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 with a few real fish.
To continue the account of my recent fishing in Brazil. As I said last time Richard and I were limited to an hour or two fishing per day during my stay. The fishing was divided into four types according to tides, weather conditions and family commitments. The fall-back positions were firstly, to have a spin in the local estuary which was infested with puffer fish, although Rich has caught the odd tiny barracuda, jack and snook there over the years. Soft baits are a 'no-no' as the puffers tear them to shreds with their strong, razor-sharp teeth. Second choice, if things were too rough and hazardous for night fishing from the kayak, was bait fishing from the local beach after dark - this usually produced catfish, of which there were four species. We generally caught quite a few (as long as weed on the lines was not a major problem). Any catfish (bagre) of a few pounds was a worthwhile catch for this approach.
Of course, catching these smaller fish, although it could be entertaining, was not really what we wanted. If the tide was low enough and the sea calm enough for us to venture out we took the two-man kayak out towards the reef. We dropped the anchor and, used free-lining tactics with circle hooks baited with prawns (from the fishmonger), sardines or, occasionally, fresh half-beaks which sometimes leapt into the kayak as we paddled out to sea in the dark.
I've included a couple of pictures from the past of us launching the kayak just to give a flavour of what it is like. The two short video clips were taken on Richard's phone. In addition to the sting rays we boated a range of smaller, golden, gafftopsail and sea catfish - all of these fish tend to be a nuisance as they give good runs and extract baits without being hooked.
Here we go - about to launch the kayak.
...and as night falls we are afloat and heading for the mark.
We usually fished just inshore of the reef and our marks were fixed by lining up lights on the distant shores. As a rule it was easy fishing apart from the wind blwing the kayak about, the chop over the stern which sometimes wet Richard's backside and, as everywhere, the attentions of nuisance fish to our baits.
We had several trips afloat and never actually blanked, although once or twice we only landed small fish. However, my best catches were a stingray in the teens of pounds and, on the next trip, one of a good thirty. Both were released unharmed due to the lip-hooking benefits of circle hooks and my partner's hard earned skill with the grips and pliers (I don't know how he manages when he's fishing alone). On one occasion I had to pass Rich the rod when the fish threatened to wrap me round the anchor rope but, by dunking rod and reel he managed to avoid disaster.
StingrayCLICK TO PLAY CLIP 1.
StingrayCLICK TO PLAY CLIP 2.
Of course, when we could manage it we fished from the local (up to 20 minutes drive) beaches, using hard or soft lures. In this case, our targets were jacks or better still snook. This activity was usually at first light (about 04:30hr) and our sessions were either from the beach which had produced well in January 2024 (but fishless for my son since then, despite numerous attempts). Fish were still thin on the ground at this spot although I did manage to lose a very small snook in the edge and to miss one better bite.
We also tried another stretch of sand (there are many miles of it) which we had fished in the past and is known to produce snook. On our first attempt Richard managed to land a sea catfish, on his plug, from the estuary of the small river. Not what we were after but at least it was a fish. I had had a pull from a small fish (snook?) which failed to engulf the good sized lure, encouraging!
Richard's catfish caught while using a plug from the estuary on Mermaid beach.
On our next trip to this beach we were quickly joined by two, early rising, local anglers who were also spinning. Richard said that conditions seemed good and we flogged away for about an hour with no sign of anything. Then suddenly I was into a good fish which tore off lots of line against a tight clutch and made a number of heavy, swirling jumps at the surface. I was hoping that it was well hooked and would not come unstuck. It didn't, and after about ten minutes of give and take a fine 6kg snook slid ashore. Success!
My snook. I suggested that we might put it back but Richard said that it would be more than his life was worth - so we kept it (delicious!)
That was it for the morning, time to go for breakfast and get the girls to school. Needless to say we tried the beach again, but neither us nor an assortment of locals caught anything until one very rough morning with heavy surf and lots of drifting weed. After half-an-hour or so Rich had retreated to the weediest spot and switched to using a pearl Evo Redgill (I'd taken him a pack from the UK) which he was able to skim across the surface by holding the rod high and winding quickly. Sure enough his tactics worked and he was soon into a nice snook which he had landed and photographed before I got there.
Richard fishing in rough, weedy (snooky) conditions.
At last - a nice snook for Rich - with the lure still in its jaw.
It is hard to be back into frosty mornings again but we had a wonderful trip and I caught a few fish. Wherever you fish it needs time to "get to know a place". Anyway, it's back to bass etc. now so I must get out the cold weather clothes and give it a go.
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