Bristol channel.

[goose]

Any experienced Bristol channel anglers here , I will be doing a few trips this year and currently own TTGSM and find although they are rated to 200 grams they perform best with 150 and big bait or 170 and smaller baits. Would you use these in the channel or should I get something with a bit more grunt ? Local shop is recommending T900's as I will also eventually be fishing in Scotland as well.

 

[squidword]

The rods you have there are more than perfectly capable of handling anything the BC can throw at them. I use the TTSMs on even the roughest of spots, no problems at all

 

[Reevsey]

I snapped one of my TTGSMs casting 7oz & large squid bait . Fair play to century they replaced tip section for me . I now use my ttgsm with upto 6oz + bait and my TTGS for anything over .

 

[Live in hope]

Will be fine up the channel I use a pair of match pros at nearly all my venues on the lower reaches I got a pair of t900s I use in a couple of places on really rough stuff, tbf got a great tip on them reacting nicely in the tide. Good luck hope you do well.

 

[Mr Fish]

By performing better, do you mean casting distance?
If you fish Battery Point in the tides up there you’ll want the 200g but then it’s not a mark where you generally need huge distance.

A lot of BC marks don’t really although there’s a few lower down where better distance can make a difference on the day.
But your 5 and 6 oz will be okay down there, most of the time.

 

[goose]

By performing better, do you mean casting distance?
If you fish Battery Point in the tides up there you’ll want the 200g but then it’s not a mark where you generally need huge distance.

A lot of BC marks don’t really although there’s a few lower down where better distance can make a difference on the day.
But your 5 and 6 oz will be okay down there, most of the time.

No it's not distance that I'm concerned with, it's some say they fish it with eight ounces plus big bait which I wouldn't want to do with my rods.

 

[Mr Fish]

No it's not distance that I'm concerned with, it's some say they fish it with eight ounces plus big bait which I wouldn't want to do with my rods.

Fair one. I have some rods I would do that with and some I wouldn’t.

Usually, mid channel down, 6oz is fine.

Higher up you’re looking at 7 and 8 on some marks. However… it depends what you mean by big baits.
I tend to find a relatively compact (if juicy) bait fishes better than some huge concoction anyway.

For example, if I was fishing Battery for cod I’d lash up half a medium (or one small) squid with a couple of black lug or a peeler, to make a chunky but compact bait - it has plenty of scent but a better chance of a fish swallowing it.
Never saw the point of threading on four whole squid like some do.
I fish up there with a couple of my beefier rods but they’re not scaffold poles by any means.

Ray baits you’re using one or two sandeel or at most a whole squid - and the bigger squid I tend to split in two anyway, fish love all the jelly and juices that ooze out.

Hounds, if it’s crabby and they’re there, they’ll have it - imo absolutely no point using huge baits for them, one shore peeler is fine.

I get what you’re saying. I have rods I wouldn’t use ‘big’ baits on, and I don’t know how yours stack up to a TTSM, say, but I’d use mine anywhere in the channel with no hesitation.
If the bloody thing will ever wear enough to go together properly

Never used one, but I understand the T900 is a fair beast? Probably overkill for most UK fishing?

 

[Live in hope]

Fair one. I have some rods I would do that with and some I wouldn’t.

Usually, mid channel down, 6oz is fine.

Higher up you’re looking at 7 and 8 on some marks. However… it depends what you mean by big baits.
I tend to find a relatively compact (if juicy) bait fishes better than some huge concoction anyway.

For example, if I was fishing Battery for cod I’d lash up half a medium (or one small) squid with a couple of black lug or a peeler, to make a chunky but compact bait - it has plenty of scent but a better chance of a fish swallowing it.
Never saw the point of threading on four whole squid like some do.
I fish up there with a couple of my beefier rods but they’re not scaffold poles by any means.

Ray baits you’re using one or two sandeel or at most a whole squid - and the bigger squid I tend to split in two anyway, fish love all the jelly and juices that ooze out.

Hounds, if it’s crabby and they’re there, they’ll have it - imo absolutely no point using huge baits for them, one shore peeler is fine.

I get what you’re saying. I have rods I wouldn’t use ‘big’ baits on, and I don’t know how yours stack up to a TTSM, say, but I’d use mine anywhere in the channel with no hesitation.
If the bloody thing will ever wear enough to go together properly

Never used one, but I understand the T900 is a fair beast? Probably overkill for most UK fishing?

Only thing with the t900 is it’s a tad heavy but fir fishing the tip is spot on if bends nicely in the tide reducing the chances of the lead pulling in the tide and bite detection is easy to see. Used mine in real crap weather on Chesil for the cod and to get the tip high avoiding the dump. Generally only use them for the hounds and Huss from real snaggy areas and targeting the blondes if the tides are running hard. Not me go to plaice rod put it that way
Always try and keep me baits compact stringing the bait out like a washing line just to me shouts missed bites. I use 7oz plus bait on my match pros with no worries I just make sure my casting style is smooth and it gets a bait well out there and ensures the lead is always outside of the tip.

 

[squidword]

I my opinion if you need to use 8oz you are fishing the wrong marks on the wrong tides. Very rarely do I go to 7oz, and never 8oz. Marks with strong tide like battery need to fished on the very smallest of neaps, and even then the ebb can be unfishable. You just need to find out as much as you can about the marks you want to fish? Another example is Porlock, love fishing it on big springs but half an hour into the ebb it's time to pack up as you'll lose loads of kit even with 8oz of lead. The same with Bossington the middle part of the tide can hammer through, even 8oz will struggle. The other thing you can do is cast shorter, inside the tide. Longer, stiffer, thicker wires can help. Fished the BC for 30 years and this is just my experience. I'm sure there are a few exceptions where you'll need 8oz of lead to fish but I always pick my tides and venues accordingly

 

[barnacle]

I my opinion if you need to use 8oz you are fishing the wrong marks on the wrong tides. Very rarely do I go to 7oz, and never 8oz. Marks with strong tide like battery need to fished on the very smallest of neaps, and even then the ebb can be unfishable. You just need to find out as much as you can about the marks you want to fish? Another example is Porlock, love fishing it on big springs but half an hour into the ebb it's time to pack up as you'll lose loads of kit even with 8oz of lead. The same with Bossington the middle part of the tide can hammer through, even 8oz will struggle. The other thing you can do is cast shorter, inside the tide. Longer, stiffer, thicker wires can help. Fished the BC for 30 years and this is just my experience. I'm sure there are a few exceptions where you'll need 8oz of lead to fish but I always pick my tides and venues accordingly

Spot on

 

[Mr Fish]

I my opinion if you need to use 8oz you are fishing the wrong marks on the wrong tides. Very rarely do I go to 7oz, and never 8oz. Marks with strong tide like battery need to fished on the very smallest of neaps, and even then the ebb can be unfishable. You just need to find out as much as you can about the marks you want to fish? Another example is Porlock, love fishing it on big springs but half an hour into the ebb it's time to pack up as you'll lose loads of kit even with 8oz of lead. The same with Bossington the middle part of the tide can hammer through, even 8oz will struggle. The other thing you can do is cast shorter, inside the tide. Longer, stiffer, thicker wires can help. Fished the BC for 30 years and this is just my experience. I'm sure there are a few exceptions where you'll need 8oz of lead to fish but I always pick my tides and venues accordingly

I usually find Battery needs 7/8 even on a neap when it’s surging? Agreed that’s the only tide you can fish it on.
Yep the top/mid ebb is pretty much unfishable in my experience.

Otherwise yes, not many places where you need leads that size.

 

[Mr Fish]

Only thing with the t900 is it’s a tad heavy but fir fishing the tip is spot on if bends nicely in the tide reducing the chances of the lead pulling in the tide and bite detection is easy to see. Used mine in real crap weather on Chesil for the cod and to get the tip high avoiding the dump. Generally only use them for the hounds and Huss from real snaggy areas and targeting the blondes if the tides are running hard. Not me go to plaice rod put it that way
Always try and keep me baits compact stringing the bait out like a washing line just to me shouts missed bites. I use 7oz plus bait on my match pros with no worries I just make sure my casting style is smooth and it gets a bait well out there and ensures the lead is always outside of the tip.

Yep I’ve seen huge squid baits with a hook top and bottom and 6-8 inches in between with nothing at all, just seems overkill, not to mention very inefficient

 

[barnacle]

The T900 will certainly cast a 7oz lead all day. Be careful that your ability doesn't dictate that you have to use a 7oz lead just to bend it.

 

[wingnut55]

7oz to 8oz leads, that's not fishing, that's shot putting, might as well throw an anchor out...

Ian.

 

[goose]

Some interesting info here, sounds like I need to research the marks and tides and use my supermatches. On my local beaches I use 6500 size reels and 15 lb line most of the time but I do have casting specials with 20 lb line on them for the deeper snaggy areas in rough weather , assume these will be ok for the BC.

 

[Live in hope]

casting specials are fine for there I have them and saltists and not had issues with either when I first started fishing the channel I had the shimano speed master still miss them reels. Everyone will
Have a mainline they like using so go with what your confident in I use 20 sometimes more depending. As you see everyone tweaks things to suit them a few trips and you will start getting an idea and adapt all the advice to suit you.

 

[Live in hope]

Yep I’ve seen huge squid baits with a hook top and bottom and 6-8 inches in between with nothing at all, just seems overkill, not to mention very inefficient

Snap or a string of worms threaded up the hook link just waiting to be hit in the middle and miss a hookup.

 

[J Richards]

I grew up fishing the channel. Never have i used a 8oz lead. Fished battery point etc and big springs. My go lead was a 6oz 170g. If you are whacking out then you are over 90% of the fish. You only need a foot of water to catch. I never used fancy rods back then, just what we could afford. The rods i’ve best are the “tippy” ones. Anything to stiff you will trip the lead out all the time and find a snag.

 

[Si-fly]

I think a lot of the Welsh boys use stronger rods, bigger leads, T900/Komp SS etc
Lots of tide, and deeper water.
English side while the GSM will work , on the snaggier marks you will struggle to pick the lead up fast enough, and will probably lose less gear with a bit stiffer tip.

I have supermatches for cleaner channel mks, Fireblades/C curves for mixed and Komp SS for the heavy stuff.

The C curve or Fireblades do nicely as a one rod option

 

[goose]

A lot of local anglers appear to be using long rods and fixed spool reels with either braid or mono and I've seen a couple that were what I always thought were die hard zziplex fan switching to this for match fishing and I did consider giving it a go but I'm not sure about braid for abrasion resistance although years ago the original fire line was all I used boat fishing and used to cast it when up tidying with Abu 7000's with no problems.