War Pigs – Putting The ‘Rock’ into Heavy Rock Fishing

If you’re looking for true ‘heavy metal’ fishing, there is one form of fishing in the UK that guarantees arm-wrenching fights, scrambling over jagged rocks and battered lures – and that’s lure fishing for Ballan Wrasse.

There are a million and one articles and how-to’s on this technique but I absolutely love it and can’t resist the chance to wax lyrical about this most exciting form of our sport. This isn’t a full tactics guide, more a ‘this is how I do it’ write up. Hopefully even experienced ‘Pig Hunters’ will find something of interest here, and for anyone who doesn’t already appreciate this magnificent fish then you might after reading, then trying this.

A lovely lure caught 2 and a half pound Ballan Wrasse, from a snag filled gulley.

The Fish

Ballan Wrasse (also affectionately known as Rock Pigs) are the largest of the British Wrasse species. They can grow close to 10lb but anything over 4 is considered an excellent specimen. They fight extremely hard and are renowned for their strong diving runs, especially at the beginning of the fight. They’re not known for their stamina though and if you can survive the first 30 seconds of the fight, you have a good chance of landing them as they tire and come to the surface, though some fish will test this theory (and your tackle!) to the limit. They eat a wide variety of crustaceans and shellfish, they will occasionally take fish too but it is not well studied and theories abound why they will take fish imitation lures with such aplomb. The best time to catch them is in summer, they are at their most aggressive and numerous then, cold weather and rough seas tend to push them in deeper waters, making them perfect for the ‘fair weather fisherman’, as a bright, warm sunny day makes ideal conditions for Wrasse. They are hermaphrodites and are all born with female reproductive organs, only changing sex later in life depending on the need for males. This change is thought to produce the ultra bright colouration seen in some individuals (although colour is also a camouflage response to their environment), with all very large fish being most likely male which is unusual for a fish species. They are a slow maturing and long lived species, up to 30 years in some cases.

The Lure

Lure choice is superbly broad these days for any form of fishing, Wrasse fishing feels a direct benefit from this, anything the Ballan eats (and that is wide variety) is available in Lure form. Fish, Crustacean and Worm imitations being the most successful, but I have seen imitation Shellfish lures that, if fished correctly, I’m sure would catch fish, though I haven’t tried them myself. Personally I have had most success on cheap rubber shads, 8 – 10cm long and in darker colours with a bit of sparkle in them, but I have caught on almost every colour from White to Black and on Crayfish imitations and curly tailed rubber Sandeels. Also any Lure that has added scent can really make the difference from a good day to a great one.  It really is up to you to find out what you prefer. Start simple and work your way up through the different variations. Try not to go for anything massive, Wrasse have comparatively small mouths for the size of fish, big lures will get bites but few hook ups. Of course there is always the all conquering Fiiish Black Minnow, in the more natural colours and either 90mm or 120mm, Wrasse can’t resist. Other weedless lures by other brands work just as well, which brings me on to…

A Texas-rigged Savage Gear Sandeel with a blue cone weight. On a beautiful sunny day this lure caught me 8 fish.

The Rig

To catch lots of Wrasse on lures you need a weedless rig. They love difficult rocky, weedy and straight up tackle munching terrain! Try fishing a regular jig head with an exposed hook through typical Ballan country and see how long you last. Actually don’t do that, it would be a massive waste of money. There are a few different weedless rigs to use, but I always use a Texas Rig for this type of fishing. Like so much in lure fishing, the Americans did it first and if you don’t know how to set it up this video will help.

Texas rigs are so simple to use and very rarely let you down when fished correctly, no matter how many times you use it, it will always surprise you how you can cast it into the snaggiest of gullies, yet it emerges unscathed. As long as you strike strongly on the take, you will hook the vast majority of your fish. Try not to buy ultra-cheap offset hooks for this fishing, you want your hooks to be sharp, strong and reliable, Ballan’s have mouths evolved to bite through the shells of crustaceans, think what they can do to a flimsy bit of metal. I use size 1/0 mostly but that varies on the size of lure. Cone weights shouldn’t be too heavy unless you are in very deep water, 10-15 grams is perfect. A useful tip is to use a rubber float stopper in front of your cone weight, this will stop the weight falling too far ahead of the lure in the water, its not a necessity but it certainly seems to decrease snagging in my experience.

The Rod & Reel

Don’t be tempted to go too heavy with your rod, you want enough strength to pull a fish away from the snags, but you also want to enjoy the fantastic fight they provide. Lrf set-up’s can be used but I don’t recommend them for a beginner, Wrasse are the dirtiest fighters in the sea and they love cutting light braid on jagged rocks. I prefer a 10 – 30g casting weight spinning rod, no more than 8ft long and lightweight. Any modern spinning reel can be used, there are so many on the market these days you are spoilt for choice, but choose simple and strong, a quality drag is essential for getting the most fun out of Wrasse. With line choice, there can be only one – braid. Fishing with Monofilament or Fluorocarbon main line will dull the experience, you need the instantaneous reaction of braid to really succeed in this fishing. I don’t use any lower than 20lb test and 8 strand because, as mentioned before, these fish will pull you through the nastiest terrain going and a tough line is essential. Even strong braid will still cut quite easily under tension but its pluses outweigh the negatives hugely.

Pure unadulterated Wrasse Country.

Location

Location is, as always in fishing, crucial. The most perfect lure set up isn’t any use where there aren’t any fish. Though Ballan’s can be and are caught on sandy clean beaches, your best chance of fish is in rocky terrain. Sunken boulders, shipwrecks, reefs and gulleys are prime real estate for these fish. I fish around the Plymouth area in the South West of England, so I’m spoilt for choice when it comes to marks. What I look for is rocky areas with lots of gullies, with a variation of deep and shallow water. The majority of the time the best spots are the most difficult to get to, clambering down cliffs overgrown with Gorse Bushes and Brambles is a regular occurrence (everything that grows on cliffs tends to either sting or spike so wear sensible clothing). Please be careful if you decide to brave the cliff descent, try not to fish alone and don’t overload yourself with fishing gear, Wrassing doesn’t require a lot of kit so you can travel light. If that sounds a little too dangerous then try any other rocky mark, there will be Wrasse there and even small fish will take your lure. I have just found them to be more numerous and larger away from the beaten track.

Technique

If you have some experience of lure fishing, this technique is going to feel strange and alien to you, it requires patience and confidence in your tackle. If you fish too fast and high in the water you will very rarely catch. These fish hunt right on the bottom amongst the rocks, to catch them you need to get right in the rough stuff. I like to position myself, at the shore end of a gulley, as centrally as possible. I look at the rock formation around me, and try to picture all the crevices and snags in front of me. Think of the gulley as ‘landscape’ when you are looking across it to the other side, and ‘portrait’ when you are looking down it towards the sea.  You don’t want to be casting across rocky gullies ‘landscape’, even a texas rig will likely snag this way, go with the terrain ‘portrait’ style, you want to be pulling the lure through the little channels and gaps in the rock, this is where the fish wait. With my texas-rig ready and hook point just nicked into the rubber (keep checking this as you fish, it will keep snagging to a minimum), I cast out around 5-10 metres depending on the size and ‘snag potential’ of the gulley, I then wait for it to hit bottom, with braid this will be an obvious ‘thump’ on the line as the cone weight hits the rocky bottom. I then reel in the slack line, I use a quick, sharp jerk and lift to pull the lure off the seafloor then let it sink back down again and wait – vary how long you wait, Wrasse will often hit a completely still lure. I repeat the technique, reeling in the slack line as you jerk it towards you slowly. Do not be afraid to go ultra slow, these fish are inquisitive and will investigate any sound or movement near them. The aim is to keep the lure on or as close to the bottom as possible the majority of the time, the quick lifting of the lure will usually pull it over any really nasty snags, whilst also giving local wrasse a good eyeful of a potential meal. If that isn’t working, experiment with smaller lifts or none at all, just slowly bumping the lure across the seabed. It’s a case of finding what works on the day, just keep that lure in the rough stuff and you’re in with a good chance. Be prepared because bites can be furious! Some fish will hook themselves as they aggressively smash the lure, but most will require a decent strike. You will quite likely feel a quick ‘dum-dum’ through the rod tip, strike then, if you fail to hook up it is most likely a smaller fish, reel in quickly keeping your rod high to avoid snagging, straighten your lure back out and try again. This time let the bite build, giving the fish an extra second to get its toothy chops round the lure, then strike.

A good average sized Ballan, fish this size love to smash lures such as this Blue Glitter Shad, putting up an astoundingly good fight for their size.

The Fight

Lets be honest, fishing for Ballan is all about the fight, an epic battle that the fish always has a good chance of winning. You want your drag set firmly but with decent give, a solid drag completely wastes the fight and can lead to snapped lines or bent hooks. Be aware that the fish will head straight to the nearest hole in the rock, that first dive is where most fish are lost, stand firm, use the rod to cushion the blows and above all, enjoy that raw power! As said before, the Wrasse will soon run out of steam but always be prepared for one last dive into the deep at the end.

Fish Care

I’m thankful that Ballan Wrasse are regarded as a poor eating fish in the UK. These fish are very susceptible to overfishing and in my opinion should always be released after capture. With this in mind I recommend a few things to help keep these fish from harm once they are the rocks. Obviously using a long handled net to get them out of the water, I also use a landing mat – these needn’t be expensive, just a cushion to stop the fish damaging itself, they also help if you want to take a photo with one, as when the fish inevitably struggles free of your grasp it will drop the short distance onto the cushioned mat. I also crush the barbs on my hooks, as long as you keep the line tight you won’t lose many more than normal and it saves so much hassle and trauma for the fish. This involves a decent pair of forceps or long nose pliers, which are a must for unhooking fish, Wrasse have an incredible bite and you don’t want to put your fingers beyond those teeth. If you need to keep the fish out of water for a couple of minutes e.g. for photos, then put the fish back in the landing net and rest it back in the sea, you can then pull it back out once its recovered to take the required trophy photographs. When you release the fish it is also good practice to release them this way, so that the fish can properly prepare itself for its return into the swirling depths. Ballan Wrasse give everything in the fight and we owe it to them to look after them once we have the fish beaten, hopefully for future fishermen to catch again and again.

Olly Vickery with a stunning bright green ‘Rock Pig’

So there you go, if you haven’t tried it, get out there this summer. If you are already a convert then I hope you have enjoyed reading how I go about catching my Wrasse. Either way lets support these incredible fish with responsible fishing and respect.

If you like this article, please check out my blog at www.fishchallenge.blogspot.co.uk

And follow me on Instagram, search: fishchallenge2016

Or you can contact me on facebook by searching for Ben Bassett

Happy Fishing and I’ll see you on the rocks!

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How will leaving the EU effect us as anglers?

Sorry about missing Fridays forecast but , like many others, I needed  some time to process the shock news that more than half the voting public think we will be better off out of Europe. All I can say is get down to your local tackle shop and buy your rods and reels now, before the price goes up. For sure the prices will rise rapidly, as the pound is almost worthless and a huge percentage of our fishing tackle is imported. I hear many of those that voted to leave, saying we will have our waters back. Yes we have our 12 mile territorial limit, for us to rule over and decide our own quotas, but many of the fish that we rely on to return each summer and winter are caught outside of that area. We will have no say whatsoever on the quotas for those areas. So enough of politics, how has the fishing been over the weekend?

It has not been the most productive weekend but the first of the Bream are starting to show on Chesil and from the boats off Portland. Regular visitor, Chris Buxton paid Chesil another visit on Saturday and managed a PB Undulate as well as one of the first Bream. He even managed an elusive Mackerel. Thankfully reports suggest that the Mackerel have at last returned. Chris mentioned that he was still picking up a lot of May water on his lines. So much so that the lines were coming in thick with it.

Inshore fishing from the boats has improved recently. I was offered a place on Snapper yesterday and knew that I would regret turning it down. I wasn’t wrong. Luke put his customers onto some great Tope, which are one of my favourite summer species to catch from from the boat.

I was especially disappointed when I found out that Mandy Bundle had caught my nemesis fish, a cracking Undulate Ray.

Other charter skippers were having a good time as well. Paul Whittal of Offshore Rebel managed to get Sam Carr into a 30lb Cod on a wrecking trip.

We have some great articles for you this week and we will be kicking it off tomorrow with a Wrasse on Lure article. I am hoping to do the first of my live broadcast fishing shows on YouTube this week. I will release more details, as we finalise the day and time.

Chesil Beach: calm with lightly coloured water

Portland: calm with lightly coloured water.

Portland harbour: calm and clear water

Weymouth Bay: Calm with clear water

Chesil Beach forecast: We have a settled couple of days that should be good for Mackerel and also give us the chance to target those early Bream. Rays are on the cards, but are often difficult to locate. Expect Plaice from the Western end of the beach, but they will be at range.

The weather is set to get fairly windy for a few days, during mid week. This could improve the Bass fishing. Talking of Bass, we will be allowed to take one Bass a day from Friday.

Portland: Light winds will be good for the Pollock and Bass, but as with Chesil, the winds from Wednesday will make the fishing a bit more difficult for them, especially if you are targeting them on lures.

Portland Harbour: I fished the harbour yesterday, in an attempt to make an LRF video. One of the fish we were after was Wrasse. We could not connect with any Wrasse and ended up being plagued with school Bass. There was no sign of Pollock or Garfish.

Weymouth Bay:Peston Beach will offer sheltered fishing on Wednesday when the weather picks up. The piers should start to see regular catches of Mackerel, now they are around again. Once the water in the harbour clears up, the Mullet fishing will also improve.

Guiding: The new guiding season is underway once again. Although we can’t keep any Bass at the moment, we can certainly catch them. I am hoping that the winter fishing ban and the new commercial quotas, combined with an increase in the minimum landing size, will make for some great Bass fishing. I specialize in lure fishing and I am offering Fly fishing this year as well. I am still more than happy to go after the multitude of species in this area with bait, whether that is big Wrasse, explosive Smoothound fishing or targeting the tastier fish such as Plaice and Bream. If you want to book a session or find out more information drop me an email at [email protected]

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Ray of Sunshine

Further to my thoughts last week on how well the local beaches are fishing for all the ray species but specifically undulate ray. My mate Simon Bristow and his pal Phil came down from the Bristol channel to Poole to see if he could bag his first ever undulate ray. Undulates are a bit of a rarity up the Bristol channel way. So given the amount being caught around here he decided to have a bash at one our local beaches.

Over the last set of spring tides the best of the ray fishing has been a few hours before or after slack water at high or low tide. This weekend we were on neaps with very little tidal movement. With the pride of Poole at stake. Could i produce an undulate in the very testing tidal conditions. Arriving at six pm the beach was packed with party goers and barbecues. Not exactly peaceful conditions. Still it’s not just our beach so we have to share.

Blasting out a single large Sandeel on one rod and worm on the other rod both with long traces .We sat back and waited with eager anticipation. So we waited and waited. 7 o’clock came and went. As did 8o clock. Eight rods and four anglers. Without so much as a sniff.

At 9pm I reeled in my worm bait and replaced it with peeler crab as dusk was approaching and the hounds may come in under the covers of darkness. The same Sandeel bait came in untouched! If a little worse for wear after the crabs had done their damage. Then got cast out again. Around 9.15pm the Sandeel rod nodded and continued to bounce around as the sweepstake started as to what it could be as it quite clearly wasn’t a ray!!!

School bass, gurnard, pout and dogfish and other abusive terms I received as I picked up the rod. I took up the slack and leaned back. I broke the lead out. Nothing. A few more turns on the reel and the rod bowed over, thump ,thump, thump as a good ray swam uptide shocking us all with its tentative bites. After a bit of gentle persuasion. Simon landed me a perfectly conditioned small eyed ray. Not the undulate I had promised or expected but welcome nonetheless.

 

I would like to say that was the start of an epic fishing session that we would never forget. However it was not the case and at 11pm me and Martin packed up. No more rays or even smoothound between us.

The next morning I checked my phone to find a couple of messages from Simon. After we had left. At around midnight Simon and phil started packing up for the long drive home. Both leaving one Sandeel baited rod out they had simultaneous bites on the last cast resulting in a 9lb 4oz small eye for phil and an 9lb 14oz undulate for Simon. His first and best undulate to date. Well done lads good effort. Just goes to show perseverance pays off.

Speaking of perseverance a massive well done to Tom whartnaby who was joined by Gareth Griffiths and Lee Jones. Two very talented anglers from wales. They had a mammoth session starting 2 am Saturday morning and continuing on until 1pm on Sunday morning. Fishing several different local venues that included Milford shingle bank and steamer point. 

Their fishing catch was short of unbelievable! Blonde rays to 7lb 4oz, undulate rays to 11lb 6oz, small eyed ray to 9lb 14oz, bass, smoothound, dogfish, congers, blennies, gobi especially, wrasse, congers and 32 good sized bream. Truly an epic session. Both in time and in numbers and size of fish. I spoke to Gareth and he commented that the fishing was made better by the scenery. I couldn’t agree more!! We live in a beautiful part of the world. We’re very lucky!

The Poole area is on fire right now! Midweek is the time to have the beach to yourself. 

I still have some spaces midweek for guiding. Plus the weekend guiding sessions are still available. Now is the time to get that pb ray!!

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Where are the Mackerel

After a very promising start to the year, with Mackerel being caught as early as February, I am very surprised that we are struggling to see any being landed locally. It is not just a local problem, as there seems to be a lack of Mackerel everywhere. Thinking back, we had the same problem last year. Perhaps I am just being impatient and the Mackerel are just arriving later each year.

I had my young nephew Charlie, staying with me this weekend. I had promised to take him fishing for the first time. Armed with my Fladen Rock Buddy LRF rod and a packet of Verms, we headed to Ferrybridge. A quick cast near the bridge pillars, soon found the fish. Charlie almost had the rod pulled from his hands, when it was taken by a 3 1/2lb Wrasse. Not bad for his first ever fish. I can safely say, that’s another youngster well and truly hooked.

Stu Holden sent in this report from his trip at the weekend. Fished Abbotsbury yesterday from 4pm to 11pm and had a couple of Hounds, plenty of Dogfish and 2 Undulate Rays, one of 9lb 2oz and this one pictured at 11lb 7oz and a PB Ray for me. Mackerel and Squid cocktails did the business and they both came in consecutive casts Best regards, Stuart Holden, Gillingham, Dorset. Three counties SAA.

I am desperate to get my first Smoothound this year. So far I haven’t tried for one, as when I have had time between filming and guiding, I have not been able to get hold of any Peeler crab. Reports from the beach this weekend, suggest I might not need Peeler. Fishing Tails photographer Gavin managed an 8lb Hound on Black Lug and Bill Morris, the distributor for Trabucco rods in the UK, decided to put a pesky Spider crab that he caught, to good use. After cutting it up into bite sized chunks and securing it on with some bait elastic. He decided to go light with one of the Trabucco Athena rods rated at 160g. Using only 90g of lead and .22mm line, he was able to blast the crab bait out to where the Smoothounds were cruising. The result was a hectic couple of hours with hounds well into double figure in weight. Amazing sport and fun on light tackle.

Chesil Beach: calm with lightly coloured water

Portland: calm with lightly coloured water.

Portland harbour: calm and clear water

Weymouth Bay: Calm with clear water

Chesil Beach forecast: After yesterdays blow, the beach will start to settle again. This normally brings in Bass and Rays. At some stage the Mackerel will show, but it is more likely to be towards the end of the week. The tides look good for Plaice fishing at Abbotsbury.

Portland: the island should return to the same good form that it was before the blow, with lots of Wrasse and Pollock .

Portland Harbour: plenty of Wrasse and small Pollock from Ferrybridge and the reefs at Sandsfoot Castle.

Weymouth Bay:As Usual the piers have continued to fish well. Not so the beach at PReston. It may improve with a chance of Ray at night and Dabs and Flounder during the day.

Guiding: The new guiding season is underway once again. Although we can’t keep any Bass at the moment, we can certainly catch them. I am hoping that the winter fishing ban and the new commercial quotas, combined with an increase in the minimum landing size, will make for some great Bass fishing. I specialize in lure fishing and I am offering Fly fishing this year as well. I am still more than happy to go after the multitude of species in this area with bait, whether that is big Wrasse, explosive Smoothound fishing or targeting the tastier fish such as Plaice and Bream. If you want to book a session or find out more information drop me an email at [email protected]

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Happy 20th Anniversary Weymouth Angling Centre

This weekend see’s the 20th anniversary of Weymouth Angling Centre and all the team at Fishing Tails, would like to congratulate them for the great service that they provide 7 days a week. The staff are some of the most knowledgeable in the business and really know what they are talking about when it comes to fishing, as can be seen from staff member, Mark’s headline picture of a Stingray that he caught in the Solent recently .

As part of their anniversary celebrations the shop in St Edmonds Street in Weymouth are having a massive give away tomorrow. Every customer that spends £10 will get a free goody bag and the chance to win some great prizes, including a custom built Century rod. Weymouth Angling Centre have a brilliant range of fishing tackle and they are the only shop in the area that stocks the new range of Fladen LRF gear, including the great Rock Buddy shore jigs that I have been having great success with recently. I will certainly be making a trip to see them some time tomorrow, so if you see me in the shop, feel free to stop me and ask for advice. If you check out there Facebook Page  you will find Stephen Collet’s latest LRF video featuring the shop.

Picture credit: Finnbarr Webster

So back to the fishing and whats been happening? It has been a fairly quite week on Chesil, as brisk SW winds for most of the week, have made fishing uncomfortable at best. However many of those the put in the effort have been rewarded, as packs of Smoothound cruised up and down the beach. Once they arrived the fishing was excellent. Martyn SPooner and his mate fished Abbotsbury for the first time in 2 years. Despite gusts of 25mph and driving rain, they managed to get through the Spider Crabs and find some lovely Smoothounds.

So I know you guys and girls that are reading this on your mobiles at work, probably won’t have the time to watch this video, but once you get home and have a few minute to spare,  have a look at our latest video and the first in the Catch and Cook series. In this one we head out on a wrecking trip aboard Flamer from Weymouth. Target species Cod and Pollock. check out just some of the fish we caught and what Gavin did with the Cod to create a delicious meal.

Chesil Beach: calm with lightly coloured water

Portland: calm with lightly coloured water.

Portland harbour: calm and clear water

Weymouth Bay: Calm with clear water

Chesil Beach forecast: Get yourself some Peeler Crab and spend some time targeting the Smoothounds. They wont stay around in large packs for long, so it is well worth a trip down. If you have Peelers and head towards Abbotsbury and West Bexington, you have a good chance of a decent Plaice as well.

With the water almost clear now, we should see the Mackerel back inshore. However they have not been getting many from the boats, so it may still be a little time before they return.

Portland: Brilliant rock fishing on Portland at the moment. Wrasse and Pollock in plenty of numbers. As usual if I get a chance to get out after them this weekend, I will be using soft plastic lures. A lot of people lack the confidence to try lures, and thats fair enough, especially as they are so easy to catch on Ragworm. Float fish or on the bottom, either way you should catch them. My top tip is fish the East side of Portland on the Flood and the West side on the Ebb.

Portland Harbour: I have spotted lots of Mullet in the harbour this week. They seem to be Thick Lipped so get out the bread and try floated crust, or set up a small float and use small pieces of bread. It really is a good idea to get some bread mashed up with some water and regularly feed it in as ground bait.

Weymouth Bay:As Usual the piers have continued to fish well. Not so the beach at PReston. It may improve with a chance of Ray at night and Dabs and Flounder during the day.

Guiding: The new guiding season is underway once again. Although we can’t keep any Bass at the moment, we can certainly catch them. I am hoping that the winter fishing ban and the new commercial quotas, combined with an increase in the minimum landing size, will make for some great Bass fishing. I specialize in lure fishing and I am offering Fly fishing this year as well. I am still more than happy to go after the multitude of species in this area with bait, whether that is big Wrasse, explosive Smoothound fishing or targeting the tastier fish such as Plaice and Bream. If you want to book a session or find out more information drop me an email at [email protected]

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Short fishing trip for Rays

As I left for my holidays the summer was really hotting up, not just in temperature but in fishing terms as well!  With big stingrays, large smoothound, bream and bass all being caught locally in good numbers I was almost disappointed to be going away. On arrival back in the UK. I caught up with Fishing Tails and some social media sites to find things had got even better with Smoothound getting bigger and being caught in higher numbers.

That was all the incentive I needed and by Tuesday night I was down at the beach armed with a bucket of peelers and a flooding spring tide, ready to get my fishing fix. With it being so warm shorts and tshirt was the dress code for the evening. My favourite type of fishing.

After setting up two rods both blasted as far as I could get them. I noticed the angler next to me ,Cliff Brand, bent in to a good fish. After a good tassle Cliff walked a 12lb undulate ray up the beach.

After a few snaps the pregnant female was carefully released. We got chatting and I learnt he caught it on a running ledger baited with small frozen Sandeels, I congratulated him and went back to my smoothound fishing.

Minutes later Cliff came up the beach and offered me a bag of Sandeels. What a star! Out went Sandeel on a pulley rigs on my second rod. and within seconds I had a screaming take. I wound fast and swept the rod to set the hook. only a little resistance and a few light lunges told me it was a small ray. At a couple of pounds it was a carbon copy Cliff’s double earlier, just in a smaller version.

An hour later later I helped Cliff land and release a slightly smaller undulate around 8lbs.

Walking back to my rods,I saw on the ray rod the line was bellied into the water, a classic slack line bite!
Cursing myself for not paying more attention I wound in the slack and line taught I leaned back and felt the solid thump of a ray at the other end. fish on, another undulate! At this point my phone died, so it back up the beach again for to Cliff to do the honors with his camera. Legend!

By this time it was getting on for midnight and it was getting too cool for shorts. As I packed up ,Cliff shouted over, he was into another near double undulate. What a night a couple of hours fishing with five undulates in the bag. Incidentally between us we never even saw a smoothound!
After the success of Tuesday. I decided to have another go Saturday night. Conditions were going to be very different as I would be fishing the outgoing ebbing tide to low water around 10pm. With plenty of tidal movement I was confident I might get a smoothound on peeler but I wasn’t sure about the ray?

After a couple of hours it got quite breezy and I was beginning regret wearing shorts. I had a fleece on, but shorts were probably the wrong choice for the conditions. The breeze was also bouncing the rod tips around which was making bite detection difficult. Watching carefully I noticed a slightly out of synch flutter on the ray rod, I picked  it up the rod and slowly leant back. The rod bent over as a ray picked up the bait and slowly swam uptide.

After a few hairy moments with weed jammed in the leader knot I beached another undulate around 8lb.

Ten minutes later. I had the smoothound I had originally set out to catch on Tuesday. It was only a pup but welcome nevertheless.

Over the weekend and all of last week I have heard of undulates being caught all up and down the south coast and in good numbers. I feel that this in part has been due the conservation of this species on a commercial basis. It really is starting to become evident that given the chance these fish are benefitting from the commercial fishing ban on them and long may it continue.

Recently I received an email from Shane Munford who is also benefitting from the undulate success story. Fishing several marks along Southbourne beach he has caught small eyed ray to 4lb 8oz and several undulates to 13lb 8oz.

He also has set himself a task of species hunting. Something I have not tried myself!
Using different methods to target specific fish. Saturday he was using worm baited small sabaki feathers to target weaver fish. With a little persistence he caught this spiny critter.

They don’t have to be monsters as long as it’s the species you’ve set out to catch. . Well done Shane!

Needless to say all the marks from the Purbecks to Hurst castle are all in full summer swing. As well as the rays and smoothound, there are lots of smaller species available too as Shane proved.

With the longer summer nights I will be offering guiding trips throughout the week nights. As well as weekends day or night.
Mullet, bass, ray or smoothound or any other species. With hours tailored to suit all needs!!

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Fishing Antigua

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last  few weeks as I’ve been working lots of hours and not doing much fishing. I needed to bank some money for the holiday of a lifetime I had booked.
Lying just off the coast of Venezuela is the jewel in the caribbean crown the tiny tropical island of Antigua!  This small island roughly the same size as the Isle of Wight and basks in the calm caribbean sea to the east, with the rough Atlantic to the West. The island boasts 365 beaches, one for each day of the year, that’s a whole lot of fishing potential!

I was staying on the east side of the island in the Jolly beach resort for a week at the end of May. Situated next to the Jolly harbour, which is full of superyachts of the rich and famous. I had no means of transport other than on foot. So the other 364 beaches would have to wait until I win the lottery in the future. Jolly beach itself is a mile and a half long expanse of pure white sand flanked at each end of the bay by high cliffs.

I had done a little research as to what species or type of fishing was available and the list was quite impressive, tarpon, snook, permit, bonefish, snapper and barracuda to name but a few!
This led me to a dilemma, what to take?  I had a half decent travel spinning rod buts for tackle, I wanted take everything including the kitchen sink. With only a few kilos hand luggage allowances some cutbacks had to be made.
A small fixed spool loaded with 30lb braid a couple of lead heads with shads. One or two Toby spoons along with some surface plugs saw to the spinning side. As for terminal tackle ,a packet of 5/0 circle hooks,a spool 40lb amnesia line,a few 1oz bombs and that was it.

On my first day after having spent a token amount of family time. I was itching to get fishing! Using the same basic principles as back in the UK. The plan was to sight fish, work up and down the beach, away from the main crowds, looking for fish signs. Breaking shoals of bait fish or signs of swirls on the surface or dark shadows moving around. Casting and retrieving soft plastics as I walked.

The first day I caught nothing and saw nothing.

That first evening whilst waiting for the rest of the family to get ready. I had a wander down to the beach at sunset. There was a fellow English angler with the same ideas as me.(Sorry mate I never did get you and your friend’s name).
This guy had been there a week before me and was full of useful hints and tips. He was casting off for the beach to the beds of eel grass some 50 yards offshore. With a running ledger and squid for bait. It was there that he had landed snapper up to 10lb in the week previously. He assured me this was by far the most productive method of fishing he had experienced though he did mention he had seen large barracuda working up and down the beach at first light.

Day two my mission was to find some squid!

The missus wanted to go shopping and  was very suspicious when I jumped at the idea! After visiting every shop in Jolly harbour. It would seem there was no squid to be found and there was a shortage of squid on the island!

So it was a case of resort back to plan B.

In between family time and trips to the bar for rum punch, obviously for the ice as keeps you cool!
I worked up and down the beach casting and retrieving hopping the lead head through the eel grass when bang!
The lure stopped dead. The rod hooped around and line tore off the light clutch. Regaining some composure I eased the unseen fish towards the beach. All I saw was a flash of silver and then it really took off. As the reel screamed I thought it’s a @#$%÷### bonefish.

As I gained line and the fish tired a little . I got a better look and was slightly disappointed to see an angry looking barracuda looking at me.
Disappointed is the wrong word, I would have preferred a bonefish, but this little barracuda gave up a cracking fight.

After a few snaps I went for a release but at this point there was mayhem on the beach as all the locals came running down the beach shouting and screaming as I let go their free meal that evening. I am all for catch and release but in lesser off countries gifting a family with the fruits of my sport may mean a family gets to eat a good square meal that evening. After apologising and making a promise to the guys that they could keep anything else I caught, I resumed fishing. My promise proved to be the kiss of death as after that I never had any more action, not a bite not a sniff.

A trip to Jolly harbour had me with my heart in spasms as 100lb tarpon rolled on and around my lure with no interest!

Days later I met fellow English angler Anthony, an Antiguan fishing regular, who pointed out to me the large snook working up and down the gutter at the waters edge. I cast lures in front of it, to the side of it, behind it, nothing! These fish were very hard to catch on lures. I have to concede that fishing at dusk or dawn with a big squid bait might have proved more successful!
On most of the menus on the island ,lobster is the speciality,  oddly enough when we were there it was off the menu. On enquiry i found that it was close season for them so that they can spawn and catching or keeping any lobster during close season is punishable by law.
Imagine my surprise ,whilst cooling off in the shallows, I nearly stepped on this beauty.

To add insult to injury. Once again out came the locals shouting and screaming. This time it was a prized delicacy and I really was public enemy number one ,as I released this beauty to make lots more baby lobsters. That really was it far as catches are concerned. I can’t complain though about the lack of fish. I saw loads, the rolling tarpon, the heavyweight snook in the gutters, the big stingrays in the shallows are fishing memories that I will carry in my heart forever.

Out of the water the comical pelicans,the mongoose, huge frigate birds hassling the local gulls. Little hummingbirds buzzing from flower to flower outside our apartment.
It truly is a tropical fishing paradise.

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Carp off the top…

What’s this, Bassman doing Carp fishing you say!!

Well folks, this is a guilty pleasure of mine and where I learnt how to play decent fish on very light gear, surface fishing with bread around the various lakes on offer locally

This is Bake Lakes just over the border into Cornwall which is a short drive from Plymouth

There is a good average stamp of fish and I know how to fish through the dead period when the sun is still high.

I am currently sponsored by Tronixpro and use very light set ups to maximise sport, here’s the HTO Rockfish 73

A 1-9g LRF rod which I’ve been testing on a multitude of species, this being the most challenging and fun

The last flick of the day produced a half decent 13lb 8oz mirror Carp off the top using 5lb HTO Light Game Braid and an 8lb Yozuri trace, a balanced drag and a bit of patience pays when using tackle this light on double figure Carp.

I know these aren’t big fish in the Carp fishing world  but on this ultra light set up I assure you it’s fantastic sport!

Hope you enjoyed my guilty pleasure, I’ll be back on the Bass very soon….

p.s I have a new collective blog/website and guiding business in Plymouth employing local sub guides to cover lure fishing, LRF fishing, Bass and Mullet, also Kayak adventures with a fully qualified instructor who can give you  proficiency training and give you the confidence to stay afloat. This is very exciting for Plymouth and we look forward to following in Sean’s footsteps and giving you a great trip when you’re in Devon. please follow the link to our humble website Fishing Guides Devon

Day/evening ticket plus day licence  can be purchased at the venue.

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A few sessions before the rivers open

I like to class myself as an all round angler, with a leaning towards lure fishing. I am sure that there are many more out there like me, that are looking forward to the opening day of the river season on Thursday. I can’t wait to get out with my lure and fly rod in search of River Pike, Perch and Chubb. However there are a few days and fishing sessions I can get in before then and with some pretty good fishing from the shore at the moment, I have a lot to choose from.

I might do what my friend Nathan Edgell did and have a great few hours Wrasse fishing on lures. I know Nathan, who is well known as a top Pike angler, can’t wait for Thursday, but it didn’t stop him having another great session using LRF techniques, to target the Wrasse.

Ben Stockley continues his good run of catching some nice fish, with a decent Bass and this lovely Smoothound from the Ferrybridge end of Chesil. I have yet to get out and have a go for Smoothound this year, so that is high on my list for this week.

Just to give you a taster of what I will be targeting on Thursday, Fishing Tails contributor Paul Monaghan went and fished a tiny backwater and found his fly was engulfed by this cracking Pike.

This brings me on to an idea that I have been thinking about for a few weeks. As you may have noticed, we are now featuring a much larger number of fresh water articles, than we have in the past. I know when I started this site 4 years ago, it was primarily a sea fishing website. As my obsession with catching any species via lure of fly has increased, so have the number of articles on the subject. What I want to do is give you a chance to decide the future format of the site. I have created a simple Poll, that will allow us to know which direction, you would like us to go. Please participate in it and add your own ideas, if you think they will help.

Chesil Beach: 1.5m swell and chop with lightly coloured water

Portland: Slight swell with lightly coloured water.

Portland harbour: calm and clear water

Weymouth Bay: Calm with clear water

Chesil Beach forecast: I have just had a look down on Chesil and I can see a bit of a swell and some reasonable sized waves. A few are exceeding 2m. These are the summer conditions I look out for when I want to target Bass on Chesil. The fish move in very close to pick up the food being disturbed by the surf. It is not too rough that you can’t fish it or hold bottom but it is certainly rough enough to get the Bass feeding. You need to fish in close. If you are casting 20yds you are too far out. Use a Mackerel head or a whole squid. Use a light rod if you have one and hold it if you can. The hits are ferocious, so never wander far from your rod. These are exactly the conditions and tactics used by our own photographer Gavin, last year, when he landed this 11lb stunner.

So what else can we expect from Chesil this week? The water will be a bit stirred up for a couple of days. With luck that should break up the remaining May Water, leaving us with clear water. The Mackerel will then hopefully come back. If it does clear up then we have a good chance of seeing some Gurnard and maybe the early Bream. Once the swell leaves us, the Smoothound will move in again. I have noticed that they don’t like a lot of swell.

Portland: Wrasse are another fish that don’t really like the swell, but you should be able to find more sheltered water around the East side of the island. Pollock fishing wont be great until the water clears, but Bull Huss are not put off by swell or colour in the water. They are normally targeted at night, with large fish baits.

Portland Harbour: With the tides picking up towards the weekend, the harbour should produce some Bass, Pollock and Wrasse. large shoals of Mullet can be found around the Marina and in the bay at Sandsfoot yacht club.

Weymouth Bay: If you want to sit out of the fresh wind and enjoy a couple of hours of fishing, then the piers offer a good venue. Wrasse, Pollock, Mackerel and Garfish can all be had during the day. Once darkness falls you will get even more Pollock and Pout.

Preston Beach should produce Dabs and the odd Ray, especially at night. This is normally a good mark for Gurnard this month and there is always a chance of a Red Mullet.

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Varivas Saltwater Super Match Hooks review

I don’t normally do hook reviews, because a hook is a hook, right? Wrong, very wrong. One of the main areas that many anglers, especially novices skimp on is hooks and for the life of me I can’t understand why.

Hooks are probably the single most important piece of terminal tackle. You can get away with not having things like clips and swivels and even weights in some cases, but without a hook you are most unlikely to catch a fish. I have seen loads of different rigs made up by many anglers and even some disreputable rig makers, that have cheap, rubbish hooks. The normal type I often see are cheap shiny silver ones, complete with barbs on the shank to help hold the bait on. They end up doing more damage to the bait than good. They are normally too thick for use with worms and if the points are even sharp to start off with, they soon dull.

For most of my beach and rock fishing I normally use Kamasan Aberdeen style hooks. For those of you unfamiliar with Kamasan, they are pretty good hooks, but they are expensive for what they are. They are super sharp and keep their point reasonably well. My main concern with them, is I have lost several large fish when they have simply snapped.

This year I have decided to try some alternative hooks. After looking around, I noticed that Varivas had a new range out called Saltwater Super Match hooks. For those of you not familiar with Varivas, they  are a Japanese company. It seems that most of the best hooks in the world come from Japan and with their latest offering, Varivas are keeping up the tradition.

The super match hooks are a Limerick design hook, which are shorter and have a larger gape, than the Aberdeen hooks I am used to using. The other main difference is that they have a bronze finish. This is a major plus for me, as they last a lot longer before corroding. The wider gape (that’s the distance between the hook shank and the point through the bend) means that the hook point is less likely to be masked when using larger baits. They come in a number of sizes from 8 to 3/0. I am not sure I have any occasion to use a size 8, but if you are scratching for Dabs and Sole in a match, they would be ideal. With the exception of using size 6 hooks for Garfish, I normally use sizes between 2 and 5/0.

The hooks are extremely sharp, but do they stay that way for long? I thought I would put them through a rigorous test. One of the harshest environments for hooks has to be using them for Wrasse fishing on Portland. Wrasse have extremely strong mouths, as they are used to crushing crabs and ripping limpets off rocks. It is usual for your hooks to jam into rocks and weed on almost every cast, unless you are lucky enough to catch a fish.

As you can see from the picture above, they passed the test with flying colours. Another harsh environment to test the hooks out is Chesil Beach. With the shingle continually moving and dulling the point of your hook, you need to be confident that even after 8 hours of hard fishing your hooks will be sharp enough to catch anything that swims past.

Chris Buxton, put the hooks though several heavy sessions on Chesil and once again they came through the test on top. The selection of fish he had on them tells it’s own story.

One of the best things I like about the Super Match hooks, is that they come in packs of 30. No money is wasted in fancy packaging. You get what it says on the packet at a very reasonable price. I can see these being used by anglers all over the UK, from novices to the top match anglers in the country. So where can you get hold of them? They are exclusive to  Veals Mail Order and start at only £3.20 for the size 8’s

Varivas Saltwater Super Match Hooks

Summary

A great hook, at a very reasonable price that will serve you well and land many fish. It stays sharper for a lot longer than many other hooks I have used. What more can you ask from a hook?

Build Quality

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Stingrays in Essex

Since my last update things have picked up quite a lot! I have heard reports of some awesome fishing all along the Essex coast The weather hasn’t been that  great for this time of year but it does not seem to have affected catches too much. What has got in the way is the mayweed,  which has been shocking this year in Essex. Thankfully it’s starting to die off now leaving us to deal with the usual quota of seaweed.

Walton on the Naze:

Thornback rays are still being caught from the pier in good numbers and this, in turn, is attracting fishermen from all over the county and beyond, who fancy a piece of the action! Walton is a fantastic place to visit with plenty of attractions for all the family including the pier itself. I recommend you visit Meta-Tackle for your bait and tackle needs. its owner Richard is very helpful and is a font of invaluable local knowledge. I think it’s  important that we all try to support our local tackle shops, as in this internet age, its all to easy to take them for granted until they are gone!

A 10lb female thornback caught on a large bluey bait.

Frinton on Sea

I tried to fish this venue a few times this week but the weed was absolutely terrible and I just couldn’t cope with the amount of  line and tackle I was losing. Those that did manage to avoid the worst of the weed were rewarded for their perseverance. If this double header of Bass and what looks like a Turbot, is a sign of things to come we are in for a good summer.

Turbot and Bass double header caught by angler Tim Wilkins

St Osyth Beach

Now things start to get a little bit special!  This beach is being mobbed with anglers from all over the country all hoping to land an elusive Stingray! Many have tried  but only few have been lucky, so hats off to Matt Clark who battled for over twenty minutes to land this beautiful Stingray caught on a big king rag bait. The exact weight of the fish is not known but it’s estimated to be around 60+lbs.

Estimated 60lb+ Stingray from St Osyth Beach

Matt wasn’t the only one to have caught one of these amazing creatures and angler Russel Cole was also lucky enough to landed himself one on a Squid and rag cocktail. Again the exact weight is not known but estimated around the 5olb mark. Well done guys.

Estimated 50lb+ Stingray from St Osyth Beach

If you feel there is anything I have missed or you would like to add to the next post on fishing tales please do get in touch with me either via Facebook (East Coast Fishing Reports page)  or simply leave a message on this post.

Thanks for reading

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A ‘Fresh’ Take On LRF

Picture the scene. You’re an avid Sea Fisherman on holiday with the family this summer, you’re staying at a holiday park that has a fishing lake, but you only have your LRF gear on you as it’s all you could fit in your packed out car. Your first instinct would be to head to the nearest harbour and fish what you know, in doing that though you would be missing out on a fantastically fun way to catch all the Coarse species you don’t normally associate with Lure fishing.

LRF or Light Rock Fishing is already popular in Freshwater, going by names such as Light Range Fishing or Finesse Fishing, whatever the name the technique remains the same – using ultralight rods and small reels, trying to lure out the predators big and small from the water in front of you. The popularity of dropshotting for Perch & Pike makes them the natural start point for the beginner Fresh’ LRF’er, but what if your holiday lake contains no predators? This is quite a common occurrence in farmer’s ponds and commercial fisheries, due to the owners not wishing to replace their silver fish every few years. So what baits do you have in your tackle box or lure bag that could tempt the much less predatory Carp, Roach or Tench? Small spinners and spoons aren’t likely to do much other than foul hook a fish and we aren’t interested in that, small rubber shads on jigheads have a slight chance of catching but the real weapon in your arsenal is good old Isome Sandworm, preferably Maruyka or Power Isome, these not only drip with amino acids but also have a delicious fruity scent – perfect to tempt a sweet-toothed Coarse fish. The revolution of these baits in sea fishing has been massive and freshwater is no different, there are a multitude of ways to fish it and they need not be any different to how you fish at home. It’s well documented how greedily sea fish gobble up these bio-degradable lures but not so well known that Coarse species love them too.

A Nice Solid Carp Who Couldn’t Resist Pink Isome!

With LRF, quite often dropshotting is the go to tactic especially around harbour walls and other strong features. Dropshotting really keeps you in contact with your lure and helps you detect every bite, miniscule or huge. Using this tactic in the sea we can trick all the inhabitants that make tight spaces, right beneath your feet, their home.  Lakes and Ponds are not much different in the fact that (especially in the summer) you’re most likely to find fish right in the margins. Carp are renowned for this, if you are still and quiet you will see them with their broad tails nearly out of the water as they stir up the silt only inches from the bank, they have a clever habit of picking up the dropped bait that anglers accidentally drop when they are baiting their desired spot. So it doesn’t take a massive leap of imagination to see that, with a little patience and stealth, you can tempt these fish too.

Three words of warning before we start on Carp though, set your drag! I cannot stress enough how even the smallest carp can push your ultralight tackle to the limit. Imagine a Ballan Wrasse that has stamina and grows significantly larger. So be prepared for the fish to run, nobody wants snapped lines (or Rods!), lost tackle or a potentially dead fish. You don’t want it too loose, just enough for the reel to comfortably give line but provide some resistance to a hard fighting fish. I find that adjusting the drag mid-fight can also help land the bigger specimens should you hook one – loosen the drag as it gets nearer the bank just to save any unexpected last line-snapping lunges. Now you’re prepared to fight one lets talk about actually getting one on the line. I do not use any bigger than a size 12 hook for this kind of fishing and prefer a size 14, if you can get hold of the longer shanked Fly Tying Hooks even better, I find the hook-ups to be significantly better due to being able to thread your isome further along the hook, hindering any pesky little Rudd or Roach who just want to pull the worm off the hook without taking it fully. It’s not always easy tying a Palomar Knot on tiny hooks as they have very small eyes but it can be done with cleanly cut fluorocarbon no stronger than 6lb. After the hook is tied it is just a case of placing your weight (4-5 grams is perfect) around 3-5 inches below, this can obviously be adjusted higher or lower depending on where the fish are feeding, if they are hard on the bottom then even just a inch will do. It’s worth remembering though that carp use their fins to ‘kick’ up the silt below them, suspending their food items briefly in front of them then slurping them into their rubbery mouths, so a bait item a just off the bottom is quite a natural occurrence to them. What size isome to use is important too, I’ve had the best success using small to medium size as I believe this gives the most natural presentation as it twitches and moves in the water.

Carp Can Really Put Your LRF Tackle To The Limit!

If the fish are not showing in the margins and you wish to guarantee results (and lets be honest you’re on holiday so that’s a given), bring a tub of maggots or worms with you, feed up an area and lower your set-up into the water. Rudd & Roach are normally first to any bait and you will quite likely hook quite a few of these, at least until the bigger fish arrive. The Carp, Bream and Tench will normally push out the majority of the smaller fish and shouldn’t be shy taking your imitation. I don’t move the rod in a traditional ‘dropshotting’ manner, I keep it still and wait for the bites, all the commotion should make the lure move by itself, too lively and its likely to make the fish wary. When a Carp takes the lure it quite often feels the weight and bolts off, hooking itself and giving you a shock, other species like Bream & Tench are more gentle but hold on to your rod tight as its likely to fly!

A Lovely Double Fully Scaled Mirror, Caught On Dropshotted Isome

I obviously do not recommend this technique for waters where there are lots of large carp over 15lb or so, your LRF set up is only built to take so much and nobody wants to see their favourite rod damaged, but on a regular day ticket water or farmers pond it can be exhilarating sport and I can’t recommend it more. Try seeing how many species you can tempt and with different size isome. Be aware that some waters do not allow Imitation Baits, so far I have not had any issue with isome due to it being biodegradable and digestible.

Other ways to finesse fish these Commercial waters involve your typical light jigheads with either Isome or small rubber lures twitched along the lake bed, this is a fantastic way to land the big Eels that commonly frequent coarse fisheries, growing to surprisingly large sizes on a diet of a small fish and carp baits. Free-lining small isome can prove deadly too for wary carp or big Rudd as it falls naturally through the water. It really is about using your skill and imagination to make the most of different fishing conditions. If you fancy Trout for dinner then LRF techniques have been proven to be almost too successful at catching them, be careful not to end up with a massive bill at the end of the day with your bag of fish! Speaking of Trout it’s worth saying that Simpson Valley Fishery in Holsworthy, Devon allows catch and release Trout Fishing in the winter months using LRF, giving you a fantastic chance to boost your freshwater skills whilst playing some of the best fighting fish you can find.

One of the things all of us love about LRF tackle is it makes every fish, from the tiniest Goby to the largest Carp, so much more fun to catch. So on whether you’re on a Summer holiday or you just fancy giving it a shot, try ‘Fresh LRF’ and I’m sure you will be a true convert.

Best of luck and I’ll see you on the bank!

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