Boat Angling or Shore Angling - what is easier?

[KERRY1]

Shore Angling or Boat Angling - what method of fishing do you think is easier to do?
I am a shore angler at heart and it is my opinion (and it is only my opinion) that this type of fishing is more complex and requires more skill than boat fishing.
The reason for this is taking into consideration the various elements that have to be considered when heading out such as tides, weather, more complicated rig designs,access to marks etc.
There is no fishfinders for the shore telling you exactly where the fish are!
Don't get me wrong (before anyone decides to jump down my throat) I am not saying that boat fishing is easy or that anyone who has a boat and goes out boat fishing isn't as good of a fishermen or women as those who fish from the shore, far from it.
I am just interested to hear what your thoughts are on this subject.
I would be particularly interested to hear from those who do both Shore & Boat fishing as they can compare them both fairly and accurately.

Last edited by KERRY1 on Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Speaking as both a match and pleasure angler in both disciplines.

It is indeed a fact that it is easier to catch fish from the boat as the shore. As to whether one is more skilled than another however is entirely a different story. The 2 disciplines are pretty far removed from each other. It is possible to go out on a boat with Hokkais, bait them with Mack and catch decent fish. Try a similar approach from the shore with crap rigs and one bait and as a general rule what you catch will be rubbish or worse nothing.

However, when it comes to match fishing, Tactics are all important on the boat with ever changing ground and tides comes a range of species that will be available at different stages. Add into that quotas on easy species like wrasse or whiting or whatever and it adds a whole new dimension to it. There is little to choose between either on a match fishing basis at a high level. They all have their skills required to compete and on that basis I would say they are the same.

On saying that, anyone can catch fish from a boat with rubbish if they are there in numbers but if you want to catch a lot of fish and different species etc, well, that requires a much more skilled approach. Totally different requirements for each discipline so I would say they are the same. Only different.

Boat fishing is for auld fella`s

Quiet Gypsy or I'll be forced to publish that picture of you having your arse spanked by Fishaholic or possibly all those love handle littered pics from the same day.....

would have to agree with petekd,two different types of fishing,but would still class shore fishing the most skilled.

Hi Doggie,
If you try fishing around the saltees during spring tides , i think you will realise there are two "skill factors" that come into play with boat fishing. Working the boat and then getting fish, both require a lot of thought and skill and experiance!!
30 years of doing it, and still its back to school every trip!!!

regards
screeming
ps was a very frustrated shore fisherman til i saw the light!!!!
pps, A "fishfinder" is the wrong word for the device, Depth sounder should be more appropriate, you very rarely see fish on the sounder, only the big shoals of macks, and coalfish, and sometimes pollock/cod, thus leaving a good 50 species that do not show

Both disciplines are easier if you go with experienced people, boat fishing with a charter skipper is totally different to going out on a small boat on your own, where your having to find your own marks and knowing how/when to fish them. shore fishing is exactly the same, if you fish with someone who knows when and where to fish it's a hell of alot easier than having to find your own marks, finding out when to fish them, what baits to use and how to use them.
Thats why most people are so selective about who they tell about marks, both boat and shore, when you make an effort to find new places that fish well, you are mighty P++++d of to arrive at a spot to find some numpty who has spent more time watching were others (even down to following boats/cars with binoculars)are fishing than looking for marks themselves .

all depends on the species that u are after, but for most species boat fishing is far easier.

all depends on the species that u are after, but for most species boat fishing is far easier.

maybe for mackerel but you still have to know were to fish, how to fish and when to fish, it's not just a case of leave the harbour, stop somewere and start catching fish.
just like shore fishing isn't just a case of dander down the pier and chuck out a set of feathers, or baited 3 hook flapper rig.

yea, supose thats true, but i always get a lot more species like cod, pollack, whiting and coalies also when i am boat fishing, where as when i am shore fishing i get more wrasse, rockling and mullet

still everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Hi

Done a bit of both, too different for me to consider one easier than the other, they do both have a common aim albeit achieved in different ways.

Enjoying the challenge is probably the key for me

newangle

shore fishing is for girls

Hi Doggie,
If you try fishing around the saltees during spring tides , i think you will realise there are two "skill factors" that come into play with boat fishing. Working the boat and then getting fish, both require a lot of thought and skill and experiance!!
30 years of doing it, and still its back to school every trip!!!

regards
screeming

i was talking about charter boats,i would agree that small boat owners/anglers are a breed unto there own,highly skilled and knowledgeable,(wish i was one)so was only comparing shore against charter, where the skipper makes all the decisions and the punter only has to drop a line. still enjoyable tho

yes thats bang on screeming been able to do two jobs instead of one skippering a boat safely around all the reefs rocks currents tides weatherwarnings and still find the species to fish for. also all the maintainance of every days fishing washing blood mackeral sh-t guts and other rubbish the others that were on board left for you to clean up. it sometimes makes you
think about the beach and the rod i think the shore is much more convienient and handy to be honest. and also a lot cheaper to keep. the real difference is the mysteries of the deep not knowing what the sea will throw up at you
and having the skill and knowlage to deal with it the boat will always put you in touch with a wider variety of fish so you could say that the boat angler has it easier but as any boatowner will tell you this is not the case the work only starts when your not fishing

the shore is much more convienient and handy...

please excuse me, but if I have to raise serious doubts there, e. I was out bassing this Saturday with Art and the Waterford lads from roughly 9am-9pm, great day out and really enjoyable by all accounts, bloody weedy and murky water conditions, just 2 bass were landed in total btw but I feel knackered today from all the wading and rock climbing - not to mention to be cut off by tides and having to walk back over fields with cattle and the drive to Dungarvan and back , I find boat fishing is less strenuous, especially if you exceed a certain age and fitness level unless I decide to go back to the gym three times per week rather than just relaxing in the sauna or in the jacuzzi , so I consider boating is handier for me, especially when your missus is into fishing too and doesn't mind helping out on the usual chores. Am I alone to think like that or should I consider myself just lucky

your just lucky its hard enough to get my misses to clean the house dont mind the boat

well there are 3 answers here first charter boats is a lucky dip if you dont know were your going u reley on the skipper to put u on the fish it dont happen all the time a few lads i know were out same day as me roughly the same area we could have filled the boat with big pollock and few cod we had 14 species on the day . the charter boat the biggest fish the had was 2 lbs and the most the lads caught was 10 fish each for 5 hours i was on the phone to one of the lads that day since then 2 of them have bought there own small boats .shore anglers are like small boat owners the try to plan do there best stick it out looking at some of the reports on this site there are great anglers all around the country some areas fish better than others thats why people fish all around the country to catch something else . now small boat owners im one of them i got feed up being brought out on charter boats and catching small amount of fish same old shite different day ,eg we were here last week boxes of cod big pollock nice to here but most of it is crap talk now not all charter boats are like that there are good skippers out there but i had one guy booked for 4 trips in a month rang on one thursday for sat fishing was told weather bad so i went down on saturday flat calm his boat had 12 polish lads on it i spoke to him in words that he would understand so that finished me time to buy a boat .since then i have met some nice lads in the small boat owners i have had bad days but i have had the best days fishing in my life and hope to have a lot more to come once you purchase ure boat its as cheap as hiring charter boat for a days fishing again like shore anglers planning your day out sticking with it some days it works and when it right well the photos and the crack welllads you cant buy it its a bit long but hope you find something in it