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).
Brazil again (February 2025).
Last April I wrote this - "Since I returned from Brazil in February the fishing (for me) has not been productive. Curiously, the catches of my son Richard, still fishing in Brazil (where he lives), have also more or less dried up."
It is almost unbelievable, but Richard's poor results continued long after my departure. Over the past year, although he fished about once-a-week from the same beaches where he had completely out-fished me during my stay in 2024 (catching a succession of good snook, jacks and barracuda, while I struggled for anything) HE HAD NOT HAD A SINGLE BITE ON HIS LURES! In short, the fishing prospects for our family visit during February 2025 did not look good. The next couple of web pages will outline our attempt to restore the balance over the past month.
Of course, Richard and Ana have time consuming jobs at the local university and they live very full lives with a house, two growing daughters, a large garden, dogs, tortoises and all the usual trials of life. In short, fishing time for Rich and I would be limited. Anyway, to set the scene, here are a few pictures of where we were and what we saw -
Where we stayed - They have a large garden divided into areas for growing vegetables, fruit, keeping their pets, play areas for the girls and growing ornamental trees and shrubs.
A small part of Rich and Ana's front garden.
A large pacific fan palm in Rich's little 'shade garden'.
The turkey and one of the chickens in the 'fruit tree region' behind the house.
Typical sights - We travelled about a fair bit while we were there, notably to a fragment of the, once extensive (In Darwin's day), Atlantic forest. There were snakes, spiders, alligators, snakes, frogs, birds, sloths and a huge variety of plants and insects. Coconuts, mangos, pawpaws and many fruits unfamiliar to me are prolific in the wild and in peoples gardens.
Richard with a good sized Jackfruit (I don't like the taste of them - everyone else does.).
A ghost crab from the beach had made its way into the front garden.
A jacare (alligator) seen on a walk in the Mata Atlantica Forest.
One of the tarantulas we encountered on the Mata Atlantica walk.
A Jacamar, one of the many colourful birds (vultures, raptors, humming birds and parrots).
A baby Boa Constrictor from the front garden.
Waving a rod about - Rich and I tried to get in an hour's fishing most days (it wasn't always possible). The standbyes (failing all else) were (1) Flicking a small lure in the local estuary after a kilometre or two's walk along the local beach or (2) In the evenings (when it was too rough to get out in the kayak) paternostering a prawn or a piece of sardine from the nearby sandy shore. This produced quite a few catfish but, surprisingly, no rays.
Richard and I spinning in the local river estuary on our breakfast-time beach walk.
One of several puffer-fish that took our lures in the river.
'Our' beach and fishing at dusk -
The entrance onto the beach, just two minutes from Richard's door.
An evening bait-fishing session from the beach just by the entrance.
A decent Sea Catfish from the beach.
...and a gafftopsail catfish (all the catfish have really nasty stinging fin spines, hence the pliers for unhooking).
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