[Ben Field]

I was sent out today to catch a couple of Pollack for tea. With the pressure being on, I took 3 rods with me in total to ensure victory.

As always when you're on a mission, I failed!

...but I did get 4 garfish on the light LRF gear.

I was only out for 90 minutes or so, and really I chose the wrong mark to try and catch some tea from, but I wanted to get out in the sun rather than tucking up under a steep cliff in the shade.

They were the smallest Garfish I've ever caught and realistically they needed tiny, tiny hooks to get hookups. You just wouldn't usually catch these fish! A size 12 hook on a 0.9g jighead was just too big, and I'd not gone prepared with smaller - hook wise. 0.9g was really too light to be casting in to the wind, but I got a LOT of hits from fish that just weren't hooking up. I could see them at times. On a slack line a fish would even swim around with the bait in its mouth, but nothing I did could guarantee a hookup. Size 16's or smaller next time - although it was obviously Pollack I was after really - I started messing with these once I'd given up on catching tea.

 

[James Davis]

How are you finding those two new olympic rods you bought, Ben? Worth the money and the wait?

I've got my eye on the Rookie, the Olympic Finezza and a Savage Gear (forgotten it's name - 5-15g SP) rods at the moment, but not sure what to plump for.

 

[Ben Field]

They are briiiiilliant rods James! Its hard to tell which of the 4 rods I use at the moment is my favourite, they are all absolutely, properly brilliant! Couldn't be happier with the Daiwa for my bass stuff, the Argento for the middle stuff and the 2 Finezza's at the lower end.

 

[Iestyn Jones]

Hi Ben another option is to use a small treble pre-tied to a mount (I use braided mono and add a drop of super glue to the splice) and use a carp anglers boilie needle to pull the loop through the plastic, you can position the treble anywhere on the bait and is great for finesse fishing as I find adding stingers with jighead and hook arrangement on some small plastics is sometimes overloading the sp. Ill try post some pics of what im describing!!!

 

[Ben Field]

Know what you mean mate, but although I'm sure that would hook more, they wouldn't be inside the mouth I don't think. Unless the treble is tiny.

 

[James Davis]

They are briiiiilliant rods James! Its hard to tell which of the 4 rods I use at the moment is my favourite, they are all absolutely, properly brilliant! Couldn't be happier with the Daiwa for my bass stuff, the Argento for the middle stuff and the 2 Finezza's at the lower end.

Good to hear. Do you think you could give me ball park figures incl import fees, how long you waited and and where you got them please? Email me if you'd rather.

I really want this particular Savage Gear SP rod but you cant get it over here yet (although Tomas was kind enough to say he would send me one from Germany) and then Mick has those Rookies which everyone seems impressed with.

http://www.savage-gear.com/productBig.asp?id=336

 

[Keith White]

Gar's !

Great.

It's really started now then.

 

[Ben Field]

Was proper surprised to see them tbh Keith.

 

[Keith White]

I think we are all in for a few surprises m8.

 

[Mike Kennard]

They are briiiiilliant rods James! Its hard to tell which of the 4 rods I use at the moment is my favourite, they are all absolutely, properly brilliant! Couldn't be happier with the Daiwa for my bass stuff, the Argento for the middle stuff and the 2 Finezza's at the lower end.

Does that mean you won't be buying any more rods?!?!?!

Well done on the gars!!! I went out for a couple of hours yesterday with Dave. No fish but perfect conditions for a tan..... The sea was still very coloured where we fished, it should clear pretty quickly with this weather though so hopefully we might see some gars soon.....

 

[James Davis]

Not worth starting a new thread as I didnt take any pics, so I'll hijacks Ben's!!! My first proper outing of year this morning. Went out yesterday but that was to test some new lures more than anything.

Up at half five, to the mark for 6.30 SW 14mph wind so not warm. I really do need to get some decent fingerless gloves. 90 minutes before high at this mark:

Clipped on the z-claw in ghost something or other (I should really know the colour because I won the lure for naming it!) and what a brilliant little lure the zclaw is. Casts miles, dives and swerves enticingly with little twitches and swims along lovely at 20 cm under the surface. Really impressed with that lure.

Anyway, fourth cast and I'm in to a 2 and a half pounder which was taken whilst the lure was stopped. It didn't give a great account of itself but it's still nice to break the duck on my first outing. Very rocky ground and was quite hard to land the fish in saftey. Lifted the fish on to a flat rock (I'm wearing wellies and the water is already around my knees) un hook it and flaps itself off the rock back in to the water as I'm reaching for my camera. Oh well. About 30 or so more casts along the beach but nada, nowt, zip. I guess I was lucky really with the random schoolie. No signs of baitfish, birds, fish or even crabs/cuttle on the beach. Just bassy looking ground. Memo to self: Buy an ultra shallow diving crankbait.

 

[Gary A]

Nice one James. First of the year and off the top as well. Excellent stuff. I'm really impressed with the z-claw, I haven't caught on it yet but then I only bought it in January. To me it looks so much like a little baitfish compared to all my other surface lures. Just hope the bass see it that way as well.

 

[James Davis]

No choice but to go off the top over that ground I'm afraid Jeremy. Today I was casting, taking up most of the slack, pause for at least 10 seconds, really gentle jerk, pause for another 5 secs, work it gently towards the feature with a few more pauses thrown in, just stopping it past a feature (it was here where I got the take) and then working it all the way back to my feet. A few times I just brought it all the way back on a slow-med retrieve with the odd pause, but starting off retrieving after the pause gradually getting faster. I don't know if this is how its supposed to be worked but it worked for me.

I'm sure you'll catch with yours too.

 

[Dave Perkins]

Not worth starting a new thread as I didnt take any pics, so I'll hijacks Ben's... My first proper outing of year this morning. Went out yesterday but that was to test some new lures more than anything.

Up at half five, to the mark for 6.30 SW 14mph wind so not warm. I really do need to get some decent fingerless gloves. 90 minutes before high at this mark:

View attachment 757

Clipped on the z-claw in ghost something or other (I should really know the colour because I won the lure for naming it!) and what a brilliant little lure the zclaw is. Casts miles, dives and swerves enticingly with little twitches and swims along lovely at 20 cm under the surface. Really impressed with that lure.

Anyway, fourth cast and I'm in to a 2 and a half pounder which was taken whilst the lure was stopped. It didn't give a great account of itself but it's still nice to break the duck on my first outing. Very rocky ground and was quite hard to land the fish in saftey. Lifted the fish on to a flat rock (I'm wearing wellies and the water is already around my knees) un hook it and flaps itself off the rock back in to the water as I'm reaching for my camera. Oh well. About 30 or so more casts along the beach but nada, nowt, zip. I guess I was lucky really with the random schoolie. No signs of baitfish, birds, fish or even crabs/cuttle on the beach. Just bassy looking ground. Memo to self: Buy an ultra shallow diving crankbait.

Nice one James-as a matter of interest was that Hatherwood Point?

 

[James Davis]

No mate. It's a bit of hike down Totland way.

 

[Ben Field]

Nice one James!!! Good work getting it on the surface too!!!

 

[James Davis]

Cheers mate. Took nearly 2 months last year for my first. Really impressed with that zclaw. She's a keeper!

 

[Keith White]

No choice but to go off the top over that ground I'm afraid Jeremy.

Hi floating square lipped fat bodied Balsa crankbaits with 1 hook size smaller.. Bang em against the bottom, the stones etc.
Never say never.

 

[Ben Field]

Will jump on to this thread again since it doesn't deserve it's own thread:

Popped out for a quick one tonight on a nicely sheltered rock mark. Only took the LRF tackle. Nothing too exciting to report tbh but I did snag one small pollack to save the blank. Had him on a small Evergreen vib bait before dusk. I don't think there were too many fish present but it was nice to make use of the light stuff closer to home.