[Izador]

Thought i'd just stick this up here as not sure where to stick it, so learning zone it is, i definitely learnt something today...

Was bouncing an ayu xlayer along the bottom on a xorus noise head looking for bass and had a very soft take...

Set the hooks and to my suprise....

A common smoothound around 4lb...

hooked fair and square in the jaw..

Wish I had taken a piccy now but was going a bit mental so stuck it back in quickly...

Has anyone ever heard of/had one on a lure or soft??? as i've certainly never heard of it before....

Cheers :-D

 

[Alex Jordan]

Well done - you have cracked the code!
Alot of pondering went into what a smoothie would take- crab sp's for instance last year and then you turn up the goods!

Was it a yak capture on our sussex coast?

 

[Mike Kennard]

Now that is interesting. Any more details?

 

[Izador]

Not on the yak but sussex coast.. around 4 miles off in about 30ft of water.. very very strange day, never seen so many different species caught on lures...
I would have thought along the same lines, crab imitations etc, once again I think it's just proving xlayers really are on another level....

 

[Mick Ward]

That is awesome, I bet it went well Isidore, the first I have ever heard of well done mate. Another species.

 

[trev richardson]

Now there's a surprise. It just shows like Keith keeps saying about keeping on trying the lures and especially the rubbers in all situations. We get a lot of Smoothies off the beach around us maybe worth a try when we know they are there. I bet they would give a fantastic fight on a plugging rod especially as the bigger ones go the 20lb. I must remember to put the plugging in with my beach gear........Great report.

 

[Dave Irving]

Well done Beach,
Really wish you had gotten a pic, next time maybe.
Good luck!!

 

[Izador]

Cheers mate.
It didn't go as hard as i would have thought but it wasn't a big'un and i was directly above it, did make one searing run back to the bottom though that was pretty lively when it saw the boat, thought it was gonna be a decent cod until it did that..
As i said was a very weird day, very few bass but sooo much other stuff...
I think in the end ended up with about ten different species to the sp's, not all to me mind but very very interesting.
Had never even caught a wrasse on a lure until yesterday and now a very different story!!

Gonna have to have a proper go on the hound grounds and try to see if was just a one off.
don't think so as it did take the lure well, It hit on a stop of a hang, stop retrieve.. was lifting and holding a foot or so off the bottom, dropping down, bump bump, let it stop for a second and then just one soft nod and then the rod just went over slowly.
I think a slowly slowly approach over the hound grounds with lots of bottom contact could produce a few more..

 

[Keith White]

This is very good news. Totally awesome !

 

[Dafydd Williams]

Have a look at this
http://http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/sharks/index.php

It will give you some idea's.

 

[James Davis]

WOW! Just WOW! Utterly amazed you landed a smoothie. I remember Nath telling me he was going to target them this year on his yak.

Contrary to what another bloke says about the Zonk on another forum, the Xlayer has to be the best lure in the UK. Doesn't it?

And I don't even have any or ever used one!

 

[Izador]

I have to agree mate.
The zonk is a brilliant lure, only just got one but it produced 6 fish on its first outing so i'm now a believer in it's abilities when the bass are up for a chase and its covering the right depth for the mark your fishing..
But...
Don't think any hard can really come close to some of these softies when the fish are a bit subdued and conditions are less than perfect.
All i had ever caught in the sea before using Xlayers were bass.. and just yesterday saw ballans, cuckoos, black bream, pout, cod, gars, macks, bass and the smoothie...
The ability to fish these lures from top water all the way down to 50ft plus and for them still to be more affective than almost anything else you can your hands on has got to make them IMHO one of if not the best lures going.
Next time i go bait fishing i'm gonna whack out a second rod with a 6oz lead clip down and an xlayer and fish it as a bait and see what happens, will not be suprised in the slightest if it catches.

 

[Danny Meagher]

Fair Play mate, great stuff.


We have planned to do the same thing mid summer, Hounds on a lure, the fun factor will go through the roof !

 

[Retired]

Well done, you've done something a lot of us have talked about and hoped for!

 

[Tim Murphy]

All this talk gives my Tope on a lure ambitions this summer a real boost! :clap:

 

[Izador]

Hopefully should be able to get out again to give it a a shot in the next few weeks, only problem I have is everyone I fish with is bass mad and a smoothie on a lure is not a big deal and doesn't hold much interest to anyone else.
Hopefully they'll storm inshore soon and I can have a go from the yak but I can't see it happening, but, you never know.

Tope on a lure?
After the last few days (and even before) I have really come to believe that every fish is possible on a lure, if something smaller than it is invading its space, at some point it will have a go, they only have their mouths to defend territory of test something, and if it has a hook in it....
They are only fish after all..
Have had roach, bream, carp and rudd on lures in freshwater and these really aren't big fish eaters.
Also saw a flounder of around 8oz caught on a trolled 6" lure the other day so it really does make you think.
A tope.. now that eats fish.. sounds like a winner to me!
Very best of luck!!

 

[Dave M]

Great tread guys. Has really given me something to think about. Brill.

 

[DECKY]

Thats great news.cant wait to go deep water wrecking with one of those bad boys bouncing around the bottom