[Ben Field]

On quite a few of the marks I fish, I feel like I know where the fish are sitting, but quite often it seems impossible to get to them or present a bait properly from the shore. The main problem is the fact that the rip is very often travelling away from me. It's not always possible to get an angle on it and cast across. Catches retrieving against it are minimal. Obviously I can cast along the side of it, but this too isn't as successful as casting across (which I can do on some marks).

What is the solution?

 

[Retired]

Trotting (and twitching) a weighted shad under small float? Not exactly purist but I have seen it done...keeping contact with the lure could be a challenge but you never know.

 

[Nathan Taylor]

oh dear oh dear....wait until the brothers see your thread...lol they will love you.....that is right up there street... :muttley:

 

[Ben Field]

I've tried and done similar Paul. And caught, trotting a lightly weighted XLayer out with it. Not under a float yet though. Have already bought a longer rod to do exactly what you suggest though! Could be a goer! Be nice if there was an easier option though.

We all know by now that the head of the rip is likely to be where it's at! And the Googans guide etc does a good job of expaining how to find such features, but I've wondered for quite a few months how people ACTUALLY fish things like that, from the shore. We can all pic up odd fish by fishing around such features, but I'm still wondering how I'm going to present a bait exactly where I want it...

It's getting to the head of the rip that's the trouble. What DO people do? Or are we all struggling with the same thing?

 

[Ben Field]

oh dear oh dear....wait until the brothers see your thread...lol they will love you.....that is right up there street... :muttley:

LOL. I'm thinking about the mark we fish up here mostly. Although others too. Once the tide turns starts coming in, it actually pushes harder, coming up that funnel on the left. But with the tide coming in you can't get out on either side to fish across it any more. Like that last day we had there and caught. It was ok til the tide turned, but pretty hopeless once we were left retrieving against it.

 

[Ben Field]

I should probably have put this in the leaning zone.

 

[Mike Hayes]

I should probably have put this in the leaning zone.

Agreed ben

 

[Keith White]

The main problem is the fact that the rip is very often travelling away from me.

Problem ?

Perfect m8, perfect.

How hard does it push ?

Bottom type ?

Paul has mentioned floats. That is a great method.
It is easily plugged though, by a variety of methods.

I'll expand if i get those details..

 

[Ben Field]

I'd imagine the strength of it doesn't match anything you have there, but on one of the bigger beaches I fish it can be particularly strong for here. Imagine overall it's not that fast though, but fast enough to make it an effort retrieving against it. Sorry that's a bit vague.

Bottom type is quite often sand (on the beaches) and mostly sand too on other marks, but with the odd shallow rock thrown in just to make a float or drifted softbait tricky - this is the main problem.

Water depth is generally between 4 and 10 feet.

 

[Keith White]

As you know, Jersey is adorned with current somewhere at some stage of the tide.
So, we learned to use it in a multitude of ways.

I've got to really get this stuff into a workshop but i'll try to explain
one method that could work on your described run.

There are tons of swing, backwind techniques etc but, though they are easy in
practice to show, nightmare to write down.

Lets look at the....

Dive, Dig and Rise.

Current running away from you or at a tight too angle.
First, choose a plug that will dive DEEPER than the actual depth.

Choose a deeper diving 10-12 cm long billed bait, maybe a Live X or
some type of crankbait styled bait with a medium dive bill. You want
a coffin nosed bill ideally so the deflection off the bottom is pronounced
and erratic. Sharpen the underside front of said bill for faster diving, deeper
digging.

The plug must be buoyant.

Cast, but cast high, VERY high pitch but not high as in (loads of line off).
Cast down the run, say 15 meters but, up at a high angle so 30 meters of line
might be off the reel. Aim: Make a splash to wake up a fish but maintain line control.

Do nothing but watch for a take. Still, do nothing. The plug will run out of line.
Depending upon the current, the plug will either dive down and smack the bottom
or, you'll need to sweep it down. It's best to really sweep it down. Right behind you
sweep the rod horizontally to the water.

BUMP ! plug hits the deck hard.

(A) Slowly....
bring the rod around your body with the braid JUST slack.
This allows the plug to rise slowly but still travel backwards in current.

The actual amount of current determines how far the sweep, how fast the rise etc.
Let the plug surface and WAIT. Not long though, a few seconds.

Then, bail off. Sweep the rod back behind again to release X amount of slack.
Bail on. follow the plug backwards in loose contact.

Sweep hard down....

Bump and repeat the above from (A)


Hope this helps, it does work. Just keep choosing slightly differing lines and keep trying.

 

[Ben Field]

Got it! Cheers Keith. Know exactly what you mean. Can probably even make sure that it floats up and over certain rocks as well.

Slow floater over a proper floating plug? ....although I suppose with the right amount of touch/tension as the plug takes up the slack, a properly bouyant plug could still be made to rise slowly.

Great stuff.

 

[Keith White]

You've got it m8...

Nice one.

 

[Ben Field]

Right on! May even end up doing it tomorrow. We've quite a bit of swell at the mo so the currents will be racing.

 

[Danny N]

Sounds similar to how i fish some marks in Guernsey - the tide flows adjacent to and then away from the rocks out into deeper water. I just cast out uptide with a floating lure, let it come round on the line available from the cast then let it get swept away from you, just keep jerking the lure down each time it surfaces (if a floater) then let a bit more line out each time it tightens up so it drifts as far as you have line. Cover loads of ground in a sink and draw fashion.

They're old but really like J13's or jointed thundersticks for this as you don't need to cast far and the tide makes them wriggle like the clappers without you even doing anything.
Fishing shallow marks with a light surf also does the same when the backflow tries to drag the lure back out to sea again.

Never thought about SPs under a small float - good idea!

 

[Ben Edwards]

cheers for that post, i have a mark like this by me... several like it infact. tide rips through and have never been able to catch 'in' the current though i know there are bass there. the marks im on about are a little deeper though, upto 15-20ft so guess i will have to find some deep diving plugs...

is it essential for the plug to 'smack' the bottom?

 

[Ben Field]

...just to complicate things...

What if there is a bit of swell running. The current is generally proportionate to the size of the swell at most of these marks, and with it being reasonable shallow, breakers can occasionally cause a problem(?!) - dragging line back in (floating lures with it).

What do you do when the current pushes one way, but there is enough whitewater to mess things up?

 

[Danny N]

...just to complicate things...

What if there is a bit of swell running. The current is generally proportionate to the size of the swell at most of these marks, and with it being reasonable shallow, breakers can occasionally cause a problem(?!) - dragging line back in (floating lures with it).

What do you do when the current pushes one way, but there is enough whitewater to mess things up?

I'd fish around the edges of the surf, the shoulder of the wave.
Or find somewhere else if the waves are too disruptive??

Personally I don't mind fishing lures in and around reef surf up to about 1-2ft waves - anything bigger and its annoying getting line caught on rocks and lures shoved into the reef.

 

[Keith White]

What do you do when the current pushes one way, but there is enough whitewater to mess things up?

IF you have true 'current', the swell (see *** after) might mess up presentation.

In this case, use a float jig rig heavy enough (carrying weight at the level of strongest current) AND
...., SINK you line and rod top if possible.

If you cannot, use a longer rod or lift the rod high to keep the line off the water.
Either way, the float will travel with the current if the weight is biased in current
and the float design doesn't lend itself to roll in with the swell.

***
Quote from article on magicseaweed.

"One of the most important things to understand about surface water waves is the fact that they transmit energy through the water but the water itself isn’t actually transported anywhere. This can be demonstrated in lots of ways; for example, when you flick a piece of rope up and down and send a wave along it from one end to the other. The energy needed for the up-and-down movement is transmitted along the rope, but the rope itself doesn’t go anywhere."

 

[The Squid]

As you know, Jersey is adorned with current somewhere at some stage of the tide.
So, we learned to use it in a multitude of ways.

I've got to really get this stuff into a workshop but i'll try to explain
one method that could work on your described run.

There are tons of swing, backwind techniques etc but, though they are easy in
practice to show, nightmare to write down.

Lets look at the....

Dive, Dig and Rise.

Current running away from you or at a tight too angle.
First, choose a plug that will dive DEEPER than the actual depth.

Choose a deeper diving 10-12 cm long billed bait, maybe a Live X or
some type of crankbait styled bait with a medium dive bill. You want
a coffin nosed bill ideally so the deflection off the bottom is pronounced
and erratic. Sharpen the underside front of said bill for faster diving, deeper
digging.

The plug must be buoyant.

Cast, but cast high, VERY high pitch but not high as in (loads of line off).
Cast down the run, say 15 meters but, up at a high angle so 30 meters of line
might be off the reel. Aim: Make a splash to wake up a fish but maintain line control.

Do nothing but watch for a take. Still, do nothing. The plug will run out of line.
Depending upon the current, the plug will either dive down and smack the bottom
or, you'll need to sweep it down. It's best to really sweep it down. Right behind you
sweep the rod horizontally to the water.

BUMP ! plug hits the deck hard.

(A) Slowly....
bring the rod around your body with the braid JUST slack.
This allows the plug to rise slowly but still travel backwards in current.

The actual amount of current determines how far the sweep, how fast the rise etc.
Let the plug surface and WAIT. Not long though, a few seconds.

Then, bail off. Sweep the rod back behind again to release X amount of slack.
Bail on. follow the plug backwards in loose contact.

Sweep hard down....

Bump and repeat the above from (A)


Hope this helps, it does work. Just keep choosing slightly differing lines and keep trying.

I think that I have been doing this on one of my marks, but did not know I was doing it until I read this, especially where wind and tidal flow are at opposits and trying to get a good curving sweep but not making contact with under water structures.

 

[Keith White]

is it essential for the plug to 'smack' the bottom?

I think that is the key to drawing fish in, yes.

Squid: Loads of spots over here to do this. I'll bet you have done many variations
of this over your plugging career.