Cyprus Expedition 2: Saltwater.

After the first few days and the disappointments in the freshwater, I was in need of a morale boost. We had planned to fish with my friends Aggelos and Soulis in their local marks and they informed me that Cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii) and the silver cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus scelaratus) had recently appeared in the area and in good numbers. I didn't get too excited though as I'm aware that the sea around most of Cyprus is relatively poor and didn't expect large numbers of fish. Thus we met up with the guys early in the morning of Sunday and headed straight for the mark in Soulis car.
The mark is near a power station and there is strong current generated by the station's outflow. This attracts bait fish and the predators follow... We picked the most favourable spots and started casting. I was using slim soft plastics of 2"-3" on 1.5-3.5g jigheads. From the first casts we all started getting bites and fish on our lures! It was madness and exactly what I needed after the previous hard days. We were on the right spot on the right time and the fish were feeding like crazy! I caught my first Cornet fish and was amazed by the alien look of this fish.. I was even more amazed by the amount of slime that covers them! Something that my friends forgot to mention... But I couldn't care less as I was catching fish! The Cornet fish is a good fighter and at times resembles garfish during the fight although it can move in all directions like an eel! What Ive noticed about them though, is that they would painstakingly observe the lure at times before committing, especially the larger ones. At first light they were relatively easy to catch but as the sun got higher they became more fussy and cautious. They have very good eyesight and I suspect the increased light levels made them more wary to our lures. Moreover after a few fish were caught on a given lure/presentation the rest would soon wise up to it and a change in presentation would have to take place for the bites to resume. This again is explained as they hunt in loose packs and observe the lure all together. Thus as the sun got higher I had to use more realistic colours and lighter jigheads (slower fall rate) to get more bites. Moreover a change to darting jigheads and or cheburashka with the respective change in rod movements/cadence brought more bites. They would generally hit near the bottom but especially later on they could be caught even on minnows worked with plenty of jerks near the surface. They are meant to take metals as well but my friends told me that it might be a bit early in the season for such fast presentations. They would hit one type of metal lures though, blades, and some of the biggest fish were caught on the ecogear ZX30 and 35. Another interesting thing about this fish is that its almost impossible to take a good photo! The camera just couldn't zoom in them properly. 

What a fish!

Eye of the predator..

They can even change colours..

Impossible to zoom on!

Pampos with a good one on the jerkbait.

After catching my fair share of Cornetfish, I noticed my friend Pampos started catching large toad fish on his jerkbaits. Seeing that they would hit so high in the water column and on such flashy lures with erratic retrieves I tied on an lipless cranckbait (that I bought for bass!) and started working it near the surface with lifts of the rod tip. I got a bite and after a few more turns of the handle, a solid take. This was a big fish and definitely not a cornet fish as it was not thrashing about, instead I could feel it thumping its head and moving slowly. I pumped the fish in with the rod bent in an unreal curve and soon a large toad was in the net! The lure popped out of its mouth straight away and in close inspection I could see that the trebles were ruined by the toadfish dentistry! We caught some more toad fish and lost even more from bent hooks, cut lines and ripped softplastics...
The toad fish would hunt in groups in all the water column and they preferred slow but intense actions in the presentation. It was very surprising that some fish would come in like bricks yet others would make sizzling runs on even tight drags! It became apparent that if you allow them some time to turn away from the shore and even more so when the pack is following the caught fish, they would then start to run!
What an unusual bunch of fish!
At some point I got hit OTD on a cheburashka rigged with a 7.5cm ribster and with the rod bent whole I felt that the fish was getting in a snag.. Perplexed as to what it was, I pressed the rod even harder and soon started gaining on the fish. A last attempt to hide in the rocks under my feet failed and I hoisted up a beautiful dusky grouper! It was my biggest ever and after a few pics was returned in the sea.

A pig in the net!

 

Trebles destroyed!

A stunning fish!

In the following days we made more forays in various harbours and we managed to find the smaller cousin of the toad fish with the beautiful green eyes. Some scorpion fish and unbelievable amounts of gobies completed the picture. 2-5g Cheburashkas, #10 longshank hooks and Isome along with tiny paddletails did the business.

Poser goby..

A new lrfer!

Green eyed piggy!

I love scorpion fish!

Aggressive goby.

Baby toad..

Goby central...

The tiniest grouper Ive ever caught!

So all in all another wonderful experience in Cyprus. The fishing was tough but considering the conditions I believe we found the best action we could! Many thanks yet again to my Cypriot friends and especially Pampos, Aggelos and Soulis as without them this trip would've been impossible.. I'm already planning for my next visit there and hopefully the bass will play ball then..
I will post some action packed videos soon!

Tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod: Spro Mobile stick 80 UL
Reel: Shimano Stradic 1000 fc
Mainline: YGK G-soul x3 PE 0.4
leader: Sunline FC guide special fluorocarbon, 6lbs
lure: various

Cyprus Expedition 2: Freshwater.

I am now back in the UK after 10 days of hardcore fishing in the beautiful island of Cyprus. The fishing was far from what I was expecting but after much persistence and with the help of my Cypriot friends we had some exciting sessions with unexpected results.
To take things from the beginning, this was gonna be my second time on the island and wanting to catch as many largemouth bass as possible as well as possibly breaking my pb, I was informed by my Cypriot friends that April is considered the most stable month in terms of numbers of fish caught and their size. Thus I booked my tickets back in January and was expecting a similar pattern as was described to me by my friends.Unfortunately the weather had other plans. February was very mild and fish had already started moving shallow. By the end of March my friends were reporting impressive catches and I was psyched-up, ready to experience them for myself. In the beginning of April though there was severe rainfall and even snowfall on the Troodos mountains that feed some of the dams. The weeks before my arrival saw very poor catches and the Cyprus Bass Fishing competitions only reported a couple fish caught by more than 25 anglers taking part!
Undeterred, we fished hard in a selection of dams but it really felt futile at times. Even when we identified fish in the shallows they were extremely hard to catch and they would only occasionally bite in jerkbaits worked erratically (reaction strikes). The same picture emerged among other anglers and this lack of a pattern/system was particularly disturbing since my friend Pampos and I were to participate in a bass fishing competition on Germasogeia dam. I was silently hopeful that fish would show there but until then (last Saturday) we decided to target other possible freshwater fish with lures.

Even on this size they were hard to find..

The master of Kouris..

Where we had to go in hopes of better fish..

Kouris dam

On lrf they are so much fun!

 The number 2 fish species on my list was my nemesis from my childhood years, the pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus). I would target this fish with lures when I first started lure fishing back home in the dams of river Nestos and they would infuriate me with their short bites and lack of interest for my unsuitable lures. After a few phone calls we found out in which dam they were active and we set off with the LRF gear. We fished at Xyliatos dam for them and they seemed to be inactive although it was still early in the day. After some lure changes and walking about, the fish seemed to become more active and I started catching a few. They are a really fun fish to target and put up a great scrap! In the summer they fish for them with tiny poppers and I cant think of something more fun on the light gear. Tiny paddletais (1"aprox) worked best for me.

A stunning little predator!

My pb pumpkinseed.

The other freshwater predator I was really looking forward catching was the Tilapia. I had never seen this fish in the flesh and  my friend Pampos assured me that they are found in huge numbers and are quite willing at times to hit small lures. These fish had already shown up in the shallows for spawning a month ago, but they were interrupted by the cold weather and many (mostly smaller ones) died. We found thousands of them in the shallow bays of Germasogeia dam on the day of the competition. In the end we quit the competition two hours before the finish time and fished for them on the light gear instead!
They were not feeding but preparing to build their nests and thus quite aggressive. We tried for them with small spoons and dropshot and managed to catch a few although they would hit out of aggression and not for feeding. Hence most of them were not lip-hooked. They were serious fish though and we had a much needed blast catching and fighting them on the light gear..

Perfect tilapia water.

Another beautiful fish.

They are good fighters too!

On the day of the competition we tried really hard but as mentioned decided to switch targets as there was no point fishing for fish that aren't there. I did spot a few fish with a good female among them moving around dense vegetation in the to part of the lake where the river enters. I practically tried everything I had with me that day and visited the spot several times but they would just not bite or even show interest. Anyway the comp ended and as expected there were only two small bass caught. One on a jerkbait and the other on a small popper. What I found out though is that a fellow angler lost two fish that got hooked on his DUO Spinbait but managed to open the trebles as he was using a heavier setup. With this in my mind I decided to visit the same place next day. That lure was the only one we didn't use even though my friend had it with him so I was keen to give it a go and in the worst case scenario we would fish for tilapias again. That's what my friend did while I tied the spinbait on my LRF gear via a rapala knot ready for some spybaiting (!) as the presentation its designed for is called. In essence it is a slow retrieve near the bottom with frequent drops on loose line when the lure rides too high. The lure has a very enticing roll and a shimmy on the drop. A few casts later and I got a bite OTD. After a short but frantic fight I managed to land a small bass, probably the one I saw the day of the comp. Knowing that the big female was in the vicinity I kept casting only to loose my lure to a snag. Not having another spinbait (they are expensive!) I tried to mimic the presentation by using a senko mounted on a Decoy Screw worm hook 106. These hooks have a small prop at the front and by bending the blades even more I got them working even on the fall. I made my cast a bit further away from where the last fish was caught and let it drop on semi controlled line. Once it reached the bottom I started a slow steady retrieve and soon after I felt a solid take and on striking the rod tip stayed down. This was a sign of a better fish and it soon appeared on the surface making a couple jumps. It was the female I had seen before and I shouted for the net at Pampos. I kept the rod low so as not to encourage the fish into jumping more. It made a few more runs and hen moved parallel to the bank. This was quite stressful as the bank is full of submerged brush and snags but she knew what she was doing and took me straight to a bush. My only choice was to apply what I do here and give her loose line in hope she moves. Thankfully that's what she did and was soon expertly netted by my friend. What followed were screams of joy, hand-shakes and man-hugs of success! This was the fish of the trip for many reasons: Firstly it was my pb weighing in at 1.7kg, secondly it was caught on LRF gear, moreover the finding of the successful presentation after many trials and the many hours we put in for them just made it special to my eyes.

Spybaiting works..

Even imitations work...

The fish that made it all worthwhile..

The successful presentation.

These were in all my results from freshwater. The lack of the other predatory species (perch, zander, pike) is evident but I suppose they were already in the deeper areas. Event these results came after a lot of footwork, perseverance and hours of fishing under the scorching sun with obvious side-effects as you can see on my pic. Of course local knowledge was the most important factor and I cant thank my friend Pampos Stavrou enough for this.
I will soon post the saltwater results and they were pleasantly surprising and kind of made up for the slow freshwater action. Moreover some cool vids are coming as well.. 

Tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod: Spro Mobile stick 80 UL
Reel: Shimano Stradic 1000 fc
Mainline: YGK G-soul x3 PE 0.4
leader: Sunline FC guide special fluorocarbon, 6lbs
lure: various

One of 'those' days..

Well after much deliberation yesterday morning, I decided to drive up to Loch Etive in order to ascertain if the pollock have started there. The reason that made this decision difficult was once again the dreaded car problems, but in the end I just couldn't help myself having a go before my holidays on Cyprus next week.
I reached the loch by midday and the conditions seemed favourable. A brisk westerly breeze, tide going out and a bit of sunshine at times, though much colder than the weather-man predicted...
I was hoping that the pollock would be active and shoaled up and moreover I would have a repeat of the blade bait/vibration lure pattern of last year even though its still comparatively early. I didn't begin fishing blades, instead opting for carolina rig with slim paddletails in order to establish the presence of pollock and their mood. It took a while but I persisted and after more than an hour in the session I got the first pollock. It hit the carolina rig OTD and after a short fight was in my hands. I then switched to blades for a while but seeing no luck I tried a 6g cheburashka with a cheap and smelly 3" slim paddletail I bought from ebay. A few casts later and as I was reeling the lure in I got a tremendous hit and line started peeling off the spool. Alas this only lasted for a few seconds before the fish was off! On inspection it was obvious that the old leader knot that I had tied in haste in the previous session gave way... I hate repeating schoolboy errors! After the lost fish I decided to make a last late move to Loch Fyne in order to save the day. Its getting dark much later now and I would still have time to fish..
On arriving at my mark in Loch Fyne, conditions were much more favourable with less wind and much milder than Loch Etive as it often is. I quickly put on a 10g metal jig and started casting around the rocky point. The bites came quickly and the coalies soon followed.. A few casts in and I get a better fish on. Not wanting to lose this one too, I tried to get it in faster and as we say back home: ' the one who rushes, stumbles!' and the fish got me to the rocks where the tight line was cut in an instant... By now I couldn't believe how I lost the two good fish of the day by making silly mistakes but I guess these things happen to keep us on our toes!
Anyway I caught a few smaller fish afterwards but they couldn't provide much consolation so I called it a day and drove back home.. Below some pics and a little vid I put together from the lost fish... For the cheeky ones my Greek is not vulgar it just means No (οχι)!

The first pollock in Loch Etive..

At least I now know that the pollock in Etive have indeed started to get active, although it will be a couple more weeks at least for them to get to serious numbers. Just in time hopefully for my return from Cyprus!

Something else that Ive noticed the past couple months is the increasing appearance of cheburashkas and cheap scented soft plastics (usually Chinese) in the UK market. This makes me particularly happy as I can now have them in my hands much quicker and the variety is larger. The prices are very good too! I honestly believe that this tackle will help the UK LRF anglers even more and it also shows a sign of maturity by moving away from the expensive blink (a lot of JDM gear) and towards more practical solutions...
I don't know if I will have a serious session before my 'expedition' to Cyprus on Wednesday and I'm not too bothered since I'm really looking forward to my second visit to that beautiful island. This time the targets will be more varied and I will also try some saltwater fishing although again the large-mouth bass pursuit will take most of my time.

Tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod: Majorcraft Crostage CRK-T782AJI, MC KG Evolution, KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g.
Reel: Shimano Stradic 1000 fc, Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f
Mainline: YGK G-soul x3 PE 0.4, Duel Hardcore X4 PE 0.8
leader: Sunline FC guide special fluorocarbon, 6lbs, YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon 8lbs.
lures: 3" paddletails on carolina and cheburashka, metal jigs.