Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

Information Page

SEA FISHING

For anyone unfamiliar with the site always check the FRESHWATER, SALTWATER and TACK-TICS pages. The Saltwater page now extends back as a record of over several years of (mostly) sea fishing and may be a useful guide as to when to fish. The Freshwater stuff is also up to date now. I keep adding to both. These pages are effectively my diary and the latest will usually be about fishing in the previous day or two. As you see I also add the odd piece from my friends and correspondents if I've not been doing much. The Tactics pages which are chiefly 'how I do it' plus a bit of science are also updated regularly and (I think) worth a read (the earlier ones are mostly tackle and 'how to do it' stuff).

07 May 2006

Pollack on the fly.

My friend Ben was keen to catch something on his fly gear. He'd already had a few casts on a previous trip but it was just for practice as there was nothing doing. Although it's just the beginning of May I suggested that we try an early morning session with the fly gear to see if there was anything doing.

As we set off for the coast there was a thick mist rising from the river - suggesting that it was going to be a nice day. By half-past-four we were down on the rocks and the first light of dawn was already in the sky. Both of us were using light fly rods with floating lines and little 'Redgill' type sandeels in place of more conventional flies. At the spot we were fishing there was no room for a backcast so I showed Ben how to fish with a short line. The idea was simply to flick the fly out a few metres and then to give it some action by raising the rod and drawing a single loop of line with the free hand. It's hardly what the game fishing fraternity would call 'fly casting' but it can certainly be very effective. I explained that the bites (if any) would be positive tugs or snatches and that the fish were likely to hook themselves.

It was still pretty dark when I hooked my first pollack - an excellent start. In the next half hour we landed half-a-dozen fish ranging from a tiny tiddler (one of mine) to a reasonable fish of over a pound. There was no sign of any mackerel or bass but no doubt we'll get them a bit later in the season. Ben landed his first and second pollack so he was well pleased. There's nothing like a fish to give you the necessary confidence in a method that you haven't tried before.

If you have any comments or questions about fish, methods, tactics or 'what have you.'get in touch with me by sending an E-MAIL to - docladle@hotmail.com

Tiny pollack

Only small but it looked as if it was made from polished bronze - wonderful fish!

A bit bigger.

Even a fish this size can pull a bit on the fly gear.

Ben's first.

As always the first fish is the hardest - I expect that he'll catch hundreds of fish on the fly now.

Sand smelt.

One of ben's fish coughed up this sand smelt as it was landed.  Perhaps we should use slightly bigger eels?

Here comes the sun.

Once the sun appears above the horizon it's usually time for home and a spot of breakfast.