[Andy Marquis]

Well it's been horrid all weekend but I can't not go fishing in a whole weekend. SW7/8 and hammering down so it was try to get the wind behind me for a T-Time session.

It started Ok with a few bits of bait about in the shallows which is always a good sign.

Working the pafex veeeerrrrryyyyy slowly round in the current it was sinking to about 8ft I guess. Water was like thick mud, about 2ft viz to shiny objects like bass turning on my lure!! When I say very slowly one turn of the handle taking about 4 seconds, twitch, sit, 1,2,3......8, start again.

4th cast and whallop, screeeeeeecchhhhhhhhhhh...... Wahay!!

After quite a scrap this lovely bar of silver showed up on top, running a few more times against a tight drag.

here she is!!

52cm and 3-10-4 on the digi scales for the club.

Texting to report the fish done she was bonked on the head as I had an order for a fish. On gutting I was upset as she was starting to roe up. Noted for the rest of the year for fish heavy for length to go back whoever wants what to eat.

Continued to fish and felt the need to try some hard lures for some reason. A balanced Vision 110, half a gram of sticky lead round the mid section had done the trick quite nicely turning it into a suspending/slow riser. The other was a straight forward new lure a Yo-Zuri Crystal minnow, supposedly a suspender and actually pretty close to it. Rose very very slowly and completely horizontal. Good work Yo-Zuri!!

Anyway, no joy with the hard stuff so back on the SP's. Had quite a few plucks but no hookup for a while until I hot a masive pollack. All of 1/4lb I reckon!! Having a larf it was soo small!!

I carried on spurred in the torrents of rain by flashes of silver but they were suspect maybe having seen their mate in trouble. They seem spooky on this mark. I saw at one point 2 separate silver flashes at the lure and after they went I hooked into a fish which turned out to be a pollack. Shame.

by now 2 calls from the nipper and I couldn't put up any more with the when you coming hoe whingeing so off I went, cold wet and happy!!

 

[Simon L]

Very nice work - gave the s/p's a crack today, but still cant seem to break my duck!!!

 

[Dave Irving]

Well done on the bass, still shocking around here.
Sometimes living on an island isn't so bad

 

[steve mullins]

Fair play in that weather,good angling.

 

[Keith White]

Excellent report m8.

Nice to know about the yo-zuri.

Softies worked around like that are always going to have a chance regardless of colour etc
as Bass, like any other creature must eat sometime. Nice job at the end of the day and an inspiration
for me this week to try hard.

 

[Retired]

Well done on getting out there and getting a fish. I've been indoors all weekend feeling like crap - hope its not the flu.

One thing you wrote did ring true with me:-

...I carried on spurred in the torrents of rain by flashes of silver but they were suspect maybe having seen their mate in trouble. They seem spooky on this mark. I saw at one point 2 separate silver flashes at the lure and after they went I hooked into a fish which turned out to be a pollack. ...

I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago. Lots of knocks then once one came out they went right off. I'm not sure there's much we can do about it, maybe need to move on to another mark or rest the spot? A change of lure doesn't seem to be enough.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Andy Marquis]

I always saw it as mullet that were like that with caught fish spooking the shoal but on fishing some smaller bass marks it seems these may be effected also. The fish here have always been spooky and very hard to hook, i don't know why unless it's just human presence on a mark not frequented by humans much. They are often close in as it's a steep shelf so i guess they can see you if you can see them.

 

[Retired]

I always saw it as mullet that were like that with caught fish spooking the shoal but on fishing some smaller bass marks it seems these may be effected also. The fish here have always been spooky and very hard to hook, i don't know why unless it's just human presence on a mark not frequented by humans much. They are often close in as it's a steep shelf so i guess they can see you if you can see them.

Interesting, the mark I was fishing was a steep boulder slope, very short range, 20ft out and 15ft deep.

 

[Andy Marquis]

Very similar then, I have hooked them further out casting sideways but generally they hit right in close, literally a few yards out, they seem to follow and then hit when they think they might miss out on a meal, when they hit proper that is, but You can often just make them out turning on the lure so very close in. There's a reef opposite this mark so i can't cast more than 30 yards or so unless casting sideways.

 

[Keith White]

they seem to follow and then hit when they think they might miss out on a meal, when they hit proper that is

See my bit on entrapment in another thread.

Slow rising plugs etc, and of course, SP's climbing a shelf.

Hit it now or forget it type stuff I reckon.

On looking at that SP link, i note they have slit bellies. Can you take a few pics in detail
as i quite like the look of those baits.

 

[Andy Marquis]

Yes it is a slit belly and there's a ridge along the top as well.

They have a great action when twitched but sit pretty straight when stationary.

 

[Retired]

Very nice too.

All you need to do if you want weedless is nick the point of the hook into the top of the back. To do this you just pull the hook down until the point is lying along the back, then pull/stretch the SP forward in front of the hookpoint and release it back on to the hookpoint, so that it is a few mm in. If the SP has a shallow hook slot along its back then this makes for a very neat set up.Then chuck it into those weed beds!

When a fish munches on it the hook point very easily finds its way out. A word of warning though, this may not work so well with semi circle hooks or hooks with a very noticeable downward slant at the hookpoint (I put that in just for Keith because we had a discussion about it the other day). A standard texan will be fine.

If you want to twitch a baitfish and make it look loke its feeding you can try adding a v.small fly with the hookpoint snipped off, a few inches in front of the SP (but close). This can give a good passing resemblance of a roselet (we call them grasdos and they are smelt in the UK) chasing dainty morsels in the current.

If I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs then sorry, but maybe not everyone who reads this will have tried it.

Cheers

 

[Marc D...]

Cracking report and pics FG, love that little Softie too.

 

[Andy Marquis]

Thanks for the tips St Ouen. Will give it a try, not tried a teaser before so will try it and see.

one thing though... I have found it hard to hook up on softies for some reason, lots of plucking and even some big hits missed, even with the point clear. Is it just me?? Or just bad luck?

Cheers

 

[Retired]

Thanks for the tips St Ouen. Will give it a try, not tried a teaser before so will try it and see.

one thing though... I have found it hard to hook up on softies for some reason, lots of plucking and even some big hits missed, even with the point clear. Is it just me?? Or just bad luck?

Cheers

No that's not unusual IME, especially in pooz viz. I'd suggest twitching the lure upward then letting it drop back freely under its own weight, following it down with the rod tip to keep in touch. If you get a hit count to 2 quickly and strike gently. Sometimes its "thin air", plenty of times its a jaw hook in a fish. Then all you have to do is wait a millisecond for the fish to realise its hooked and let the fun commence!