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).

Surprise!

It was the first decent spring tide of the series. Earlier in the week there had been loads of weed cast up on the beaches. No doubt it had developed a massive crop of maggots. We were anticipating a bonanza mullet trip. Then came the storm. Typical of the past summer the wind and rain arrived two days before the good tide was due. Undaunted (but stupid) Bill, Nigel and I decided to go anyway.

We were (for once) correct. The beach was lined with banks of freshly deposited kelp and all the old, maggoty weed had gone. There was no sign of a bass or a mullet. We plugged for a while, hoping for a stray bass, then we talked for a while and then we plugged some more as we wandered back along the shore. Despite a fair amount of weed around the water's edge it was certainly fishable, but there appeared to be no fish.

Nightfall approached and the sun went down in a blaze of glory. Suddenly, Nigel had a bite and he was in. We were surprised and delighted that he'd got a fish. I put down my rod and grabbed the camera. The fish was not large, nor was it a bass. But Nigel said it was probably the first pollack he'd caught from that stretch of shoreline. Fantastic! I took it's picture and we put it back before fishing a bit longer. We had a couple more knocks but caught nothing else before returning to our cars and home.

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

Sunset.

Hooray!