[Mark W]

I know its been said elsewhere on this forum and I am not going to be heading for a seal colony deliberately, but I am also coming around to the idea that the presence of seals isnt necessarily a disaster. All season I have been plagued by them virtually every trip out.

I went out yesterday and almost immediately of course, up popped mrs seal. Anyway, I cast in its general direction to scare it away and fished on as the swell built.

Within ten mins she was back. Again I cast in its general direction and the plug fell maybe 10 feet to the right of and beyond it. Due to the sea noise this time the seal didnt notice and continued to bob up and down staring at me. Five cranks of the reel and this feisty fella latched on. Must have been within feet of the seal when it hit.

Slipped it back well away from the seal. It was the only fish of a short session as the swell became unfishable.

Oh, the fish was taken as have 70% of my fish this year on a Fladen Conrad 120mm in silver/black 3 for £.3.20 delivered off ebay last winter!

 

[Nathan Taylor]

Fair play there mark!

 

[Austen Goldsmith]

Maybee its a coincidence that when a seal sits in front of me gorping like a hungry dog I catch bugger all !

Perhaps I should pack my Smith popping rod with a 200 G GT popper and have some sport

 

[Matt Newcombe]

Used to catch loads of Bass on those Conrad lures a few years back. £1.49 @ Trago Mills.

 

[Mark W]

Yes the Conrads are as cheap as chips. They dont cast the best and I wouldnt describe the finish as particularly durable but they certainly seem to catch plenty of fish for me. If you have the wind behind you they cast fine.

I thought I'd give them a go because several people I know on The Lizard seem to use them successfully and I am still sussing out my marks. I use them when I dont know the ground I am fishing particularly well or if I want to fish a slightly deeper diver right in and around the rough stuff. I can afford to lose a load which without hurting for weeks afterwards, which might be why I catch so many on them???

 

[David Step]

Just goes to show, "It 'aint what you got. It's where you put it".

 

[jonathan doherty]

ive been fishing a load of marks round st austell area and seals pop up quite often and we still catch .dont think they like the spines !!!

 

[David Step]

Just revisiting this one. Have caught regularly from a North Coast mark this year when seals have been present.

 

[wayne ashford]

well done mark do the seals ever go for the lures ? must be quite a sight i,ve never seen any seals while fishing.
the conrads have worked for me loads aswell i tend to use them the same when i don't know the ground .

that would be a battle if you hooked into a seal lol:-D

 

[Richard]

I have caught no problem with seals about... it means there are fish there.. dont it?

 

[Adam Sidney]

personally ive never had probs catching when seals present, and as said they wouldnt be hangin round if there wern't any food present.

be carful tho as earlier in the year i was fishing for pollack and a shoal of mackerel turned up. i had my drag pretty tight and was using 25lb braid as there is double figure pollack on this mark that are pretty hard to control on their first few dives. anyway i had a take off a mackerel and then i was distracted probabily by a puffin or somthing:???::-D then SMASH!! my rod was nearly ripped from my hands and i nearly pulled off balance and into sea:shock: i didnt know what was happening or what to do really as the line was being peeled off my reel by some unstoppable monster:evil: it surfaced and was a seal:-o couldnt believe it my line parted shortly after, just hope the seal didnt eat the lure tho

mad experience when catching mackerel coalie and pollack and something that size comes out the blue and just smashes u and theres nowt u can do!!:-D

 

[Tom Gardner]

I saw me first seal today it was great and came very close with it head slighty snooping around out of the shaft of the water....
great creatures.

 

[john gittins]

I saw me first seal today it was great and came very close with it head slighty snooping around out of the shaft of the water....
great creatures.

Its stiff with them round here Tom!....they are nice to see though