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).

Thinlips.

I don't know how many years it is since I caught a thinlipped mullet. Anyway, for some reason I just fancied having a go to see if they were still as easy to catch. I went to the local tackle shop and purchased a dozen ragworm. these were wrapped in newspaper and put in my little fridge for the following morning. the next job was to find a suitable spinner. I rummaged through my tackle drawers to see what was there and sure enough, in an old poly bag, i found three or four modified spinners. I chose one with a slim, leaded body and a small 'pennel' arrangement of hooks. I replaced the swivel, which was so stiff that it wouldn't turn, and tied the lure on the end of my lightest braid.

The following morning found me wandering along the river bank casting into any accessible spot and slowly retrieving my baited spinner. The tide was already on the way out so I guessed that the mullet might be a bit further downstream. After I'd gone about a mile I came to a bend where the grassy bank sloped gently down to the water. As I stood looking across the river there were a couple of swirls out in mid-stream. It had to be mullet. On my first cast I felt a pluck - or was it? I was in that state of doubt which afflicts you after a long lay of from any type of fishing. On the next cast I was sure that it was a pluck on the line. the tension mounted. It was about the fifth cast when suddenly the line tightened and I was in. Did it go! The mullet careered about the river in a series of runs and tight turns, so I eased the clutch a bit in case it pulled the hook out. It must have been two or three minutes before I had the fish in my hand. I took a few pictures and released the fish (a good four pounds) before casting again. Before the tide dropped and the fish left I had several more bites and landed a smaller fish. I must rerig the spinner before having another go.

Oh, there's a little addendum to my mullet fishing tale. When I looked at the pictures on the computer they seemed rather fuzzy and grainy. It appears that in fiddling with the camera I'd reset the mode to a lower quality. Sorry about that.

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

Got one!

Tired.

On the bank.

The old spinner.

Crap!