Tackle and Tactics
Mike Ladle
Information Page
SPINNING FROM THE SHORE Part 1 Equipment
The clothing I wear for spinning is identical to that mentioned in the fly fishing features. The basic idea is to keep as warm and dry as possible while still having the freedom to walk for miles and, if necessary, to wade into the sea. It is clear from looking at most other spinning/fly fishing anglers that I come across that they are all clad more or less the same. Of course, as in all walks of life, there are some who wear economy kit and others who spend quite a lot on 'custom made' gear but the principles are the same for all.
The most difficult thing is 'temperature control'. You can NEVER get this right because if you wear enough shirts socks, jumpers etc. to keep you warm while you are wading and fishing you will always be too warm on a long hike - that's life!.
So you will need comfortable chest waders, warm clothes and a light waterproof jacket. Most spinners carry their tackle in some sort of bag (in my case brightly coloured so it does not easily merge into the background and pretend to be a rock or a tree stump when I take it off.). Depending on your taste this can range from a small 'bum bag' with a few spare lures and link swivels, to a massive rucksack which would phase a trained Falkland's yomper. My bag is a compromise - a medium sized haversack which holds (I hope) bits and pieces for every possible contingency.
My problem is I like to be prepared for anything, freshwater or salt. If I leave the fly rod at home I will find mullet feeding on the top. If I have no bait the sea will be murky and just right for legering. If the spinning tackle is dumped, for certain the bass will be going mad. As a result I always take everything. I can run through the present contents of my bag, starting at the bottom.
Knife for cutting bait. Gardening glove (rarely used) for handling really toothy fish. Tub of wire traces, with clips at one end and swivels at the other, wound onto pipe insulation. Tub of wire traces with size 4/0 hooks and or trebles for conger or pike. Small orange plastic box (came with fishing mag years ago) with partitions containing assorted trebles, crimps, float rubbers, ultra-light plugs, size 12 hooks, white thread, strips of polyethylene foam and piece of luminous rubber for fly tying. Small plastic fly box with mullet flies, streamers, Delta eels and shrimp flies. Plano box (about 7"x10"x2") with partitions containing plugs, poppers, spoons, Bass Bullets, rubber eels, Mepps etc. This box slides down the back of my bag and acts as a shield so that nothing else digs me in the back. Green plastic box with sharpening stones, floats (corks, bubble floats, etc.).
An old bum bag also fits in the haversack and contains lots of old child proof aspirin tubes. The tubes are labelled - small leads, swivels and clips, large trebles, small trebles, large hooks, small hooks and bass flies. The front pouch contains spools of trace wire and fluorocarbon. There are also small tubs of split shot and some corks for floats. On top of the pile are a pair of compact binoculars and a small, padded, double bag with a compact camera and a digital camera plus spare film and batteries.
The front pockets of the large bag hold a small torch, spare spools for my baitrunners, polaroids, licences and tide tables in a small polythene envelope and a toolkit with pliers, spanner and wire/braid cutters. A set of artery forceps, for those impossible disgorging jobs, are clipped (and tied - I have lost several pairs) to the bag. The whole lot weighs about five kg (10.5 lb) and is comfortable to carry all the time if I have to.
If you have any comments or questions about fish, methods, tactics or 'what have you.'get in touch with me by sending an E-MAIL to - docladle@hotmail.com
INFORMATION SPOT
Spinning from the shore.
Equipment.
'Nigel Bevis using a popper from the shore'.
Stuart Clough returning a good pike.
My lurid, yellow and black bag.
Most of the contents of my bag'.
Little orange box of bits.
Lure box.
