U.K. Sea Fishing FAQ   -   Pysgota Mor y Deyrnas Gyfunol

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UK Sea Fishing Boat Tackle
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7. Tackle
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  7.2 Boat Tackle
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    7.2.1 What sort of rod do I need for boat fishing?
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      As stated above for shore fishing, no single rod can cover every aspect
      of boat fishing. Below are listed the main types of rods used.

      a) Conventional Boat Rods.
      These are also known as downtide rods. They are usually 6.5 - 7.5 feet
      long and are often in two pieces - a short butt and long tip joined at
      the reel seat. Most rods are known by their IGFA rating - this states
      the recommended line strength to use with the rod.
      The most common IGFA ratings used are 20lb, 30lb and 50lb class.

      NOTE - The IGFA rating used on UK rods may be considerably different
             to an American rod of the same class. (UK rods are lighter.)

      The most common rod is a 30lb class. It is best to check the rods
      yourself as there is no standard for the line class labels. One
      manufacturer's 30lb class rod may be stiffer than another's 50lb!!

      Older rods were made with wooden butts, though these are becomming less
      common. Carbon or glass-fibre is usually used nowadays.

      Some rods have roller rings / roller tip rings, these are not necessary
      unless you are using wire line. The best rollers are AFTCO, but they are
      expensive. It is much better to have good quality lined rings than cheap
      rollers.

      b) Uptide rods.
      These are much longer than the conventional rods. Uptiders are 9.5 to
      10.5 feet long. They are designed to cast a lead away from the boat and
      so have longer handles, for better casting. Again these rods most often
      come in two unequal sections, a six foot tip and separate butt.
      The rods are classified according to their casting weight, with 4-6oz
      and 6-8oz being most common.

      c) Specialist Rods.
      I will include very light tackle, very heavy tackle, and spinning gear
      under this category. Depending on the area you fish, you may have a need
      for very light tackle - 12lb, 6lb class gear; heavy gear - 80lb class.
      There is not much call for 130lb class around the U.K. Other specialist
      gear includes wire line tackle - often used around the Needles on the
      Isle of Wight.

      The best way to decide which of these rods suit your needs most is to
      ask anglers and charter skippers in the areas you wish to fish.

    7.2.2 What sort of reel do you use for boat fishing?
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      The majority of reels used in boat fishing are multipliers. Fixed
      spool reels are only used for very light tackle fishing. Centre pin
      reels are still used by some anglers in the north east, but are very
      basic and cannot be seriously recommended.

      The size of reel is decided by the type and class of rod you are
      using. For uptiding the reel must be capable of casting without
      overruning. ABU 7000 size reels are the most popular uptide reels. It
      is possible to use smaller reels, such as the 6000's and the Daiwa 7HT
      for uptiding, but the gears are not as tough as the larger reels such
      as 7000's and Daiwa SL20 & SL30. Also there is a danger of
      bursting the spool on the smaller reels due to the increased
      pressure that a large fish may put on the line when being wound onto
      the spool. Uptide reels need to hold about 250-300 yards of line.

      General boat reels will need to hold about 300 yards of line matched
      to the class of the rod. It is possible to use a heavier line than the
      rod is rated, but beware of overloading the gears. Most multipliers
      have a clutch controlled by a star wheel. There will also be a
      separate lever to disengage the gears completely. Avoid reels with
      plastic spools for boat fishing.

      Small lever drag reels are becomming more popular with most
      manufacturers producing a range of models. As with most things you
      get what you pay for! There is no lever to disengage the gears on a
      lever drag reel, you simply back the drag right off to release line.
      Lever drag reels are not suitable for casting as the gears cannot be
      fully disengaged.

      For heavy duty work, such as wrecking, shark or common skate fishing,
      strong reels such as Penn Senators, Daiwa Sealines are recommended.
      These reels are mainly used is sizes 6/0 for 50lb class and 9/0 for
      80lb class, though some anglers use these reels with 30 and 50 pound
      line respectivly for increased capacity. These reels have very strong
      gears and with care will easily last a lifetime.

      There is only a limited market for big-game reels such as Everols,
      Fin-Nor or Penn Internationals in the U.K.

Jun 9 1998, 12:00 am

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