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).

05 November 2006

Not a flounder.

My grandson Ben has been itching to catch a flounder so last week, when he was visiting us for a couple of days, we bought a dozen ragworms and went down to the river mouth for a session. Both of us were equipped with spinning rodsand light running-legers with small hooks. For the previous few days it had rained heavily and the river was still pretty high and coloured as we made our first casts. It was just about slack high water so there was little or no movement to shift our tackle about, only the odd passing yacht from the marina upstream disturbed our fishing.

For half-an-hour not much (nothing) happened and Ben was beginning to lose faith (to tell the truth so was I) but he tended the rods with care periodically winding in and recasting. We lost one or two baits but otherwise nothing happened then suddenly there was a weight in Ben's rod - a shore crab - was he pleased with that. It was almost as good as catching a flounder. Not long after that another shore crab succumbed to the cunningly presented worm and then we began to get 'fish bites', sharp little niggling taps that we couldn't hook. Ben did reel one fish (as small flounder) half-way to the bank but DISASTER!!!! it dropped off.

I have to say that we were both beginning to lose interest when Ben had a better bite and suddenly was into a thrashing, splashing fish. After a short battle he landed his fish - sadly it was not a flounder but a bass (he's caught them before), so it will have to be better luck next time.

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

Is it a bite?

Ben prepares to strike a bite. Could it be the elusive flounder?

Nice one!

Shore crabs may not be the hardest fighters but they are not to be sniffed at on a slow day.

A fish at last.

Ben's bass.  Note my hanky used as protection from the spiky bits.  The hanky was accidentally thrown back with the bass.