OK I'm definitely going fishing tomorrow. It's a gently sloping sandy beach on the French side of the channel. Can't get to a bait shop cos they are all miles away so I was thinking of using bits of mackerel as bait. Would that work? Any other advice re setup gratefully received. I've got a beachcaster rod with a multiplier reel.
Sea fishing advice please
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Mackerel is a very good bait and will catch most species. The fresher it is the better. Frozen is ok but it makes the flesh a bit mushy and it doesn't stay on the hook so well.
There's numerous ways to prepare them for different sized baits and hook size.
Proofs in the pudding with this beauty I took last week using a mackerel.
Small-eyed Ray - female.
Slight hint of forced perspective but not too severe
There's numerous ways to prepare them for different sized baits and hook size.
Proofs in the pudding with this beauty I took last week using a mackerel.
Small-eyed Ray - female.
Slight hint of forced perspective but not too severe
Nice fish. I had to use shrimp as bait and no luck today. I wonder about nightlining as a more efficient way of catching stuff to eat
Location is more important than anything else. When you look at the fish-finder whilst the boat is going along, vast areas under the sea are barren.
Sounds like you should be rocking the bass there. If you can, check out the beach at a low tide and try and look for spots where there are channels where the water will be slightly deeper as the tide comes in; this is where you should be aiming to put your bait. Have a looksee around at low tide for what sea creatures are around on the beach as well, because this is what the fish will be picking up when they are coming up the beach as the tide comes in. Mackeral is ace bait, just try and make sure it's fresh and firm, or it will come off your hook really quickly. Use a piece with the skin on, as the skin will hold the bait firmly on the hook. Just about everything in the sea eats mackeral, but I have always found it better to use bait from the local area, on a sandy shore this would be ragworn or lugworm. When I have fished areas like this, a simple rig is as follows: have a good couple of rod lengths of heavy duty shock leader on the end of your line (you can get by without this, but it is better to have it as it'll really p**s you off when your line catches the rings and you watch weight and all catapult out to sea no longer attached to your line). I used to have around 20ft of 50lb shock lead on my 12ft beach caster, the remainder of my line would be 15 to 20lb test. Have a 4oz weight on the end of the line. Around about a ft up the line from the weight, attach a length of line just under a foot long; on the end of this hitch a #2 or #3 hook. Whack the mackeral on the hook.
I would start fishing at low tide, just before the tide starts to come in. Lob the bait out as far as you can, and then reel in a bit until the line is tight and you can see and feel the tip of the rod go when a fish hits. Check your line every 15 to 20 mins, as crabs will rob the bait and if it's not super fresh the wave action may dislodge it, and re-bait as necessary. Keep lobbing it out as the tide comes in, and see what happens, try to target the areas with the channels if you can, because these are the areas where fish will have an extra few inches of water over their heads as they come up the beach with the tide, hoovering up whatever they can find.
I've found this to be good for bass, haddock, cod, pollack, dogfish and whiting. I even caught a silver eel once. On sandy beaches you'll also get flounder and plaice coming in, but I've never had one take mackeral, I've only caught them on worm. In areas with a bit of rock and deeper water, this method is also good for wrasse and (where the water gets real deep) conger eel.
Best of luck sir; there are no guarantees in the fishing world.
Let me know how you get on.
Pete
Thanks for the advice. Fished the incoming tide and plonked the bait into the deeper areas. Not a thing. But that's fishing! At least the weather was nice.
Did crabs rob your bait at least? That is fishing unfortunately. I once found a bay on the west coast of Scotland where bass were just crashing around feeding on an incoming tide. I went down the next night with fishing gear and was convinced I was going to bag up. The fish were there, they were crashing about feeding, but I didn't even get a single bite. Frustrating.
Try a different bait maybe?
hi there, get some elastic thread for your bait it helps keep it on the hook nicer and makes it a bit easier for casting further.
I use a mix of baits between lug/rag worm, sand eels, mackerel, mussels, squid and peeler crab some days I find the fish only take mackerel and other days it has to be a sandeel squid cocktail.
If it is a nice sandy bottom you would only need a lead weight and not a grip lead unless the tide is hard.
just remember it is called fishing and not catching lol
I use a mix of baits between lug/rag worm, sand eels, mackerel, mussels, squid and peeler crab some days I find the fish only take mackerel and other days it has to be a sandeel squid cocktail.
If it is a nice sandy bottom you would only need a lead weight and not a grip lead unless the tide is hard.
just remember it is called fishing and not catching lol
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