Match the hatch...

The past few nights and especially on Tuesday (full moon), there has been increased feeding activity during night time at the harbour. I have fished every night and tried to suss out a pattern and/or a successful presentation.
At first I tried the usual metals and spinners and only managed to catch some mackerel just before dark. Then I tried small paddletail shads and grubs that got me a few fish and some bumps but not much else. I then tried what I had in mind, meaning a slim, straight softbait, to imitate the sandeels that have lately made an appearance in the shallows. The results were instant.. Pollock were hitting like there was no tomorrow! I managed to catch on the first night, approximately 20 of them in the span of a couple hours fishing. Not really large but fish of 1-2lbs gave a good account of themselves as I was using 3lbs flouro straight through.
The other nights were not so impressive but fish still showed a clear preference of straight slim softbaits mounted on a 5g Sakura fishhead jighead. The retrieve was slow-medium with jerks and twitches as well as pauses. Fish would mostly hit near the surface, but when it got windy, at midwater and bottom as well.
The most effective lures were the: 10cm Savagear sandeel slug and the 4.5" Big Bite Shaking squirrel although I'm sure that anything slim and about 10cm in length would 've done the job..

Its really satisfying to manage and get it right as it doesn't happen very often! I'm still surprised by the increased aggression of the fish during the full moon as although conditions were pretty similar on the following nights and fish were still there, they didn't commit as much.
Anyway I'll be soon trying to target some better fish if they are there with bigger lures and heavier gear.

Thanks for reading.

Gear used.
Rod: Major Craft KG Evolution KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro 1000
Mainline: YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon 3lbs,
 Spiderwire invisibraid 0.10mm with YGK nitlon DFC fluoro leader 10lbs
Rig: Sakura fishhead jigheads, 5g
Lures: 4.5" Big Bite Shaking Squirrels, Savagear sandeel slugs
 

Finally some silver!

The past couple of weeks I have been playing around with different techniques and presentations in order to manage and target the main predators of the island with one gear/presentation. I ended up with using soft jerkbaits and slug-type lures on weighted offset hooks as the most effective way of doing this. It is also quite reasonable as my main target species (wrasse, bass, pollock) all prey on slim species like sandeels that have finally found their way in numbers near the coast.
 I have had very good results on wrasse with some very enjoyable sessions and even got the odd follow from bass, that convinced me that soft jerkbaits are the way to go.

I used slim softbaits from various manufacturers, but the most effective have been the: Big Bite Shaking squirrels, Hogy Sandeels, Savagear sandeel slugs, Lunker City Ribsters and Dichoso Umiushi worms. The hooks I use are weighted Camo Offset hooks, Big Bite weighted EWG hooks and AGM wide gape jigheads.

Today having the whole day to my self I visited a mark that holds big fish and can be fished throughout most states of the tide. I arrived a bit late with the tide ebbing fast but thought it worthwhile to stay on. I fished trying to cover as much area possible but had no bites for about an hour. After changing many lures, I put on a Lunker city Ribster on a 5g Camo weighted offset hook and started working a kelp-ridden area next  to a big boulder. Midway on the retrieve I felt a light tap and immediately stopped the retrieve waiting for the usual following taps as the wrasse bites the lure. Only this time there were no following taps just some gentle nips. Unable to wait any longer, I decided to set the hook and I felt some good weight on the line straight on. The fish took some line but then came close very easily something rare for wrasse as they dive and thrash all over the place... Getting it closer it became obvious that it wasn't a wrasse but instead I had a nice bass on my line! As soon as the fish saw me it started thrashing violently but I managed to get it swiftly on the rocks. My first bass on Sark was lying in front of me, a nice and healthy fish of about 3-4 lbs that went straight back after a couple of photos. After this fish I persisted with the soft slims and got a few nice wrasse. There were no small fish around surprisingly, with all the fish being of decent size. Moreover I had never before caught wrasse so close to the ebb and at such shallow water. The last fish was caught no further than 5m away from me and at about 1m depth...

 

 

I think that better results will come if I stick with this approach as it will allow me to target more efficiently and effectively the main predators here without the need for different gear and further purchases! Although simple looking and not fancy or high tech, these lures used in the right way can be extremely effective.

Tight lines and thanks for reading!


Gear used.
Rod: Major Craft KG Evolution KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro 1000
Mainline: Spiderwire invisibraid 0.10mm, YGK nitlon DFC fluoro leader 10lbs
Rig: weighted offset hooks and wide gape jigheads, sizes 2/0-4/0, weight 3.5-5g
Lures: 4.5" Big Bite Shaking Squirrels, 4.5" Hogy Sandeels, 10cm Savagear Sandeel slugs, 5" Dichoso Umiushi worms, 4.5" Lunker City Ribsters.  

New rod quick test!

A couple days ago I finally received the substitution of my broken Exage mini tele travel spin.
The new rod is a Major Craft KG Evolution KGS-832ST (2.53m 3-15g) and I couldn't wait to try it out! Finally I got my chance today and on my break I headed straight away for my favourite wrasse-mark.
The rod is solid tipped so I can also use it for my main rod in winter on the dropshot.
It is extra fast actioned and gives the impression of strength with a very small weight though.
On the session, the rod gave me a unexpectedly good feedback on the retrieve (as on solid tip rods the tip 'sucks' most of the feedback and you 'see' rather than 'feel' the bites ) and due to this sensitivity along with the action I missed some takes as I was striking too fast... Getting the hang of this though I did manage to land a few towards the end of the session.. Moreover the fights seemed even more pronounced as I was using braid and they gave me the impression that the harder you fight these fish, the harder they pull back!

A very pleasant short session with the rod performing well, even though it took me a while to get used to its sensitivity and seems very promising..

More to come!


Gear used.
Rod: Major Craft KG Evolution KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro 1000
Mainline: Spiderwire invisibraid 0.10mm, Trilene fluorocarbon 10lbs
Rig: mainly texas with a 7g bullet weight and size 2 wide gape Camo hook.
Lure: Big Bite Shaking squirrel 4.5''

 

If only I had more time...

Well the weather has been ok for the past week, but due to work, I had only enough time for very short sessions... Apart from that though, I saw action every time and really enjoyed the fishing.
On the first day I went to a hard to reach spot that seemed 'alive ' with wrasse as I could see them moving around at low tide. The access to the water was difficult as I could barely reach with my landing net but it was worth a shot.. Although I could see plenty of wrasse, they didn't show much interest in my offerings and I had to work hard to get one to bite.. I finally got a pounder on a 4.5" Big Bite Shaking Squirel on a Jobee weedless jighead that came relatively easy.

The next day I visited my usual mark near home that never fails to give some fish and managed to get a good fish of 1.7kg. I was fishing with a mate from work who was curious about my catches and the gear used and wanted to tag along. I got the fish on a very slow retrieve, using a carolina rig with a 3" Keitech live Impact. The fish took the bait shortly after the drop and put up a very good fight, albeit after halfway in the retrieve!  My mate got one wrasse follow his Berkley Gulp Sandeel all the way to his feet! The fish bit the lure but somehow didn't get hooked... I couldn't believe my eyes both because of the wrasse's aggression and that it didn't got caught.

Today we visited a new mark on the north side of the island where my mate told me there are strong currents and a deep rocky bottom. He had got good results fishing with bait but never got a wrasse there.. We arrived at the mark and it was truly as described... A wild place, with waves and foaming water, strong winds and rocks everywhere.. I decided to use a heavier sinker on my line but stick with the Carolina rig as its a fine searcher method... The lure used was a 3" Keitech Swing Impact that is becoming my go-to lure on new areas. I started fishing the more sheltered side of the mark but got no bites there, while I could see a reef  about 20m away on the rough side. The wind was making the cast very difficult (a downside of using braid) but I managed one right on the edge of the reef and after a couple turns of the handle felt a good fish on. After a hard fight where the fish got me snagged twice, I managed to land her. She was smaller than I thought about 3lbs but a really beautiful fish.

The fish have been really up for it lately and I have been trying other methods as well, but to be honest the carolina and texas rigs rule! I will hopefully have some nice weather on my day off so that I can do some proper sessions...

Thanks for reading and tight lines!


Gear used.
Rod: Shimano Exage BX STC Mini Tele Spin, 3-14g 2.40m
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro 1000
Mainline: Spiderwire ultracast invisibraid, 0.10mm,
Leader: 2m Trilene fluorocarbon, 15lb connected by Peixet knot.
Rig: various
lure: various

Todays fish..

Just a couple photos from today's short session on the rocks. The weather was relatively warmer than the previous days and the wind had died down, it was also more overcast but quite pleasant. The fish was weighed at 1.8kg and it put up an impressive fight. It grabbed a Big Bite 4.5" Shaking Squirrel on a 7g Jobee weedless jighead near the base of the boulders I was standing on. I wanted to experiment with straight lures and obviously they work... Although I'm pretty sure that at this time of the year they will attack anything!

A perfect hookhold.

The wrasse season has trully started so I'm hoping we will see some nice fish this year. All the best to fellow rock anglers and tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod: Shimano Exage BX STC Mini Tele Spin, 3-14g 2.40m
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro 1000
Mainline: Spiderwire ultracast invisibraid, 0.10mm,
Leader: 2m Trilene fluorocarbon, 15lb connected by Peixet knot.
Rig: 7g Jobee weedless Jighead
lure: 4.5" Big Bite Shaking Squirrel in Ayu colour.