A bone and a beer

Having tinkered with my gear a bit and got my eye in as to where the fish are or might be I had a break this morning.

I made my way along the beach stopping briefly to put a few casts into the shadows next to the lit areas looking for the elusive Snook. I had a little Snapper at one of these spots but didn’t really hang around too long. I then got to the spot where the Tarpon and Ladyfish have been in the last week. I thought I was a little early but after a dozen cranks of the reel handle I felt a slight tap and then the tip slammed over, game on.

Not a great picture with the blood etc, only so much you can of someone putting their towel on the beach this early.

I’ve caught Ladyfish before in Florida but they were smaller than this, cracking scrap being hooked at distance it made several leaps before it was on the beach.

I lost another one before I made a dash down the beach after spotting a pair of Tarpon cruising. I threw the lure ahead of them twice before they disappeared. I spotted them again 20 mins later and had another shot but they weren’t interested.

 

I was thinking about heading back along the beach, it was 7am and things seem to go quite about this time. I fanned a few casts around and then got a solid hit which turned into a screaming run. I kept the rod low expecting a leap but this fish felt different and I started to think it was a decent Jack Crevalle.  The runs the fish made were mental, I started to think Bonefish. The best scrap I’ve had from the shore was a 20 pound plus Jack in Mexico,  pound for pound this was well on par with that. I think I’ve caught it all on my GOPRO which was set up on a Gorillapod on the beach so I can check how long it took; it felt like a long time….

What a bonus, my first Bone and pretty big one at that. I didn’t waste any time in getting it back in the water but it took a while to recover before it swam off. I’ve been told they fight well and I’ve seen them caught on TV but I can now confirm, they’re something else. Time for breakfast.

 

I don’t normally drink beer for breakfast but this was a special morning for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life’s a beach

We had a nice day again today.

Lynne’s utilised the crutches for a Mojito holder. These insulated beach cups are handy. We’re doing a few trips next week so we’re just relaxing for the moment……

I met a couple of old school guys from Brooklyn the other day, colourful characters as it happens. Robert and Vinnie are in their 60 & 70’s. Fishing is a great leveller no matter where you come from, had a laugh with them early AM. Still, fishing despite having two knee replacements, three eyes and a bypass between them. I’ve borrowed some two trebles from the Stripper lures they have with them, no idea of the quality but they are a heaver gauge than the Owners I have. I was done twice this morning, bent trebles again, same place, same time.  I’ve dipped the rod, loosened off the drag but I’m not sure if the amount of line I’ve got out and the drag of this when they leap is the issue but at least I’m finding the fish.

Anyway, two new species and one I’d forgotten I’d caught.

Caribbean Polemeta, related to the Permit which took a little pink HTO jig. Caught these in Mexico.

An immature Black Drum

And another Snapper, saw this when I was checking ID’s the other day and noted the red fringe on the fins. There are so many variations in colour for these it’s hard to work if it’s one I’ve already caught, being this size and immature doesn’t help. I had couple of small Cudas as well so it was a nice couple of hours before breakfast.

I caught this when it was still dark. The lights on the beach attract small fish but when they're behind you it's difficult to avoid casting shadows. I'm sure there are a few Snook somewhere between the pier legs  so I'll keep plugging away.

 

  

 

Amateur hour on the beach

I’ve been lucky enough over the years to just about take this morning events on the chin.  Schoolboy errors happen and I’m putting this one down to tipping the barmaid last night and what ended up in fairly loaded Margaritas.

I found a nice spot yesterday and spotted two Tarpon in a dock area.  I made my way there at 5am in the pitch black and fished as the sun rose. I tried a small Savage Gear Fourplay on a 7g jighead which was about the same size as the bait fish present.

I worked it around the pier legs and between the boats and thought to myself that if I did connect it might be a brutal and brief affair.

I had a couple of knocks from small fish but was a bit disappointed that there was nothing else around. As I worked my way back along the beach I had two small cudas and another fish which I think is  an immature  Lane Snapper.

Even early AM its  blowing 30mph offshore wind so having changed  to a metal and  lobbing it up in the air   I was getting about 60-70 yards I guess. On one of these casts the lure was smacked by a substantial fish which tore off and leapt clear of the water……Tarpon on. Playing the fish was pretty hairy but I couldn’t believe my luck, a decent fish as well in the teens or twenties. It leapt another twice and threw the hook, gutted. I recast and hooked another one instantly, same thing happened again. I checked the hook points, these were fine. In the next 10 mins I hooked another 4 fish in what felt like some sort of feeding frenzy. I sat on the sand and checked the lure and the leader again.

What a dick. This is an Owner ST36BC which I put on the Hansen . OK, so not the strongest of the Owner range of trebles but still a strong reliable pattern. I hope this was a bad one as I’ve no chance of getting any upgrades here.

 

The points were fine but having just run my fingers over them I didn’t check them visually. I got so caught up in the moment; too busy looking at the fish moving on the surface. My leader was also badly worn as well, muppet.  I walked off the beach in disgust before 7am, first day at school material this.....

 

 

 

 

Snookered again

I had a morning session with Laurenz from http://www.flyfishingaruba.com/   today. The objective for me was to get a Snook. I’ve been looking for one of these for years, having connected with a couple they never seem to stay hooked, probably just bad angling actually.

The plan was to try a few different spots which were a mixture of reefs and mangroves where we might also pick up Barracuda, Jacks and small Tarpon. Laurenz set me up with a weedless and weightless fork tail shad in white and silver which I liked the look of. After a few casts I got the hang of skipping these into the shade of the mangroves, no mean feat as Aruba is officially the windiest place I've ever been. About 5 mins in I had a nice boil in the vicinity of the lure. From his position Laurenz could see the Tarpon take the lure and promptly spitting it back out, I never even felt a touch.

 

We tried a few spots which were fishless and we mixed it up using some poppers over a reef drop off.  I suggested trying my Megabass Edonis and I was basically straight into a fish which came off after a brief scrap, not sure what it was as neither of us could get a look at it. I then went on a roll hooking six Barracuda and landing four.

Not exactly monsters but they provided some fun.

Having got the blank off it was time for the Snook again. We headed back to the mangroves where I practiced casting into trees , last night appeared to be catching up with me and occasionally  a cast went in the right spot but the Snook were either in really deep cover or not there. I also lost two lures, while Laurenz tied me another rig I made a few speculative casts around the boat which resulted in another new species for me.

A Mangrove Jack

Laurenz then took me to area with lots of structure, wooden piers, mangroves and moored boats. I worked my way along casting in and under anything that might hold a fish. I really enjoyed this and expectations were high on pretty much every cast that hit the right spot. Eventually it happened as the lure was battered twice under a pier and a nice Snook shot out attached to my lure, yet again it came off. In the next hour this happened another twice, once under a pier restaurant where people were eating breakfast. I made my apologies regarding my language and we went on our way

I had a great time with Laurenz and would have liked the opportunity to fish with him again but unfortunately he’s fully booked for the month. So, no Snook for me, so far anyway. That was my best chance , it’s going to be a tough job getting one from an open beach. I can see a night session on the horizon……

Laurenz tying up his boat bone collector, nice name.
 

Make it snappy

We arrived in Aruba on Tuesday so I did the right thing and left the fishing alone for a day. I hit the beach at 6am this morning nursing a mild hangover thanks to Havana Club & OJ. I was looking for a Snook or Jack as I worked my way along the beach but the first thing that showed any interest was a Needlefish which predictably threw the hook. I had a few follows, not sure what from to be honest but finally connected with this.

 A Mutton Snapper. It went really well so much so I thought it was a small Jack. It took a Megabass Edonis in black and silver, this lure did well for me in Mexico and after trying some small poppers and hard diving lures today it’s delivered again.

I had taken my lure off as I walked back to the hotel which was a mistake.  I watched as two big Bonefish ran the outside edge of the gulley and up on to a shallow patch. I’ve some crab pattern SP’s which might have slowed them down, won’t make that mistake again……

A nice two hours before eating a double breakfast. I've avoided the pancakes so far but it is inevitable  I'm afraid.

 Lynne should have some braid and a couple of lures on  these.......

Fishing and foraging Wales

I spoke with my mate Matt Powell on Friday , his season is well underway with some nice fish under his belt for both him and his clients. I’m hoping to get down for a few days later in the year. I had great time fishing with Matt last year. I have some nice memories from my visit, wading the gullies of Pembrokeshire catching Bass, listening to Queens of  the Stone Age, steak cooked on the barbecue with new potatoes and a glass of red at the end of the day, good times.

If you want to learn about foraging for wild food or catching some Welsh Bass have a look HERE

On the local front, just when I thought I was on a roll Jamie and I drew a blank on the Bass yesterday. I had a couple of knocks and lost a fish on a Wave Worm bamboo stick. I did however enjoy fishing these Wave Worms weightless and weedless pitched into the breaking waves as they covered the gullies. It’s a really natural presentation which leaves the lure to wash around and find its own way to the fish. I’m sure, like last year this will account for a few good fish.

I also hope to have a couple of new species shortly, with some luck I’ll have something to post in a couple of weeks…..

Billy’s and a billfish

I was warned before I left the house today, no slips trips or falls ahead of our big day on Sunday. For a moment I thought about it, I then MTFU and got the gear ready.  I did however intend to be more careful than usual with any green boulders I might come across.

The water was a little creamy so I decided an SG sandeel in pearl might do the trick, didn’t  settle on it,  tried a laminated Wave Worm , then  a DC9 , all in 20 mins, daft really. I had another rummage through the box and picked a Mag Popper, considering that last year I went without a single take on the surface for the whole season I was for some reason confident this would solve the problem. It’s always scored for me in the past but last year this and any other surface lure I put on couldn’t buy me a bite.  Anyway,about 5 minutes after changing I was looking somewhere else but felt a tap. I looked around to see a big flat spot in the waves, fish, it came again, but got it this time, good fish, so we settled in for some fun for a minute or so but despite the brand  new Owners it came off, pissed right off, again….

This didn’t exactly make up for it but as it took off across the surface much Iike the Houndfish I’ve caught at a few destinations I knew I was into my first Scottish Garfish, not too common up here. I’ve caught Gars in Portugal but it was a bit of a surprise, especially in May on thinking about it.

Nearest I'm going to get to a Scottish billfish

Then a nice fish, strong this one, fannied about with it for a while before it was beached.

A nice little session with the fish all coming off the top. I hit the road quitting while I was ahead. I didn’t even get to high tide, might have gotten another fish or two but no point in pushing my luck, no point in tempting fate.

 

First Bass of my season

My time has been limited over the last few weeks with a couple of hours here and there. Lynne’s making good progress and she can manage a few steps without crutches now. With our wedding next week and plenty of things still on the to do list I was pushing it to get a  trip in. With this in mind, l made a major detour after finishing work anyway and headed SW.

A modest start to my 2014 Bass season but very much appreciated. It took a Kinetic D360 in-line punched in to the surf.

I then had its twin 15 minutes later.

I had a move and landed on my mark bang on time. The moon wasn’t up yet and this was my first time on the mark this year so it didn’t feel familiar. It had changed underfoot, the waves were breaking differently but I put the lure out at 11 o’clock and let it swing around to 3 o’clock five times before I felt a tap. The the rod hooped over and the line peeled off the reel, two nice runs and some shaking with some solid weight as it swam around , then it went horribly slack. Pissed off I wound in , checked the hook and made another cast. I had another two bumps before the moon popped through the low cloud on the horizon and lit the beach up like Blackpool so I hit the road about an hour later.

I've sneaked a couple of Sea Trout out as well. Unfortunately like the Bass I've just told you about I've had two  cracking Sea Trout come adrift after I thought they were almost in the net, chickens counted never ends well.
 

50 greatest lures of all time

I came across this Field and Stream article Here The comments made me laugh , some people take things way to seriously.

I was surprised to see this lure in at number two - the Dardevle Spinnie

I caught my first fish  on one of these about 40 years ago. It seems it's been around for over a century, might just get a couple for old times sake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the hens away

With Lynne packed off for her hen weekend I continued my journey. The last I heard the wheelchair was decked out in L plates and furry dice, nothing to worry about there then…….

A cautious approach was required with the bright conditions and low tide holding spots.

This fish below actually beached itself when it took the lure and the scrap was over before it began.  I had a few bow wakes and follows but even scaling down further didn’t work after that.

I had to wait a little while before I picked up another fish.

I’m now seeing Gannets on a regular basis, they seem to stack and glide in circles over regular spots waiting for targets to appear, one of my favourite sights when they  then decide to peel off and go in hard. There were also a few Terns around adding their own soundtrack to what was a quiet evening , nearly time for a different type of silver.

 

Super Salmo Trutta

I’m enjoying my fishing at the moment,  after a dark  winter it's just a pleasure to walk the coast with the prospect of connecting with these fish.

I’ve lost a fish in the exact same spot three times, almost certain it's the same fish , tricky customer that one. In fact that’s been the story of the last couple of trips, they can be slippery at times.

I saw a peach of a fish leap clear of the water last night, one of those ones you might need to think about at 4am when contemplating turning over in bed or pulling on a pair of damp waders. I might just get a few hours in tonight……

 

A sunny Easter Monday

A sunny bank holiday Monday arrived, a novelty indeed. Since Lynne broke her heel we’ve had to re-jig a lot of the things day to day and will do for the next two to three months at least. Janice and Phil arranged to come up for the day and help out domestically, that let me cut loose for a trip and was much appreciated.

It was warm, bright, windy, midday, low tide, in other words it all looked a wee bit tricky. I wasn’t wrong. The fish were around, sort of in the mood but if there were a score line I was on the wrong end of it, six nil down to a bunch of follows and nips. I decided to use a sparse epoxy minnow teaser and orange/chartreuse lure looking to change it around a bit and get some commitment. It worked but I lost them both, one of them would have been my best fish this year so far.

On the teaser

 

The teaser again, better condition , nice blue back. Despite being miles away there’s always a dog walker. As it happens I was warned this one likes to bite rod tips, nice to know, I’ve averaged a  new tip for the HPR just about every year, I would like to give that a miss this year if I can.

I’m starting to pick up small Coalies again. It’s occurred to me that the mature and larger fish in the system that have been around for a while must have them on their diet. I’m going to take some of the more battered patterns I have and paint them black over silver, can’t do any harm.
 

 

Catching up on the coast

I had arranged to meet up with Sam after work for a couple of hours fishing. With the lighter evenings arriving it’s great to able to do this and as good a reason as any for a catch up. The fishing wasn’t up to much but we had a laugh and it was not without incident.

This nice fish made one immaculate leap in the sunshine just in front of me but my camera was off, typical. I've not had much luck capturing jumpers so far.

Sam dries out in the cool evening sun while taking a break from raiding my lure box.

Windy daze

It was difficult to find any shelter today as the wind found me in every hiding place I could think of. It must have been gusting close to 40mph at times and not very pleasant to be out in to be honest. The rain stopped about 10.30am which was nice, the fish were hard to find and it seemed I was destined to have one of those days. I had one deep follow and three takes which were on and quickly off again. I’ve had a busy week , a lot of driving and early starts. I was really feeling the effects of a 5am rise this morning and left the house in a daze, with 3 hours fishing behind me and no fish landed I was questioning if I should have stayed in bed.

I had a feeling that the Sea Trout weren’t being convinced by my efforts today but this fish eventually proved me wrong.

 

I was knackered and decided to have a kip for half an hour and see how I felt after that.  I didn't feel I was fishing effectively, sort of just going through the motions as can happen sometimes.

 

I can’t say I felt much better after my nap but got my ass back down the beach anyway , wakey wakey!!

A dip in the 7 c water helps to waken you up.

I had another fish about 40 minutes later then packed up shortly afterwards.

I'm fishing Tuesday night so I might give it a miss next weekend and recharge my batteries.

 

 

 

 

 

Some business and some pleasure

I was in Birmingham for a meeting on Friday morning so made the most of the opportunity by factoring in some fishing.

Before heading to my mates for the weekend I had a few hours on the canal and met up with Ade and Kev from TLF. We caught a few fish between us but lost more than we landed, in my  case that meant 6 fish both Perch and Zander and mainly just as the net was being deployed, a classic Zander tactic to piss me off.

The first fish to stay hooked

And the second

Saturday morning started pretty much the same way with the first two Perch letting go of the lure at the net,  one held on for too long and made it on to the bank. Kev had given me a couple of D-Fins in lime green and the fish seemed to like them.

Shortly afterwards I picked up this little chap from the same spot so I had a clearly found a shoal of stripeys.

I had a short walk to a spot that always seems to hold a Zander or two on either side of a snag. I dropped in directly below the rod tip and gave the lure a shake and got a hit which I missed. I swam the lure around in a circle and then converted the next knock into a fish.

 

I then worked my way around the snag again and picked up a surprise Perch

 

Pic courtesy of a dog walker as usual.

Having made my way back to the car for something to eat I decided on a move.  On arriving at my next spot I got a nice Perch on my second cast on the lime green D-Fin again, lost the picture due to a smudged lens. I struggled for a while after that so changed from a drop shot rig to yellow Duck Fin Shad and 7g football jig head and picked up a Zed and a Perch. I then went fishless for about two hours before losing a really nice Zed, usual routine, hook fish, play fish , grab the net and the fish lets go of the lure.

Big goggle eyes this Zed. It had a few scars as well, maybe mating or a big Zed as there are not many Pike in this canal.

 

I can’t see me being able to fish for Zander for a while now. If the opportunity presents itself later in the year I might sneak a few out around October or November.