spinning rods

Can anyone tell me what length of a spinn rod is neaded for pollock and bass also what wait does it need to trow also any links to how to tye a spinning trace say using sand ell or jelly worms. they have no wait so how you get them out there.

I'm not an expert or anything like it but I have done a lot of spinning for various species from pike to pollock. First off assuming that you will be fishing from the shore I would say the minimum is 10 foot. It needs to be graded for the weight you intend to use which will be dictated by the size of lure and the intended species. Something capable of casting 28gr ++ would be a start. Standard lures like the German sprat are far easier to cast and go a lot further but are not really suitable for shallow ground. Plugs are useful for this type of ground. Go to the show in Dublin and your eyes will be opened. There are lots of books on the subject that can be bught from one of the online stores. Good luck.

As Pat S indicated, spinning rods are measured based on their casting weight, now in grams, previously in ounces if you are buying second hand. I would not go below 10 foot (3.3. m) but they can go to 11 and 12 foot. Most spinning rods are used in conjunction with fixed spool reels. The shorter the rod the easier it is to weild it but that said the extra length will give you a longer cast (in time). Basically a rod acts like a spring cum lever, so the longer the lever and the more power you "bend" into the spring, the longer the distance you can cast the lure, bait and/or weight.

I've recently bought an Okuma Zircon 50 for 30 sterling and its excellent quality and you get two spare spools on which you can load other strengths or types of line (e.g. mono versus braid). I'd stick to the mono at the moment and for something in the 10-15 lb breaking strain class, say 12 lb. Mono needs to be replaced each year to be safe as sunlight diminishes its strength. Braid is far superior for spinning and especially plugging but you might want to break yourself and your kit in with the more forgiving mono.

To spin jellyworms you can use a flying collar rig or use spinning (aka barrel) leads that you pick up in any tackle shop. Simply insert the hook through the jellyworm, and place the weight up to 1 metre above this on the line. This will work for pollack and even big wrasse if you're lucky, but it is unlikely to work on bass which are far more suspicious and finicky.

The closer the lead or plug or lure to the tip of your rod the shorter but more accurate your cast will be, well, in theory and with practice. Quite often it is about accuracy and not distance when fishing off rock marks.

Sand eel is just the same, the only differences being that this is a bait and so you will need to use shirring elastic aka bait elastic to tie it onto the long shanked hook. Snip through the head to release the juices and try to avoid piercing the stomach as the bait can fall to pieces if you do. You will need to use a long shanked hook e.g. Aberdeen pattern and any size between 2/0 and 4/0 will be ideal. Bob Moss had an excellent piece in a previous Irish Angler on how to bait up using sand eel...

Lures like German Sprats, Kiltys and Tobys are more easily cast because of their weight. They will work on mackerel and garfish as well as pollack and will occassionally work on bass, typically in rougher conditions.

A good starting point but no use in shallow or weedy conditions where the treble hooks will snag on everything! Plugs are divided into categories depending on how deep they dive as you retrieve them. Deep divers... yes... and surface poppers, yes, right again! For most bass fishing you should have a selection, but Rapalas J11s and J13s are excellent and the Thunderstick and Chug Bugs are equally successful. The final option is shads, which have a lead built into them, have only one hook and have the benefit of "swimming" with the hook pointing up, so that they tend to bump over snags and weed rather than hooking into them. I have ofund them to be particularly useful later in the year when predatory fish are definitely seeking out sprats and small fish, but that could just me my local marks.

Hope this helps....

hey hey.
I do a ton of spinning for bass/pollack/sea trout/pike. From MY OWN point of view theres a few things I've set in stone vis a vis rods.

1. Go no shorter than 11ft and think hard about a 12fter. Most lure caught fish are caught near the shore but thats not always the case and you'll need the length if theres a wind or you're using lightish lures.

2. The lighter the better. You'll be holding it all day so if it weighs a ton its useless.

3. Don't skimp on power though! If theres rock fishing involved a quivertip won't do it!

4. A long butt is a great help when casting, playing and landing fish.

I use drennan rods designed for pike. I've had an innumerable amount of spinnin g rods but these are by far the best for all round work I've found.

best not use a video gambling machine for spining then :lol: :lol:

about 11ft does most situations i find, something 1-2oz casting rating