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).

Serves me right - well done Bill!

I was going to go fishing this morning but, before I went to bed I had a look at the weather forecast - rain, rain and more rain. Having been washed out twice recently without wetting a line I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and didn't bother to set the alarm. Serious mistake! At about mid-day I had an email from Bill, of course he'd been fishing and he'd had a, well deserved, catch. Here's a precis of his account :-

Told Sally yesterday "I don't expect I'll catch anything tomorrow...." I arrived at the beach round about 05:45 and had a few casts as I made may way along. The sea temperature was just under 16 degrees C and it was the last of the ebb. Everywhere looked unfishy. I tried a few places and stopped for half-an-hour in the most likely spot but there was nothing doing.

I was fishing a white Albie Snax lure and for almost two hours I was fishless. It was 07:30, just fifteen minutes to low tide, when I got to one of the many ledges. I walked cautiously out along the barnacle covered rocks. There was a stiff, onshore breeze and, as I neared the seaward end, it was 'rough as a badgers' with a 1m swell rolling in. Anyway, despite the tricky conditions, I decided to give it a try.

After a couple of casts I had a missed bite. I fished on a bit more optimistically. A few casts later I landed the first fish, then a second of 3lb, 50cm, I was pleased . Twenty minutes later I had hell of a bite followed by the weirdest and hardest fight of my life. I could see it was a good fish and it was going crazy; it felt like my line was hitting rocks all the time. I managed to scoot along the ledge, almost getting knocked over by waves as I went, and eventually I landed it. Somehow, the line had wrapped itself round the tail of the bass, hence the very weird fight. Twenty minutes later and a monstrous fished lurched out of the water at my rod tip, and grabbed the lure before it took off against a tight drag; it didn't stop for ages. Eventually I managed to slide it onto the ledge, by back pedaling as I was being buffeted by the big waves - it was a gorgeous fish - massive head and 70cm long. Unbelievably, twenty minutes later I caught its twin, another 70cm bass. Then I had a further two 2.5lb fish. After one-and-a-half hours of hard graft I was drenched from head to toe. On my second from last cast, I saw a five-pounder come up out of the wave and give my lure a good tug, but the bite didn't stick.... By this time I was pretty chuffed; it was now 09:30 so decided not to be too greedy, and I headed home.

What a session and a well deserved catch of good bass - all returned alive and well. I expect that, had I gone myself (as I'd intended) I would have arrived much earlier than Bill and by the time he caught his first fish I'd already have 'given them best', said good bye to my pal, and been on the way home as he landed his first fish.

Rough water at the end of the ledge. The picture doesn't do it justice.

A 50cm fish on the tape.

A better one with the lure still in its mouth.

Exactly 70cm on Bill's tape.

Yet another beauty.

A plump bass with the rod, reel and lure.

The happy angler (hiding his grin behind the fish).

– PLEASE TELL YOUR TWITTER, FACEBOOK, EMAIL FRIENDS ABOUT THESE BOOKS.

HOOKED ON BASS

Written with Alan Vaughan. NEW PRINT IN PAPERBACK. Copies available from all good book shops RRP £14:99 - "Waterstones"

ANGLING ON THE EDGE

Copies can now be ordered (printed on demand) from Steve Pitts at £34.00, inc. Royal Mail Insured UK Mainland Postage.

To order a book send an E-MAIL to - stevejpitts@gmail.com

FISHING FOR GHOSTS

Written with David Rigden. Copies from "The Medlar Press"

THE SECOND WAVE

Written with Steve Pitts this is a SEQUEL TO THE BESTSELLER "Operation Sea Angler" IT'S AVAILABLE ON PAPER FROM - "Veals Mail Order" AND ON PAPER OR FOR YOUR KINDLE FROM"Amazon"

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