Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

Information Page

SEA FISHING

26 October 2003

What a morning!

Apart from my seatrout session I had done no fishing this week. A quick glance at the tide tables on Saturday evening showed that my first choice spot would be inaccessible so I made a decision to try where I had the mullet last week. Of course the wind had gone rund to the North West so I knew that the sea would be flat - not ideal.

Sure enough, when I arrived, just as dawn was breaking, the water was like glass, there was plenty of weed in the edge but no sign of anything but sandsmelts. I had a few casts with a J11 but not a sign! As I was fishing I was constantly looking around for any signs that might give me a clue what to do and I noticed a few gulls drifting about low over the sea's edge on a big ledge jutting from the next headland. So what! you might say but I knew from experience that this is not normal behaviour for herring gulls on this stretch of coast. I grabbed the bag and the rods and set off to see what was going on. The tide was almost full so it needed a waist high wade over big boulders to get to the ledge.

As I arrived the gulls were still winging about over the sea so I put down the bag and fly rod, clipped on a big slider instead of the J11 and slung it well out onto the flat sea beyond the breaking waves. Second twitch and the rod bowed to a fish - I thought it was Christmas. As I played the bass in I saw a small 'blitz' of striking fish among the waves - the excitement mounted.

The first six casts all produced bass of two or three pounds and often there would be a succession of hits on the lure as it landed on the water - magic. In all I fished for less than two hours and landed thirty one bass, the best about five pounds. Not big fish but a wonderful morning's sport.

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 light.

It's almost high water and there is very little surf over the ledge - easy fishing.

The first fish.

First chuck, second chug and I was into a bass.

A close up.

Not a big fish but made to look even smaller by the big slider I was using.

Yet another fish.

This one slides ashore but most of the fish I just unhooked where I was standing and dropped them back into the knee deep water.

Beautiful condition!

This is what an Autumn bass should look like.