North West Learning and improving

[CoarseanglerSteve]

So, another catch report. Some successes and some questions/discussion points. Record to date 4 sessions, 2 blanks, 5 fish. Had intended going earlier in the week after pumping some lug on Sunday morning but have had a bad back for a couple days so didn't get out until this morning.

I tried storing the worm in the fridge in a tray with a few mm of sea water, changed each day, after reading this online. The worms had lasted OK, although when I used them they seemed to be quite full of water and soon washed out. Is that the trade off? Until now I had stored them, live, in newspaper, but used them within 2 days and they seemed to last longer on the hook. Don't suppose I will need to store them this long usually, as I generally fish the day after collecting bait.

Anyway, had also been busy making some rigs (after initially buying a few pre-made) so was eager to try them out today. Made some pulleys and a few using cascade swivels so would be all clipped down today!! Weather was milder and winds had dropped but the NW wind still created a fair swell and coloured water. I opted for the Gynn Wall (Blackpool), further south than I had ventured so far, where I have seen a few fishing lately. Got there c. 2 hours before high water but was surprised to see some already fishing and had to take a punt on a spot (as I thought I would be early enough to see any features/gulleys before the tide came in fully).

Put out a home made cascade 2 hook rig with worm on my conti rod with the AFAW having a pulley pennel with lug wrapped with squid, hoping for a better fish (would love a ray ).

The worm rig soon started producing, with a tiny plaice after about 20 minutes. Then another good bite saw a little rockling come in. Seems like I have made some progress in reading and converting bites, overcoming my earlier issues with striking and missing them. As HW approached I tried a small mackerel fillet on the "heavy" rod and although I can't say I saw the bite, a reasonable flounder hooked itself, just before another rockling on the worm rig.

Still work to be done on baiting up with squid etc. I am getting there, but using elastic and 2 hooks is new territory. Wondering whether one of those baiting mates might make it easier to apply elastic and to create wrapped baits.

As the tide turned things slowed a little and odd bits of weed became a problem, but managed a small dab and, just as I was packing up, and casting only about 30 yards to avoid the weed, another chunky little rocking. 6 fish, my most successful session so far, rewarding as they were almost all on home made rigs and don't think I missed any bites. All that and home for lunch. I am enjoying shortish sessions close to home - so different to my normal day long coarse trips!

Still need to improve my casting, especially with the 6andbait. Casting the conti rod feels far more controlled, as its not much different to a heavy feeder rod I am used to. Fished clipped down rigs all day today and felt more confident about presentation, having overcome any concerns about the clips not releasing!

Feedback and advice again most welcome guys! (and please correct me if I haven't identified the flatties correctly!)

 

[Live in hope]

Great report Steve and great to see your catching in home tied rigs it makes it so much more satisfying. As for the casting it will come perhaps look at an easy off the ground cast and perfect the technique and the distances will improve. Then again I can’t use a fixed spool from the beach don’t ask why ? crazy after coarse match fishing for years alongside sea fishing.

 

[Live in hope]

Veals do some good bait mates and will def help also can prepare a few baits whilst it’s quiet and get them just how you want them. Great report and no going back to the dark side now ?

 

[CoarseanglerSteve]

Veals do some good bait mates and will def help also can prepare a few baits whilst it’s quiet and get them just how you want them. Great report and no going back to the dark side now ?

Ha ha, thanks for that. I will be going back to the dark side, albeit maybe temporarily, as I have a week booked after barbel on the Severn when the rivers reopen. At the moment though scratching for a few canal fish in the winter isn't very appealing, so we will see!

Yes, think I might order a bait mate. Just takes me ages to elasticate a bait at the moment, and as for trying to take it off ...bloody nightmare! I think now I have started making my own rigs I will change over to some sort of quick release snood. Seen a few guys recommend that for ease of changing baits/hooks etc. Am used to that from days gone by carp fishing too.

OTG casting is something I am thinking about. Did try it when I had a practice with the new rods on the beach. I need to get some gemini solo clips though (or something similar) as I am using impact leads which release as soon as they touch the ground.

Thanks for the advice . Where in Devon are you? I grew up down there and did a bit of sea fishing years ago there using mates' gear.

 

[JLD]

Well done on catching some fish. If it's taking too long to bait up between casts try double patting. Have 2 rigs on the go. Bait up the second while the first is still in the water and then swap them over when you retrieve. Gives you more time to get the presentation right and longer with bait actually in the water so more chance to catch.

 

[Live in hope]

just outside Exeter so barbel fishing pretty non existent round here. Honestly rather be on a canal fishing for bits instead of pond pigs ?. The solo clips will be ideal, I found with a big ol fixed spool I thought I was waggler fishing and took me a while to slow the cast down and it worked once your more confident you can start putting more into it. I moved to multipliers long ago but the new fixed spools are cracking and sure you will nail it soon enough. ?

 

[Huss Hustler]

Hiya Steve,
Great catch report mate.
Sounds & looks like you're getting the hang of this sea fishing mallarkey- more catches than blanks, especially considering the fishing's only just getting going along our patch.
Re your fish pics & id's- pics 2 & 3 are both Flounders (when you catch a Plaice you'll see straightaway how bright the orange spots are compared to a Flounder).
Your're right with the last pic being a Dab though.
Hopefully we'll snaffle a Ray when we get a beach sesh sorted, till then if you want to target Rays(& the inevitable Doggies), imho along the Fylde bluey/squid or mackerel/squid wraps want some beating.
Although they probably won't show for a few weeks yet there's also the chance of a Smoothound picking one of those baits up. They don't seem to like sandeel though as i've had quite a few pick a sandeel/squid wrap up & drop it almost straightaway (almost as if they've smelled the squid & grabbed it, then tasted the sandeel & gone YUK!.
Tight lines.
Rick?

 

[CoarseanglerSteve]

just outside Exeter so barbel fishing pretty non existent round here. Honestly rather be on a canal fishing for bits instead of pond pigs ?. The solo clips will be ideal, I found with a big ol fixed spool I thought I was waggler fishing and took me a while to slow the cast down and it worked once your more confident you can start putting more into it. I moved to multipliers long ago but the new fixed spools are cracking and sure you will nail it soon enough. ?

Cheers mate. I grew up in Tiverton,so the Tivvy Canal was home for me. Like you I prefer natural venues to carp puddles! I got hooked on barbel through visits to the Severn. Now a regular annual trip with mates from Devon.
Know what you mean about casting. I think I just have big feeder on, but its so different with a beach caster

I might try a multiplier in due course, but will see if I can master a fixed spool first!

 

[CoarseanglerSteve]

Hiya Steve,
Great catch report mate.
Sounds & looks like you're getting the hang of this sea fishing mallarkey- more catches than blanks, especially considering the fishing's only just getting going along our patch.
Re your fish pics & id's- pics 2 & 3 are both Flounders (when you catch a Plaice you'll see straightaway how bright the orange spots are compared to a Flounder).
Your're right with the last pic being a Dab though.
Hopefully we'll snaffle a Ray when we get a beach sesh sorted, till then if you want to target Rays(& the inevitable Doggies), imho along the Fylde bluey/squid or mackerel/squid wraps want some beating.
Although they probably won't show for a few weeks yet there's also the chance of a Smoothound picking one of those baits up. They don't seem to like sandeel though as i've had quite a few pick a sandeel/squid wrap up & drop it almost straightaway (almost as if they've smelled the squid & grabbed it, then tasted the sandeel & gone YUK!.
Tight lines.
Rick?

Cheers Rick. Yes, flounder vs. plaice is what I wasn't sure about. I think I had a plaice a few weeks ago as its spots were very bright.

I'm keen to get something more substantial, but am not fussy what. Most species will be new to me (even doggies). That's part off the appeal right now, catching things I haven't caught before. I will persevere with a wrap on one rod then in the hope of a bigger fish! Still it's fun catching flatties while waiting. I even think the rockling are cute little fish .

Next step on the journey, maybe in a few weeks, is to try a session after dark.

 

[Tatunka joe]

Well done bud nice haul of fish ref otg casting have a look on you tube one of the saa videos has a coach on chesil teaching that cast helped me mate some kind sole will put a link up I expect but I’m afraid I’m useless with technology keep up the reports buddy ?

 

[Mr Fish]

Well done Steve. Yep, definitely two flounder as Rick says, but a good busy trip for early in your sea career.
FYI the spots aren’t always the best guide but plaice are more oval than flounder.

 

[Craig]

Great report and well done on catching, your doing really well considering you've only just started this sea fishing malarky.
That looks a nice place to fish. Does the tide go out far there? Only asking as you said about finding gullies and features, that's something to look for on a big tide at low water when you'll find the most of the beach will be uncovered.

 

[CoarseanglerSteve]

Great report and well done on catching, your doing really well considering you've only just started this sea fishing malarky.
That looks a nice place to fish. Does the tide go out far there? Only asking as you said about finding gullies and features, that's something to look for on a big tide at low water when you'll find the most of the beach will be uncovered.

Thanks Craig. Yes the tide does go out a fair way as the beach is fairly flat, but has lots of bars and gullies which fill quickly, so it can be dangerous (not uncommon for tourists to get stranded on a sandbank). It's more extreme as you get towards Fleetwood where it goes out t over a mile of a big tide. Where I was fishing its maybe several hundred yards and yesterdays tide was just over 8m, so fairly big for here.

I walk the stretch with our dogs a fair bit, so am getting to know certain areas and features, but this was somewhere I wasn't so familiar with, which is why I wanted to ideally see it with the tide out.

 

[Chrisbl]

Nice report chap and not a bad little session, Pat yourself on the back

 

[cap'nhaddock]

Don't fret too much about distance, it can spoil a session wondering if the fish are that yard further out, often you can cast over the fish.

Flounder or plaice can be difficult sometimes because you can get bright spots on flounders and dull spots on plaice. An easier way to tell the difference is to look for, or feel, the bumps on the head of a plaice, they are very distinctive.

 

[tdxs133pm]

Good read and you're coming on leaps and bounds.

 

[CoarseanglerSteve]

Don't fret too much about distance, it can spoil a session wondering if the fish are that yard further out, often you can cast over the fish.

Flounder or plaice can be difficult sometimes because you can get bright spots on flounders and dull spots on plaice. An easier way to tell the difference is to look for, or feel, the bumps on the head of a plaice, they are very distinctive.

Thanks Cap'n, will store that away for future reference!!

 

[Trampster]

So, another catch report. Some successes and some questions/discussion points. Record to date 4 sessions, 2 blanks, 5 fish. Had intended going earlier in the week after pumping some lug on Sunday morning but have had a bad back for a couple days so didn't get out until this morning.

I tried storing the worm in the fridge in a tray with a few mm of sea water, changed each day, after reading this online. The worms had lasted OK, although when I used them they seemed to be quite full of water and soon washed out. Is that the trade off? Until now I had stored them, live, in newspaper, but used them within 2 days and they seemed to last longer on the hook. Don't suppose I will need to store them this long usually, as I generally fish the day after collecting bait.

Anyway, had also been busy making some rigs (after initially buying a few pre-made) so was eager to try them out today. Made some pulleys and a few using cascade swivels so would be all clipped down today!! Weather was milder and winds had dropped but the NW wind still created a fair swell and coloured water. I opted for the Gynn Wall (Blackpool), further south than I had ventured so far, where I have seen a few fishing lately. Got there c. 2 hours before high water but was surprised to see some already fishing and had to take a punt on a spot (as I thought I would be early enough to see any features/gulleys before the tide came in fully).

Put out a home made cascade 2 hook rig with worm on my conti rod with the AFAW having a pulley pennel with lug wrapped with squid, hoping for a better fish (would love a ray ).

The worm rig soon started producing, with a tiny plaice after about 20 minutes. Then another good bite saw a little rockling come in. Seems like I have made some progress in reading and converting bites, overcoming my earlier issues with striking and missing them. As HW approached I tried a small mackerel fillet on the "heavy" rod and although I can't say I saw the bite, a reasonable flounder hooked itself, just before another rockling on the worm rig.

Still work to be done on baiting up with squid etc. I am getting there, but using elastic and 2 hooks is new territory. Wondering whether one of those baiting mates might make it easier to apply elastic and to create wrapped baits.

As the tide turned things slowed a little and odd bits of weed became a problem, but managed a small dab and, just as I was packing up, and casting only about 30 yards to avoid the weed, another chunky little rocking. 6 fish, my most successful session so far, rewarding as they were almost all on home made rigs and don't think I missed any bites. All that and home for lunch. I am enjoying shortish sessions close to home - so different to my normal day long coarse trips!

Still need to improve my casting, especially with the 6andbait. Casting the conti rod feels far more controlled, as its not much different to a heavy feeder rod I am used to. Fished clipped down rigs all day today and felt more confident about presentation, having overcome any concerns about the clips not releasing!

Feedback and advice again most welcome guys! (and please correct me if I haven't identified the flatties correctly!)

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Nice one Steve - great report & photos!

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Great catch and report, well done