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).

Still a few bass about.

My pal Ben has been extra busy for the past week or two so at the weekend I had to go fishing alone. Of course there's nothing new in that but it does tend to slightly restrict where I go and what I do (I've grown more cautious as I've aged). Anyway, after a horrible wet and windy night, I thought that conditions were going to be rough and I was astonished to find the sea flat calm. As it turned out I'd also left things a bit late and I reckoned, from the light in the sky, that I should have been fishing a rather sooner than I was. To add to the complications when I arrived in the car park there was already another car there - someone had beaten me to it. In fact by the time I got to my chosen spot I could see two vague figures casting away in the gloom just where I'd intended starting - bugger!

Etiquette prevailed and I crept past the other anglers to take up a position about a hundred metres further on - no chance of crossed lines. As luck would have it, first cast with my shallow diver I found myself playing a fish. The bass took only a metre or two beyond the rod tip and it was not very big - but it was a bass - I was delighted. A few casts later I had a second bass a bit bigger than the first one - excellent!

Meanwhile the other two lads, who were now clearly visible as the sky lightened, had a couple of bass too. More or less at the same instant all three of us decided to move on and try another spot. As it turned out the 'competition' was a couple of my pals who, it seemed, had cursed me catching fish as soon as I got there.

We fished the next spot together for a while. During this period I managed to slip into a hole in the rock and to soak the sleeve of my jacket. But for the chesties and the waterproof I'd have been saturated from top to toe. Anyway, I moved on leaving the others to it so I don't know what they caught. I only had one tiny pollack to finish off my morning but at least I know that the bass are still about. Perhaps next weekend?

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

First cast.

Another.

Last of all.