[Toby Harnett]

OK chaps, on Sunday I fished in water that was crystal clear, bright sunshine & virtually no swell. Quite a contrast to the weekend before where in the same place there was 7-8' waves rolling in & soup coloured water. However on Sunday I was lucky enough to catch a 44cm bass on my Bent Minnow 86 but that was it for the day.

The conditions got me thinking..........would any fish that were out there be swimming pronto in the opposite direction to what I wanted when they heard/felt my plugs smacking into the water. With no swell to speak of the vibrations of a plug landing on the water must go some way. Talking & walking at ther water's edge must also have an effect as well in conditions like this??

If what I'm thinking is right what are the best tactics to avoid scaring the fish away? Apart from keeping quiet & keeping your movement to a minimum, wearing non bright clothing etc is there anythng that you can do?

Do you fish with smaller/lighter lures/plugs that won't have so much of an impact on the water when they land, try & cast out past where you think the fish are & then retrieve back. I did see a post recently where someone said that they were able to make their plugs land more softly on the water:-??

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated

Cheers

Toby

 

[Keith White]

.would any fish that were out there be swimming pronto in the opposite direction to what I wanted when they heard/felt my plugs smacking into the water.

Generally has the opposite effect if you wait for them.

My latest blog article covers one method we use in such conditions.

 

[Simon L]

My least favourite conditions of all Toby, & i havent got it sussed yet.

I'll be popping over for a read of your Blog Keith.

 

[Steve Arries]

I would be interested in the replies to this as well Toby, i could not believe how clear the water was this weekend, dont think I have seen it this clear all year. With the bright sun and clear water I opted for a Maria Chase in Cotton Candy (nice and bright also ) which got nailed by a wrasse, but that was the only fish over two sessions this weekend. so was my lure choice right or wrong - dont know

Apart from the obvious of not wearing fluorescent bikinis and tap dancing shoes, be interesting what others say.

 

[Dave Irving]

Spot on Toby,
Extra care on the beach, no noise, no sudden movements, and avoid getting skylined. I go lighter and longer on my leaders. Smaller more naturally coloured lures, especially matt finished ones. I work the lures slower and avoid rattles like the plague. I do tend to cast out and leave the lure where it lands for a slow count of 15, before giving it a twitch or two before launching into the retrieve. Lures that work well for me in these conditions are Patchinko100, OSP Asura, and the Megabass X-120 all in the more natural colours.

 

[Bob]

Dave has got it spot on with the Megabass X120. Excellent lure for calm conditions.
regards
Bob

 

[Toby Harnett]

Generally has the opposite effect if you wait for them.

My latest blog article covers one method we use in such conditions.

Keith - are you talking about the soft needle fish article?

 

[Dave Irving]

Keith,
Good article-Very Good in fact-If you avoid reacting to the take, it is a bit like learning to to use circle hook, and learning NOT to strike, just wait for the weight of the fish.

 

[trev richardson]

Toby,
Of course there is the other approach and that's to fish at night! It worked well for the locals in Ireland last year when we had the hottest, brightest week of the summer. Yet fish to 8lb were still being caught at night......I just wish we'd have picked up on it.......:mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[Toby Harnett]

Toby,
Of course there is the other approach and that's to fish at night! It worked well for the locals in Ireland last year when we had the hottest, brightest week of the summer. Yet fish to 8lb were still being caught at night......I just wish we'd have picked up on it.......:mrgreen::mrgreen:

That's another idea but wouldn't the noise/vibration issue still apply, even though its night time?

 

[Darren Edwards]

I fished in similar conditions last week.Flat,Bright and little movement.The only hope i had was a tiny stream running into the seawater,attracting shoals of bait fish.Popped a small bug gently along that bank with long pauses and finally found a fish.Im a firm believer that sometimes when the going gets tough youve got to cause commotion to get a response,suck the fish in first then do the soft approach.
cheers daz

 

[trev richardson]

Toby,
Slowly slowly catchy monkey I think is the correct saying. As long as you are not stupidly noisy and work the lures slowly fishing at night can pay dividends mate. It certainly did for the locals in Ireland. I have to confess Keith and Kevin taught me lots in a very small amount of time and I wouldn't think twice about switching to night fishing if I felt it was going to be an advantage. Or even trying it anyway. You could find if few people are night fishing in your area that not only will you have the beach to yourself but also lots of fish.
Daz is right as well IMHO you have to do something different to get the fish interested in those conditions. All but one of the fish we caught that week during the day were caught on, believe it or not, large surface poppers being banged across the surface......:shock::shock:

 

[Keith White]

Keith - are you talking about the soft needle fish article?

Yes m8. Deadly system in calm water. Lure needs to stay under the surface film.
In daylight, use a white or light coloured lure and work the lure with long sweeps but, with equally long pauses between.

Keith,
Good article-Very Good in fact-If you avoid reacting to the take, it is a bit like learning to to use circle hook, and learning NOT to strike, just wait for the weight of the fish.

Thanks Dave I was hoping it would make sense. It's hard sometimes describing these methods textually.

 

[Matt Newcombe]

Toby - I was surprised to catch with the Patchinko on Sunday, think it was the last lure I tried and most definitely my loudest.

 

[mike symons]

Hi Toby
I fished in the same conditions on Monday had 1 on a Z Claw 2 on xlayers and 5 on a Patchenko frosty in yellow. As you can see all these have some kind of rattle in them so i dont think the noise is an issue. During a 20 min spell i had 4 on the Patchenko and a swirl on every other cast it was just crazy. If the fish are there they will take something im sure its just a matter of finding what they want on the day.

 

[Nathan Bell]

Xorus Asturie 110 in 500G or Cabot.
It has killed for me in these conditions. Really slow WTD, or pulled slow and straight with lots of pauses!
Cheers Nath.

 

[Keith White]

Xorus Asturie 110 in 500G or Cabot.
It has killed for me in these conditions. Really slow WTD, or pulled slow and straight with lots of pauses!
Cheers Nath.

That is effectively a 'needlefish' lure Nathan.

The Bass Arrow is a good one as are one or 2 offerings from Jackson.
I still prefer the overall range and profile of the super strike 3/4oz. It really flies.
The choopy and gags 1oz are great too.

 

[Dave Irving]

Keith,
I thought "needlefish" patterns in Striper terms were sinking lures.

 

[Keith White]

Keith,
I thought "needlefish" patterns in Striper terms were sinking lures.

Most commercial ones are but many 'needle men' cast needles that float too.

RM Smith make a really sought after one. Like rocking horse poo.

Gibbs too. A bit easier to find at least but too big for our fish generally.

 

[Dave Irving]

Keith,
I remember seeing Needlefish lure for the first time in Cape Cod, I remember chuckling to myself at how primitive they looked compared to the Duel/Yo-Zuri lures I had with me. Brutal learning curve later that first night though, Next morning I was taken into Coops and shown what and why.
Even with the good ones like the Gibbs, every angler seems to adjust the weight of the the lure/hooks. Quite an art, especially when someone is kind enough to explain why.
I keep wondering how they would compare at night in Cape Poge Gut, against the best of the japanese lures. I would probably put $20 on the Needlefish.