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).

24 August 2007

Oh no!

The wind had swung round to NNE and the sea had flattened. I thought 'just the evening for a spot of bait fishing in the coloured water after the recent blow.' Ben had rung earlier and said he fancied a trip so he picked me up at 18.30 and we drove down to Worbarrow. The gates are closed at 10pm so we did not have long to fish considering the walk involved. I had my bottom fishing gear and may pal (Sensibly) had also taken his spinning tackle. As we arrived at the beach I could see immediately that bait fishing would be futile, the sea was not only calm but it was gin clear with only a narrow line of breaking waves at the edge of the beach. Oh well! Nothing for it but for me to spin with the heavy rod, my reel was armed with 30lb Whiplash so no problem there but I knew that my arm would feel the strain after an hour's casting with the longer, heavier rod.

Anyway, we attached lures - Ben a plug that dived to about a metre and me a Yo Zuri Slider that fishes as a popper. We trudged along the beach but with me having a cast every few metres I was soon lagging behind Ben who walked on to try in the middle of the bay (since he was carrying two rods he had to put the spare one down while he fished). For ten minutes I retrieved my lure, jerking and stopping, with no sign of interest at all. I'd just caught up with Ben when suddenly, as the popper reached the edge, right in the breaking white water, it was seized. Eureka! I saw the grey shape of what looked like a decent bass (perhaps four or five pounds) which thrashed in the breaking wave. Since I was using the heavy rod I simply leaned back and dragged the fish, still thrashing wildly, out of the water and onto the shingle. As I did so it came unstuck and I rushed towards it hoping to grab it before it could get back into the sea but it was no good the fish avoided my despairing grab and wriggled off into the surf. Oh no!!!!! At this point I realised that the escapee was not a bass but a fine seatrout. Bugger! I could hardly believe my eyes but Ben was standing beside me and saw the whole fiasco. It would have been my first seatrout from that beach in over forty years - what a downer.

Of course we fished on and caught several mackerel and pollack but there was no sign of any more trout or for that matter any bass - never mind eh!

The following morning I went on my own and had a small bass as well as missing a few mackerel (so no livebaiting). However, the Autumn flowering plants on the cliffside made it worthwhile. As for that seatrout - nothing makes up for that but I'm glad that I saw what it was.

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

Ben spinning.

Pollack.

Next morning.

Yer 'tis!

Sea aster.

Golden samphire.

Dwarf thistle.