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).
Well I never did!
I really enjoy taking my grandchildren fishing. However, it has all the problems of being a professional "Fishing Guide" (not my thing) and of course it is equally vital (even more important) that they should catch something. My Grandson Marcel, age 17, is a pretty keen angler and has done a fair bit of coarse fishing for carp, tench, chub, barbel and the like with his dad Mark, who is a skilled angler. Anyway, Marcel knows the ropes. He has also been sea fishing with his mates a couple of times and he tells me that they had caught a few mini-bass on ragworm-baited leger gear. For some months now he had planned to come and stay with us for a couple of nights here in Dorset, with the idea of cramming in some salt water angling experience.
Now, anyone who has looked at the few reports on my website will realise that, since recuperating from my op last winter, I have not been catching much. In fact, apart from a recent session with my good pal Bill, when we had a decent bag of modest bass on soft plastics, my results have been dire. Of course I was keen to give Marcel the experience of something a bit different from fishing with traditional rigs baited with boilies, pellets or paste baits in fresh water and I hoped that, using my usual spinning or free-lining approaches, we might have a fair chance of catching something worthwhile. With this in mind I'd made a couple of trial sorties to the coast, but my long run of misfortune continued. In a desperate attempt (before the visit) to 'find a fish', earlier this week I had a three a.m. start on the rocks. I was freelining a large fillet of mackerel on an 8/0 circle hook just to see if there was anything about. I started to fish at about 04:00hr, flicking out my bait a couple of metres into flat-calm, gin clear water. It was just after dead low water, the sea temperature was well over 17oC and there was no wind to speak of - perfect free-lining conditions. The sea bed was thickly draped with loose, feathery weed, a sure sign that there would be lots of Idotea which would undoubtedly feed on my bait and should provide an attraction for bass. Nothing happened for three-quarters-of-an-hour and I was beginning to think that it would be yet another total blank. I glanced at my watch, almost 04:50. Suddenly there was a savage snatch at the bait which plucked the braid from my finger and thumb grip. The bass (it had to be a bass) took a small amount of line then everything went slack and there was no further movement. After waiting for a few minutes I reeled in to find that most of the fillet had gone, presumably now in the belly of whatever had grabbed the bait. I baited up and cast again but he culprit did not return. Rather depressed (but slightly encouraged) I fished out my final cast waiting until Bill came down for his regular weekly session. He duly arrived, as expected, and we had a quick chat before I packed in and went home.
A couple of days later Marcel arrived by train at Wareham station and, after we'd eaten, we set off for a 'starter' session of lure fishing. Braided lines and softbaits with nose weights were unfamiliar to my partner, so I thought that a spot of spinning would be a good introduction. There was a stiff onshore breeze, the sea was choppy with a spot of colour and a fair bit of 'weed soup' in the edge. However, there were no major snags and the waves were not big enough to fill his wellies with water. We were both using weedless EvoStix lures with small cone leads on the trace, making it easy to cast into the wind. As it turned out there was nothing doing and despite trying several likely spots along the shore we had zero bites.
A small bass taken in June on a weighted EvoStix lure like the ones we were using.
After our return home that evening I said to Marcel that I'd be trying bait fishing at low water the following morning. He was keen to give it a go and asked me to call him when I got up - a pretty good effort for any teenager. Before I went to bed I prepared a rod for each of us and set a couple of mackerel fillets from the freezer to thaw overnight. I showed him the simple set up with a metre or so of 20lb nylon on the end of the braid and an 8/0 circle hook tied with the trace threaded through the front (bend side) of the eye. At 04:15, still in the pre-dawn gloom, I tapped on his door and sure enough within a few minutes we were in the car and on our way to the coast. Although it was a fairly warm morning there was a stiff, onshore wind so we opted to walk to a spot where the cliff would afford a bit of shelter. We talked about the fishing as we tramped along the rocks and as we reached the chosen spot I made my first mistake. Sure enough the tide was well out and there was no more than 50cm of water in the gully where we would be fishing. I'd attached a large bait to each hook, Marcels was a whole flank of a decent sized mackerel hooked twice through the pointed end so that almost the entire hook was exposed. As we quietly walked down to the water's edge I said that the bass were often really close in. My point was proved when a sploosh and bow wave resulted as we scared a bass which had been feeding in the margin. Silly old man!
Because my rod, reel and set up was unfamiliar to Marcel, I suggested that I should make the first cast for him, as a starter. He agreed, and the bait plopped in two or three metres beyond our stance. I suggested that he paid out some line and backed away to sit on a handy boulder with the bale-arm of the reel open and the line held between the finger and thumb of his free hand. I returned to pick up my own gear, progged the head and shoulders of the mackerel on my hook and returned to lob my own bait a few metres further to the left before joining my grandson on the boulder.
As the minutes ticked away we talked about what to expect if we had a bite. Bass taking an untethered, free-lined bait almost invariably run off at high speed. When using circle hooks the art is to let the fish go for some time before tightening the line (never strike). Even where we sat in the shelter of the cliff, there was quite a blustery breeze so it was impossible to keep a taut line. Anyway, about fifteen minutes of quiet chat suddenly I saw Marcel tense as the line was yanked from his fingers and began to uncoil from the spool. As though he'd been doing it all his life he simply held onto the rod and allowed the braid to stream out after the running fish. The bass seemed to slow down and the gusty wind made a bit of a bow in the line; like an expert he gave the reel a couple of turns, just enough to draw the line straight without the bass feeling any tension. A bit more slack blew into the line and he repeated the exercise.
After about half-a-minute had passed, with fish now perhaps twenty metres away I suggested that he should gently close the bale and, very slowly, tighten the line. Again his actions were exemplary. The rod began to bow, the reel screeched, there was a splash out in the open water and the fish was on. It was clearly a decent bass and appeared to be well hooked as it made several short, powerful runs against a tight clutch. After a short while the bass was tiring and it was now within about ten metres of where we stood. I suggested that Marcel should draw it closer by slowly walking backwards. The fish made a couple of short but powerful plunges as it was drawn into shallower water and then, with one last heave, it slid ashore onto the carpet of wet weed. Take out the hook, a couple of pictures, a measure with the tape and slide it back into the sea. SUCCESS!
Marcel's fine, fat, 60cm bass, still on the line after it slid ashore.
A quich shot of the captor before the fish was returned.
I have to say that when we returned home after Marcel's success he (wisely) went back to bed and did not wake up until mid-day. He was shattered. However, that afternoon I took him over to a local river for a spot of spinning (with a small Rapala). It was hot, sunny and sweaty. Although he'd never tried the tactics before, and despite the number of people swimming and throwing things in the river for their dogs to chase, we managed a chub and a small pike. I'm quite sure that he'll be coming to visit the grandparents again (and probably bringing his dad with him next time).
PLEASE TELL YOUR TWITTER (X), FACEBOOK, EMAIL FRIENDS ABOUT THESE BOOKS.
THE SECOND WAVE
Written with Steve Pitts this is a SEQUEL TO THE BESTSELLER "Operation Sea Angler" IT'S AVAILABLE ON PAPER FROM -
HOOKED ON BASS
Written with Alan Vaughan. NEW PRINT OF THE ORIGINAL: IN PAPERBACK. Copies available from all good book shops RRP 14:99 -
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
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