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).

11 October 2007

A bit rough.

Every few weeks my pal Dave baker comes down for a spot of fishing. He usually fishes an evening and the following morning. Nigel and I met him in the evening for his first session. Conditions wern't too bad although there was a big swell and a bit of a breeze that made fly fishing tricky. Dave spent most of the evening plugging while Nigel and I tried to tempt one of the large surface-feeding mullet that we could see. It was hard going and when I packed in to go for my dinner Nigel had hooked two mullet (on baited Maggot flies) which both escaped. I'd hooked one mullet (on a 'Medusa' fly - thank's for the idea Rupert and Steve!) that messed about for ten seconds then took off for the horizon, shedding the hook in the process. Dave never had a sniff on the plug.

When I met Dave the following morning it seemed that he'd eventually managed to catch a bass on his lure as he was on his way back to the car (just another 'last cast' I expect). Anyway, we tramped down to the sea only to find that it was b****y rough. Nothing daunted we clambered down to our stance and began spinning, Dave with a plug and me with a spoon in hopes of a mackerel that I could use for bait. It was probably twenty minutes before I had a bite - still in the gloom. Feels like a bass I said, no it's a mackerel as it began to thrash its tail, no it isn't it's a garfish we said together as it hove into view.

The gar had hit the lure and somehow managed to transfer the hook to its side, hence the mackerel-like wriggle on the way in. I decided by now that my chances of catching a mackerel for bait were nil so, goaded by Dave, I decided to try the garfish. Of course I never had a bite on it (to be fair I couldn't see how any bass would manage to fold the gar into its mouth) but it swam round for twenty minutes or so. It did look bit tired by the time I unhooked it and dropped it back but it may have survived its ordeal.

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

Dave.

Garfish

Bait?????