Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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SEA FISHING

10 September 2003

A day out.

This is the last piece before I go away. I have had a night-time scad session with Steve Pitts and Steve Binckes at Weymouth and this morning I took the fly rod down to Swanage. I landed six pollack, a scad and three mackerel. The biggest mackerel - well over a pound - went like a train. I had already packed my camera so no piccies of these fish.

The other day my pal Adrian rang. he said he had a day's holiday and asked if I fancied a spot of fishing. We decided to start early on the coast and then, after breakfast to have a session on the upper Stour.

When Adrian picked me up at 04.30hr I was surprised to see that he had a pole in the car as well as his spinning gear. He knew that I'd been catching lots of fish on the fly and he fancied seeing if a mackerel would stretch the elastic. Apart from the climb down the cliffs to our selected ledge there was not much lugging of gear to do so carrying the pole was not a problem. However, when we reached the sea there was a big swell making it impossible to get close to the water. It looked as if spinning might be the only worthwhile (and safe) tactic.As usual we began fishing before first light and had nothing until the sky began to lighten then a few mackerel and pollack took the lures. There was one area of relatively calm water so I had a thrash with the fly gear and soon landed a couple of miniature pollack.

Out came the pole and Adrian attached a small 'Chubber' float and a slip of mackerel. It would be nice to say that he landed a stonking great mackerel but sadly the only bites came from the small pollack. However, there was one interesting episode when I saw him strike into a fish which was clearly much bigger. The elastic began to stretch as the fish headed for the rocks but after a few seconds whatever it was let go and catapulted a six inch pollack back past our ears. From the scuff marks on the flanks of the fish it looked as though it had been grabbed by the sandpaper teeth of a bass but no more bites were forthcoming.

Later on, on the Stour, Adrian had chub on freelined bread and we landed chub, perch and jack pike on plugs and Mepps - all in all a very pleasant day. Incidentally I'll be trying small livebaits next time I go to the sea.

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

The pole.

Shortening the pole.

Unhooking a poled pollack.

Adrian's best chub of the session.

Unhooking.

Well pleased!.