Wye... Woody, Brian and Squire

My story of the Wye trip!!
Brian, Woody,Squire and myself got to the Peacock around half eight, we had a great breakfast while selecting the odd few local flys on sale in the hotel, Brian was sweating saying he had not bought a fly for twenty years!! Woody was eating his sausage and egg toastie with his knife and fork knowing he was in a posh hotel while me and Brian got stuck in with our hands as we know no other wayThis Hotel is top draw and i will be taking my family there on a special occasion, yes its very expensive but i believe in 'you get what you pay for' as with the fishing...I knew from recent visits to the Wye that we needed to chill out early on as when the fish started to switch on later we would alert and ready for them, i have been when i have flogged it all day only to be too tired when the fish are on and miss lots of fish due to fatigue..We decided to start at the fisherman car park, we tackled up and made our way down to the first downstream bend below the bridge, all of us very exited, Woody fretting on his rod choice, he is one of those anglers who is very tidy and likes to have everything perfect then he is relaxed, if something out of place his head goes and he starts getting pis"ed off, me i am the most messy person ever, rips in my waders and my fly box is a disgrace with the flys all falling out! i wish i could be as organized as Woody...Squire was the first to catch, a grayling on the first bend to the sedge, rises were few and i warned the lads to take it easy, as we would be at em later! Brian and Squire were first timers on the river and you could see the excitement on there faces, they wondered down the stretch while me and Woody just chilled out looking for rises and trying to work out ways of approaching these fish without the dreaded drag! if you could wade hear you would catch more fish through better pres but i think the no wading is good as it gives the fish less pressure and makes you work for your fish, only making you a better angler..most runs are near impossible to present and the good trout know where these places are, this can be the most frustrating but when you get it right the rewards are great..Around 10.00 am Jan the river keeper came to see us, was great to see him as last time i saw him i was on top of the world in Mayfly time with 36 fish...soon as he saw me he gave a big grin and said 'not you again!!' Jan is a great river keeper, he is so friendly and always gives you help and advice where needed, and always up for a good laugh.. I handed my rod to Jan who showed me his casting skill which were top draw, he was turning my size 20 olive over superbly and even managed to do a 20yard roll cast with my 3# 7ft hardy! He said that Warren Slaney has taught him!!I was fishing on the bend just below the first bridge and noticed a trout rising steadily to bwo duns in the foam lane under a tree, i took me ten minutes working out how to cast to this fish without drag! I had to cast 10 yards u p from the fish, 2ft from the bank and dump a load of slack line in to prevent an drag, after lots of attempts i got it right and my size 20 drifted right onto the fish at foam speed, the trout slashed confidently at the olive and i hooked a nice brown pounder! after a short thrashy fight i had the fish close and the hook pulled! i was not bothered, i had done what i had wanted to do Jan even commented that he had never seen a fish get taken from there as it was so hard, this made my hook up even better, a bit of luck but a great feeling...Brian and Squire came back with Brian taking a Grayling, we decided to all walk up together fishing nice looking runs, the weather was very breezy which made it very hard going, we were all getting in lots of tangles but knowing the chance of these clunking fish drove us on. Brian was fishing very well and caught his first ever wrt, he was over the moon and after 25 years of fly fishing he was buzzing, i hope i have the same enthusiasm after that long.. Squire was fishing hard, he was doing well for the conditions and took some grayling and wrt.I fished the section between 6 and 7 where the river flows through the woods, there is a smooth flowing section where i fished last time with Johnny Colemans, we spent 2hrs tiring to catch these huge fish but never had a sniff.. I went for the sas approach this time and watched these monsters sipping olives down confidently, as usual they were not even looking at my fly until i selected the size 22 BWo from the Peacock, a rainbow of 4lb+ came upto my fly and sipped it straight down, i struck hard and the fish went berserk smashing into branches on the other bank, after 30 seconds the hook pulled again, i threw my rod down with frustration..we all know that feeling The lads who fish this part will know the section i am talking about, if you have landed one there let me know?The fishing was quite hard but we all were catching fish in the bottom section but i knew that the fun would come towards the afternoon and last light..We kelly Kettled up on the mid section and then made our way upto the town, It was very busy, Brian,Woody and Suire went to Scotts Garden and i went around to behind the cricket club, i had a crowd following me up and down so i packed up and headed off to scotts garden to the lads, I love the fishing around here and we all started to catch fish to the Bwo, Woody taking some nice fish just above the bridge, and Brian took two lovely browns which he has spotted rising tight to the bank that backs onto the houses. I spotted a nice fish rising under a over hanging tree where the trees have been cut down in Scott's garden, it took me 15 Min's to get a good pres and i hit a 2lb rainbow that took me all over the place, it even jumped down over the small weir and i landed it further down..We went for a meal in the local café and it started to rain heavy but this does not put these fish down.. I saw Baslowfisher (Colin) walking around town with his Mrs, he introduced himself after recognizing my scruffy orvis wading jacket, he looked gutted as not to be fishing with us...All the crowds had gone home and i wanted a go on the town clunkers, i peered over the bridge and could not believe these huge fish had been fed on bread all day but had switched to the naturals, sedges and spinnersThis was enough for me and i started to fish my LTD sedge twitching it over rising fish, i started to take fish and had two around the 5lb mark, I had one around 3lb that fought so much it was untrue, it must be the wild in them...Woody and Brian hooked fish but had bad luck in hook pulls, Woody nearly caught the fish of a life time, i was looking through the bushes as he had a sedge drifting over the fish and a trout of around 14lb came up and the sipped the fly right into its huge mouth, i shouted to strike and the fish never turned its head and the sedge came shooting out of its mouth God knows what would of happened if he had hooked it!!!We fished into the dusk and Woody took his biggest wrt of around 3lb that smashed his sedge in the dark and fought its head off giving Woody a huge grin to go home withWe sat on the wall in Bakewell and lit the Kelly for the last time and sat there buzzing over our days fishing, this place is where dreams are made and if you have never fished it, give it a go cause it proper buzzin!!Thanks to Jan for your help mate, nice one...Will post all pictures on my blog...I am still living the dream!!!Glen

Anton's Visit to West Cork - Part 3

Sunday dawned and the pressure was on Anton. He'd seen fish caught learnt about the gear and today was going to be his day (Or so I told him). The forecast was bad, really bad, high winds and heavy rain but still we headed off into the teeth of the storm.....

The only place to fish was the estuary so we started to fish as the weather deteriorated and just as I thought Anton would demand an adjournment to the Pub his rod bent and he was in! A nice fish not cleanly hooked but a good start.....

To be continued.......

An exciting afternoon....

Was out fishing one of my favourite wild spots this afternoon when it all happened.....

I was covering an area which had produced fish for me on previous occasions when I got hit by a good fish just below the surface.

I managed to control the fish in the surf and rocks around me but had a problem, I was about six feet above the water, I managed to climb down, fish close to freedom a few times and then ping!

The top few inches of my very expensive Japanese Plugging rod come sliding down the line towards me and the rod has become slightly shorter than when it left the factory  ; ( 

Oh well at least I didn't break my leg or my neck! 

Stay tuned sport fans...... 

28/08/09 - Rood Ashton

Weight – 113lb 9oz
Catch – 36 Carp, 1 Roach.
Weather – Rainy start, later mostly sunny. Very Windy
Water Temp– 17.5c > 18.5c

Today’s trip to Rood Ashton was a practice for Mondays charity match organised by Mark (Slider). The last time I fished here was 3 years ago, so I needed some up to date info from Mark, who only lives a couple of miles away from the venue. Paste was apparently the bait, which I was more than happy about, however I did notice in the results page of the Angling Times that Rod Wootton won a Carps AC match using pellet.

I asked Mark about whether the waggler would work, the answer was nobody uses it there and he even suggested I had a problem, because I always want to get my wagglers out!

The weather forecast wasn’t great, with heavy winds and showers. I had considered not going, but I had booked the day off work and with other commitments over the weekend I forced myself to go.

On arrival the rain started and the next couple of hours it remained showery. With a strong westerly I didn’t wander too far from the car park and set up right of the first tree, which provided enough shelter to fish the pole up to 11m. Just to illustrate the strength of the wind, I had 13m of pole blown off the 3 flat pole rollers, hence the reason why fishing 11m seemed to be better.

I started at 11m fishing paste over 6mms, but there was a real strong tow which meant I couldn’t fish the paste as soft as I would like and the pellet rig was like fishing the stick!

After an hour I had a 4 fish, but wasn’t happy with my presentation and a few foul hooked fish suggested there was a few fish around. I had fed next to the tree and managed a few fish on paste, but I had to pull hard to get them out of the snags, which meant a few more lost fish.

When I started the session, I really didn’t fancy the waggler and left the rods in the ready made holdall, but decided to catapult 8mms out just in case conditions improved. After 2 hours it was obvious fishing the pole was difficult due to the wind, so it was time to get the wagglers out. 2nd cast I landed a foul hooker, a switch to a shorter hooklength I started to get a little run of fish.

Back on the pole I switched to a heavier 4x18 float in the 2.5ft swim, which helped with the presentation but the wind had switched around slightly, so my sheltered spot, wasn’t quite so sheltered.

The wind proved to be a real pain and I could have probably caught more. I was pleased to catch on the waggler, because it at least proved it can work, however the average size of fish was smaller at 3lb, whilst my paste fish averaged 4lb.

Needless to say Mark will be bring his waggler rod on Monday.

Choosing a kayak is personal

Kayak fishing is the fastest growing segment of the sport.

There are a number of reasons for the surge: 1. Kayaks are inexpensive when compared to flats skiffs; 2. There's no gas required; 3. Maintenance is limited; 4. Anglers can fish areas not accessible to motorized vessels.

But what's the best kayak for you?

That's simple. Ask a kayak angler and he'll tell you the best boat is the one he owns. And why not? Why would he own that particular craft if he didn't think it was the best?

But just like automobiles, boats and fishing lures, kayaks come in every size, shape, color and description.

In my opinion, many beginning kayak anglers make the mistake of choosing a model because of price. That's understandable, but perhaps not the way to go. Considering most fishing kayaks range in price from $450 to about $1,800. If you're a little short on cash, hold off on your purchase until you save the required amount.

Realize there are several different types of kayaks: sit-on-top and sit-in. Sit-in kayaks are what most people envision when they think of these vessels. Many SIKs aren't suitable for fishing because you're severely limited in the amount of tackle you can carry.

Most sit-on-tops are made for fishing. They're stable, beamy and had amenities such as rod holders. Some of the top brands include Wilderness Systems, Hobie, Ocean and Heritage. Native Watercraft makes several SITs such as the Magic and Manta Ray.

I'm sponsored by Native and I own the Ultimate 14.5. It's 14 feet, 6 inches in length and is what as known as a hybrid kayak. It's sort of a cross between and sit-on-top kayak and a canoe.

I fell in love with this boat immediately. It's wide open and can carry a lot of gear. When I take people out on all-day charters (I'm a kayak fishing guide; http://www.kayakfishingsarasota.com/), I carry a 36-quart cooler full of ice, sandwiches, snacks and drinks. You couldn't do that in most SOTs.

I also love the stability. The Ultimate is so stable that you can stand up and fish in them. That's gives you a real advantage when sight-fishing the flats.

The Ultimate also features the best seat in the industry; a real plus when you're planning to be out all day. It completely eliminates sore butts!

The Ultimate also tracks straight. Paddle corrections are rarely needed. Native offers a rudder for the Ultimate, but it's not really needed.

The Ultimate comes in a peddle model, but I'm a purist and prefer a paddle. If you're hellbent on a peddle, realize that you have forward and reverse in the Ultimate's Propel model. I don't think any other kayak manufacturer offers that. Reverse is important when you're fishing docks and other structure and need to move away. Otherwise, big fish will pull your kayak under the structure.

"Hands-free" fishing is something another manufacturer touts, but, believe me, the Ultimate really does feature hands-free fishing when you learn the nuances.

But realize, I own Ultimates. And the best kayak is whatever the person you ask owns.

Check out all of Native Watercraft's models at http://www.nativewatercraft.com/.

If you have any questions about fishing kayaks, please feel free to drop me an email at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com or call me at 941-284-3406.

Weeds, Fish, Dock and House...Sold?

Monday we headed up to Princeton, IL to treat a pond infested with duckweed, watermeal, curly leaf, algae, and coontail.

Tuesday I cant even remember what we did, but it was a busy day and we needed to gather and load up tons of material for our project on wed. Also I showed the house at 6 pm and then headed out to Menards to load up the rest of the materials.

Wednesday we headed over to Mahomet, IL and built a cool dock, installed an aeration system, bojo buglight, and a Texas Hunter fish feeder for a client just finishing up an incredible half acre pond in his back yard. Tom the excavator was finishing up a few things while we were there and we decided to dig a deep hole in front of the dock for fish congregating purposes.

The pond is being filled with a big well since there is no watershed and the water coming out of the ground is so cold that we will be stocking rainbow trout into this backyard oasis!!! Shiners, Fatheads, Hybrid Stripers, Albino Catfish and Hybrid Bluegills will also call this pond home.

Thursday we delivered 4500 big bluegill and 3000 hybrid bluegill to one of our featured properties: Otter Creek Preserve. Stocking that many large fish this time of year is no easy task! It takes 100's of buckets of water to acclimate the fish in the tanks to bring up the water temps in the hauling tanks and then 100's of buckets of fish to get them down into the water and acclimate them slowly there too. Much easier to stock fish in the fall when water temps are the same, anyhow we also finished filling and adjusting the settings on 10 of the 17 fish feeders we have on the property.

This place will be hands down the best fishing destination in Illinois and rank up near the top as the best in the US in a few short years. We have several lakes totalling over 200 acres of water that are being intensively managed for over 10 different species of fish! These are not just any fish, but rather the best genetics and broodstock available! Bluegills and Albino Catfish from Missouri; Feed Trained Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass from Arkansas; Walleye, Smallmouth and Tiger Muskie from Minnesota; Jumbo Yellow Perch from Wisconsin, and Black Crappie from Illinois. I have scoured the nation for only the very best fish humanly possible and you cant even fathom how good the fishing already is after just 2 years into the program!

Friday (today) we took 37 students from LightHouse academy fishing at the fishing park. We gave them a tour, a fishing education, and made sure that every single student caught plenty of fish. The teachers will email over some pics next week. The kids had a great time!

This afternoon I showed my house to some nice ladies looking for a house for their new boss who will be moving to town in a couple weeks. They think it will be a perfect house to get him started in Peoria and while he gets acclimated and works on future building plans. Hopefully we can reach an agreement and get this house sold! Now I will need to move out and find a place to live, cause the boss man is moving to peoria Sept 18th. That is going to make things a bit more interesting this fall, but nothing we cant handle!

Mens Night at the Lake

For both of my loyal blog followers, after a 10 day marathon, I have a very small window of opportunity to plop a few thoughts and pics down in my diary....

So last friday I had 50 guys spend the weekend out at the lake: we swam, fished, jet skied, wakeboarded, volleyballed, rope swinged, and basically just went 100 mph for about 40 hrs straight. They were the young men from our church and we also spent quite a bit of time learning and listening to some very important life topics from several speakers.

On Saturday morning a group of old men came out and cooked a feast of about 130 eggs, 15 lbs of bacon, 20 lbs of sausage, pancakes, and flying saucer pancakes!!!!!!! After breakfast I took the old guys out for a quick fishing trip before they had to take their daily naps! I will let the pics give the summary of our 20 minute trip:

Then Sat night we had over 100 guys from church come out for a cookout of epic proportions: we grilled burgers, chops, brats, and chicken! We finished the evening singing praise songs and just had a great time worshipping and fellowshipping together. Mens night at the lake will be an annual event!

I didnt have much gas left in the tank, but was able to stay awake long enough to avoid being the one with shaving cream and other liquids smeared all over, etc before crashing for the night. Sunday morning we all headed in to church and my wife and I were in charge of watching the 1-3 year old kids in the nursery. After church Brook was ready to dump the kids off on me after being a single mother for a couple days, but I fell into a very deep sleep for 3.5 hours before waking up for some dinner just before bed!

Tope 30lb

Small-eyed Ray 9lb 13oz

Here is a Bass of 8lb 4oz:

Anton's visit to West Cork - Part 2

On arrival at our next venue, after risking life and limb scrambling over slippery rocks to reach the waters edge, things looked more promising. The falling tide was exposing rocky areas with pools and gulleys, perfect holding areas for our quarry. We set to work with Tide Minnow 125 SLD jerk baits and proceeded to cover the fishing grounds at our feet the ocean swell foaming as it crashed over the rough coastline. After moving a few times I cast into a likely looking spot and BANG the light but powerful 8 ft rod was wrenched over the clutch screamed and the fight was on! Having hooked only two fish previously in this location and lost both I was determined for the same not to happen this time and thankfully it didn't, the fish was soon landed. I think Anton was amazed to see our beautiful Bass for the first time and also the enviroment they choose to inhabit, either way, we had opened our account early in the weekend and that had to be a good thing.

Strange slam on fly

Fishing was so-so today. There were plenty of fish, but they weren't real hungry.

But I did get some sort of slam. I got a snook, gag grouper and a large flounder -- all on D.T. Special flies. Strange, but true.

I fished with Scott Dempsey of Tampa, a very good fly angler. Scott's 29.5-inch snook was the big fish for the morning.

Most of the fish hit D.T. Specials. Scott also used a small Polar Fiber minnow.

We saw some really big fish, but had not takers. Many of the fish we cast to simply moved out of the way. The snook weren't aggressive by any means.

Sight-fishing for snook along the beach should remain decent for at least another month. It's a great way to learn how to sight-fish and how to catch fish on a fly.

Anton fishes West Cork.

Last friday the day finally dawned for Anton's visit to West Cork for a spot of fishing and a few nights out. His collection from Cork airport by myself was immediately followed by a visit to "Cork Angling and Outdoor Centre" who looked after us for Chest Waders and we were off heading West.

After settling in at my place we went in to town for what would be the first of THREE trips to An Sugan that weekend.

Seafood & Guiness for me, Chicken Goujons & Lager for Anton.

Saturday came and glourious it was, we headed for our first venue with great anticipation but alas it was not to be. The weed that had been pushed into one corner of the Bay had spread with a slight change of wind direction and, despite numerous attempts, proved unfishable : (

To be continued.....

To fly or not to fly?

Fly fishing isn't for everyone. It's great for those who like it and are proficient at it.

But, truth be known, fly anglers make up a very small percentage of the total fishing population.

There are times, however, when someone who can handle a fly rod can do quite well. Now is one of those times in Southwest Florida.

Those who know me are aware that I love to sight-fish the surf this time of year for snook. I've been doing it for 25 years and have become pretty decent at it. I've been scoring pretty well over the last month.

One of my buddies, Ken Taylor of North Port, has been fishing the surf for a decade or more. He's a spinning enthusiast and one of the best around. But he as been having problems lately, and I blame it all on the equipment. I believe that my success is because of the fly rod. It allows me to present the fly naturally and quietly to skittish fish. In addition, when I pause during a retrieve, the fly doesn't bomb to the bottom; it suspends. When Ken casts a jig, it goes right to the bottom. Additionally, it makes some noise when it hits the water.

Today was a prime example. It wasn't that I landed a load of fish; it was the quality of the fish. I caught five snook to 31 inches. My next biggest snook was 28 inches. I've been getting quite a few snook of 27 inches and larger. My largest this season is a fish that went 38 inches.

I attribute it all to the fly rod.

By the way, my favorite fly is the D.T. Special (variation), a minnow imitation that I've been using for the last 17 years. The snook hit it so good that I don't see any reason to change.

There are days when a spin angler will do better than me, but not often. Fly fishing is very effective in the surf.

Beach snook season usually begins in May and continues until the first severe cold front in the fall. There are really good numbers of snook in the surf, so we anticipate excellent action over the next few weeks.

Wrasse caught whilist on Holiday in Brittany.

My Kelly Kettle Picture is famous!!

The picture i had taken on my blog header has been put onto the Kelly Kettle web site! i am hoping for free Kellys for a lifetime!! some very good ones on there but i think mine top them all cause it being used at fishing!
My mucker Woody has had the large one 2.5litres and i have not seen it yet, i think he does not want to get it dirty...
The Kelly Kettle has been one of the best purchases for me this year, i have taken it on every trip and there is nothing quite like a brew in one, its become part of my fishing kit...
The link to there site is below, please click on to view

https://kellykettle.com/kelly-kettle-product-photos

Thanks Glen

Anton in action........

Tough conditions, but success

The wind was supposed to be slight and out of the east. That's just perfect of beach snook fishing.

But when I got to the beach, the swells were fairly large and breaking right on the beach. In addition, there was a storm to the north that was threatening.

I decided to stick it out and was rewared. I caught and released 10 snook to 27 inches, lost several more and stuck a couple of hogs (but lost both). There were some sizeable snook in the surf today.

KEY TO SUCCESS: What worked for me was the find snook and wait until a wave broke right on them. I'd cast and hook up with good success. The stirred up water had them off-guard and they weren't quite as spooky.

Most of the action took place north of where I usually get into fish. Then, I got into a bunch on the walk back.

I consider this a very good day, in lieu of the circumstances.

Tide was incoming. Lots of grass in the surf. I don't think a spin angler would have had as much success.

Gavin,Steve,Lindsey and Peter Aug. 21st Fiji fishing

With our shop open six days a week and all the other things that keep life interesting, we have not been out fishing a lot lately. Somehow we just can't find enough hours in the day to get everything done. The saying feast or famine truly applies to our situation.

So again Rosie and I are sitting in the shop working on some display when a group of guys that are visiting from Australia and doing some work for the schools and hospital come in. The first The first thing they say is, "Do you wanna go fishing?" Now haw can anyone turn that down. Of course we wanna go fishing. I ask in my most professional tone, "When would you like to go?" To which they reply, in unison I might add, "Now!" I swallow hard and say give us a few minutes to go and get the gear ready and we will come back to the shop to get you.

So off we go. It is around noon and the weather looks threatening but all of our spirits are high.

We arrive to our first spot and some quick instructions are given. Then the lures are flying. Not long after our start, Gavin is onto a nice fish. A good solid fight and Rosie give it a lift into the boat.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

This is Gavin's first Red Bass, and after a few picture and some video it is back into the water and back to fishing.

Lindsey was using the 30lb rod and after a while of no bites, decided he had enough for now and would become the videographer for the gang.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

He willingly turned his rod over to Peter. Peter then started casting like there was no tomorrow. Before long he was onto a nice fish. After a good fight and a little coach from Rosie, a Job Fish, first for our boat, was brought on board for it picture taking session.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

Now there was one fellow who at this point was still not on the board, Steve. He was up front with a 50lb rig and doing everything right. He could cast a bloody mile, and his retrieves were perfect. For some reason the fish had lock jaw when it came to his lure. I have to say he persevered for the entire trip. Never faltering and never giving up. He must have had a million casts. I would give him a location and he would cast there, nothing. I would say cast out at 2 o'clock, he would and nothing, not even a bite. Then towards the end of our session with the tide ripping, he cast to a small coral head and had the mother of all strikes. The sound was massive and a hole opened up all around where his lure was. But alas it was not to be. The GT missed the lure and left Steve with the knowledge of what is out there.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

Steve in action with one of many casts.

All in all we had a great time out. These guys were a pleasure to spend the afternoon with and I hope they come and fish with us again.

Tight lines

Late Success Saves the Day

Another tough day -- but only for a while.

Took my friend Rick Grassett of Sarasota and we got into the fish early. However, they were very spooky. It was frustrating. I was ready to head home at about 11 a.m.

But a funny thing happened on the way: We found loads of fish. They weren't easy, but we managed to land a few.

Rick was the first to hook up. He landed a 20-incher on his night snook fly. I got in on the act a few minutes later with a 23-incher. My hand turned hot and I landed four more in the next hour. My big fish -- the fourth of my five -- was a 27-incher.

We saw maybe a half dozen really big snook, but had no takers.

We joined up with Bob Parker, president of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers in Sarasota. We had a good time.

The bite wasn't the best, but still it was a good day.

Rick, Bob and I had lunch at Bogey's in Venice.

Good company, good times and good beer.

Can Picafort, Mallorca, (Holiday with some fly fishing thrown in!!)

Just got back from my holiday today, went to Can Picafort in Mallorca for seven very hot days...
Had some spare time in the mornings to get the fly rod out around the main beach area.
I had swam out with my snorkel to get a look at the local fish that surrounded the beach area, around a hundred yard out there was a rocky area that looked to hold fish, swiming out i threw bread in this area only to see huge Mullet and Sea Bream sipping the bread down.. that was enough for me so the next day i got tackled up with the 8ft 4# streamflex and my LTD sedge with Bread!!
The first day was hard going and i only managed a few pulls off small bream, i found that as soon as i got near the large fish they would show no interest and disappear..
The next day i took the kids dingy with my daughter poppy and and swam out to the area where i had seen fish, i put on the ltd with a big clump of bread!!, the sea was upto my shoulders and casting was very hard as i needed to get a good line out as not to spook any fish, I managed to get a good cast out and let it drift mid water...Wallop! just like the reservoir rainbows hitting your nymph, my line shot out and spun the drag straight out to well past the backing! I new i was into a good fish, i was on 4lb tippet so had to be very careful.. I was right upto my neck in water trying to play this fish, Poppy my daughter was screaming her head off with joy, i must of looked a right tw"t with my head bobbing out the water with my rod looped right over, after 10 minutes i managed to get the fly line back on the spool... I looked around me to see 50+ people watching me from there boats and lylo's!!!
I started to get the better of the fish and started to wonder what it was and how i would land it? a diver went down to have a look and came back up holding his hands up showing the size! his arms showing a 2ft fish!! the crowd then started to cheer when they new it was big..
The fish was lunking around right in front of me so i put a show on for the crowd and give it full stick to get the fish upto the surface, this worked a treat and a 4lb sea bass came crashing out the surface, i felt like a film star as the crowd then started to clap with Germans shouting 'YAH YAH'
I managed to get the fish to hand, a beautiful sea bass caught on the fly rod!! did i eat it? Just as i was going to smack it on the head it jumped out my hand and bust the line and was off!! a full cheer from the crowd and it was all over!!
I caught the bass on my LTD pattern pasted in bread!! going to try this method on my local rivers, should work a treat!!
I had quite a few fish while i was there and they were all sea bream of around 6oz which fought like mad, it was nice to be waded out in the sea in 34 degrees casting a fly rod and its something i will do when i go on hol every year.
On the last day i was standing in the sea with my rod up to my neck in water and i felt a needle shoot straight into my foot, it felt like a hot needle had gone through my foot and was being twisted, the pain was unbearable, i got into slight trouble as i could not handle the pain, i managed to get to shallow water and crawl back to my Mrs on the beach, for 15 mins i was in so much pain it was untrue, i have broken my leg, arms ect and never had pain like that, i would love to know what stung me, it did calm down and my foot went numb.. a lesson for me to where shoes when in deeper water next time!!!
Not a big sea fisher but loved catching on the fly rod...
Glenio Pointonio will be back next year!!
Thanks
Glen