Guide to Coarse Fishing for Beginners

Fishing (also called Angling) is the sport of catching fish, freshwater or saltwater, typically with rod, line and hook. Fishing originated as a means of providing food for survival.

What you need to know before you catch your first fish.

There are three genres of fishing, or angling as it is commonly known: Coarse, Game and Sea. Coarse angling is fishing for any species of fish other than those that live in the sea and Trout and Salmon. Game fishing pertains to the pursuit of Trout and Salmon. Sea fishing as its name suggests is fishing for species that inhabit the sea.

An off-shoot of coarse angling is Carp fishing. Carp is the common name for the fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. These fish can grow to really big weights and over the last decade or so anglers have specifically targeted these specimen fish. Hence the birth of Carp fishing and the Specimen Angler. As a beginner to angling you may want to know what some of the words and terms mean when used while fishing. Take a look at my Dictionary

ROD LICENCE
Any angler aged 12 years or over fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels in England, except the River Tweed, Wales or the Border Esk and its tributaries in Scotland must have an Environment Agency rod licence. You can buy your licence by telephone or online.

Be warned!
It is an offence to fish for freshwater fish and eels without a valid rod licence and if you do you are looking at a fine of up to £2,500

If your serious about taking up fishing then it is cheaper to buy a 12 month licence. If you are unsure then I would suggest buying a 1 day or 8 day licence.

UK Coarse fish close season is 15th March to 15th June inclusive and applies to all rivers, streams and drains in England and Wales but does not apply to most stillwaters, however, there are some exceptions that retain the close season.
Recent byelaw changes mean that the coarse fish close season does not apply to most canals in England and Wales

In the areas where there is no coarse fishing close season the fishery owners and angling clubs are free to introduce a close season through club or fishery rules if they wish to. Check here

When you catch a fish you must make sure you don't remove too much of this protective coating, so always wet your hands before handling the fish and never use a cloth to hold a fish. Always unhook fish quickly but carefully and return them to the water as quickly as possible.

Unhooking a fish.
Never pull on the line to remove a hook from a fish you will end up seriously injuring the fish.

If the fish is deeply hooked and the hook cant be removed safely it is better to cut the line as close to the hook as possible. The hook will dislodge itself or will eventually rust away. If its a Perch and its deep hooked these fish can bleed very easily, have a careful go with a disgorger and if it wont come free cut the line as close to the hook as possible. Using barbless hooks make removal a lot easier.

Guide to Coarse Fishing for Beginners
page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | page 4

Welcome to Angling,
On the following pages you will find information about the basic fishing tackle you will need to go coarse fishing, how to set up for float fishing and the general techniques you need to know to start fishing for coarse fish.

Learning to Fish

By using this website you agree to the
Terms & Conditions of www.fish-uk.com

Copyright © 2007 to present www.fish-uk.com
All rights reserved

About Fish-uk   |   Contact   |   Advertising

Terms & Conditions   |   Privacy Policy

Comments   |   Sitemap

In its most basic form, fishing is throwing out a fishing line and pulling in the fish when it goes for your baited fishing hook or fishing lure. It sounds so plain and simple, however, throughout the history of fishing, various fishing disciplines have emerged that target specific fishing conditions and species of fish. These fishing variations have their own unique fishing equipment, know how, and technical skills that may be specific to the type of water in which an angler will be fishing or the kind of fish targeted.

Note. Fishing Licence Rules have changed since this page was published. see here

If the fish is too large to hold, don't unhook it on the ground as this can damage it and remove the slime, use an unhooking mat. With a smaller fish hold it tightly so that it doesn't flap about and slip out of your hands onto the ground but don't hold it too tight or you may damage its internal organs.

If the fish is too large to hold in one hand then lay it on an unhooking mat to remove the hook (unhooking mat is a padded cushion to protect fish from being injured on the ground)

If the fish is lip hooked you may be able to remove it with your fingers otherwise you can use a disgorger (a thin plastic or metal rod with a slot in the end).

Hold the line tight and put the slot of the disgorger over the line and slide it along the line until you reach the hook. Push the hook in the opposite direction to the way it went in until it is free and then carefully remove it.

This section is for the complete novice to angling that knows nothing but wants to go fishing

Fishing information for beginners to Angling, one of the top sports and pastimes in the UK

If you catch a large fish, especially Barbel, it may have tired itself out while you were trying to land it. In this case hold the fish in the water facing the current until it is ready to swim away. Moving the fish slowly backwards and forwards sometime aids its recovery.

CLOSE SEASON
Close season means no fishing (you are not allowed to fish in certain areas in a specified period)

Fish welfare.
The welfare of the fish is paramount to the the future of fishing and all fish that are caught must be returned to the water without injury.
Preferably use barbless hooks as these are a lot easier to remove and do less damage to fish.

Handling fish.
All fish are covered with a protective layer of slime and this acts as the first line defence against parasitic infections, bacteria, and other diseases that a fish may contract.

Returning fish to the water
NEVER throw a fish back into the water. Always get down close to the water to release a fish and let the fish swim away.

float fishing tackle for coarse fishing