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).

The last decent mullet tide of the year?

By the end of British Summer Time it's getting tricky to match tides and the hours of daylight for surface fishing. The mullet only get going for Coelopa maggots on the biggest spring tides and by late October these usually fall after dark. I'm sure the fish are still there but it's not funny scrambling over boulders in the dark and there's a real riskof breaking rods or even bones. Anyway, with my pals Bill and Nigel we'd decided to give the maggot feeding mullet a last go this week. I've been promising to show my new next-door neighbour Martyn how we fish for these fish and the bass that often keep them company, all summer; so this seemed like the last good oportunity for him to tag along. Although Martyn is quite a keen sea angler it turned out that chest waders are not part of his outfit so, to save a soaking initiation, I loaned him a pair of mine for the evening.

We drove to the coast and found the cars of Bill and Nigel already in the car park so we began the long trudge to catch them up. Sure enough when we eventually reached the appointed spot Bill was spinning and Nigel was already fly fishing, a sure sign that the fish were in. Martyn rigged his rod with a soft plastic and I joined the fly fishing contingent. Nigel took a few of my maggots to adorn his poly-fly but, just to be different, I tied on a tiny, white Delta eel. By chance the Delta seemed to be the thing they wanted and it wasn't long before I had a fish on and then off and another and another - not the ideal start but when fish fight as hard and as doggedly as thicklips it's what you come to expect. The drag of a long, thick fly line behind a fast moving mullet is sufficient to test the hold of any small hook.

As the hour or so of fishing time went on we had one or two good fish on the fly rods. I played one beauty for perhaps ten minutes before it popped off as I was trying to beach it then I landed a four pounder and another of similar size. It may not sound much but most of the fishing time was spent playing, losing or landing fish. For most of the time the bass seemed to be absent but as dusk approached Martyn had a small one then followed it with a nice three pounder - result! We packed in soon after this to make our way back in the dark - leaving Bill and Nigel fishing on to catch one or two more. All in all a good introduction to both bass and mullet for my new fishing pal and no doubt we'll have many more sessions on the beach in the coming year.

Maggot feeding mullet. Bill's piccy.

I'm in! A big mullet heads for France - this one eventually pinged off as I tried to beach it.

A wonderful fish - Nigel's into another one in the background.

Martyn spinning.

Not a bad bass for our new fishing pal.

Flash needed to picture a late one for Bill on his Slug-Gill lure.

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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