Coarse Fishing:

Equipment and technique

Depending on the situation, different types of equipment can be used. The most common of these is the rod and reel, the rod being typically between 10 and 13 feet long, and manufactured of tubular carbon fibre. A reel is then attached near the base of the rod to hold a long length of line, which is run to the tip of the rod through eyelets. Once cast out, the line can be retrieved by winding a handle on the reel.

However, the use of "poles" is also now widespread. Here, the line is fixed to the very tip of the rod, with no reel used- in order to retrieve the line, the pole itself is taken apart until the line can be swung to hand. Because the line cannot be cast, poles are often very long in order to increase the angler's range- up to 16 metres.

The main techniques used are float fishing and legering.

• In float fishing, the bait is suspended beneath a float made of hollow plastic, wood or quill. The top of the float is usually painted a bright colour and bites are indicated by the top of the float dipping under the surface of the water.
• Legering does not use floats. Instead the bait is held on the bottom of the lake or river by a sinker or large weight. Bites are detected by watching the quiver tip of the rod for movement.

Groundbait is usually thrown into the water to attract fish to the area. Typical baits include nightcrawlers, maggots, bread and sweet corn. Lately, advancements in technology and market competitiveness has led to many types of other ingredients being introduced, including chemicals, such as betaine, that stimulate the feeding response in fish. Boilies are popular baits for carp fishing.

Types of coarse fishing

The nature of coarse fishing varies with the dedication and attitude of the angler:

• Pleasure angling: Anglers go out to enjoy a relaxing day's fishing, trying to catch anything that comes by without putting too much effort in, with anything caught being a bonus.

• Match angling: Anglers, in angling clubs or as individual entrants, gather together at a venue to catch as many fish as possible in an allotted period of time. Contests are held at local, regional, national and international levels.