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).

05 September 2006

Gill net problem.

I went down to Swanage the other morning to fish round into Durlston Bay. I started off using a TD Pencil popper and after a quiet half-hour switched to a shallow diving plug. Neither produced anything but a commercial bloke trolling in Peveril race caught several smallish bass while I watched. Even with my binoculars I could not see what lure or bait he was using but it looked small and light. After plugging for a while I switched to a Yo Zuri Magnum Slider and immediately saw a few small fish striking at the water surface just by my feet. After a few casts I hooked something about 20cm long but it dropped off. In retrospect it was probably a pollack.

After about an-hour-and-a-half I walked back towards the car. I decided to have a couple of casts, on my way back, into the sheltered waters of the bay. Second cast there was an encouraging boil by the lure so I continued fishing. Two or three casts later I was into a bass which fought quite well before it was landed and returned. Shortly afterwards I missed another strike then I landed a second bass. Four bites and two fish in ten minutes - that was better!

The following morning I went down again to try the area where I'd caught the fish. I arrived in the gloom and on my second cast, as the lure hit the water I noticed the headrope of a gillnet just inside the splash. I had no chance and left the lure as a bonus (or a hazard) for the netsman. (before I packed in I saw him haul the net and land a garfish and a mullet among other things). I changed back to the TD Pencil and (avoiding the netted stretch) continued fishing. Just as on the previous morning I missed two strikes and landed two bass but this time I also caught a small pollack. As far as I remember this is the first one I've had on a surface lure although I don't understand why - you would think that their upward strikes were tailor made for surface fishing.

That evening I had a phone call from my pal David Baker. Fishing with a friend at the same spot as me they'd lost a popper in the gill net. David said that as far as they could see the net was unmarked (I certainly didn't see any buoys) Anyway, it claimed two lures in twentyfour hours - that's life! I did wonder whether he'd set the net after seeing me catch bass on the first morning - so it could have been all my fault.

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

At last!

Next morning.

******* gill net.

Another bass.

Interesting pollack.