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Well we
like being controversial at Just Tackle™
as my experiences so far have not always gone with tradition. 'Old
Salty' will tell you that the only way to catch fish is on fresh
mackerel strips, fresh peeler crab or lugworms. All very good baits
that catch fish BUT at technology advances and artificial baits become
more real there are options open to the weekend angler such as ourselves
that do make life a bit easier.
Artificial Baits
The books and magazines available to sea anglers seem to
work on the premise that the weekend angler fishes only at the weekend
because they are out all week collecting bait! Running one company
already and having four wonderful children I don't quiet seem to find
the time to get out at 4AM and get all my bait for the weekend such as
lugworms and peeler crab. As a dinghy angler catching a few Mackerel for
bait is OK unless we are only on a few hours jolly and it takes us
¾ hour to catch the mackerel then time is not on our
side and from beach fishing in the winter mackerel is not usually an
option. So what is the weekend anglers solution? Artificial baits.
The new generation of artificial
baits offer an alternative to the working
family weekend fisher such as myself. They are available in
various flavours giving off the scent of the chosen bait such as
peeler crab, mackerel strips and lugworms. They are available in
stick format or even in look-a-like type baits offering the
visual lure as well as the scent. These offer the ideal solution
to the weekend angler allowing them to catch fish without the
need to get up before the crows to go fishing around for bait.
The Choice
This is mainly down to the fish that you are
targeting. Bass love peeler crab, flat fish such as Flounder will go for
lugworm or if like me you are just fishing then mackerel strips will
save the day. As there are not too may varieties available I personally
have all three. 'Old Salty' will tell you that he used them once and
caught nothing - you just need to ask how many times he fished before
that and caught nothing? It happens to us all and it is not always down
to bait, if your rig is wrong or the conditions are good for sun bathing
then there is no miracle bait out their that will get the fish feeding.
(If you have just invented one let me know)
Artificial Lures
Lure fishing is ideal for the active angler,
the person that enjoys stalking their pray and doesn't want to stand on
the beach for three hours for a couple of fish. There are many species
around the UK shore that will fall to lures and it can be a great way to
spend a couple of precious hours catching the big one.
From a Boat
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The most popular
form of boat fishing is jigging. This involves dropping
artificial lures such as feathers from the side of the boat to a
depth where the fish are and jigging them up and down. Mackerel
are the chosen fish for this method but other fish will fall for
the shinny lures as well. Good for the kids to have a go as we
haven't failed yet to catch a few Mackerel with this method. |
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Trolling is becoming more popular in
the UK, trolling is the method of moving your boat at around 3 -
5 knots whilst towing a lure behind in swims where your target
fish may be. Bass and Mackerel are good targets for trolling as
they enjoy the chase! Cod and Pollock will fall to various lures
such as pirks, eels and shads (confused yet?) and are
the preferred method of catching these fish. Spinning for Bass
and Mackerel is also a good method from the boat. Why not have a
go whilst your boat rod is parked up waiting for that big flattie to run off with your bait! |
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Shore Fishing
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Really the only way to use artificial lures from the beach is
spinning. This is the method of cast and retrieve and called
spinning as until fairly recently ('Old Salty' was not quite so
old) the most popular for of lure was a spinner! There are now
spinners, plugs, shads, spoons, wedges and jerk baits available
all used in the same way, cast and retrieve. As with boat
fishing you could cast into a few nearby runs and hollows if
available and have a go whilst waiting for your beachcaster to
kick and for your reel to scream as that record shore Cod flies
off towards foreign seas! |
The Choice
Well this is purely one of taste and luck. We have caught
mackerel on hooks covered in shiny tinsel, feathers and hooks with just
a piece of plastic foil but never on the same day! If you are spinning
for Bass there are a plethora of bass spinners and plugs available all
claiming to be "the one". In a recent article in my magazine they
carried our an experiment using shads, one angler used a green shad all
day and the other changed colour and style every time he caught a fish
and the net result was - they both caught the same! On any given Sunday
a blue spoon will catch your quarry and the next week nothing, but your
mate or Son or Daughter caught loads on a silver one. That is fishing
folks so my advice would be do as I do - buy a small selection of each
and enjoy having a go BUT when you do find success remember to record in
you fishing journal what was used, where and in what conditions so that
when the same condition arise again you can go back to that favourite
lucky lure!
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