SI, I am in the same boat as you in general. I paid a lot of money (in my opinion!) for a pack of XLayers and 7g jigheads earlier this year and I'll I've caught so far is the bottom and in short order too!. So now I avoid fishing them as they just seem like snag-magnets to me, not fish catchers and yet others swear by them. Oh yeah - I've got Slug-Gos in different colours and sizes and never had a pull on them. What am I doing wrong as I catch bass on plugs in the same areas?
Soft Plastic Depths
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Paul, you are a Gent, and i look forward to hounding you and asking you numpty questions at a forthcoming Bass Meet !!! You'll wish you hadnt offered !!st ouen said:
As for the list of s/p's that i've accumulated this year . . . . like a true plonker, although i am yet to score with these, i have in my bag . . . . .
1) Xorus Rolling Shads
2) Xlayers (in Wakasagi, Acocado & Silver, Moroko, Aurora Shad !! Yeh, i know !!)
3) Giant Xlayer (in Ayu)
4) 3 different lots of Slug-go's (couldnt seem to dig them out now)
5) Some cheapo sandeel imitations that i picked up somewhere
Jig Heads: Decoy Big-X (18.5g), Decoy Carolina Fixe (13.5g), Decoy Birdy (12.5g), Decoy Bachihead (7g), Decoy Pentagon (1/2oz).
Texposer Hooks: Various.
I was concerned that this collection was excessive, until i saw Dai's collection at the weekend - everytime there's a clap of thunder in Caerphilly, his whole house must wobble for about an hour !!!!
Ground: It really varies around these parts. I fish some clean beaches with some interesting features that i'd love to tackle with s/p's, including this place (surely the river could be worth a pop - tide floods right up to that closest bend?). . . . .
. . . . and more rugged terrain like this . . . .
. . . . and this (deep, sharp gulleys, shallow ground, Kelp beds) . . . .
So, Paul - any thoughts based on that lot ?
Si
4
Si,
Immediate thoughts? I'd love to know the tidal range but here goes anyway.
Photo 1.
Isn't that Jurassic park -where's the T-Rex stage left? Is that a kosha mark? If so its beautiful. Trouble is we don't have rivers in Jersey so I am going to approach it like a gutter. First thoughts would be (1) bouncing an XLayer across the bottom of that stream early morning on a flooding tide. Just enough weight to let it touch bottom every so often; (2) swinging an unweighted rolling shad across the current at night; (3) At the point that stream enters the sea, fishing a Giant XLayer on the Big-X head cast across the current and bounced through the bottom features that must be there (after all it does look like a fantasy mark).
Would like to know what natural bait runs up and down that stream.
Photo 2.
Difficult looking mark TBH. Doesn't look as though that rock holds a lot of resident life. So I'm guessing with the sandy shore nearby I'd be wanting to wait for sandeels in the water and fish XLayers to match on the Bacchi heads. If you know there is more life below the low water mark then the rock looks quite gentle, so a bit of bottom bouncing, maybe the rolling shad on the Carolina Fixe but I'd be happier with a a Pare Choc or a weighted texan like the Texas Power. Would this mark fish better at night?
Photo 3.
My favourite based on pure appearances. Looks like there's going to be much more food in this area. I could spend hours there with all of the lures you've mentioned, lighter weighted to run through that white water and heavier weight heads to get down amongst that kelp. But I'd still prefer a texan for that. By catch of pollack and wrasse but that's just fine by me.
Can you ever have too many? Here are a few from my boat bag. Please excuse the picture quality. Check out the Sluggo next to bottom in the first picture. I never had much joy so I was reduced to using a tip I saw on a US site to cut the nose off at a perpendicular angle and turn the Sluggo into a bit of a popper. Only tried it once or twice, but I find it hard to get confident with them. Much prefer XLayers, Spindleworms and Mother Eels.
First person to wonder what a Madaii is needs to get out there and buy one. Trust me, I've been canonised.
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Immediate thoughts? I'd love to know the tidal range but here goes anyway.
Photo 1.
Isn't that Jurassic park -where's the T-Rex stage left? Is that a kosha mark? If so its beautiful. Trouble is we don't have rivers in Jersey so I am going to approach it like a gutter. First thoughts would be (1) bouncing an XLayer across the bottom of that stream early morning on a flooding tide. Just enough weight to let it touch bottom every so often; (2) swinging an unweighted rolling shad across the current at night; (3) At the point that stream enters the sea, fishing a Giant XLayer on the Big-X head cast across the current and bounced through the bottom features that must be there (after all it does look like a fantasy mark).
Would like to know what natural bait runs up and down that stream.
Photo 2.
Difficult looking mark TBH. Doesn't look as though that rock holds a lot of resident life. So I'm guessing with the sandy shore nearby I'd be wanting to wait for sandeels in the water and fish XLayers to match on the Bacchi heads. If you know there is more life below the low water mark then the rock looks quite gentle, so a bit of bottom bouncing, maybe the rolling shad on the Carolina Fixe but I'd be happier with a a Pare Choc or a weighted texan like the Texas Power. Would this mark fish better at night?
Photo 3.
My favourite based on pure appearances. Looks like there's going to be much more food in this area. I could spend hours there with all of the lures you've mentioned, lighter weighted to run through that white water and heavier weight heads to get down amongst that kelp. But I'd still prefer a texan for that. By catch of pollack and wrasse but that's just fine by me.
Can you ever have too many? Here are a few from my boat bag. Please excuse the picture quality. Check out the Sluggo next to bottom in the first picture. I never had much joy so I was reduced to using a tip I saw on a US site to cut the nose off at a perpendicular angle and turn the Sluggo into a bit of a popper. Only tried it once or twice, but I find it hard to get confident with them. Much prefer XLayers, Spindleworms and Mother Eels.
First person to wonder what a Madaii is needs to get out there and buy one. Trust me, I've been canonised.
Lewisman said:Pic 2: I have also wondered about what natural food may be here. I know that there is a kelp-bed which i've only seen at LW on bigger tides, and i hooked a large launce here on a Zonk a few weeks back. Not that many rock pools above the LW mark here, although just back behind me as i took this pic there is some better rough ground with rockpools full of life. Perhaps Si (softie) could chip-in with his perspective of what natural food may be present here, or maybe Iestyn ?
I'd agree with the lack of life.....quite barren just below the boats I think. Around the corner, a different story, 100yds East and there is a kelp bed, another 50yds and more kelpy reef. Mostly cleanish ground here though I think but will get the snorkle kit out for a reccie next year.
Pic 3: Rugged, interesting ground. Almost daunting. A few of the guys on here know that area (Marc, Tom, Si, Iestyn). Not sure how many of those have tried s/p's though? Certainly lots of life there - all sorts of bait.
Love this area.....full of kelp, rock pools, gutters and water movement. Loads of crab, goby/blenny type fish, watched rag spawning in this exact gully earlier this year! Hate fishing the sp's here due to the snags.....no clean ground....and often feel that the sp's should be bottom bounced rather than slow reeled? (maybe missing out big time here!), although I have done well here with the picoleauSteve Hounddog caught on xlayers here but only a small schoolie, the 4lb+ fish came to the zonk!
So would you say that i'm missing anything obvious from my s/p armoury that may make a difference at any of these types of marks? If not, it's just gonna be a case of having the confidence to get down there and be disciplined to stick to the s/p's !!
I'll show you the mahoosive collection of sp's I carry with me Si.......but nearly always plug! Good exercise for me though. I need to concentrate with the sp's and give them the time they deserve.
If there are blennies there in any numbers then the spindle worms in dark green are good. They produced a few fish early this year from the boat around exposed heads before the sandeels showed up.
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It's in there somewhere!
It's in there somewhere!
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