Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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SEA FISHING

07 September 2002

An old friend.

When the phone rang last week I was amazed to find that the caller was a friend Jason Beynon - a keen bass angler from Wales. Now when I say a friend we have never really met before. We corresponded, by post, many years ago about some stuff I had written on bass angling. It turned out that Jason was on a short camping holiday near Corfe Castle, just down the road from where I live.

To cut a long story short we decided to meet the following morning and do a spot of plugging/popping together while we had a chat. It was a beautiful morning but the fish were a bit thin on the ground and I could only stay a short time (I had to take my wife in to work). As I left I pointed Jason to a good stretch which we had not had time to fish and left him to it. He rang again that evening to say that he had caught a bass and lost another after I left, so we decided to have another go the next morning.

This time I took Jason down to Worbarrow Bay. Again I had only a short time to fish so we spun from the rocks on the east of the bay - to no avail. I suggested that Jason should try the long shingle beach before the holiday makers arrived. Once more I left too soon as he had about ten bites on the popper and landed four fish up to over four pounds - a good session.

Encouraged by my friend's success I went down on my own the following morning and fished the stretch where Jason had caught his bass. Needless to say the conditions had changed a bit and the fish were less abundant but I managed four bites on the Skitterpop and landed and returned two of them - both on the small side but it was very enjoyable fishing and the fish were in prime condition. In addition it had been a real pleasure to meet and talk to someone who I seemed to have known for such a long time. I look forward to his next holiday in Dorset.

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

Worbarrow Bay.

The beach.

One of my 'tiddlers'.

And another!