just like to add a few things. Catching fish is an incredible experience. Like anything else in life, if you want to be good at it you have to work at it. You will have many days where you catch nothing! You have to stay positive though. Remember (always) that fish have to eat in order to live. Even using the random pot luck approach, you may catch fish. However if you want to catch edible fish regularly you need to learn about them and the best methods to catch them. This site has all the information you will need to target fish like Bream, Flathead, Whiting, etc but I would encourage you to start off by watching Youtube videos. There are many that explain how to target these basic species using bait. Watch them, use the information and get out there, either land based or in your Kayak. Above all STAY POSITIVE and you will get results. Good luck! BN ps If you have any other questions arise from your research, just ask away. Somebody on here will know the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryR Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) Deimonic, kayaks are great ! More effort ()sometimes a lot more effort) and a little more $ than a lot of shore based fishing but, specially when you're starting out, the big advantage is, if you start at a dud spot, moving to a new location is easier. You tend to see a bit more of what's going on too. Edited April 21, 2017 by HenryR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob81 Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Probably a bit late now but Id say the tangles are most likely due to the line having a lot of memory (as well as other factors). Those cheap combo's have very cheap line. At the very least, Id say replace the line (to a half decent one) if you are not going to purchase a new slightly more expensive cheap combo. You can fishing on a cheap combo and land fish, probably wont be too comfy and probably fruastrating to fish with. My daughters landed a 33cm trevally and 30cm flatty on one about the same price. Its just that I probably spend most of the time untangling the line for most of the time I had them out with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthman Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 (edited) Hey mate, in addition to the advice above, to help make things easier, up to you, i would buy the following (which i got for a friend recently) from an online store called dinga (they have pretty good pricing AND free shipping for members, so you need to created an account with them and log in to get the free shipping). Note: depending on the rod and reel you already have, you may be able to just strip the existing line off and put on some braid and it will make a world a difference - ideal beginner is the basic bream rod combo - 6'6 to 7' rod in the 2-4 KG weight rating and a 1000 to 2500 size reel. Graphite for the rod is nice, but fibreglass is still usable. If you have this setup already, then just get the braid and the leader. Assuming you are buying from scratch, i would buy: * Sienna 2500 reel - ~$53 (can be found as low as $45 elsewhere, before shipping) * Shimano Catana 2pc 7' 2-4KG graphite rod - ~$60 * rovex 250m of 10LB braid - ~$19 (not the best braid, but cheap and usable) * FC ROCK 100m of 10LB fluorocarbon leader - ~$19 (a good all-rounder weight rating) - Total = $151. PM me for the links. This will give you a nice light and responsive rod, dependable and smooth reel (dont drop it in the water though!), thin (ie casts far) main line braid and a strong, abrasion resistant, well-known leader. Its a lot of fun watching videos on how to spool a reel, do so before spooling yours. also some knots to learn: * Uni-knot and double-unit knot - used for tieing line to terminal points (uni knot) and joining main line (braid) to leader (double uni knot). * FG knot - for when you are using lures, this allows you to join the main line (braid) to leader material (fluorocarbon) with a knot that is tiny and can pass through the rod eyelets easily. Its a difficult knot though, so maybe reserve that for learning on a rainy day. In terms of actually fishing, my advice is: * go fish at jetties - easy to get to, usually other fishermen there so you can kindly ask for guidance on how to set things up, what fish they normally get there, what the best technique would be to use for the local waters etc... * for bait, youtube the "running sinker" rig or setup - this is a common setup that useful for bream, whiting and even flathead. you might even catch the odd trevally! * depending on your access to "flats" - you may be able to pump yabbies/nippers/pink nippers - these are an EXCELLENT live or dead bait to use that catches pretty much everything - some great videos on youtube showing how and the types of environments that are "flats". You would need to know a place though and also buy a yabbie pump (~$60) and also some accessories to make life easier (sieve, float and bait bucket - all totaling around ~$25), all up $85 - but quickly pays itself off. You need to be able bodied aswell! * for lures, soft plastics are a great place to start - though the rate of bites is far less than using bait but from my experience, you catch much bigger fish. bait will catch all fish, lures will catch big fish. just my opinion. Edited July 3, 2017 by anthman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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