Chartreuse the Pollack colour?

I have recently started using Chartreuse soft plastics over other colours. I have witnessed some Bass being nailed on Senkos in this colour, especially when the water is coloured or murky.

I had bought a few goodies from www.basslures.co.uk which arrived in time for a trip we had planned in search of some Pollack.

http://www.basslures.co.uk/ima-melty-nymph-003-3-5-inch.html

I had got my hands on the mighty looking IMA Melty Nymph in Chartreuse back and White belly - they look killer.

They have a great ribbed body and a very aggressive paddle tail profile.

We got onto the mark and had a few fish on various other lures before I unleashed the new gear. Rigged with a weedless 1/0 wide gape worm hook and about 14g Texas style lead I made my first cast with the new IMA gear.

It hit the bottom and started to bump it back in - it was deep water, I had about a dozen turns on the handle and smack - fish on.

As usual the Pollack fought hard and finally landed, a lovely fish of around 3lb - no monster but proof that these lures kill.

My mate Jonny stuck on another Chartreuse lure on this time a 4.5 Sluggo in Chartreuse with a sparkle, also from Basslures.

It wasn't long before he had connected to another fish.

We continued to hit fish around the same size, nothing huge but fantastic sport on the light lure gear.

I ended up with Melty Nymphs with no tails because the fish were just ravaging them.

I will be back for more as soon as my stock runs out - truly killer lures and I bet they will hammer Bass too.

Stay tuned .... There are a lot more Pollack on softies to come!

Last trip of the year . . . Maybe!

With reports of good fishing, improving conditions and good tides we set off with high hopes for the Copper Coast. The conditions looked great - blue sky, stir in the water and an on- shore wind, the excitement was building. We hit the first few marks hard and  both witnessed, for the first time, Mackerel being pushed to the surface by feeding Bass. Although the Mackerel kept us entertained on both surface and sub surface lures we failed to land any Bass the first day, although I did manage to connect with one briefly on a Lucky Craft Gun Fish.

The conditions were getting better by the hour and the next morning the coast was looking epic. We were not long at the first mark when Jonny smashed into a nice fish on the Feed Shallow Plus. After a strong fight he had the fish in at his feet. I scrambled over to give him a hand landing it and the following events can only be described as 'poor angling'. We have all witnessed it - a faff about when the fish was at our feet and the leader pinged on the rock - both fish and lure gone. It was heartbreaking to have it so close and then to loose it at the final stage. It was a nice fish of around 5lb. Some might say with the fish touched and the leader held then it was 'landed' but we couldn't help but feel disappointed when it slipped through our grasp. We stood in silence for a while - no words would have made a blind bit of difference. The walk back to the car was gutting as we talked about the usual 'what ifs'! I couldn't help but feel it was my fault that it got off and it stayed in my head the whole trip but I guess it is going to happen sooner or later to us all - it just so happened to be a good Bass.

We didn't let this hold us back - moving on we hit the next mark as the tide was pushing on. As usual we hit more Mackerel and then the first Bass of the trip was landed. I got smashed on a Maria Chase BW about 30yards out.

A quick picture and it was time to set it back to sea.

Then it was Jonny's turn to connect. This time on the IMA Hound Glide.

It was great to get some fish to try and rectify the morning's horrific landing experience and the spirits were lifted with a few more Bass.

And another one ....

Sadly for us the next day presented worsening conditions and the prospect of a fish was looking grim. We made a last minute call to head East and go try some of the old faithful marks which I knew a lot better.

We didn't waste anytime on arriving, we parked up and headed straight out. We got smashed up and then I got this nice little 3lb fish.

Had we made the right move? Would there be more fish on our last day?

We got up first thing in the morning and fished hard with Jonny producing this nice little Pollack.

Although not the Bass we had hoped for it was nice to at least get a bend on the rod.

We moved mark and fished fished for about half an hour with Jonny getting smashed up and then loosing a running fish. I was lucky when about 20 minutes later I landed another solid fish.

With time closing in on us I made the call to move to one last mark before we decided to call it a day. We arrived and the water was filthy, brown and coloured. I stuck on a White Senko style lure and began to slowly bounce it down the current. I hadn't been fishing 10 minutes when the three huge pounding head shakes on the rod. I struck and the fish took off. At first I wasn't sure how big the fish was with the current but as I tightened the drag and it kept running I soon knew it wasn't a puppy. The head shakes continued until it turned and ran straight at me. I reeled up the slack rapidly hoping it wouldn't get off, as it got closer and closer we still couldn't see the fish. Eventually it cruised up out of the murky water to reveal itself to us.

We stood in awe. It was easily my biggest Bass, I knew this before I had even weighed it. We got the Boga in it and the camera out.

This beauty tipped the scales at 7.3lb - my personal best.

I was shaking with a mixture of amazement and nerves. It had given me one hell of a fight and after getting it weighed it was slipped back in to the water for it to recover.

It was incredible to see such a fish in the flesh - an event which I am sure Jonny nor I will ever forget. It was the icing on the cake, a perfect way to end what was a fantastic trip.

We had our ups and downs between loosing fish and plagues of Mackerel but this blew all that into a distant memory. Who knows when I will see a fish as stunning again but I know it won't stop me trying.

Tight Lines.

Weekend in the Wild West!

I had arranged for my new angling buddy Jonny Dawson to come over and join me for a few days lure fishing on the West coast. As always the weather was looking a bit dodgy but I was confident that if we got some settled patches we could at least get out and wet a line somewhere.

I set off in search of Sea Trout whilst waiting on the call from Jonny to say he had arrived. The weather was grim but we managed 7 before he turned up. Later that evening we took a quick run for Salmon. I produced a fresh bar of silver around the 5lb mark.

The next day was looking promising. Clear skies, no rain and a nice calm wind.

A quick blast for Sea Trout ensured Jonny landed his first fish of the trip.

I took him to a mark I had fished a week prior for wrasse. After a bit of a complicated drive and a good walk out we arrived at the mark. Boulders, weed and current - it was a wrasse paradise.

Jonny was first to hook into a fish. It was nice to see the Graphiteleader with a bend on it and up came the first fish of the day.

It nailed the green paddletail lure.

We fished on the same spot for a while. I lost a good Pollack that took me under a ledge and ripped my braid to shreds. After a quick re-set up I was back in the water and soon had the first Wrasse of the trip landed.

At this stage it was all trial and error with lure colour, size and shape. I stuck on a lure I had been given a few months back by my mate Jay La Roche. Cast it out and let it hit the bottom. Before I could even twitch the lure it was engulfed by a Pollack. It took off like a train leaving both of us thinking I had hooked a brute. It was no monster but a solid fish weighing 3.7lb.

The purple / green lure - always great when it was a freebie!

We eventually decided to give that spot a rest and moved on. Packed up the gear and went for an explore. Looking down from above we spotted a lovely little set of ledges and scrambled down to the new ground.

It wasn't long before the fish started coming.

I began to nail some wrasse on a small motor oil paddle tail grub.

And another ....

I eventually decided to be a good host / guide and give Jonny one of my prized lures and BANG! He got his first Wrasse of the session.

A great fighter and the first of many more.

Then Jonny began thrashing me by landing Pollack faster than I could set up my other little 2 - 8g rod. He was on fire.

I then started to claw back the numbers using the little 6ft, 2-8g rod for sport. The fish all averaged around the same as above but by the end of the day we had lost count over 30.

As the light dropped we expected the bigger Pollack to come on the feed but sadly it never happened and this Wrasse was the last fish to be taken of the session.

We didn't get back until late and thoughts soon turned to the next day and what it would bring for us. Thankfully when we got up the weather was still not bad but a fierce South wind was ripping in. We had a quick blast at the Sea Trout landing 5 between us and then I took Jonny off to catch some Mackerel on surface lures.

As before the Lucky Craft Sammy and Megabass Cutter produced the goods. Amazing sport and just great craic - we were like kids standing watching the fish feed and sight casting to them. Then the real fun begins, working the lure and watching them chase it in the shallows and working it right to your feet before the Mackerel smashed the lures. Numerous times we had not only double hook ups but even had two fish on each lure, engulfing the double size 2 barb-less single hooks.

http://www.basslures.co.uk/lucky-craft-sw-sammy-65f-ghost-lake-mead.html

http://www.basslures.co.uk/megabass-cutter-90-wanoku-sayori.html

I had the 6ft, 2-8g rod out again for some sport - Nuts.

After a while we decided to get the video camera out and catch at least one take on camera . . .

Excuse the sound, the wind was howling the whole time and we both got a tad over excited!!

It was a fantastic trip and whilst it was slightly later in the year we still had great sport. 

Stay tuned as we are both heading off for some Bass fishing with the lures next weekend . . . Fingers crossed!

Macks on surface lures

We all know that Mackerel are possibly the easiest fish to catch once located. Couple this with the exhilaration of watching fish hit surface lures and you end up with a cracking day's sport.

I went down to a local mark where I knew I would find bait fish, mackerel and other predators lurking around waiting for a quick meal.

The food source was there and now it was time to start enticing the fish to the top.

The first lure of choice was a 65mm Lucky Craft Sammy. I have used the larger version for Bass before but I bought this for some sport on the light lure rod.

http://www.basslures.co.uk/lucky-craft-sw-sammy-65f-ghost-lake-mead.html

It wasn't long before we had Mackerel rising everywhere at the lure.

Then we switched over to another great lure which had worked well for us a few weeks back for Sea Trout - the Megabass Cutter 90.

http://www.basslures.co.uk/megabass-cutter-90-wanoku-sayori.html

After nailing and releasing the majority of the Mackerel we had a quick go for Sea Trout but it was just too late in the tide. We managed one nice little fish but we had been distracted by the sport off the surface.

Taken on a 20g 40mm casting jig.

Any fish taken off the surface really gets the adrenaline pumping and Mackerel are no exception. Forget the feathers and the bits of metal. Get a light lure rod, some mini surface lures and get out and have some sport - it rocks!

Wrassetastic

After nailing my first Wrasse on a soft plastic a few weeks before, I was on a mission to hunt down some more. We set off to a rock mark which we had fished a good few years back but then it was all bait and metals etc

This truly was a leap into the unkown for me in terms of tactics, gear and what was lurking in the rocks and weed below.

I rigged up the standard texas set up - 10g head, glass bead and size 2 hook. Rigged up the Wave lure and flicked it out at my feet. It just hit the bottom and I got that unmistakable smack from a Wrasse

1, 2, 3 - Bang. The rod smashed over and I was into a nice Wrasse to start the session.

It always amazes me when you see the colours of these fish ..

 Continued to use the green wave lure which produced another nice fish.

I spent the next half an hour trying various ledges with no luck and after swapping lures a few times, I looked down to see a Wrasse grazing on the ledge beside me. I watched it for a minute or two as it cruised along the ledge. I flicked out the Sakura Snoop and watched it drift past the fish. 

http://www.basslures.co.uk/soft-plastics.html

I got smacked as it bumped past but no hook up. I lifted the lure out and drifted it again. Same thing, smack. On the third drift the rod lurched and I hooked my very first 'sight cast' Wrasse.

 We fished on as the tide was rising and nailed a few more on a variety of lure profiles but mostly all green in colour.

I love watching them go back down to the rocky depths beneath.

The best fish of the day was taken on an emerald green Senko style lure. Three very timid plucks and then smack.

A quick plunge and the fish rocketed back to the ledges for another day.

It was great to try an old mark with new techniques. Plenty more marks to re visit and explore so stay tuned ....