basic equipment list for the most popular methods for catching British fish

this guide illustrates what I believe are the five easiest paths for anyone who wants to learn fishing in the UK, we start with a basic equipment list and finish with a species list discussing fishing conditions and advice


FRESHWATER FISHING LOICENSE compared to other countries, we have it pretty cheap in the UK, so pick one up!
SALTWATER FISHING LOICENSE we don't need one in the UK, but there is size regulations for sea fish you intend to take home and cook
DAY TICKET/CLUB MEMBERSHIP a club membership is what I would always recommend as day tickets can be a money sink and are usually just carp stocked shitholes. clubs annually usually cost around £60 from your local tackle shop and will give you several rivers and lakes to fish from, you don't need to talk to anyone or attend any meetings and usually rules are more relaxed compared to day tickets
CLOSE SEASON
the only close season we have is no fishing in rivers from 15th March to 15th June

This short guide will cover:

FRESHWATER - PREDATOR
FRESHWATER - BIG PIKE
FRESHWATER - BAIT FISHING FOR COARSE FISH

SALTWATER - PREDATOR
SALTWATER - BAIT FISHING




FRESHWATER - PREDATOR SPINNING
5-20 gram spinning rod
1500 spinning reel loaded with 15lb braid
cheap net and landing mat
medical forceps for deep hooked pike
pack of 15lb wire trace leaders so pike don't bite you off
8lb fluorocarbon leader if there are no pike present
small pike lures (120mm max size) such as soft silicone shads or surface lures
small perch lures (50mm max size) such as soft silicone shads
small chub lures (50mm max size) such as crankbaits or mepps spinners
small trout lures (30mm max size) such as shads or mepps spinners


FRESHWATER - DEDICATED PIKE
40-150 gram baitcasting rod
baitcasting reel loaded with 50lb braid
large pike net and landing mat
medical forceps for deep hooked pike
pack of 15lb wire trace leaders so pike don't bite you off
large 50 - 100 gram 160mm pike lures from manufacturers like Westin or Savage Gear
you can also use this rod/reel/line for WINTER DEADBAITING FOR PIKE;
use the pike float paternoster rig by Amateurangling (google it)


BAIT FISHING FOR COARSE FISH
choose either a 20 gram quivertip rod or a float rod
2500 spinning reel loaded with 4lb mono
(note - if going for carp, use 10lb mono)
cheap net and landing mat
telescopic bank stick
(IMPORTANT) a comfortable sub-3kg weight folding chair with adjustable legs
groundbait
disgorger

	if you chose float fishing;
loafer float - trotting bait down a river  (imgur.com/XkjQJh5.png)
small insert waggler - 'on the drop' method
waggler - stillwater 'lift bite' method  (imgur.com/38hRzFI.png)
puddle chucker - variant of the waggler for long range casting
driftbeater/windbeater - for when heavy wind is blowing a normal waggler float around on the water
split shot - small balls of weight put on the line to cock the float
float stops - locks a float on the line, but adjustable
plummet - used with a float to figure out the exact depth of the water before you start fishing
	if you chose quiver tip fishing;  (imgur.com/GKFUV9k.png)
selection of bomb weights from 5 to 20 grams or even more if fishing large rivers
selection of cage bread feeders used with bread flake on the hook at different weights
selection of groundbait feeders at different weights
selection of maggot feeders at different weights
swivels and big grippa float stops
foam rig spools loaded with hooklinks you've pre-tied

examples of hooks & bait for targeting species
roach	8mm bread punch, on b911 size 16 (with hooklength pre-tied on in the packet)
bream	soft hook halibut pellets 8mm, on b983 size 14
tench	two red maggots, on t911 size 14
chub	bread flake or cheese paste, on B980 size 6
carp 	single corn, on drennan specimen size 14
perch	2 halves of a lobworm, on drennan wide gape specialist size 10
keep in mind that some baits will attract multiple fish, worms or maggots in particular are eaten by every species


SALTWATER - PREDATOR
20 - 30 gram saltwater spinning rod
spinning reel loaded with 15lb braid
10lb fluorocarbon leader
breakaway miniclips (for changing lures quickly)
selection of 20 to 30 gram seabass lures such as tackle feed shallow or patchinko
selection of 15 gram mackerel lures no longer than 80mm, such as ISP seeker or dennet super sprat
it is a very good idea to check the terrain of the beach you plan to fish, because casting over rocks instead of clean sand is going to result in lost lures unless you are using weedless ones. this can be done by downloading google earth pro app (free) and using the tool in view > historical imagery


SALTWATER - BAIT FISHING
1-4oz bass beachcasting rod
beachcasting spinning reel loaded with 15lb mono and a tapered 15 - 50lb shockleader that is the length of your rod and several turns of the reel, attached using the smallest leader knot you can find and with a breakaway clip tied on the end, this all stays on the reel when in storage
pre-tied 2 hook flapper rigs (NOT CLIP DOWN) your local tackle shop will have some
a selection of 2, 3 and 4 oz plain bomb leads for rolling around finding gullys
a selection of 2, 3 and 4 oz breakaway leads for gripping into sand
a rod tripod or sand spike (sand spikes will work okay in shingle)
black lugworm from your local tackleshop


to keep fish either:
a burlap sack and rope so you can throw it into the sea and get it wet, keeps cold via evaporative cooling
a bucket and rope so you can throw it into the sea and get seawater, keeping a wet towel over it, keeps cold via evaporative cooling
keep in mind that mackerel spoil EXTREMELY QUICKLY and should really be gutted and popped in the fridge and eaten as soon as possible
for best meat, kill the fish with a hard blow on the head between the eyes with a small priest, and slice both gills in two and hold upside down in the bucket of water so the blood exits the fish


ROACH	a small and pleasant fish found everywhere, when conditions are good 50 can be caught in a day
PERCH	a small shoaling predatory fish usually found everywhere
PIKE	top predator, will happily take any lure, in winter will scavenge dead fish
TROUT	difficult to find native, often stocked in fly fishing clubs
CHUB	omnivorous river fish, unique in that they feed well in winter like pike
BREAM	lazy fighting, snotty fish, bottom feeder, easy to catch
TENCH 	very hard smart fighting bottom feeder that will unhook itself on snags
CARP	can grow to freakish behemoth sizes

SEABASS	highly desired sport fish, very difficult to catch despite being common
MACKEREL arrives in uk shores in summer in huge numbers, can catch 40 in a single day, extremely delicious!!! prefers calm clear conditions at high tide
PLAICE very tasty flatfish, usually needs calm clear conditions and long casts
FLOUNDER not quite so tasty flatfish
DAB small tasty flatfish that usually arrives in spring
DOGFISH horrible taste and annoying, they will try to hurt you with their rough skin
WHITING very bland taste, present in huge numbers in winter


EXTRA TIPS
I will listen to good podcasts or audiobooks when fishing, it just helps pass the time and you don't care if you don't catch any fish

Buy a pack of cheap drying kitchen towels and take one on your fishing trip to clean fish slime off your hands