All rounder

L

lemmylad

Member
I'm expecting the opportunity to go on a mates boat up in west scotland this summer, so I need to get myself a rod.

As far as I know they're going for skate and require some very heavy and expensive kit. I'm on a tight budget but I'm hoping to get something that will allow me to try for tope / rays etc. We also fish the mull of galloway (shore) and I want to use the boat rod for Conger too.

I'm thinking something around 30 - 50lb class, single piece with multiplier? I want it to be bullet-proof if poss. Not bothered about brands or having the latest thing.

Can anyone who knows about this sort of thing offer advice on cost or point me in the right direction?
 
If its skate gear you're after I'd try borrow some unless its going to be a regular thing

30 to 50lb rod might do it, but I've seen even relatively expensive rods this weight fold - you could be pumping 200lbs of fish on the end for an hour or more from a couple of hundred metres down, add the weight/strength of the fish to the tide and its gotta take some abuse

Same with reels, straight away because of the depths you're fishing it needs to be big, 300metres of line is a bare minimum, you could easily be fishing in 200metres plus.
 
not for skate

not for skate

Sorry, I wasn't too clear.
My mate has been showing me the heavy kit he's getting together for skate. It's very much beyond my price bracket.

I want something general purpose that I can use mostly on the mull for conger, and on the boat for tope / rays etc when the opportunity arises.

I realise that if I hook a skate on my 'el-budgeto' rod, it'll have to be a case of 'snip-snip' and accept the line/tackle loss.
 
ahhh...

can't go far wrong with a shakespeare ugly stik IMHO for the money £40 for a 30 or 50lber in spotty dog tackle

reel wise dunno, good modern reels tend to be pricey, look on ebay see if you can spot a DAIWA sealine 200 or 400, the older ones with metal spools. I've a 200 had it for years and it is bomb proof hauled all sorts up with it, including skate and lobster pots. can't resist new reels now and again but none have lasted and performed like the old Daiwa Avoid the 175's though, the graphite frame/spool just aint as good

there's a 400 on ebay at the mo item number 250205856803
 
Last edited:
Reel

Reel

before the Shimano Rep' looks at this thread (he knows who he is;))

TLD 15, 20, or 25....you can get the TLD 15 for about £85...which is what a few lads on here will advocate...mine's still a "virgin" at this point...waiting for the fairer weather :rolleyes:
 
Can I talk from experience on this thread :)

Mark is spot on with the uglystick.

I got an 80 class one from spotty dog ..think it was £30 but dont quote me.

Its ideal for skate and holds my boat record at 205 lb with no problem. A 50 class would do and I have had a skate moving nicely on a 20 class rod before it cleaned me out after I had got it off the bottom by over 40 meters. The 2/0 hook did not help as to why I lost it.

Reels...

Now here comes the expensive bit...I could tell you that you need a Penn Int or a shimano tiagra... but on my first trip I coupled the above rod with a penn 6/0 114h ...think it was 63 quid.

This is a reel often used by charter anglers so money spent would not be wasted and the clutch is up to the job. Way over the top for fishing this coast IMHO. Its still going strong and goes with me on every trip as a spare

Line...

You MUST have a 300 metre spool of braid...theres loads out there ...but dont even bother going with nylon. I use 80lb on the penn 6/0...100lb on a diawa sealine2 speed and the tiagra has some penn dynabraid on I stole from a certain west coast charter skipper...think theres about 1/2 a mile on the reel. Not actualy sure what BS it is. Point I would make is non of these braids have been snapped by fish its the terminal gear that lets you down every time.

As for rigs look at davy holts site...google skate tagging shoukd get you there for an absolute bible on how to do it. The most important thing IMHO is to buy swivels etc rated at 200 lb + . These are what let you down more than the rod reel and line.

To be honest good skate gear is not good for anything else but big game fishing ...so you either go after porgies or put it in the loft. I use a lever drag reel with a 6/16 class rod rod for all other species you mentioned ( scotland conger are not that big)

If you want to borrow my spare set up I am sure we can come to some arrangement providing I have no trips planned. Either way I can do you some fish friendly rigs/sliders/weights to suit the conditions you are going to meet.

Dont buy special skate gear ...from experience you will get it wrong.

Ask Oblickta for advice has he has gone through the process you are concidering.

I will help out if I can but I also plan a few fishing trips over next summer as well. If you want traces etc let me know.

Cheers

Dave
 
Charlie_Thompson said:
My mam loves him as well - he has hair and climbs down holes and up mountains, eats grass and fixes computers.

In terms of all round kit I cannot help as I am under contract so can only say too much "Too Much" see said it - that's a fiver.

For that extra buzz visit http://flyfishingforcommonskateisimpossible.com

Apologies obviously :red:
Click to expand...

I'll have a pint of what he's having :D:D

Lemmylad,
Forgot to mention with regard to the rod. An 80lb uk rated is the same as a 50 class igfa rated rod, make sure you are clear before you buy one. I have had skate on a 50 uk rated rod and to say it did not feel right is an understatement.

As for the shimano rep :)
I dont care what he says ...the tld 15 is not an ideal tool although the tld 20 is adequate for occasional use. I do use a tld15 for all my general fishing on both this coast and the west coast, in fact my setup for general fishing is the same on both but with the addition of a six inch length of wire when on the west coast in case spurdog, tope or bullhuss are encountered.

Cheers
dave
 
I fish for Tope around the mull of galloway,
I use a Grey's Longboat 10-15lb. class rod and a shimano tld 15 reel loaded with 5olb. braid.
It's a great sporting outfit and have had tope to 40lb. on it.( see my avitar)

Far too light for skate tho'.
 
Rod_bender said:
I fish for Tope around the mull of galloway,
I use a Grey's Longboat 10-15lb. class rod and a shimano tld 15 reel loaded with 5olb. braid.
It's a great sporting outfit and have had tope to 40lb. on it.( see my avitar)

Far too light for skate tho'.
Click to expand...

I won a Greys Longboat in a comp last year, only used it once but wasn't too keen, just couldn't get away with the shorter butt compared to the Ugly Stik. Just what I'm used to I suppose.
 
KeithB said:
I won a Greys Longboat in a comp last year, only used it once but wasn't too keen, just couldn't get away with the shorter butt compared to the Ugly Stik. Just what I'm used to I suppose.
Click to expand...

I used to use a 30lb class uglystik for wreking and general rough ground fishing of the tyne, they are great rods for the money, no doubt about that, then i switched to a penn extreme 30-50 which is a great rod too. i don't do much wreck fishing now tho.

I only use the greys wen i go Tope fishing and am well happy with it, tho' i am looking at a diawa Kenzaki which is a slighty lighter class and would be tremendeous sport
 

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