• Becoming a member is completely free!

    • Join the community and start contributing to a large source of sea angling information.
    • Become an active member and you can enter member exclusive competitions.

    REGISTER FOR FREE HERE

North West Confidence Restored!

CoarseanglerSteve

CoarseanglerSteve

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 13, 2021
Messages
127
Reaction score
479
Points
63
Location
Blackpool
Favourite Fishing
Shore
So after a couple blanks, and my initial confidence shot a little, since starting sea fishing, I thought another trip was in order. Smoothounds are starting to show here, although as I couldn't get hold of any crab I knew it was unlikely I would have a chance of one. Having struggled on the Gynn Wall I decided I would venture a little further north, to Cleveleys, where I did have a successful session a month or so ago.

I wasn't too optimistic on arrival, some 3 hours before high tide, as it was quite flat but the sea had a good colour and today was overcast after a few warm sunny days.

vJ5sM1jtSvijY2OXpaLbpQ.jpg

My usual tactics were to be employed, a rod with lug on a 2 hook flapper for anything that comes along, and a rod baited with squid and bluey or mackerel. As I was setting up another angler arrived and came over for a chat. Seems he had a good day yesterday catching several smoothounds (caught without using crab) and some doggies. This made me a little more hopeful.

I started about 10:15 a.m. with the tide coming in, and could cast into a deeper gulley that had filled nicely. After a quiet hour or so I had the first indication on squid/mackerel and wound in a small dogfish, saving the blank and filling me with confidence after the last few tough sessions. A slight swell had started to develop and based on my limited knowledge, it looked good for a few fish.

The next indication came whilst I was on the phone to the wife, just a little knock and I thought it had gone, but as I would down I could feel what I thought was another dogfish. As it broke the surface close in I could see it was actually a little ray, one of the species I have been keen to catch. My first ever thornback was only about 12" across but pleasing none the less.

3UOFg8%RQmaZAQKUrACUeg.jpg

Having had no indications on lug so far I decided to switch and put squid and fish wraps on both rods.

Within a couple casts I was bringing in another greedy dogfish that snaffled the squid and mackerel, and swallowed both hooks on the pennel rig. Rebaiting I went to a single 3/0 hook to try to avoid deep hooking any more. Next cast another very faint knock, then nothing. Assuming it had dropped it I picked up the rod to check the bait. The lighter continental rod bent over and I felt a few nods confirming this was a fish not weed. I carefully played out what was clearly the best fish I have hooked in the few months of sea fishing and was over the moon when another thornback showed itself in the surf. This one was much bigger though, weighing 6lb.

fullsizeoutput_15b3.jpeg

After a few photos, and the obligatory thorn in my thumb (ouch), I released her, very pleased with myself.

By now it was almost high water and the rain was starting, so after a couple more casts without any signs, I decided to call it a day. The other angler I saw had managed a couple smoothounds and so all in all it was a good day, and I will certainly be back to try again (crabs have been ordered!).

I usually pose a few questions as part of my catch reports - today it is about deep hooking. Both the first doggie and small ray were deep hooked. The ray wasn't too bad being on a single hook, extracted with forceps, but the doggie, swallowing a pennel rig, was a right pain. The bites were gentle knocks, so I didn't leave them overly long, so any tips to avoid deep hooking? Think I need one of those little t bar type disgorgers though as using forceps on a doggie that refuses to open its mouth was difficult!
 
Nice rays mate well done as for deep hooking your learn the difference between dogfish bites and other fish the more you do it so your know it’s a dog and bring it in not long arfter Initial bite as for rays I was taught if you think it’s a ray sit on your hands as usually the first know is them settling on the bait then it will either try to pull your rod out of the rest give you a big slack liner or do nothing as for deep hooking I find useing sackuma top guns or chinos as the top hook on a penned set up helps as most of the time the fish gets taken on the top hook in my experience but orso I use a Gemini disgorger and am usually able to get the hook out mate nice fishing tho bud
 
Well done Steve, a nice little session like that does wonders for the addiction ;)

As for deep hooking, circle hooks could help, not leaving bites for too long will defo help.
 
Nice one. Dogs are just a pain for swallowing hooks and playing silly buggers when you try and unhook them. As joe says a turned in hook on the top of a pennel certainly helps. ha\/ing thre bottom hook turned in as well results in e\/en less deep hooking but you may miss the odd fish if you are too hasty.
 
Nice one Steve, a good few fish there.

Re deep hooked dogs, they just do. As Tat said, all you can really do is learn the bites and try and get them in sooner rather than later. It’s not an exact science.
Or use circles.

With ray, generally if you try and strike them, there’s a good chance you’ll just pull the bait away from the fish.
Apart from the odd smaller one, generally I find I get very few deep hooked ray, even using J hooks.

Ref your lack of crab, it’s a bit area specific but smoothies will take whole squid quite often around here, although usually it’s a better bait a bit later in the summer.
My experience locally is they have next to no interest in mackerel, sandeel or fish baits.
 
Mr Fish said:
Nice one Steve, a good few fish there.

Re deep hooked dogs, they just do. As Tat said, all you can really do is learn the bites and try and get them in sooner rather than later. It’s not an exact science.
Or use circles.

With ray, generally if you try and strike them, there’s a good chance you’ll just pull the bait away from the fish.
Apart from the odd smaller one, generally I find I get very few deep hooked ray, even using J hooks.

Ref your lack of crab, it’s a bit area specific but smoothies will take whole squid quite often around here, although usually it’s a better bait a bit later in the summer.
My experience locally is they have next to no interest in mackerel, sandeel or fish baits.
Click to expand...
Have seen hounds taken on mackerel but very rare rag takes a good quantity of hounds and squid will generally find the bigger ones but not much beats fresh peeler apart from maybe live hermit
 
Tatunka joe said:
Have seen hounds taken on mackerel but very rare rag takes a good quantity of hounds and squid will generally find the bigger ones but not much beats fresh peeler apart from maybe live hermit
Click to expand...
I’ve heard of them taking mackerel but never seen it.
I suppose up here because we don’t use rag so much, we don’t see a lot of hounds on it.
It’s very much a south coast but plus harder to get here too.
I’ve had a fair few hounds in squid but yes, peeler is definitely king.
Tbh though Ive never had a problem with frozen peeler as long as it’s half decent.
I’d almost feel fresh is wasted on hounds - I don’t find them all that fussy here.
 
Yeah herd a few say north coast hounds seem to take frozen as regular as fresh not them same over here tho fresh is king
 
Tatunka joe said:
Yeah herd a few say north coast hounds seem to take frozen as regular as fresh not them same over here tho fresh is king
Click to expand...
Had three or four at Minehead one night on the same bit of frozen crab.
Ran out of bait so grabbed up a few bits of the leftovers, lashed it to what was left and lobbed it out again lol
 
Cheers guys. From what I heard initially, it is all crab here for smoothounds, either fresh or frozen. Have some on order for next week now that they seem to be being caught regularly.

Saying that, I was chatting to an angler near me today and he rarely uses crab and caught several yesterday on squid and black and squid and bluey wraps. He also mentioned prawns as worth a try. However, he did get 2 today on some crab that his mate gave him!!

Thats my next target - a nice smoothound :)
 
Hiya Steve,
A decent sesh there mate & another new species for you (that's 2 more Thornies than me this year, though hoping to get among em on the pier tomorrow night as i have'nt had chance to wet a line for weeks).
For the Smoothies crab (fresh or frozen) is king, though we pick quite a few up on baits meant for other fish- lug tipped with squid, whole squid & ragworm in particular.
As already been said by @Tatunka joe & @JLD a Gemini T-bar disgorger will unhook most fish that are'nt hooked too deeply, if that fails i've a pair of long nosed fishing pliers, prefer these to forceps as it's easier (for me anyway) to get a good grip on the hook.
For a while i've been playing around with different patterns of hook (instead of my usual J hook pattern) to try & avoid deep hooking.
So far going off my hooked up, deep hooked, mouth hooked to missed bites ratio Sakuma 470 Top Guns seem to be on top- at the moment.
Have'nt forgotten about planning a low tide sesh mate just mad busy at work at the mo.
Tight lines.
Rick?
 
Crab always a good bait but had good fish on whole head on prawn up the Bristol Channel and it also picks up the rays so may be a good back up on one rod.
 
Mr Fish said:
Live prawn is awesome, but it’s being in a position to catch it as you fish. I do have marks like that!
Click to expand...
Used to be an awesome bait on the salcome estuary for the thornies at times they wouldn’t look at anything else.
 
Back
Top