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).

Phew!!!

Needless to say, after last week's marathon hike along the beach with Bill, I'm back into my bass fishing mode. As I said last time, the following morning I caught a decent pollack and a couple of schoolies but having left the camera in my office, I couldn't take any pictures.

Anyway I had two more short sessions later in the week, on successive mornings. On the first occasion it was cold and frosty and I had the entire beach to myself. I fished with a big pearl Redgill in the hope of producing a few more bass (this time I remembered the camera). I arrived at the beach before first light to find that there was quite a swell rolling in. A few tentative casts showed that it was not too weedy for the Redgill so I got stuck in to my fishing. It was only a couple of minutes before I felt the click of a small knot going through the rod rings - disaster. Back to the shore, switch on the headlight and fiddle with the knot. It was a tiny knot and looked too tight for my fingernails so I simply gave the line a strong tug and, wonder of wonders, it came out. Back to the sea and next cast again 'click!' This time the knot refused to cooperate and I spent some time cutting off the spare braid, tying another trace and reattaching the lure.

Muttering to myself, about being an incompetent old so and so, I returned to the fishing. By now I could see light in the sky and it was bright enough to watch my lure splash down. Wallop! I was into a fish. Was I relieved? I played my bass to the shore, beached it and took a couple of pictures before slipping it back. By now it was quickly getting lighter. Next cast I had another small bass which I unhooked and returned at the water's edge. On four of the next half dozen casts the exercise was repeated, then nothing. Anyway I was well pleased with half a dozen schoolies (the best perhaps three pounds) to show for my efforts and even the knots and the lost braid were forgotten.

As I turned to walk back to the car I noticed some hoppers crowded into an area of beach. They were the common 'beach flea' Talitrus saltator which burrows above the tideline along most shores. Now these things look as though they would make a really good meal for a bass but I've never found one in a bass stomach. Presumably they are just too slick at avoiding being washed into the sea. Anyway, I took a picture just to show how abundant they were.

The following morning I went again with my mate Nigel. It was much warmer, calmer and clearer than on the previous day. We walked miles and saw nothing at all. The only action was a single pluck on Nige's Rapala. On our way back we met Bill and another angler but neither of them had caught anything either. That's fishing - at least I didn't get any more knots in the braid.

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

Bass.

Hoppers.