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).

19 May 2008

Another mix.

As arranged Ben was round at my door at 03.45 this morning. Perhaps it was a little late but it was a cloudy dull day so it would not be light for perhaps half-an-hour. We drove to the coast and tramped along to our chosen spot where we found another keen angler fishing already; he'd not yet had a bite so we guessed that we were in plenty of time.

I began to cast a plug and Ben opted for a spot of fly fishing in the calm conditions. I was the first to have a bite and managed to hook a bass which fought gamely before coming unstuck just as I was about to slide it ashore. My bite had been a long way out so his persuaded Ben to switch to plugging but on my next cast I was into another bass. This time I managed to land the fish without mishap and after a couple of pictures I unhooked and returned it. Good start. The next fish was Ben's and it turned out to be a small pollack. After a few more casts we decided to move on to another spot.

Now we were fishing into clear water over flat rocks in hope of a bigger bass. After about five or ten minutes my rod folded over to a heavy take. The fish took line and plunged about. Must be a decent bass I thought but, as is so often the case, it was not long before I saw the bronze-green flank of a decent wrasse glistening in the surf. Ah well, better than a kick in the pants. We had no more bites so we moved on again to a sheltered ledge - this time nothing!

as we trudged along to try somewhere else we spotted a nice shoal of big mullet skimming maggots off the surface. Ben couldn't resist a cast with the fly rod but in the absence of maggot flies and maggots to adorn them it was almost futile. I say almost because he managed to evoke a take on a small plastic eel - possible a bass lurking in the mullet shoals. Very frustrating! Again we shifted our position to a shingly beach with calm water studded with big boulders. This time it was Ben's turn to catch and he landed his only bass of the morning.

An entertaining session with plenty of fresh air and excercise. I wonder if we'll manage to get down this evening and have another crack at the mullet?

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

In the gloom.

First bass.

Ben's pollack.

Nice wrasse.

Closer.

Hes in!

Got it.