Flipper
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Madeira the return
After 3 long years we finally got the chance to get back to Madeira and boy did it feel good to escape the UK, even if Madeira was having its coldest winter in years. Once again we were staying in Calheta as it is one of the sunniest and most pleasant places on the island. As ever, the aim was to target fish on lures until the frustration got the better of me and I resorted to ground bait and bait tactics!
Day 1 - Got the shopping and had a quick bash at the trout, ended up with 4 in an hour, definitely less fish, but, those left have grown. In the sea, apart from the dreaded lizard fish and ornate wrasse hitting the lures it was slow, should have remembered to bring the isome!
Day 2 - once again lizard fish on lures to me, but, boys did well on ground bait and float tactics, with Saupe being the most common fish.
Day 3 - Dawn produced a decent ish couple of fish to jigs, but, still no derbio or palometa to lures or bait. The boys on the bait had an even better day with Saupe being the predominate species again. Another quick go at the trout proved frustrating as more follows than hits, only 3 fish for us across an hour session, one fish severely damaged by what looked like a bird, 3 wide gaping holes in the flank like it had been speared, but, swam off strongly. Boys snorkelling with their go pro also found some exciting species to target!
Day 4 - Couldn’t stand back and watch the boys hammer the fish on the float anymore, so caved in and had a glorious Dawn session battering the Saupe, also catching some bream and my first Derbio. My lad put me to shame and got a Derbio on the SG Gravity Pencil Prey. An evening session after the mysterious beasts found by the boys brought nothing but frustration as the tiny bream were stripping baits in no time, so back to the drawing board.
Day 5 - Boys wanted to go swimming in the sea pools at Porto Moniz, so took the Berkeley Naumad to try and get something decent. Eldest smashed out a grouper first cast and everything felt good, my missus caught the biggest lizard fish I have ever seen. After they disappeared to the sea poolsI went to one of my favourite marks and used a big Fiish Black Minnow to tempt a beast of a triggerfish, easily over 4lb, terrific fight, it tried every tactic to find a snag, even charging in to get slack and then get underneath the ledge I was stood on, but, the Berkley Naumad bullied it out. Great fun!
Day 6 - Ponta da Sol, lots of lizards
plus new species garfish and parrotfish. Large grouper turned on my lure and then didn’t fancy it. Evening tide and my eldest got his flouro leader bitten through when using a Seeker. Guy lure fishing at harbour entrance had big barracuda on a diving lure.
Day 7 - Used my Tenkara kit to land a tiny trout from a tiny stream in the mountains, absolutely made my day, going to try this tactic at home
Down to the harbour in late afternoon for a total lure session, swell building making fishing uncomfortable and then it dropped away meaning we could get out on the end of the harbour. 2 puffers and 3 lizards for me, cuttle for Morg and a barracuda bite which pierced the Duel hardcore lure, but, didn’t get hooked
. Nice German guy came down and asked if we had caught, his research showed that the entrance to the harbour produced big bluefish, barracuda and Sierra (bonito?) after dark, so was going to fish at night.
Day 8 - early morning session on the rocks, some big swell and bigger tides lots more saddled bream and Saupe activity on both float fished baits plus surface baits, also smaller derbio on the float fished squid. Got too rough.
Day 9 - fishing the breakwater whilst family was on the beach, lizard central! Bringing in small lizards from farther out, the bigger lizards were in the breakwater rocks and they came charging out to eat there smaller brethren, one bit off everything except the head!! Also caught a gilt head on a 1.5g jig head with a Axia Acme Shad. Eldest had a Sea Chub as another new species. Evening session at a rocky outcrop produced lots of charges in one mark from fish and after 20 mins of lure changes the rod tip banged over and a grouper grabbed my 26g cast hacker in white with a pink head. Sadly no other fish, but, a stunning sunset.
Day 10 - super session on the float tackle with a large white bream being the highlight. Fought so hard, it was a real battle on the light spinning gear. The saddled bream and derbio continue to drive me nuts as they go loopy for the surface bread - like the gulls - but, as soon as a bubble float goes near them they disappear. Also refuse any hard lures or jigs
My eldest lost a Bluefish as he went to lift it out after a great fight, truly gutted!
Day 11 - Live baiting under a float caused one missed bite and nothing else. However, the lrf tackle with prawn was a lot of fun. The highlight was targeting and succeeding in catch trout at Sao Vincente in some very challenging pools and weather conditions.
Day 12 - Slow day at a new mark, but, patience paid off when finally we convinced one of the mullet to take our bait, not huge at 2lb, but, very welcome. Damsel fish continue to annoy. Trout fishing was far better in the afternoon with some clonkers up to 1 1/2lb, deep diving vibe baits doing the damage in the deeper pools and shallower diving lures working in the less deep areas.
Day 13 - new mark exploring and then a date with the bluefish mark. Conditions were tough in a near constant 25mph wind with gusts over 30mph! However, after numerous cycling through lures, I remembered some class lure advice from the Fuerteventura guru Aram, on went my Duel Hardcore and it got out there. After maybe 10 casts the lure just stopped and started charging in a completely different direction, a great little fight albeit on the heavier rod and a lovely bluefish is added to the tally.
Sorry for the ling boring report, but, we had a great time and some superb fishing.
Species caught
1 Rainbow Trout
2 Lizard fish
3 Diamond lizard fish
4 Ornate wrasse
5 Brown puffer
6 Long nosed puffer
7 Saupe
8 Comber??
9 Dusky grouper?
10 Saddled bream
11 Madeiran scorpionfish
12 Derbio
13 Damsel fish
14 White bream??
15 Striped bream??
16 Black goby??
17 ‘Big eye’ axillary bream
18 Triggerfish
19 Emerald wrasse - no pic
20 Sea chub
21 Parrotfish
22 Cleaver wrasse
23 Garfish - no pic
24 Gilthead bream
25 Mullet
26 cuttlefish - no pic
27 Sand Steenbras
28 Two banded bream
29 Bluefish
After 3 long years we finally got the chance to get back to Madeira and boy did it feel good to escape the UK, even if Madeira was having its coldest winter in years. Once again we were staying in Calheta as it is one of the sunniest and most pleasant places on the island. As ever, the aim was to target fish on lures until the frustration got the better of me and I resorted to ground bait and bait tactics!
Day 1 - Got the shopping and had a quick bash at the trout, ended up with 4 in an hour, definitely less fish, but, those left have grown. In the sea, apart from the dreaded lizard fish and ornate wrasse hitting the lures it was slow, should have remembered to bring the isome!
Day 2 - once again lizard fish on lures to me, but, boys did well on ground bait and float tactics, with Saupe being the most common fish.
Day 3 - Dawn produced a decent ish couple of fish to jigs, but, still no derbio or palometa to lures or bait. The boys on the bait had an even better day with Saupe being the predominate species again. Another quick go at the trout proved frustrating as more follows than hits, only 3 fish for us across an hour session, one fish severely damaged by what looked like a bird, 3 wide gaping holes in the flank like it had been speared, but, swam off strongly. Boys snorkelling with their go pro also found some exciting species to target!
Day 4 - Couldn’t stand back and watch the boys hammer the fish on the float anymore, so caved in and had a glorious Dawn session battering the Saupe, also catching some bream and my first Derbio. My lad put me to shame and got a Derbio on the SG Gravity Pencil Prey. An evening session after the mysterious beasts found by the boys brought nothing but frustration as the tiny bream were stripping baits in no time, so back to the drawing board.
Day 5 - Boys wanted to go swimming in the sea pools at Porto Moniz, so took the Berkeley Naumad to try and get something decent. Eldest smashed out a grouper first cast and everything felt good, my missus caught the biggest lizard fish I have ever seen. After they disappeared to the sea poolsI went to one of my favourite marks and used a big Fiish Black Minnow to tempt a beast of a triggerfish, easily over 4lb, terrific fight, it tried every tactic to find a snag, even charging in to get slack and then get underneath the ledge I was stood on, but, the Berkley Naumad bullied it out. Great fun!
Day 6 - Ponta da Sol, lots of lizards
plus new species garfish and parrotfish. Large grouper turned on my lure and then didn’t fancy it. Evening tide and my eldest got his flouro leader bitten through when using a Seeker. Guy lure fishing at harbour entrance had big barracuda on a diving lure.Day 7 - Used my Tenkara kit to land a tiny trout from a tiny stream in the mountains, absolutely made my day, going to try this tactic at home
Down to the harbour in late afternoon for a total lure session, swell building making fishing uncomfortable and then it dropped away meaning we could get out on the end of the harbour. 2 puffers and 3 lizards for me, cuttle for Morg and a barracuda bite which pierced the Duel hardcore lure, but, didn’t get hooked. Nice German guy came down and asked if we had caught, his research showed that the entrance to the harbour produced big bluefish, barracuda and Sierra (bonito?) after dark, so was going to fish at night.Day 8 - early morning session on the rocks, some big swell and bigger tides lots more saddled bream and Saupe activity on both float fished baits plus surface baits, also smaller derbio on the float fished squid. Got too rough.
Day 9 - fishing the breakwater whilst family was on the beach, lizard central! Bringing in small lizards from farther out, the bigger lizards were in the breakwater rocks and they came charging out to eat there smaller brethren, one bit off everything except the head!! Also caught a gilt head on a 1.5g jig head with a Axia Acme Shad. Eldest had a Sea Chub as another new species. Evening session at a rocky outcrop produced lots of charges in one mark from fish and after 20 mins of lure changes the rod tip banged over and a grouper grabbed my 26g cast hacker in white with a pink head. Sadly no other fish, but, a stunning sunset.
Day 10 - super session on the float tackle with a large white bream being the highlight. Fought so hard, it was a real battle on the light spinning gear. The saddled bream and derbio continue to drive me nuts as they go loopy for the surface bread - like the gulls - but, as soon as a bubble float goes near them they disappear. Also refuse any hard lures or jigs
My eldest lost a Bluefish as he went to lift it out after a great fight, truly gutted!Day 11 - Live baiting under a float caused one missed bite and nothing else. However, the lrf tackle with prawn was a lot of fun. The highlight was targeting and succeeding in catch trout at Sao Vincente in some very challenging pools and weather conditions.
Day 12 - Slow day at a new mark, but, patience paid off when finally we convinced one of the mullet to take our bait, not huge at 2lb, but, very welcome. Damsel fish continue to annoy. Trout fishing was far better in the afternoon with some clonkers up to 1 1/2lb, deep diving vibe baits doing the damage in the deeper pools and shallower diving lures working in the less deep areas.
Day 13 - new mark exploring and then a date with the bluefish mark. Conditions were tough in a near constant 25mph wind with gusts over 30mph! However, after numerous cycling through lures, I remembered some class lure advice from the Fuerteventura guru Aram, on went my Duel Hardcore and it got out there. After maybe 10 casts the lure just stopped and started charging in a completely different direction, a great little fight albeit on the heavier rod and a lovely bluefish is added to the tally.
Sorry for the ling boring report, but, we had a great time and some superb fishing.
Species caught
1 Rainbow Trout
2 Lizard fish
3 Diamond lizard fish
4 Ornate wrasse
5 Brown puffer
6 Long nosed puffer
7 Saupe
8 Comber??
9 Dusky grouper?
10 Saddled bream
11 Madeiran scorpionfish
12 Derbio
13 Damsel fish
14 White bream??
15 Striped bream??
16 Black goby??
17 ‘Big eye’ axillary bream
18 Triggerfish
19 Emerald wrasse - no pic
20 Sea chub
21 Parrotfish
22 Cleaver wrasse
23 Garfish - no pic
24 Gilthead bream
25 Mullet
26 cuttlefish - no pic
27 Sand Steenbras
28 Two banded bream
29 Bluefish
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