After reading Clutch_Kick's post on rod construction, seeing MartinB's advice, and the pics all you guys have posted my urge for fishing exploded. Yet this time would like to focus on spinning as neve gave it the effort it really requires. Yet I need some opinions and advice.
Since the only time i have to fish is evenings, and am afflicted by the personal problem of always returning to the same fishing spot, I would like to explore possibilities of night spinning in different areas.
Wanted to ask, what places are best (not locations as i know they are sensitive ::), but environment types - port, shallow water off rocks, deep water of rocks, beaches, etc..)
Lures: will the smaller ones do the trick? (some 14-20g lures including the x-raps, poppers, and maybe the deep diving ones for ports? Or some bigger/heavier ones for rocks?)
The light in ports is helpfull, or should i avoid them?
One last thing, has anyone tried the Shimano Inchiku Jigs? can they be used for spinning?
I really need to get back onto fishing - to much s**t happened latley and to much studying is not doing me any good :-\ :'( :-[
ACCA exams? if yes, join the club.....
MBA exams and assignments!!!we are on a very similar wavelenght. Yet if you doing acca thank God you have no assignments boss).
heh...... kulhadd jara tieghu xbin.... anyways, good luck with MBA and spinning, i'd love to help but its not really my area.....
le dont get me wrong (ax the way i wrote the comment might be misunderstood) - the acca, from what i gather is a constant battle until the exams and then after the exams it takes you three weeks to get back into your senses.
When you are doing either mba or acca the one sure result is that fishing goes out the window :( work, family, studies and as usuall one has to reduce the things he likes best. Hence the resolution for 2010 has to be to keep the fishing going at least once a fourthnight. X'tahseb
mela ....
.... if you're taking up spinning to rekindle your fishing fever good luck lol. You really need to persevere a lot. However, spinning can be a very rewarding technique if and when the fish come. Needless to say I haven't caught a single fish worthy of note, in a very long while, but who cares! This hobby to me is all about spending time alone, getting in touch with nature. Infact whenever I can I practice catch and release.
If you are going to spin at night, you might be in for a surprise, some seriously good prey can be had during night spinning. Although it is not the best way to start spinning, do not give up, try it anyway.
At night try to stick to Medium gear, with shallow action minnows and surface lures, like WTD's and poppers. Also another tip, as opposed to what many people beleive, darker colours are better at night.
Persevere, persevere, and persevere!!
good advice clutch kick ..... well done.
good luck with your exams guys. Spinning is indeed a great way to be on the same wavelength with nature.
Quote from: clutch_kick on December 21, 2009, 17:38:53 CET
At night try to stick to Medium gear, with shallow action minnows and surface lures, like WTD's and poppers. Also another tip, as opposed to what many people beleive, darker colours are better at night.
Persevere, persevere, and persevere!!
This 100%! Shallow action minnows (e.g crystal minnow etc) with dark colours work can 'miracles' at night/pre dawn conditions ;)
As for Persevere,persevere,persevere..this is the fishermans/
spinner's mantra ;D Or at least mine at the moment,esp seen as though ive totally blanked the last couple of sessions..
Or rather maybe my new mantra should be
Waiting for decent weather,waiting for decent weather,STILL waiting for decent weather,etc...bloody wind!!! >:(
QuoteHence the resolution for 2010 has to be to keep the fishing going at least once a fourthnight. X'tahseb
only ??? i'm trying to go a bit every other day!!!! the only thing stopping me was this gasthly wind.......
Guys nso when its dark its better to have dark lures ??? i used to think that redheads are better or fire tigers
@ bigboy---> miskin.... kemm int innocenti big....... miskin ma kienx jaf,
lol
:P yup, u ha nemnek!
heq temminx hux sihbi !! fid dlam qatt muzajt lures skuri jien ax kont nejd li ma jidrux :/ hmmmmmm imma issa niprova l haga :P
even i never tried dark lures as i never fancied them ...... but this could be a big lesson!
i remember fishing nights in birzebbuga port just under the freeport terminals and used to have such dark lures (some of them were the only available at that time) and they did good catches on spnott and barracudas.
thanks clutch kick and Martin for sharing ...
It is not the first time that we trolled with black feathers before sunrise, and with success.
Wow...thinking about it, when i had a period of non stop cudas by spinning i was using dark lures...hmm...
Hmmmm bis sens eeee hajjartuni
Interesting! I always tried using very bright colours and reflective colours. That's what they always told me :o
But coming to think of it my one and only catch was with a dark lure in a place with no light!
I don't know whether it makes sense but what if we start a thread were we can kind of categorise lures (ex. night, shallow, deep, port, rock, etc...). Obviously there would be no hard and fast rule as this is fishing but it may help some newbies like me with making right choices and not throwing money out of the window.
Coming to think of it I have some lures that i might as well hang a xmas decorations hehe
Never considered spinning at night, full moon and light around you might affect the selection of the lure. Dark lures are more visible at night this is because they create maximum contrast. Since it is also a matter of gray shades, I guess that even red/pink colored lures are very effective. So black/red/pink may be a very good selection for night fishing.
How about the noise created by the lure? Would that attract predators?
you mean like the rattling rap of rapala (if i remember the name correctly)
Rattles are those little things (like a small oval plastic) attached to the lures. I think that they might attract fish due to the sound emitted by the lure. I might be wrong...that is why I asked about it, but I think that it does affect the fish.
I used lures that where dark coloured and funnily enough werent the best lures ever @ only 5euros..but the funny thing is when i bought all the rapala, yo-zuri,maria (most or all where very flashy ex: red head, clown, sardine etc) my luck ran out.
Well I don't think that lures used during daylight spinning must be evenly good also for night spinning. I still think that darker lures are more affective at night and even their sound might make a difference too.
How about glowing scent or sardine scent? would that make any difference or not?
@Lapsiboy - just to know, where you fishing in shallow water, deep, with ambient light or full / no moon?
when there is a little bit of light in the nearby i like to use something natural, like for example a crystal minow. The reflaction that it makes can attract more fish. But in total darkness the best to use are these dark lures they are great cudas love them and not only cudas! They should be tried and you'll see.
Just to clarify,ive had good success on dark coloured lures in dark conditions and from the look of things im not the only one! ;D Ive been spinning/fishing for quite a bit a number of years and in my experience or rather imho,there is no set in stone way of doing things where artificial lures are concerned..For example
x colour,style of lure is for these conditions,whilst
y colour lure,style is for these conditions etc...is a marketing fantasy...bottom line,it just doesn't work that way!
For a practical example..ask just about anyone who's gone out for lampuki and they'll surely have had the following happen... today they had great success with a certain style of rixa and then have gone out the next day with the same rixa (same sea/wind conditions) same spot,had the fish follow but not take,but as soon as they changed the lure
bang or if using a 2 rixa set-up then one day they bite on one,and on the next day (with identical conditions/spot) they bite on the other one ::)...im sure alot of people can confirm this :)
Im not saying change lures every 5secs
anzi you should obviously give your lure a decent chance,but if consequently your not having any success or esp if your having follow ups but no takes then its time to change it up bit! Even sometimes the way you retrieve a lure makes a huge,HUGE difference as well ;) and sometimes no matter what you do will work! Thats fishing! ::)
Quote from: chrifene on December 23, 2009, 11:47:40 CET
How about glowing scent or sardine scent? would that make any difference or not?
tbh i didnt find any difference,contrary to what the advertising speil claimed! Me and a few of my buddies gave it a good try on numerous occassions and it didn't make a single difference to our catch ratio...if anything it stained one of my lures....never used it again!!!
Tight Lines All
Hey all,
So went to pick my rods from repairs and decided to go spend some hours trying them out. My reel was ready prepared with .16 braid, had floro-coated line on (.30), ended up buying a few dark coloured lures, and also ended up buying a bag to carry on my shoulders for spinning. The power of marketing is infinite when coupled to fishing.
Got to the second car park on the coast road (from salina) and started spinning from there up to the beginning of Maghtab. As expected not one single strike but to my despair, i lost one of my new lures :( the knot used between braid and floro line was not ideal (in a way thank God no fish hit as i would have lost it all). Have to practice the Albright knot a little. Tried also at sunset in msida next to Black pearl, but also there no strikes. My back ached at the end of the day, and was a bit pissed off at loosing a lure, but man did it feel good to be next to the sea! Once again I have to get off the habit of visiting the habitual places.
The one interesting thing i noticed that on certain particular casts, little bait fish jumped out of the water. Probably my lures scared them off. When using a spinner I also felt that vibe of when you catch something but it was the spinner that grabbed the line hehe.
As you all advised me, I will persevere. hopefully next week will try a little more ;)
jean
P.S. - sorry couldn't make it to the drinks yesterday - hope i will be there for the next one.
@Jean, RE: Back Ache.
This is generally down to the equipment you use. Make sure the rods and reels that you use for spinning are light weight. Spinning tackle is sometimes expensive because it has to be light weight but very strong. The 0.16 braid is a good step forward, usually beginners go on overkill and use .22 or more. Obviously the lure won't go much of a distance away like that.
Basically the rod i used on the day is a Vega mandana rod - two piece with max 80gram action and 3.2m length. The reel is a shimano 2500 exage with fighting drag. The combo is not that heavy - its probably that i am always sitting down so have become a bit of a fart hehe. The next day i was fine ;D
The one thing i noticed is that the reel started feeling the stress - will try find a replacement later on this year. I also need to invest in a good pair of boots - preferably with non slip as almost slipped (Benny Hill Style) whilst moving from one rock to the other.
The .16 i am using is the normal climax braid. I have to look into buying some better braid too. Got Power-pro on my surf reel but its a bit too thick for spinning. I'm still not sure what monofilament is best to use - whether getting florocarbon or florocoated and the thickness.
What combination do you find best? The problem i find is always the knot between the two and the lenght of the monofilament - whether it should simply serve as a shock leader or should be longer.
An 80gm rod with a 2500 shimano, is way out of balance. Just to give you an idea your reel would match up to a 6' rod with a 5/8oz lure weight. Don't go out spending money on new equipment if you are just giving spinning a 'go'. However if you are serious and you're going to mainly be using lures like X-raps and Minnows, then what you need is this. The rod should be 7' maximum, with a line weight of 20lbs max and lure weight up to 1oz or 1 1/4oz. The reel should be a 4000 in Shimano size or 3000 in Daiwa.
The golden rule in spinning is to keep everything as light as possible, and you will forget about back aches. It may be hard to believe, but I witnessed a 11kg leerfish being caught on an italian beach, with a 6'6" rod with a casting weight of 42g, 5000 reel and 30lb braid.
So let me see if i get this right (sorry oz and feet confuse me a little) :(
I then have a 2.7m 5-25gram lineaeffe rod - I usually stick to this for squid fishing and is a little to light to fish when the sea is a bit foamy (at least thats the way i feel).
And the 4000 shimano reel isn't bigger than the 2500? Is it because even though its slightly bigger and heavier it would be more effective because of reel ratio, strenght and line capacity?
What combo would you suggest for a good all rounder that can take lures up to 35-40 grams? A 4000 reel and a 50g rod with medium action and lenght of around 2.1 - 2.7m?
Your 5-25g rod would be good with the 2500 Exage. The problem with the 2500 is that the drag is not very strong. It is important to have a good drag when you fish light lines, it must be smooth. The 2500 will probably have an effective drag of around 3 kgs, the more you close it up the jerkier it becomes. That is why a 4000 would be a better choice.
So in a handful. Your 5-25g with a 4000 reel, is perfect for barracuda, seabass, cervjol, etc. If you think about it, most lures that we use for barracuda are less than 15gms. If you're going to go shore jigging from cliffs, then you might want another rod that will cast bigger lures, and a beefier reel, but don't expect to cast a 10gm minnow with such a rod.
Oh i see!!! :o :o :o
Thats where i am getting it all wrong then! The lures i am using are way to big - for example the x-raps i am using weigh around 23 grams and are approx 13-15 cm long; the yo-zuri cristal minnow is also approx the same size.
So i started from the wrong end.
So let me refresh - i should look into getting the better reel once i master spinning a little more. Re the rod, for the light tackle i stick to the 5-25, and if casting from high rocks and cliff edges i should use 15 grams up with the 4000 reel.
I thought i had read quite a bit on certain italian websites but the problem is applicability to maltese shores i think. I keep dreaming of those giant leer fish one day appearing in our ports, those bass showing up in the foam and why not, some nice barracuda's or aj's popping out of cliff edges!
well yeah something like that.
Although to be honest with you, for our waters, on the 5-25 rod I would put a 4000 reel. For bigger lures i would use a 20-50g rod and a 5000 reel.
Clutch-kick i need some expert advice from you as i am quite new to spinning. I bought a very light Super Hulk, 3m, 2-piece rod, casting 40, weight 30-50g and a Shimano Exage 4000RA (as advised by Mister Fish). I also bought a couple of lures of various weights from internet. What main line should I use and what end line? Is it better in total dark places or ideal if there is some light reflecting on the sea? And if you use light tackle as stated about, how can you cast a long distance out?
ummm ok Malvizzu, let's make something clear, I am not an expert on spinning. There are more experienced spinners like MartinB on this forum, who has taught me a lot of what I know. So what you get from me are just my opinions and not much else.
Re: rod and reel; According to me a 30 to 50g rod is not light at all, in spinning terms that is considered Medium Heavy, Some might even consider it heavy but that depends on the the line weight rating of the rod. To that rod I would have chosen a 5000 reel, which might have better balanced it but then again you really need to put the two together and see how they balance up. Just to give you an idea the rod I use most is a 14-42g, Med.Fast, Salmon rod with a 5000 reel and 25lb line. That is considered to be a heavy setup, as far as saltwater InShore spinning is concerned.
Re: Line; The rod should have a Line Weight rating, stick to it. By experience I would say that a 20lb braided line would be just about right. For leader use a good brand fluorocarbon line with an equivalent strength.
Re: Casting Distance; Golden Rule! use lures within the rod's range and use the lightest line that you dare. Then again, different lures will cast different distances. Some lures, no mater how well balanced your equipment is, and no matter how hard you whip that rod, won't go any further than spitting distance. Others are like rockets. You will find what suits you best by experience. Spinning is a very expensive form of fishing hehehe
Thanks mate.