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).

Not my morning!

"You're crackers!" They were the words of my wife when I suggested that I might go down to the coast the following morning to try and extract a last bass on a lure. Of course she's right but when the alarm went off the following morning I got up, got dressed and went anyway. I'd elected to try and fish one of the few spots that I thought might provide a bit of shelter. I should have known that I was wrong as I battled, head down, against the wind to simply walk along the cliff path. I got to the wooden gate that leads down to the beach and couldn't hold it against the wind without putting my rod down and using both hands. Silly man!

Still slow on the uptake I fought my way down to the beach hoping that there might be a few metres of fishable water. There wasn't. The breakers were roaring up the beach and I stood well back under the cliff waiting for it to get a bit lighter so I could see the worst. A heavy shower of rain battered my waterproofs. I decided to take a couple of pictures to while away the time.

I took one or two shots of the glowering sky and roaring waves, still in deep gloom. To add a bit of interest I put my bag on a big rock and propped the rod against it. Click! Click! Then a gust of wind even stronger than most caught the rod and blew it down from it's resting place. There was an audible 'click' as it fell. I picked it up and noticed something hanging from the second ring - it was the rod tip. As it fell to the ground the rod must have knocked against a piece of stone and, 'clean as a whistle', pinged five centimetres of the tip off. I cursed, picked up the gear and began the long trudge back to the car.

When I got home I examined the rod. It was a sharp break so I lit a match, heated the ring tube and slid it off. It fitted perfectly onto the broken end. Could have been worse eh! Bloody weather!

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

The sea.

My gear.

*****cks.