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).

Pollack bonanza!

My pal Rob and I recently had a short, early morning session fishing a local tide race. Not a sniff! The following day Rob sent an email to say that him and his dad had fished a local rock mark that evening - here's the outcome.

Hi Mike,

Any luck with the carp?

Me and dad decided to have a crack tonight off the rocks. This morning's blank didn't fill me with confidence but I figured the conditions would be perfect so what the heck!

We got there about half-five and it looked perfect, Nice and flat with just a little swell and next to no wind. I tried a few likely spots with the fly (keen for my first fly caught fish of the year) and dad was plugging away in hope of a bass. After 45 biteless minutes I was starting to fear the worst!

I tried the weedless lure (left on from this mornings fishing) along the drop off to the right but the swell made it impossible to fish correctly so I switched to a small Dexter wedge in hope of a pollack. A change of position brought a decent knock about halfway back on the retrieve (encouraging). The next cast and a double pull had a nice pollack on The line - around a pound.

The tide had started to flood and the fish were biting, dad had a tiny pollack on a wedge and I was getting almost a bite a cast although I missed a few and lost a better fish (turns out the treble was missing two points). I landed 12 on the wedge and lost one or two more.

I pointed out some jumping fish to dad and once he moved to cast at them he picked up a few more fish (7 in total) plus he lost a nice fish (2.5-3 lb) at his feet.

I changed to a 'Kiss plug in hopes of a bass and it got hit on the first cast, another pollack, although slightly bigger than the wedge-caught fish. I had another 2 on the plug before the bites dried up.

We fished on till dark with nothing more showing! In total we had 22 fish between us, all around the 1 - 1.5lb (except dads mini pollack)

It was nice to finally end my run of blanks with a few fish! Now to decided where to fish on the weekend?

Speak soon.

Rob

A nice way to end the day! I've often noticed that pollack bite particularly well at dusk although I have caught lots of them at first light too. It's one of those things that needs a concerted effort to fish the same spot on successive mornings and evenings for several days to establish the facts. Hard going but has anyone done it?

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

Wedge.

Plug.