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).

Antigua fishing.

My epal Tony is just back from a holiday in Antigua, in the Caribbean. He sent me a few pictures and an account of his catches which is interesting. Here it is, slightly edited -

Mike

I’m back from Antigua. I thought you might be interested in the snapper, it was about 2lb and I caught it in a lagoon. I think it is a dog snapper, it had very sharp canine like teeth and trashed the lure, one mean predator !

The small soft plastics are, in my experience, best in the lagoons (for snook and tarpon) with shallow water and weed and where there is an abundance of small fry. Plugs are OK and attract the larger fish but weed pick up is a continual problem (perhaps another case for a few ‘Slandras’ in the box ML).

I had a total of 11 fish, 8 tarpon to 15lb, 2 snapper-like fish and a snook, no bonefish a small barracuda and a snapper was all the salt water fly fishing yielded. The snook was 2lb, I gave a lure to another angler and he caught a nice snook of 8-10lb on the day I had to leave !

I attach a picture of the assorted lures I used (after washing them to get rid of the salt), smaller lures seem to work best in the lagoons.

Good luck in Tobago.

Tony

PS Going to try Palm Island in November.

Nice fishing! That's a real angler, passing on a good lure to someone he doesn't know, isn't it?

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

Tony's lures.

Dog snapper

Tarpon.

Lure.