Fly fishermen can get by with only one outfit when it comes to fishing the shoreline. A 9-10 foot rod for a 7-8 weight line will handle most conditions when combined with a saltwater resistant fly reel capable of holding the fly line plus some 100 yds. of backing.

When fishing secluded and shallow water areas without significant waves a floating WF line will do the trick. If on open shores with on-shore wind and larger waves an intermediate line that barely sinks below the surface is preferable. It will give a better contact when working the fly.

More and more fly fishermen realise that on calm days you can get by with a lighter 8-9 foot rod capable of handling a 5-6 weight line on a saltwater resistant reel. This is an outfit which perfectly complements the 16-20 inch sea trout that comprise the majority of the catch. At the same time it is an outfit that you can cast all day without any fatigue.

The leader should be 9 feet long when fishing an intermediate line - 12 feet when using a floating line. Tippet size should be 0.25 mm with larger flies and 0.20 mm when using smaller flies on calm days.

Top Ten flies for seatrout in the salt

Colorful fantasy flies - preferably fluorescent - generally do best in winter time when the water is cold and the food scarce. During summer when the water is full of life you will often need smaller flies in more subdued colors to imitate the prevailing food items, be they small fish, shrimp or worms. Flies should typically be tied on hooks size 4-8.

For evening and nighttime fishing large and bushy black Muddler and Zonker type flies do best. They may be fished striping in the surface where sea trout on the feed stand a better chance of seeing them. On calm nights you will often hear the strikes before you feel them!

On quiet days a 9-10 foot long and ultralight spinning rod capable of handling lure weights up to 1/4 oz. is the ideal tool when fishing for sea trout and garfish. This rod should be complemented by a small fixed spool filled with 100-200 yds. of fresh 0.15-0.20 mm line.

If the wind blows experienced fishermen stick with the standard outfit for Danish sea trout angling: An 8-9 foot rod capable of casting lures in the 1/4 - 3/4 oz. range. Add to this a medium sized fixed spool reel holding some 200 yds. 0.20-0.25 mm line. This outfit will handle most situations encountered along the shoreline, the exception being places with many kelp-digging cod.

If this is the case or if you need to make long casts with larger lures, then you need a 9-10 foot rod capable of handling 3/4-2 oz. lures. Best reel for this outfit is a baitcaster filled with 200 yds. 0.30-0.40 mm line. A fairly large fixed spool reel will also do the trick.

Top Ten lures for seatrout in the salt

Long, slender and silvery lures like Tobis and compact coast wobblers like Gladsax catch most of sea trout and garfish in East-Jutland. If you are fishing exclusively for crab-eating cod you can use nothing better than a red-yellow coast wobler fished deep and slow.

The bait fisherman fishing from the shoreline basically needs two different outfits. One outfit covers normal bottom fishing for smaller fish and consists of a 9-10 foot rod capable of casting sinkers up to 2 oz.. Add to this a robust fixed spool reel that will hold 100 yds. of 0.30-0.35 mm line.

On clean and sandy bottoms you may use lighter tackle with more hooks on your paternoster rig than you should on a mixed bottom with kelp and rocks. On the latter bottom type you will do better using but a single hook above the sinker.

When fishing for garfish and mackerel with a float, you can again use the standard Danish saltwater outfit: An 8-9 foot rod capable of casting lures in the 1/4 - 3/4 oz. range. Add to this a medium sized fixed spool reel holding some 200 yds. 0.20-0.25 mm line. The float should be free-sliding with a stopper which will allow you to fish many feet deep. Bait should be a fresh slice of herring on a size 4-6 hook.

If you need the longest possible casts, you have to switch to real surfcasting equipment: A 12-14 foot rod capable of handling sinkers up to 8 oz. The best reel for this outfit is a baitcaster filled with 0.40-0.45 mm line. As a shock leader you will need a few yards of 0.60-0.70 mm line.

You may use a large and robust fixed spool reel but you will get shorter casts. You will also need a special line release to avoid putting undue strain on your index finger.

All bait fishing rods need to have a slow and powerful action allowing them to fire long casts without tearing the bait off the hooks during casting. When fishing for eel and flatfish you should use lug worms whereas most other species can be caught using strips of herring - fresh or frozen.

Guiding:

- Are you planning to visit East-Jutland, and are you uncertain as to how to approach the local fishing?

Then feel free to contact Steen Ulnits, fisheries biologist, 20+ book author, keen fisherman, TV producer, photographer and webmaster of this website, and book him for guiding. You can do this on an hourly or daily basis.

Apart from travelling the Globe and guiding trips to exotic parts of this Earth, Steen Ulnits has been fishing the waters of East Jutland for more than 30 years.

Thus you are in good hands - be it in freshwater or saltwater, flyfishing or spinning, walking, wading or boating!