This week just seemed to fly,
Monday myself, Paul and Mick decided to bump a bit of crab around in the estuaries under the cover of darkness which produced a few fish, Paul with the biggest coming in at just over five and a half pounds.
Tuesday morning we were out with the lures and Ger Carey 10 min into the session hooked into a nice fish , me being the nice guy that I am went up to give Ger a hand and boga the fish as we were wading in about 3 foot of water. As I approached I could see that the fish was a croc easily 11lb but he was not very well hooked. After another few minutes I went for it and tried to boga the fish unfortunately the fish shook the lure, with a last effort to grab him by the tail he swam off . It would be an understatement to say I was gutted. Ger was as cool as a breeze about it saying no prob he was going back anyway and once he is not swimming around with a lure in his mouth I am happy. What a gent and what a fish .
Last night myself Paul and Damien went for a quick spin in the boat and of course a few chucks. We were out for about an hour and a half and could not get away from the mackerel the place is full of them . No doubt there are a few big bass filling there belly's with them.
It amazes me
The amount of people who I am meeting through the shop and out fishing that are taking up lure fishing amazes me . It is becoming so popular and lots of people having plenty of success catch reports coming in every day . To hear someone come back into the shop and tell me they caught on a lure they purchased is great . When I started lure fishing I didn't know anyone else lure fishing and it took ages to find out what lures to use when to use them and so on . Up in my house I have boxes of mistakes , lures I bought that would not catch anything only spook fish. So I am happy to sell people lures that I now use myself and catch fish with.
Sorry for the lack of pictures I am after getting a new camera so I will be snap happy from now on.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Get out in the dark.
Night fishing was always very successful for me with bait and now becoming that way with lures . Using the same lures as you do during the day, night fishing with lures is another way of getting out and catching fish when the tides are right. It is essential you know your mark and that you fish with someone as wading and clambering around rocks or standing in the middle of an estuary in the dark does have its risks. All you need is a head lamp , try to keep your light off as much as possible so as not to spook fish. Mine only goes on while walking over rocks , unhooking a fish or a quick flash to check a lure for weed.Give it a go on a mark you are familiar with and fish a tide that produces for you , just add darkness.
Friday night.
Went fishing Friday night in the dark with Ger and Tom . When we arrived at the mark the water was filthy , now I would usually walk away when water is absolutely brown . A bit of colour I don't mind but brown forget it. How wrong I was Ger assured us it would still fish so on we went. Myself and Tom did not let the side down with a fish each but Ger stole the show with 5 fish . There were fish all around us some mullet but plenty of bass , you could here them hitting bait fish all around us on the surface as we were only in about 2 foot of water. I could have stayed there all night up to my waist in water a few fish being caught pitch black sky and fish moving all around us but unfortunately the tide pushed us off.
Ger had the biggest fish of the night coming in at just under 7lb .
Night fishing was always very successful for me with bait and now becoming that way with lures . Using the same lures as you do during the day, night fishing with lures is another way of getting out and catching fish when the tides are right. It is essential you know your mark and that you fish with someone as wading and clambering around rocks or standing in the middle of an estuary in the dark does have its risks. All you need is a head lamp , try to keep your light off as much as possible so as not to spook fish. Mine only goes on while walking over rocks , unhooking a fish or a quick flash to check a lure for weed.Give it a go on a mark you are familiar with and fish a tide that produces for you , just add darkness.
Friday night.
Went fishing Friday night in the dark with Ger and Tom . When we arrived at the mark the water was filthy , now I would usually walk away when water is absolutely brown . A bit of colour I don't mind but brown forget it. How wrong I was Ger assured us it would still fish so on we went. Myself and Tom did not let the side down with a fish each but Ger stole the show with 5 fish . There were fish all around us some mullet but plenty of bass , you could here them hitting bait fish all around us on the surface as we were only in about 2 foot of water. I could have stayed there all night up to my waist in water a few fish being caught pitch black sky and fish moving all around us but unfortunately the tide pushed us off.
Ger had the biggest fish of the night coming in at just under 7lb .
Friday, July 23, 2010
My top lure at the moment
My apologies
My apologies for the lack of blogging this week , just one of those weeks. Nothing much happening as dirty water kept me from fishing during the week but its clear now and already I am hearing catch reports from last night. The lure that did the damage last night was the Xorus Patchinko. Surface lure fishing has to be one of the most exciting ways to catch a bass , its real heart in the mouth stuff when you see a fish swirl behind your lure . That couple of seconds which feels like a life time before the hit is what gets me . Trying not to panic , trying to do everything right to entice the hit there is no better buzz. Sometimes the fish on the surface are just leathering the lure other times they miss it other times they are just up for a good look and turn away. Of course hooking up is the aim of the game but just turning fish on the top is exciting fishing.
My top lures at the moment
Above are some of my top lures at the moment , these four lures are the ones that I would not go fishing without. Each of them fishes differently but are all very effective. Yes they are great lures with a great action but a big part of it is how confident I feel using them. Confidence plays a big part in my lure fishing I have to be happy with the lure I am using and where I am fishing . Sometimes where you are fishing is the biggest part of it as sometimes a bass will hit what ever you put in front of it and then you have times when there loads of fish around and they wont touch anything. There are certain lures that just work better on certain occasions but they all have their day.
Feed Shallow
The Feed Shallow is a lure that is around a few years now and was first introduced to me by my friend Trevor from Jersey . He arrived over for a weeks fishing a few years ago with this lure and showed us all up with the amount of fish he caught on it especially on shallow rock marks. So of course I purchased and never looked back it has accounted for loads of catches and will be one of those lures that will be around forever. It fishes very shallow with with a good paced retrieve straight back no twitching and it has this frantic side to side action that just dives fish nuts.
Megabass Zonk Gataride
What can I say I love this lure so much I get emotional about it. Now I am the first to admit the bib is weak and I wont let someone out of the shop with one without informing them of this. In my lure box I have a few casualty's , mostly my fault from casting near structure , but thats where the fish are. That aside it is incredible with an action like no other lure I use. In the last year I have fished it a lot as anyone who knows me will tell you and its rare that it lets me down. Fish it hard with plenty of twitches and don't be afraid to lift the rod tip to get it over shallow ground it does not effect the action.
Xorus Patchinko
Another lure that arrived from a Jersey influence , Bob showed us what this lure can do over and over again. A surface lure that can be fished in all conditions. If it is calm slow it down with light twitches , a bit more chop speed it up with plenty of twitches disturb the surface and throw in a pause or two. It is one surface lure that I have seen numerous big fish come to . No explanation why it just works.
IMA Komomo 2
My apologies for the lack of blogging this week , just one of those weeks. Nothing much happening as dirty water kept me from fishing during the week but its clear now and already I am hearing catch reports from last night. The lure that did the damage last night was the Xorus Patchinko. Surface lure fishing has to be one of the most exciting ways to catch a bass , its real heart in the mouth stuff when you see a fish swirl behind your lure . That couple of seconds which feels like a life time before the hit is what gets me . Trying not to panic , trying to do everything right to entice the hit there is no better buzz. Sometimes the fish on the surface are just leathering the lure other times they miss it other times they are just up for a good look and turn away. Of course hooking up is the aim of the game but just turning fish on the top is exciting fishing.
My top lures at the moment
Above are some of my top lures at the moment , these four lures are the ones that I would not go fishing without. Each of them fishes differently but are all very effective. Yes they are great lures with a great action but a big part of it is how confident I feel using them. Confidence plays a big part in my lure fishing I have to be happy with the lure I am using and where I am fishing . Sometimes where you are fishing is the biggest part of it as sometimes a bass will hit what ever you put in front of it and then you have times when there loads of fish around and they wont touch anything. There are certain lures that just work better on certain occasions but they all have their day.
Feed Shallow
The Feed Shallow is a lure that is around a few years now and was first introduced to me by my friend Trevor from Jersey . He arrived over for a weeks fishing a few years ago with this lure and showed us all up with the amount of fish he caught on it especially on shallow rock marks. So of course I purchased and never looked back it has accounted for loads of catches and will be one of those lures that will be around forever. It fishes very shallow with with a good paced retrieve straight back no twitching and it has this frantic side to side action that just dives fish nuts.
Megabass Zonk Gataride
What can I say I love this lure so much I get emotional about it. Now I am the first to admit the bib is weak and I wont let someone out of the shop with one without informing them of this. In my lure box I have a few casualty's , mostly my fault from casting near structure , but thats where the fish are. That aside it is incredible with an action like no other lure I use. In the last year I have fished it a lot as anyone who knows me will tell you and its rare that it lets me down. Fish it hard with plenty of twitches and don't be afraid to lift the rod tip to get it over shallow ground it does not effect the action.
Xorus Patchinko
Another lure that arrived from a Jersey influence , Bob showed us what this lure can do over and over again. A surface lure that can be fished in all conditions. If it is calm slow it down with light twitches , a bit more chop speed it up with plenty of twitches disturb the surface and throw in a pause or two. It is one surface lure that I have seen numerous big fish come to . No explanation why it just works.
IMA Komomo 2
This lure is fairly new to me but is already catching plenty of fish. When you need to fish shallow ground its your man. With an amazing side to side action it is amazing the stuff that Ima have out the action just looks so realistic . This lure can be fished in many different ways even get up on the surface by lifting the rod tip. Fish it fast slow , twitch it or straight retrieve it . Its a real all rounder.
Daiwa
Just to let you all know I know have the tournament braid in stock . Its like floss.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Adapting to conditions
When the weather is playing up.
The weather here has not been great lately for lure fishing , so something had to be done to get my bass fix. Now don't get me wrong lure fishing is my first love and if I have a choice I will go lure fishing every time. Saying that I love bait fishing but not sitting on a surf beach looking at a tripod I like keeping my bait fishing light and mobile just like my lure fishing and when water clarity is an issue I will get the bait fishing gear and fish the same marks as I fish with lures just change tactics and use bait. For me a 10 to 11ft 2 to 4oz rod fixed spool reel loaded with braid is the way to go.
3 casts 3 fish
Saturday night I had to go fishing no matter what the conditions I just needed to get out so myself and Paul headed off with a bucket of fresh peelers to a spot that was well sheltered with the wind to our backs we arrived a bit early and knew we would be waiting for the tide to turn , so after an hour and a half of sitting in monsoon like rain the tide turned and both rods went off within 5 min of each other . Pure panic and excitement and a slack line bite along with angler fault contributed to me dropping my first fish which would definitely have been my biggest fish of the night ( of course ). My next 3 cast I landed 3 fish biggest just over 4lb and then it went dead again . What an exciting half hour well worth it and no way was I gonna get 3 fish on lures Saturday night with the wind and water clarity that was in it . So all I am saying is that no matter what method I just love catching bass . Of course lures is what I love the most but I am more than willing to adapt if it means the difference between catching and not catching.
IMA
The Ima is flying off the shelves so if anyone is still looking for it give me a call and I will put it away . Lot of colours are already gone but still some nice ones left.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
IMA
The IMA has arrived.
The Ima stock arrived today and already flying out the door . Lots of people have asked me to put stuff away for them but in case there is anyone I forgot to contact please give me a call in the shop.
Ima are making some incredible lures and I am fishing them more and more . The action on the sasuke 140 and the kamomo 2 is incredible . Shallow running with that fast side to side roll they just turn fish on . The popkey proved it self a few weeks ago when the lads were over in calm conditions it did the business . When getting boils behind the lure just stopping it seemed to entice the hit.
Also this week the highly sought after new ulti shads arrived . If you are like me and love fishing soft plastics they are a must have. Xlayers also arrived this week and I don't need to say much about them , they just account for huge numbers of bass being caught.
Loads of other new stuff arriving every day , I love my new job opening boxes of shiny new tackle every day , the only problem is I have to fight the urge to not rob a load for myself, instead I must price them up and put them on the shelves !!!
The Ima stock arrived today and already flying out the door . Lots of people have asked me to put stuff away for them but in case there is anyone I forgot to contact please give me a call in the shop.
Ima are making some incredible lures and I am fishing them more and more . The action on the sasuke 140 and the kamomo 2 is incredible . Shallow running with that fast side to side roll they just turn fish on . The popkey proved it self a few weeks ago when the lads were over in calm conditions it did the business . When getting boils behind the lure just stopping it seemed to entice the hit.
Also this week the highly sought after new ulti shads arrived . If you are like me and love fishing soft plastics they are a must have. Xlayers also arrived this week and I don't need to say much about them , they just account for huge numbers of bass being caught.
Loads of other new stuff arriving every day , I love my new job opening boxes of shiny new tackle every day , the only problem is I have to fight the urge to not rob a load for myself, instead I must price them up and put them on the shelves !!!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Catch reports
It has been a great week for fishing around here with plenty of catch reports coming through . It has to be said I love my new job , talking fishing all day and surrounded by tackle but it is hard hearing all the catch reports coming in and not being able to get out . Then when I did manage to get out Friday evening the weather turned nasty , we managed a few fish before the weather got the better of us but then it was time to head home after a good soaking.
It is amazing how many new people I am meeting who are as obsessed with lure fishing as me , guys from all over the country are getting into lure fishing and I cant blame them it is the most exciting way of fishing we have in our country in my opinion. It has to be said I am absolutely addicted to lure fishing and I don't want help to overcome it. Reports of some big fish been taken this week by guys who are getting out there and fishing there socks off , well done Pat the yellow Patchinko strikes again Bob in Jersey would be proud.
Hopefully I will make it out after work today , it all depends on water clarity after the weather that just passed through . It was horrible yesterday but still plenty of guys made the effort to get out and fish it I am awaiting reports.
Stock
The stock is finally all starting to arrive , the latest addition is the Megabass range , my favorite Zonk Gataride , Fluttta baits which I have not tried but they look amazing and I cant wait to give them a go I have a mark or two in mind where they should do the business, X- 120 SW and X-140SW are also after arriving in I have had plenty of success with the 120 but the 140 is new to me but I am being told it is even better again casts like a bullet and a lot more stable in the water and the Giant Dog X one of my favorite top water lures since I was shown what it can do by the French guys last year . By Tuesday I will have another bunch of stuff arriving Xlayers most important and some other quality stuff . Fingers crossed I will have my Ima order before the week is out. They make such amazing lures and it shows by the demand I think most of the order is nearly booked before it even hits the shelves .
If I do manage to get out today I will be sure to bring a camera and keep ye posted .
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Smoothhounds
Sunday night myself and Paul decided to head up for a few hounds , it had been ages since id done a bit of bait fishing so when the weather got the better of us on the lure fishing side of things we decided to give the bait a go. It had been ages since I fished for hounds and a few months since I picked up my bait fishing gear . We headed to the mark armed with 2 to 4oz rods fixed spool reels loaded with braid and a bucket of crab. As usual it was a couple of hours waiting for the hounds to turn up but when they did everyone on the beaches rod went off . Light tackle and braid is definitely the way to go for me its so much fun the contact you have with the fish , I had my rod riped from the tripod 3 times by fish around 5lb . We ended up with 11 hounds in total and could have had more but we had to go home work the next morning and all that stuff. But the two hours we were there when the hounds turned up was such exciting fishing .
At certain times of the year I do a good bit of bait fishing for for bass with the same gear and same bait . It is great how much I have learned from lure fishing that I can transfer to bait fishing and the same the other way around.Theses days I keep my bait fishing light and mobile and go and look for fish rather than sitting still and waiting for them to come to me. When I am out lure fishing now I see so many places that I would love to stick a bait in that I would never have even considered dropping a bait in before. My favorite bait has to be peeler crab , I just have more success on it saying that I know plenty of guys who swear by razor or lug and I cant disagree that they are also a quality bait. Its very rare that I use a grip led anymore , just like a soft plastic I like my bait to be moving around . My fishing keeps changing and I hope it always will, I love trying new things and even more so when they work . Its never ending the way fishing keeps changing and the way we fish that's why I love it so much no two sessions are ever same.
Lots of new stuff starting to arrive into the shop at the moment but I know a lot of people are waiting on IMA to arrive , I hope to have it soon and soon as I do I will put up a post .
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The weekend has landed
The weekend has landed and I am sure plenty of ye are out fishing . It blew hard here for the last two days but is after dying right down this morning, perfect lure fishing conditions -once you can find clean water. In my experience rock marks always seem to fish much better with a bit of fizz on them. It amazes me how these fish hold up so close to rocky shoreline while big surf smashes in . Time and time again I am seeing fish been caught on rock marks where before I would have said too rough let's go home or find an alternative. Don't think I will ever stop learning.
The lads went home yesterday after a weeks fishing . They all had a great week and fished their socks off with some great results. No doubt we will have another few visits from the lads before the year is out. They are a great bunch of anglers and passionate about their lure fishing (some may say obsessive) and it is great to fish with them . There was plenty of secret squirrel stuff came out of the boxes to be tried and tested but I must say my top 3 lures for the week were the IMA Komomo 2, Zonk Gataride and the Patchinko . My personal favorites but saying that plenty of other lures caught fish this week- it's never ending.
One person in particular had an amazing weeks fishing , Andy Bignell went out and smashed decent numbers of fish every day -the guy is an amazing angler who fishes his socks off and gets some amazing results. Every time I looked over at Andy while out fishing this week he seemed to be stuck into a fish. What a great guy and what a great angler -well done bud.
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