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).

12 May 2008

Mixed bag.

I didn't do much fishing over the past week but after Dave Baker's relative success with a 'bubble float' plus Redgill I went down to give it a try the following evening. My set up involved a smaller plastic eel and a 'bouncy' powerball instead of a float. Needless to say the conditions were different to the previous night and there were no mullet showing and precious few bass. Those that were there were very small. Nigel and Richard Gardiner were also fishing but none of us managed to catch much. I had three bites and landed two small bass but the amount of water flogging involved was ridiculous - that's fishing.

This weekend Ben couldn't go fishing so Nigel and I decide to have an evening at Worbarrow Bay. It was almost flat calm and the weather was amazingly mild for the time of year. We trudged along the beach and passed a couple who were fishing for wrasse using beachcasting gear, then we began to fish. I started with a Maria Chase and Nigel was using a Toby in hope of mackerel. After I'd missed a couple of bites Nigel also switched to a plug and soon landed a bass. Then I had a disaster - I felt a light pluck and as I struck the line went slack. The 20lb braid had parted near the reel. The reason was a mystery and I can only assume that it had suffered damage on a previous occasion. I hate losing lures and even worse I hate leaving lengths of braid drifting in the sea. Anyway, there was nothing to be done so I switched to a different plug and continued fishing. Shortly afterwards I had a pollack and then I also had a bass. Nigel also had a couple of bass and a nice mackerel. All in all a good mixed bag.

As we made our way back along the shingle to get to the car park before closing time (what a downer that is - having to get out before ten o'clock or be locked in for the night) we had a few 'last casts'. Suddenly Nigel commented that he thought he'd caught my old line. Sure enough after handlining it in there was my plug on the end. The perfect end to a good evening's fishing.

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

A bass.

Close up.

Worbarrow.

He's in!

Small bass.

My pollack.

Nigel's mackerel.

Another bass.