LRF sessions.

Been out on a couple of LRF sessions recently, and learned a few things which has added another dimension to one of our venues.

The first spot produces fish on the flood tide, normally there are a few School Bass and Polllock to be had and the odd Garfish is normally present though these are often seen but not caught. Once the tidal flow slows here the sport normally drops off which is around high tide. This is the signal to move to a second spot a five minute walk away. Things have changed at this second spot in the last couple of years since a breakwater was put in place and reversed the tidal flow here. The venue would fish on the flood before the breakwater was put in place but now it fishes on the ebb instead. This has also had the effect of creating a slack area where the fish hunt during the fiercest part of the run off which forces any baitfish into this slack area for the predators to prey on. We only just discovered this on the recent sessions and I made the most of it a couple of nights ago when I had a dozen schoolies to over a pound and several small Pollock. I had lots of taps and lost fish too.

All my fish came to Eco gear aqua Strawtails which have been a firm favourite amongst my friends and I for several years, however this excellent range of lrf lures has now been discontinued , which is a total travesty. I guess the market just isn't there for expensive lrf lures like it once was. I think the Strawtails retailed at around £10.00 a pack for about a dozen which is quite expensive, but there was something about these 2" soft lures that the fish just loved. The Strawtails will outfish any other lure on the market in my opinion and we have proved that many times ourselves. Shame really but there's is nothing I can do about it. We have a limited supply to keep us going probably for this season but after that they will be no more...Long live the Eco gear aqua Strawtail...

The good news is I will soon be stocking a range of soft lures from Crazy fish, a Spanish company that are making waves in the European Ultralight market and now pushing into the UK. The range is extensive and having used them myself I know they are very effective. I prefer scented lures which is what the Crazy fish range is, carrying a Squid scent which not only attracts the fish but makes them hold on longer when they take the lure.

In addition to this I am having a dedicated website built where I will be stocking the Crazy fish range as well as other Soft lures and accessories including weedless hooks, Jig heads, texas and dropshot weights and other terminal tackle items. Watch this space for the announcement of the launch which will be in the next few weeks.

Until next time thanks for reading and tight lines.

Chris

We've had some fabulous weather recently which has raised the sea temperatures enough to see a few fish start showing inshore. Following on from the last entry our best laid plans have had to change slightly due to a shocking lack of Sandeel availability preventing my friend and I pursuing any Ray fishing, yes we could use other baits but we would not have anywhere near the same results. Instead we have been out on Fly and Lure with reasonable success.

Another LRF trip produced some nice Pollock to around the 2lb mark which was great fun on the ultralight gear and a strong tidal flow! The fish crash diving underneath the pontoon I was fishing from making the reel make that - zzzz - zzzzz - zzzz sound as they made a bid for freedom, and the rod at full curve, epic fun!!

 

 

The next trip was on the fly and though it was a bit of a struggle I did manage a few Basslings plus a fish of about 1 3/4lb but at least it was a start!

First proper Bass Lure session of the year again produced a few sporadic fish to about 3lb which was very satisfying and a promising start for the mark I fished which has been very unproductive for the last few years compared to when I first started fishing it and my friends and I were getting good numbers of Bass on most sessions. 

As you can see I have started using the action camera as much as possible to record some of the sessions. I find this a lot easier than trying to use a normal camera to take still photos while fishing and reduces the time the fish need to be out of the water. I can take an instant photo on the action cam if need be. Hopefully I will have enough to make a short film by the end of the season.

So what's next? More fishing of course! hopefully plenty more fly and lure action when tides and weather permit.

Until next time, tight lines.

I feel like I have just woken from a long winters hibernation! It's been many months since I have actually fished in Saltwater and it's been a long cold and wet winter and I had reverted to some Freshwater fishing to pass the time. I grew tired and stale in a very short space of time and in the end it felt like I was just going through the motions, which indeed I was in an effort to keep doing some fishing of some kind. Yesterday signified the end of that period and I resolved to move on to some Saltwater fishing with the rising temperatures signalling the possibility of this.

So Last evening I had a text from one of my fishing buddies enquiring if I fancied a bit of LRF at a local spot with one of our other friends.  I jumped at the chance to make the change and off we went. The night was very still with zero wind and though slightly fresh it wasn't what you would call cold. We tried our first spot without any taps or enquiries of any kind from fish so we moved to another spot further along which is a small pontoon and we were all into fish virtually straight away! Our LRF fishing has always been very competitive which makes it even more fun and the banter flowed and fish were landed. Small Bass and Pollock were in residence and though the sport lasted only a short time it was a great re introduction to Saltwater and I really can't wait to get back out with my new found enthusiasm I am raring to hit the Salt hard this year!

We have some Ray fishing planned for the next trip with the temperatures forecast to rise in the next few days we are hoping these large flat fish will come inshore at a shallow venue we like to fish for them. This mark produces mostly Small eye or Painted Rays and Spotted rays but there is also a chance of an Undulate and the odd Turbot. Following on from that I am hoping to get out on the Fly and of course some more Lure sessions. As the water temperature rises and the fish come closer inshore seeking the warmth of the warmer shallow water this will become viable. I can't wait and hopefully if plans are fulfilled this year there will be much more to write about here and I hope you enjoy reading about it.

A small but welcome first fish of the year from Saltwater.

Shop expansion- Fly and Lure!

For the last couple of years I have been beavering away building up a small business selling High quality Saltwater and Predator fly tying materials which is beginning to pay off. The business is expanding as word gets around about the high quality products I sell as well as the outstanding service I pride myself on providing to my customers, many of which are returning time and again.

I am now diversifying into the Lure side of things, as a passionate lure angler as well as fly fisherman this feels like a natural progression, and I am excited at the prospect of this expansion.

I hope to obtain some prestigious accounts and establish relations with some of the premier suppliers and manufacturers in this field and provide the kind of service to Lure anglers as I have been to fly anglers.

To begin with I have stocked my Ebay shop with a few items including two types of Ultralight soft plastics, jig heads and some braid while I build a dedicated website to accommodate a shop. If you would like to view the items with a view to making a purchase and support this venture then please visit the links below.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soft-Lures-Dropshot-LRF-Texas-Carolina-Vibro-shad-15pk-various-colours-/322517652858?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soft-Lures-VIBRO-FRY-Dropshot-LRF-Perch-Pike-Wrasse-Bass-CHOOSE-COLOUR-/322511943446?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jig-heads-3-gram-size-6-hook-Perch-Pike-Bass-Wrasse-/322518708263?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

 

 

All the above items are of a high quality that I have carefully sourced and tested myself.





If you are in the UK and into your Ultralight fishing then please take a moment to visit the shop and test my service, I guarantee you won't be disappointed! In the unlikely event that you are I will happily give you your money back!

Keep checking back to the shop from time to time as new items will be added, they will also be posted here as they arrive in stock.

Thanks for reading, tight lines, and if you have any questions or need any help then please leave a comment.

Chris

Recent adventures!

I have recently re discovered my love of Saltwater fishing, that's not to say I fell out of love with it entirely but just got distracted by other things. My renewed enthusiasm has led to discovering some new marks, re acquainting myself with some old one's and actually managing to catch a few fish!

I began with some bait fishing as it was still early in the year and lure and fly opportunities would not present themselves for a few more weeks. The target being Rays which have seen a resurgence in numbers the last few years. The first session produced some fish, however not the target species as the Dogfish were in proliferation that night!

The next session produced the desired species and between my fishing partner and I we landed several Small eyed Rays.

A few nights ago I managed to get out for a couple of hours Lure fishing for Wrasse at a new mark and from the first cast I was getting bites, and eventually hooked up with a Rock Donkey!

So that brings us up to date really, there have been a few blank sessions in between but hopefully there won't be too many of those!

Saltwater fly fishing for Bass in the UK

Are you an avid fly angler and want to try your hand at some saltwater fly fishing? Maybe you've never picked up a fly rod in your life and are considering it for the first time with saltwater in mind? Whichever it is you are about to embark on one of the most thrilling types of angling that there is!

Fly fishing in saltwater here in the UK isn't as big as it is in the United states or some other countries but it is an ever growing branch of the sport. For those lucky enough to realise the potential we have in our coastal waters there is some exciting sport to be had once the shoals are tracked down. Bass, Mackerel, Pollock, Garfish, Mullet and a few other species are all very catchable on the fly. The sport these fish provide on fly gear is in my opinion, unrivalled by any other type of fishing in the UK.

I have spent many spring, summer and autumn evenings in pursuit of a variety of saltwater specimens and enjoyed some great sessions, and to be honest of all the different types of fishing I've enjoyed over the years, these are definitely the most memorable, and the type I still yearn after the most.

So what is it about saltwater fly fishing that I hold in such high esteem?
For me it is the simplicity of it, the un cluttered nature, the uncertainty, the variety of scenery and ever changing conditions, the challenge and the sheer thrill once contact is made and the ensuing fight....

Let me elaborate.
The simplicity is you, a rod, a reel and a box of flies. No bags, holdalls,chairs, bivvys, seat boxes, buckets and similar encumberments. You can walk free of burden for miles if necessary in search of your quarry without breaking a sweat. You may need a pair of waders and a waistcoat but these items are worn not carried, and therefore are part of your clothing. You are uncluttered by peripheral items.
I rarely even carry a net as most of the time as I am wading and prefer to bring the fish to hand. A small camera and your box of flies and any spare bits such as forceps or spare leaders are carried in your waistcoat. I have tried various sling packs over the years but find it just encourages me to carry more unnecessary items.
One other thing I always carry is a small bottle of water to drink, again this fits in one of my waistcoat pockets.
Uncluttered refers to the terminal tackle, this is simply a fly line, a leader and a fly. There are no other fangled bits and bobs on the line, no weights, nothing. This has the added benefit of allowing a more direct contact with your quarry, there is nothing between you and the fish to detract from the fight and feeling that first pull as they hit your fly, a heart stopping moment if ever there was one!
Of course the challenge is locating the fish in the first place, a subject best left for another article at this time, however location goes hand in hand with enjoying the scenery along the way as well as the ever changing moods of the ocean and the weather. You can never expect to catch from the coast and this is where the uncertainty comes in, you can add up all the clues as to where the fish might be, but there is no guarantee they will turn up when and where you expect them to. In my experience no two tidal events are ever the same, some times the fish will be there one tide and the next gone, leaving you guessing as to where to plan your next assault. The sheer thrill when you do get it right is unrivalled in fishing. The moment that line pulls tight as a fish takes your fly, the missed heart beat, the initial contact of setting the hook and the fraughtness of the ensuing fight, stuff dreams are made of!!

Haven't been here for a while for various reasons, but as we are approaching a new season I thought I would try and revive things a bit !

So we are in the latter weeks of March now and though the winter hasn't been a really cold one it does seem to have dragged on. The sea temperature in the Solent is hovering around 7.5 degrees c at the moment and has been for a while. We've just had a couple of slightly warmer days with the air temperature pushing up to 13-14 degrees but the winds have had some kind of easterly in them.

I think it's going to be a late arrival for the fish in any numbers this year unless things get a shift on, but in the meantime I have been busy preparing regardless, by tying flies and cleaning the gear and checking the lines. My old Orvis mid arbour reel has suffered from salt corrosion as a result of being dunked and though I always try and remember to wash all my gear down after every trip, sometimes it gets forgotten for any number of reasons !
So off to I went on the internet to hunt down a new reel and hopefully a bargain !
Love it or hate it, Ebay is an excellent resource for the angler and providing you are careful a bargain can be had...
I managed to find this Lamson Konic, brand new and unused at just the right price, Lamson reels are fantastically engineered and functional reels, lightweight, with a tough anodised and polyurethane coated finish.

As you can see it's already loaded with line and ready to go.

I am actually going to be fishing mostly with a six weight outfit this year, the main reason for that is I want to focus as much attention as possible on Mullet. We normally get vast numbers of them here, and with Bass stocks being so critical it seems silly not to target the Mullet which are in abundance. We all know they aren't the easiest fish to catch and there is lot of mystery and legend surrounding them but like every species there is always a puzzle to be worked out until you hit on what it is they want.
Anyway that's the plan and Bass will take the small trout flies that will be used for the Mullet so they will be a bonus by catch.
There's normally quite a few other species that will turn up on the fly and lures here including Mackerel, Pollock and Garfish so hopefully i'll bump into some of these as well.

I didn't in truth actually manage many saltwater trips last year on either the fly or lures and spent more time coarse fishing but that just doesn't fulfill my soul like the saltwater fishing does, the only fishing I intend to do in freshwater this year is on the fly when I can't get out on the coast due to adverse weather or water conditions.
To that end I have invested in a little 3 weight outfit for the job. This little outfit consists of a 6ft Shakespeare Agility Rise, paired with a little Okuma reel and a Barrio small stream line. I am really looking forward to using this kit as the rod is like a noodle !

I will review all the above bits of tackle individually at a later date once I've had chance to play with them and hopefully catch a few fish on them....

So those are the new toys that I will be playing with this year and also my plans, lets hope they all come to fruition and that some fish arrive in reasonable numbers to make it all viable !
If I'm successful with the Mullet and indeed any fish to that end, I will go into some more detail on the flies and gear I'm using to catch them ;)

In the meantime, thanks for reading and keep checking in ;)

LRF = Fun !!

I really don't seem to be able to get into any serious fishing campaigns yet this year, I have no idea why to be honest, but thank goodness for LRF, because when you are as lost as I am at the moment it comes to your rescue...

For once everything was right, tide, wind, general weather patterns and on the spur of the moment as is often the case with me at the current time I decided to go and tackle a local pontoon with my eldest son. It wasn't long before we were into fish and Bass at that. They were a reasonable stamp too which made the whole thing even more fun on the ultralight gear, as they tore off down tide under out feet seeking sanctuary under the pontoon. In the end we had a number of them along with a handful of Pollock too. Very enjoyable all in all and much needed under the circumstances until I find some mojo to do something a little more serious, but then fishing is meant to be fun and LRF is just that all way...

Too busy playing a fish to read the sign...

First LRF session of the year

I would have like to have kicked off the new season with a few fish on the fly, but the tides haven't really worked in favour of that so last night owing to a drop in the wind I decided to have an LRF session at a local pontoon with my two boys and my fishing buddy. We haven't really fished this venue properly before, just an odd quick dabble a couple of times so it was a pleasant surprise when we all started getting bites and catching fish from the off. There were clearly a number of small Pollock present and none of us really struggled to catch fish but my spot that I picked seemed to be the killer spot where the majority of the fish wanted to be. I ended up with over a dozen fish to a selection of different lures but the one that shone through was a small bright orange curl tail grub which the Pollock kept nailing time after time.

This one took a liking to a Reins Aji king 2", and was my first fish of the new Saltwater season.

 The majority of the fish however fell to this little orange curl tail grub from AGM products.

Youngest son snapped Dad and big brother concentrating on catching the next fish !

It was a great little session to get the season underway and I was like a kid in a candy store even though the fish were small it felt that good to be back catching fish from the salt on the ultralight gear. Seeing my two boys catching fish gave me a lot of joy as well, and they had a lot of fun which of course is always the ultimate aim !

Youngest son showed his artistic talents by taking this photo of one of big brothers fish !

Weedless Flies

I've been thinking for a while about tying up some weedless flies, having had so much success on weedless lures it seemed a logical step to replicate the same results using fly fishing gear. One particular species that responds well to weedless lures fish in amongst structure such as weed and rocks is Wrasse. To hook a Wrasse on fly gear would certainly be an interesting proposition as they are renowned as power house fish that test your tackle to the limit. So I set about making some prototype weedless flies based upon what I have learnt from lure fishing, and this is what I came up with :

Pretty funky eh ?

The Clouser style design puts the weight where you want it ready to deliver the fly down into the danger zone, the stiff mono prong weed guards should deflect the majority of obstacles and the use of a purpose design weedless worm hook should make the design work more efficiently. I don't think I'm far off with this design but I may add a bit more weight to the bottom of the hook to ensure it sinks positively and gets down quickly.

I look forward to testing these on a few fish in the near future, once the water warms enough to bring the Wrasse inshore and within fly casting range.

Clouser Minnow

If there is one Fly that is a 'go to' fly in any Saltwater anglers box it has to be the Clouser Minnow. It was one of the first flies I ever tied and fished with and one of the first I caught fish on. I will often start my fishing sessions on some variation of the Clouser, be it colour, size or material type. There are many ways to tie it and different materials perform different tasks so it is worth thinking about what you want the fly to do in any given situation and choose accordingly. A fly constructed from Bucktail for instance, will sink faster and more easily than the same pattern built from synthetic materials such as Slinky fibre or H2O. It may not seem important at first glance but sometimes it is necessary to get the fly down to deeper fish quickly, or sometimes you want it to sink slowly and fish at a shallower depth, all depending on where the fish are sitting in the water column.

Where I live, smaller flies work well early season and so I have tied up a batch of Clousers in various colours in readiness for the new season. As the season progresses I will move up to larger flies as the fish begin to feed on larger baitfish, but I will always carry the small ones as well for situations when the predators are feeding on large numbers of fry. Often they will become very pre occupied on theses tiny baitfish and it is impossible to get a hook up unless you can 'match the hatch'.

I have a limited number of surplus Clouser's for sale at the moment which you will find in the Saltwater Flies for sale section.

Custom built MHX 6 weight Fly rod

One of the things that cropped up when discussing the coming season with my friends was the subject of Mullet. These elusive fish have been on our 'to catch' list for some time but we have never seriously targeted them. We have decided to remedy this and make a concerted effort to add them to our 'caught' list.
In order to make a serious play for the grey ghosts, you need the right tackle, from the rod to the fly, and with this in mind I began to look around for the tools to do the job, but it soon became apparent that as far as the right rod went this would prove to be more difficult than you might imagine. Due to their legendary fighting qualities and soft mouths, Mullet require the right balance of power and cushioning during the fight and therefore a six weight rod and line is recommended by those who are experienced in putting these saltwater torpedo's on the bank...
So as I said the search for the right rod proved fruitless because of one vital factor, and that is the ability of the rod's fixtures and fittings to withstand the corrosive nature of saltwater.
Saltwater proof six weight fly rods are as rare as hens teeth, in this country at any rate, and what few samples were available just did not float my boat, I'm getting very fussy in my middle age !
After many hours of searching and deliberating it became apparent that the only solution would be a custom build, which would most likely be quite expensive, unless I built it myself. Luckily I have built rods before and am now quite familiar with the process and techniques required to achieve a good finish on the rod so it was just a matter of sourcing and choosing the right blank along with the fixtures and fittings.

I won't go into the actual build itself but it takes time and patience and the right tools and some skill, but if you are prepared to go down that route then it can be very satisfying to build a rod to your own specifications and then to catch fish on it.

The Blank I chose is made by American company MHX, and is a fairly fast actioned model. Next was the reel seat and this is an anodised seat with a carbon effect insert from the ALPS stable. Stripping rings and tip ring are Fuji Titanium models and the wire guides are Seymo titanium coated. Whippings are Pac Bay midnight black with metallic silver accents on the joint wraps. The handle and fighting butt were custom made for me and feature dura cork ends.

I am very pleased with the overall effect, quite understated but at the same time pleasing to the eye.



Alps reel seat

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MHX blank features a smooth ground satin grey finish.

 

Silver two wrap accents on the section joints.

 

 

 

 

 



This rod will be my saltwater all rounder from now on, because not only is it ideal for the Mullet, it's also better suited to the size of Bass and other species we get round here, an 8wt is actually a little over gunned most of the time so a 6wt should give better sport and more fun !

It's been a long time....

...but somehow I seem to be drawn back to the salt. I've missed it for sure, but some back problems precluded me from fishing it the rest of last year and I had to revert to some less physical and less demanding coarse fishing. I'm not better but I have realised my limitations physically and I can still enjoy all that the salt has to offer as long as I don't over do it.

So what a diabolical winter we've had, storm after storm, floods, gales, lightning and thunder at a time of the year when you would least expect it. And then a few weeks ago it calmed down and now we have had one of the warmest springs for many a year. The sea surface temperature has been double what it was this time last year and now we are only days away from the magic 10 degrees ! The question is, will the fish arrive early or will we still have to wait until April ? I know we're not far away from April now but will three weeks make any difference ?

My friends and  I went and did a recce trip last Sunday to a new spot that one of my mates had found on some maps, and I must say it really looks the part and has everything that is needed to make a good recipe for catching some fish. I look forward to testing this one out and it is not so demanding as far as access goes so I should be able to manage it ok.

Hopefully we will have a good, hot and not too windy summer this year and will find plenty of shoals of marauding predators herding the baitfish inshore ready for a good scoffing ! I think I may well put the effort into fishing more early mornings as well this year, crack of dawn early, as this is usually when the wind is at it's least for the day, the reason for this is that I want to try and use the fly a lot more this year rather than lure fishing, as I think it is the ultimate way to catch fish in the sea.

I've missed this...

 

To that end I have been busy tying flies and I have built myself a new fly rod in readiness which I will tell you about in the next blog entry, but for now that's it, I'm back, I'm keen and hopefully some when in the near future I will be bent into a feisty bar of silver !

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 







Festival disruption causes fishing chaos !

It's Festival time over here on the Island at the moment and thanks to the disruption it causes, my eldest son had the day off school today....so naturally he and his mate wanted to go fishing!
I said o.k I would taxi them to where they wanted to go, and decided to throw my gear in the car as well, just in case...as you do !
Things started off slow and the first half of the session leading up to high tide was a wash out with very little evidence of any fish present. A few nibbles from tiny Wrasse and Gobies all of which resulted in zero hook ups. I suspected that all this could change on the ebb and as I had to leave and go and pick up my younger son who still had school today I left my eldest and his mate to carry on. I returned about an hour or so later and found that my prediction had been correct and the fish had switched on during my absence. My eldest reported two Bass and a Pollock and lots more fish present, this being bolstered by a large flock of gulls working nearby too.
I parked the car up, retrieved my gear from the boot and re joined the boys on the Pontoon.

The water was full of pin fry which the Bass and other fish were merrily gorging themselves on, The trouble was, despite having my best selection of LRF lures with me, It was hard going matching the hatch due to the miniscule size of baitfish that the predators were preoccupied with ! In the end a 5 gram metal was as near as I could get and I managed to hook a little schoolie in short order but it was still hard going despite large numbers of fish present, the problem being the overwhelming amount of free food available.

In the end though we managed a few Bass, some Pollock and a Mackerel between us and my youngest son did me proud by being photographer for the session ! 

 

Action as a Schoolie takes the Metal !



 

The Mackerel were happy with Plastic !

 

Number one Son bags a Pollock

Still slow

A couple of recent LRF sessions have yielded a few fish, though it's still been hard work for the time of year. The fish just don't seem to have established themselves in any numbers yet as in previous years at this time.
Anyway the first session saw me take my kids to a little pontoon the other night that is generally a great little venue for LRF. We managed a few Pollock between us during a dusk period in the tide, though the window and feeding spell was very small and there didn't seem to be any real numbers of fish like there can be here.

The second session was the same story really, visited another normally fun little LRF venue which is the entrance to a harbour mouth where large groups of schoolies gather at the right stage of tide and we have had some hectic fishing here at times on the ultralight gear. Last night however it was again hard work. There were obviously some fish present as the first bite came just on the dot of the flow picking up but this proved to be a false indicator and the bites were few and far between though both myself and my mate did manage pound plus fish each which was nice. Didn't get a picture of those one's though as the light was fading by then and I didn't want to spook any more potential fish with the flash as we were wading waist deep in the water and it had been hard enough work as it was ! So here's a pic of the first fish, only a half pounder but fun nevertheless...

I

First strike to the needles !

Summer arrived this weekend finally, and with it the sport has just switched on pretty much overnight. Better two months late than never I guess ! 
Anyway taking advantage of the improved conditions my mate and I headed to what is commonly regarded as one of the best venues on the island in search of some fishy action. I have never fished here before, why not I can't imagine because it is simply a stunning venue with boulders the size of lorries in places and underwater topography so rough and extreme every nook and cranny must house a fish of some kind ! My mate had previously spent a little time here and regaled me with stories of lost monsters and unseen tackle smashing beasts ! For the first time in quite a long while I was actually excited about going fishing. Climbing over rocks and boulders after a long cliff path hike we found a lofty perch from which to cast. My mate was first in with a small schoolie and followed it with a second slightly bigger one. Not having brought any of the Dexter wedges my pal was catching on I decided to try one of the Superstrike Needlefish lures I got from the states recently. First cast and I was into a fish and first strike to the needles ! Sadly I lost the lure to the tackle eating ground a short while later and being the only one in a suitable daytime colour I was more than a little annoyed ! The Bass seemed to vanish after that so we plodded around trying to find some more fish while the rough ground ate up even our most weedless presentations. My mate managed a good sized Mackerel and I managed to finally extract a reasonable Wrasse before we called time on our session. No monsters but a few bites and a few fish during what we generally consider to be poor daytime conditions for Bass fishing, hot, bright and fairly calm. If I hadn't kept losing tackle and having to re rig every five minutes, I'm sure there would have been a few more Wrasse on the cards.
 We much prefer the cover of darkness for Bass, and we shall definitely be exploring the after dark potential of this mark soon as I am sure it will throw up a good stamp of Pollock once the light goes as well. At least things have kicked off properly now and we don't need to spend all our time wondering if the fish might really be there at all and concentrate our efforts on actually catching them !

 

 

 

 

 

Big Hammer, small Wrasse !

Popped out for quick LRF session this evening and managed to catch this very striking Ballan Wrasse. I ditched my favourite Ecogear strawtails for this one and instead opted for a Big Hammer curltail grub cadged from my youngest sons lure stocks !

It's been very slow here and many of our summer species are still to put in anything like a consistent appearance, there are odd pockets here and there but nothing like we would normally expect for the time of year so I was very pleased with this fish !

 

 

LRF session...at long last it begins !

Finally the fish have arrived, only a month late but hey, that's just a small detail !  After four or five blank sessions in the last couple of weeks I was really getting frustrated and beginning to think it was never going to happen, but tonight it did !

Nothing earth shattering, just a short Lrf session at an easy access venue where five of us fished and we all caught. Myself and my mate, my two sons and one of their mates all had a variety of fish including some small Wrasse, Pollock and Pouting. The ever faithful Ecogear aqua products proving their worth again. It felt good to be back amongst the fish after so long even if they were only small, at least we know that things have kicked off and we can now hopefully look forward to some regular action !

 

 

 

 

 

 

So close I can taste it !

Been out for a couple of practise sessions recently, no fish were caught and we never expected to catch any. The sessions were really just kit testing missions to make sure all was in order and iron out any teething problems. I took delivery of some Needlefish lures from the states about a week or so ago and the first session involved testing these great lures and finding out how they cast and fish. I'm pleased to report they do both very well ! I know they'll catch fish having fished soft needle very successfully in the past and these are pretty much the same but in a 'hard' version that will cast much further than the soft versions opening up new ground when the Bass are holding just that bit further out. More on these as and when I have some catches to report on them.

The second session was LRF based and though the day was warm the sea temperature still hasn't reached the magic number yet...
Still we hoped there might be a possibility of a few twinky Bass but it wasn't to be, however some other new items of kit were tested out successfully and again I'll review these in the near future once I've had a bit more time with them.

Despite the lack of any early fish I sense we are really close now, Sea temperatures are rising day on day and we're now close to the magic number and by next weekend we should be there...fingers crossed ! I think the whole Lure scene in this country is buzzing with anticipation right now with anglers desperate to start catching after having to wait for so long due to the extended winter we've had. Hopefully we will all make up for the late start with a bumper season ahead ;)

Tight lines everyone !

On the up?

There's a hint of change here at the moment, a small rise in temperatures has raised my hopes of making a start in the next couple of weeks. The air temperature outside today is getting up toward 9 or 10 degrees and there has been a slight rise in sea surface temperature over night of almost half a degree...
Winds are supposed to finally switch from the seemingly endless easterlies and north easterlies that we have had for the last few months to a warmer but wetter south westerly direction. The Jetstream looks set to move northwards slightly pushing those cold arctic winds upwards and bringing this damper weather with it. I don't mind wetter as long as it's warmer and the sea temps continue to rise, and hopefully quite quickly, triggering our fishy friends interest in venturing inshore.

 The plan is to try for a few twinky Bass to start with either on the Lrf gear or maybe the Fly which would be a nice way to get things going. I love fishing the fly for saltwater species but the last couple of years conditions just haven't been conducive to pursuing this method. We've got a couple of nice venues lined up should we happen to get some perfect conditions for the fly where we would expect a reasonable stamp of fish which would provide some great sport on the gear...

I'm still waiting for my Needlefish order from the states at the moment but once they arrive I'll post a few pics and there's a new Lrf bag somewhere in transit as well which I'll review once it arrives.

We're close now so fingers crossed.....

On another note, you may notice that I have published a basic but hopefully helpful guide to getting started in LRF in the right hand sidebar next to this post. I hope anyone interested in trying the method finds it a useful starting point. If it has been of use to you please let me know, you can rate it on Yudu or let me know in the comments box if you like. Thanks.