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 start of 2025 - It's the same the whole world over.
Due to domestic activities it is likely that it will be a month or so before I can post another web page (hopefully by then I'll have some pictures of fish and fishing). Anyway, (thanks to my family and my good pal Alan Bulmer) to be going on with I've been able to put together this account with (I think) some interesting pictures.
I have four sons, all now adults with their own families, one is a keen angler like me, another can take it or leave it and the others are not really interested. However, although he rarely fishes himself, my youngest, Dan, (now in his fifties), is always on the lookout for things that might entertain 'the old man'.
Dan, his wife Deanne and their children Joshua and Emilia live in Perth, Western Australia. Recently they have been on holiday in New Zealand. They had a fantastic time on their travels round North Island - they visited some interesting places and, inevitably, they saw a number of fishing related activities while they were there. As might be expected, not all the anglers were really 'with it' when it came to tackle and tactics. Here are a small selection of Dan's images -
Hobbit's fishing gear? Quite likely to be lost if anything decent takes..
New Zealand anglers by a local aquarium...
...the 'prop the rod up and hope for the best' characters obviously exist down under as well as here.
Dan's family had a spell in a pleasant hotel on the shores of Lake Taupo. I can't say that I wasn't jealous of the views from their windows.
A Fine view of the lake - what a place!
... and the mountains in the distance are impressive.
Some of the hotel 'decor' suggests that anglers often stay at the same place.
A selection of fancy flies, presumably of the type used to catch fish from the lake?
A 'Toby' key ring indicates that not everyone catches their trout by fly fishing.
Dan also sent me lots of pictures of traditional sea fishing gear made and used in the south seas.
An original 'circle type hook' on its fibre trace.
A hook made from wood and shell.
A turtle shell lure.
Just to complete the scene, and to show that there IS some really great sport to be had in the Land of the Long White Cloud - my good friend Alan Bulmer, who lives in Auckland, is a fantastic angler and catches amazing fish from all sorts of situations. Alan is an 'all-rounder' but he really enjoys his saltwater fly fishing. I rely on him for the latest and best information on tackle. Here;s one of his recent emails -
"Hi Mike, Fishing has been a real journey this year (2024). I opted, in January, to fish mainly fly, targetting local reef conditions. Of course I realised that it was going to be a tough grind, but I was prepared for the worst. Remarkably it was just the opposite. I have averaged about three fish per session and caught a wide variety of species. For example I caught a 42cm Parore and a 37cm Trevally yesterday and lost two fish that were way bigger when the hooks straightened. I've had quite a few Snapper between 35-40cm as well as Piper (garfish) and the ubiquitous Kahawai."
" I have evolved my-fly fishing technique quite a bit. Latest is to use a fly line designed for nymph fishing in lakes with a five-foot clear sink tip. This has allowd me to the get deep without using heavy flies. Bought a Japanese #7 weight fly rod with an unusual blank - 87% Carbon and 13% fibreglass. Medium-fast action until you hook a fish and then it miraculously morphs into a fibreglass rod. Can cast 90 to 100 ft with it consistently. Insane rod, especially when fighting fish. Still tying heaps of flies and, just as with the lures, the smaller flies seem to attract big fish regularly.
Alan, hard at it with his new 'weapon'. (I wish I could cast a fly half as well!)
Kahawai.
Parore.
Piper (garfish).
Snapper.
Trevally.
My third son, Richard, has just returned from their family summer holiday in Costa Rica. He did manage to catch a few fish (including his first rooster fish) while he was there. However, the most interesting thing was a family turtle-watching trip. This is Ostional beach on the Nicoya Peninsula. What a sight! Richard tells me that in a good year as many as half-a-million turtles spawn here.
Egg laying Olive Ridley turtles on a Costa Rican beach.
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