Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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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).

12 June 2006

How about that?

I'm a pretty conservative character (not in any political sense) and it takes quite a lot to convince me that a new tactic is really worth a try. The other day I was almost convinced.

I'd gone with my son Richard and my pal Steve Pitts for an early morning session of plugging. We decided to go late (04.30) because a recent crack of dawn session had been unproductive. When we arrived at the coast I found a friend of mine (another Richard) already fishing but up to that point - fishless. The sea was pretty calm and it was obviously going to be a nice day. Steve and Rich walked on to fish further along while I stopped briefly for a natter with Richard. As we talked I noticed the swirls of a couple of Idotea-feeding bass within a foot or two of the sea's edge. I pointed out to Richard what was going on and he delved into his bag and drew out a rubber prawn. Now in years gone by I've tried everything for these woodlouse feeders with limited success so I wished Richard luck and followed the others along the shore.

In the next hour or so we had a small wrasse and a bass on the plugs but it was pretty slow. We decided to make our way back to where I had left Richrd dabbling his rubber prawn. When we got back to him it turned out (much to my astonishment) that he'd had four bass on the prawn. He continued fishing and the rest of us sat down on a rock and watched with interest. In the next ten minutes he had four bites and landed two bass, the smaller one had engulfed the prawn, which was totally inside its mouth. The second one (three or four pounds) was nicely hooked in the jaw.

The successful method was simply to flick the prawn parallel to the water's edge and about two metres out and then to sink and draw it back. The fish simply grabbed it as it jigged along. Of course there's no guarantee that the same tactics will work next time the bass are doing the same thing but it's certainly worth a try and I'll be popping a couple of rubber prawns in the lure box for future use.

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

Wrasse on the plug.

A small bass.

The proof of the pudding.

The deadly prawn.

A nice fish.