Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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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).

School bass.

My pal Bill emailed me the other day to ask if I fancied an hour or two spinning for bass that afternoon. I couldn't get away at the same time as him so I said that I'd follow him along. It was a fairly big spring tide so by the time I arrived on the shore it was already well in and I hurried along to see if I could catch up. By the time I reached the first likely spot there was no sign of my mate. Apart from a band of fine weed in the edge of the sea the water seemed to be pretty clear so I decided to have a few chucks before pressing on. First cast with my 18cm Pearl Evo Redgill and I was in. Clearly the bass was no monster but it took a bit of line against the clutch and splashed about on the surface as I played it in. Excellent start! Of course having caught a fish I had to have another cast or two and before I knew it I'd been fishing for an hour and the tide was too high for me to follow Bill any further. While I was fishing I'd had three more schoolies so I was reasonably happy with the session but I couldn't help wondering what my pal had caught.

I trudged back to the car and as I was starting the engine I looked back and could just make out a tiny figure standing on a headland way back along the shore. No point going back now I thought, so I drove home. As it turned out I'd been lucky because Bill's email the next day said that he'd had just one wrasse. I went down the following morning hoping to bag up after my four small fish but as it turned out things were much slower and I only caught one although I did drop a better bass a couple of casts before the one I landed. Anyway, it was nice to catch a few fish for a change even if the biggest struggled to make three pounds.

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 first.

I couldn't believe it when I had a bite within seconds of the lure hitting the sea.

Well hooked.

The huge hooks on these Redgills really get a grip.

Next morning.

Another small bass well hooked.  I prefer these pictures taken in poor light..

Bill's wrasse.

He's not keen on 'brown fish' but it looks to be quite a good specimen.