Replacing Treble Hooks with Singles

The weather at the moment is not great at all. Very strong winds, sleet and hail are all hitting the South West Coast. It looks like the kayak will be on dry land till this weather system passes. Using this time I was thinking back to last year when my father and I were fishing for Salmon off the kayak. I managed to hook one but lost it in the net with the treble hooks getting caught in the net and pulling out the fish. I was not very happy to say the least. My father managed some kelt but we never got a run off a proper spring salmon. So this year we are going to make a real good attempt at getting a fresh run salmon on Lough Currane. Here is a picture of one of my dads kelts he got and a Sea Trout I managed.

                         

The season is due to open this coming weekend so its time to get the new years license and get the hard baits ready. The tactics involve trolling shallow running hard baits along the routes we assume the salmon travel when making their journey from the sea through Lough Currane to their spawning grounds up the feeding river systems. Last year was our first attempt at targeting Salmon so it was all new to us. We watched the locals and took any bit of advice we could and now we are more confident even though the Salmon can be a frustrating quarry.

I have never been very confident when using treble hooks. I find that fish have a way of levering themselves off but this is just my own personal experiences with them. With this in mind I was delighted when Cox and Rawle sent me over some Inline Replacement hooks. These have an inline eye to allow the hook to sit straight on the hard bait.

My preferred weapon of choice for the early spring salmon is the Vampire coloured shallow running hard bait which dives to around six foot in depth. Using the the size No. 2 Inline replacements in the image above, I replaced the trebles on some of my favorite lures. First I removed the trebles off the hard bait and checked the split rings to see they were in good condition to be used for the new season.

Next I cleaned the hard bait, removing any blemishes to ensure that it had maximum shine. Then I added the Inline Replacement singles onto the hard bait ensuring the barb faces downwards as in the picture below. This will ensure the hooks lie proud.

The next thing to do with these hard baits is to try them out. Hopefully the weather will permit this in the coming weekend. I used the bigger sized 1/0 Inline Replacements on another hard bait. It should be interesting to see whether the swimming action of the lure is compromised by the addition of these hooks. But I am already more confident with having single hooks instead of trebles and the results will hopefully resemble this.

Another small problem I found when using hard baits was storing them when using them off the Kayak. I know there are boxes you may purchase but I am more of a hands on person so I like to customize items that make my fishing easier without breaking the bank. So after a bit of thought the idea of using a small bucket to hang the hard baits was used. I did this by using a simple bucket with a lid, then marking out all along the rim, approximately a thumbs width is the distance I used.

                              

I then cut out the notches in which the hooks of the hard baits would sit into. I also drilled some holes in the bottom of the bucket to allow any excess water when changing my lure to drain out.

                             

So that is the basics of it and now the hard baits can be kept without getting tangled with each other. The lid also fits over the notches with the lures in place. This will also hopefully prevent any rusting with the holes in the bottom. Also, if the lures were to be used in saltwater I may fill the bucket with freshwater after use thus removing salt from the lures and preventing rust. I hope it works for me so we shall see over the coming season. Here is the finished bucket…

Until next time,

Tight Lines

Fishing Report 04-01-2015

So with the weather looking decent enough to get some fishing in on the Saturday, the first chance for 2015. Loading up all the gear the night before saw ourselves ready to hit the deepwater after some cod from the last day experiences. Well needless to say the forecast must have changed and conditions at our preferred spot were quite bumpy with the wind blowing directly in our face, we decided to head for another spot.

At the second spot it looked a bit more promising but with there now being a bit of a drizzle the second thoughts were coming into our heads on whether to go home and sit by the fire or chance it….

After a bit of a paddle and nothing happening in the form of flatfish we decided to fish over some rough ground in close to the cliffs. At this stage my father had caught some mackeral and whiting so he was off the mark for 2015. I had the pressure from him now to get a fish as well.

Drifting over the rough ground I was using a two hook trace with the weight at the bottom tied rotten bottom style. Bait consisted of frozen lug and the fresh caught mackeral. I went for the cocktail and waited both hooks with worm and a silver underside belly of the mackeral. We were fishing in around 60ft of water. It was not long till I felt the tap tap which was sure to be a wrasse. I set the hook and had a little battle with this wrasse. Couple of photos and he was sent back on his way. First fish for 2015.

So we decided one more fish. I rigged the same cocktail of baits and sent it to the bottom. Once again, tap tap, I lifted into another wrasse that wanted to head back to its hiding place. Great little fight from these guys. Wish I bought the LRF rod out. After a quick photo he too was sent on his way.

Until Next time.

Tight Lines

Fishing Report 28-12-2014

This year has gone by so fast and this is the last day of 2014 that I fished.

I had arranged to meet up with two friends from the Irish Kayak Angling Forum, Pat and Dan, who were keen to fish in my local area. So with not much hesitance we decided to fish deep water to see what species were lurking around with the temperture drop. My father was also keen to get out. So loaded up we met the boys early the next morning and headed over to the launch spot.

The tide was due to drop throughout the day and low tide was set for the afternoon. The wind was forecast to be moderate so things were looking good. We had fresh lugworm for the day. The kayaks were soon rigged up and we were on the water.

Drift fishing was the choice method and my drogue anchor proved to be a priceless piece of equipment. It allowed me to drift slowly over the preferred rough ground allowing the bait more time to be settled on the bottom. The first fish I got for the day were some small poor cod which make excellent bait when there is not much else around. Next to show up on the lugworm bait was a decent Pouting.

There were a good number of fine sized whiting present which were a welcome site. I also managed a Grey Gurnard. I love these fish. I think it is their inquisitive faces that make me have a laugh.

       

I varied my bait and added a strip of poor cod fillet and got a small ling. The drift was nice and slow and allowed me to fish very light weights. The rig used consisted of two 1/0 hooks fished above a 2oz weight. The depth we were fishing in varied from 90ft to 120ft. There were plenty of small fish around to keep the rod active.

While drifting Pat and Dan managed to get Octopus so knowing that I knew it was only a matter of time before one grabbed the poor cod fillet. I got a small one eventually but I was more interested in getting a codling, or better yet, see if there were codling around.

I baited up some small feathers and sent them down to 110ft. I was slowly lifting the feathers up and down off the bottom when I got a sudden thump and good head shakes. After a good little battle on my spinning rod a nice plump codling hit the surface. It was a really nice sight to see on a sunny day in December.

A fantastic way to roll out the 2014 year. Plenty of fish to keep me going through the colder months.  Everyone caught fish and went home happy (I hope)…

Until next time.

Tight Lines

A fairly Productive Year

This post has the potential to be almost a novel but I think I will keep it short just to give an insight on the season I have had.

The number one highlight would be catching 51 different species in 2014 Irish Kayak Angling Species Hunt. The list is pretty comprehensive but I added a slide show gallery with all of them. Some fish I had never caught before and I can safely say that I had never caught over 50% of the species ever before. So I was very happy with my tally. A Lot of effort went into it and I set myself a goal at the beginning of the season that I would Reach 50.

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Other highlights of the year would have to be the times spent on the water with my father. Although we don’t agree on whats the best technique on somedays, I am still glad that I can share days out on the water with him. He is my inspiration for all my fishing. The best guide anyone could ever hope for. I just don’t know about that hat…..

I have met new faces this year which was due to meeting up at arranged fishing days. Spent numerous hours fishing and having a good time with people that are  enjoying this sport as much as I do.

Finally I have been commended for my years fishing by being invited to fish for the Bantry Bay Canoes Pro Team. Check out their store in the links page or click the image below.

I have also been made a field tester for Cox and Rawle. I cannot fault the products these guys bring out. Their hooks are of high quality and my go to hooks for almost everything. Check out their website in the links page or click on the image below.

To everyone that contributed and helped me, became friends with, shared with and laughed with, Have a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Until next time,

Tight Lines.

Fishing Report 11-11-2014

Bullhuss have always seemed to evade me whenever I tried to target them in the past. I came to the conclusion that I was fishing the complete wrong areas as everything else I was using including baits and rigs were perfect. Eventually I came across an area that my father and me fished from the shore and hit into some good bullhuss. The only thing to do was to get out on the kayak and catch some.

The area I fished was a tidal stretch that had a 40ft channel. I anchored in the channel on the out going tide. My plan was to use one of my spinning rods to catch some live bait. From past experience the dogfish love and cannot resist latching on to any dead bait so this was out of the question. To catch the live bait I just used a simple double hooked rig with small size 10 hooks baited with some frozen mackeral. The fish finder showed shoals of fish on the bottom as they passed by and it was not long before I had some fresh live Whiting. The Whiting where rigged on a single 4/0 hook ledgered on the bottom.

While the two live bait rods were out I continued to use the spinning rod to see what else could be swimming around below. Mackeral, Whiting and a Grey Gurnard showed themselves and of course the Dogfish made themselves known too.

           

The first Bullhuss to take was a really good fish. The take was a few knocks then the line started to be pulled off the reel. I hit into the fish and had a really good fight from the Bullhuss. I did not realise that these fish give such a good account of themselves which made it even more enjoyable. When the huss came to the surface I was delighted to see such a fine fish. I lifted him onto the kayak and of course he tried to bite me but I managed to control him.

The morning proved to be endless rod bending fun with a number of Bullhuss taking the live baits. The spot makes an excellent alternative to deep water if the weather plays up.

The last Bullhuss I caught before paddling back in was very surprising and a little sad if I am totally honest about it. When landing the last bullhuss it became clear that the poor fish had swam into a net which was cutting through its skin around its neck as it was growing. I am not sure what type of netting this was but it certainly did not look nice for any fish. I cut the net off the bullhuss and sent it back on its way.

On the way back in I tried my luck up against the wall near the launch spot for a scorpion fish. I used my double hook trace which I caught my bait with. Within ten minutes I had a rattling bite and lifted into a small fish. No monster but a species I was looking for. A nice looking Scorpion Fish. They are such interesting and aggressive little fish which makes them fun to catch. Needless to say I went home happy with a good day day out.

Until next time,

Tight lines.

Fishing Report 05-06-2014

I recently decided to try a spot by myself that I had never fished before. Being cautious and having a careful look at the spot for a while. It looked as if at the launch sot there was rough ground that stretched out and then became clean ground which looked not to deep but I had seen the Gannets diving the day before so I assumed there must be bait fish out there. I arrived in the morning to fish the incoming tide. My plan was to target Thornback ray due to the lack of them on my previous outing at another mark. I have still not caught one of these fish but in my defense I have only tried once before and not everybody caught that last day.

The first priority was bait. I was hoping to get some mackerel or sandeel on Sabiki rigs but the mackerel have been patchy and the sandeels seem to be having their own ideas. With the lack of bait in the water, I did see the shoals passing on the fishfinder, i decided I would use pollock for bait. I have heard of guys that use live pollock for bass. So why wouldn’t a ray take a fillet of pollock? So I paddled in and caught a couple of small pollock and headed back out to the flat grounds in approximately thirty foot of water. I used two rods while on the drift for ray. Both with fillets of Pollock. I was using a simple running ledger trace with Cox & Rawle Uptide hooks in a size 3/0.

I was pretty confident in getting a Thornback Ray. The drift was a little fast and should look into using a drouge anchor. Besides the drift being a little fast it wasnt long before I has my first take. The rod had one solid knock and bent over nicely and the line started running from  the reel. I picked the rod up and set the hook. I knew this was  not a pesky dogfish. The fish fought hard and made a few runs and honestly put up a good account for itself.

When the fish came to the surface I was delighted to see my first Thornback Ray. Handling with care I lifted it out the water for some photos and then a quick release.

Delighted with that the wind stared to come up a little which meant that the drift was going to get increasingly faster so after two dogfish I decided I would have one more drift for the ray. Luck I made the choice. The tell tall wrap around of the rod happened again and I was in. Not as strong as the first but still I knew it was a ray. When the ray cam up it was a bit smaller but that did not matter to me as I had accomplished a target I set for myself. Here is the second little ray. I did not even have to lift him in the kayak, he released himself!

My father always said to try different baits and think about what the fish are doing. This advice has stuck with me and is used everytime I fish. On a side note regarding ThornBack Ray. I have seen why they are named this and as a precautionary measure they should be handled with care for. Don’t think I would want to mess with these spines….

Tight Lines,

Ian

Fishing Report 30-05-2014

Being to occupied with trying to catch a Salmon off the kayak, my sea fishing has been a little quiet so this had to be changed. I was persuaded (not really!) by my father to go for a paddle at a new spot. The spot has an easy launch and smooth paddle out to water that reaches a depth of 110ft and deeper in some places. There is a mixture of ground including rough and sand. The tide was incoming and late evening. A slight breeze and plenty of sunshine. I have to say that the sight of paddling on a summers evening and fishing in a flat calm sea is like a dream, adding fish to this is just an added bonus.

So using my Lowrance fishfinder I paddled for a while, observing the depth and the ground structure as I had never fished this area before. With prior experience with deep water marks I had an idea what may be lurking below and the best approach to see what is around would drop some smaller baited rigs as it was almost certainly going to be a mixed bag of fish. Drifting over the rough ground was the chosen tactics and fresh bait in the form of Mackeral were soon in the kayak.

               

With some fresh Mackeral, the rigs were baited up and a handful of different species came up. A Ballan Wrasse was a really welcome sight. For their size they put up a good fight. A quick photo and back it went to fight another day.

Whiting, Pouting, Poor Cod and codling also showed up. Although small it showed what this spot has the potential to produce and what may be targeted.

               

Next on the list was a small Pollock and a Dab which took a bait as I drifted off the rough ground onto some sand.

I was delighted with the days results. No monster sized fish but what more could you ask for, a warm evening with us being the only two people out on the water. A great day out with some tasty Mackeral for the barbeque. An impressive sight on the paddle back in topped the day off.

Until next time.

Tight Lines.

 

 

Tactics for Gilthead Bream

I remember the first time I caught a Gilthead Bream (Sparus aurata). It was an overcast day with an offshore breeze at my local estuary mouth. The tide was coming in and the water was slightly coloured after the previous days blow. There was a good swell running which pushes across the mark we fish as the tide comes in. The tide was halfway in, I was using half a big peeler for bait and fishing this just over the main channel on a sand bank. We were targeting bass. I saw the knock of the tip and struck into a fish. Immediately I thought it was a decent bass as it has solid head shakes and headed up the channel. Once I bought it up it was something unexpected, a Gilthead Bream. That was possibly seven years ago. I caught a number of Giltheads from the shore over the next few years and after getting into kayak fishing it was one species I wanted to actively target.
The Gilthead bream is part the bream family Sparidae which also comprises of a number of variations of the bream types. The Gilthead is a Mediterranean fish species but in recent years has been becoming more and more frequent in Irish waters. Before, a Gilthead would be a surprise catch but can now be specifically targeted due to increased numbers and anglers becoming more in tune with marks the bream return to. The Gilthead can be identified by its broad wide body, silver colouring and its distinguishing bar that runs across its forehead between the eyes. The gilthead has a mouth full of molar type teeth which are used for its diet of shellfish and crustaceans and of course breaking the hooks that are not up for the job of landing one of these brutes.  According to the Irish Specimen Fish Committee 2013 the Specimen Weight is 1.4 kg (3.08 lbs).

I have caught Gilthead bream in various locations and have also read about catches of Giltheads at places I have never fished before. I have caught them on surf beaches, estuaries and even lagoons where the salinity levels are virtually non-existent. I have been fortunate enough to find some marks myself that produce these fish while I have also been taught by locals who I have fished with. Having this insight I was always confident in targeting Giltheads from the Kayak.

The time of year from personal experiences varies with the weather conditions of the particular months. I have caught Giltheads in March and have caught them in November. As the water temperatures rise the Giltheads move into their shallower areas. The warmer summer months produce the most catches of Gilthead. A warm sunny day in an estuary I find enhances catch rates as the bream tend to feed a lot better and are more aggressive. Now, once again, I have caught them in the total opposite weather conditions but sunny would be preference for estuary fishing and overcast for beaches.

Tides play a vital role in selecting the location for targeting Giltheads. If fishing in a strong tidal estuary it best to fish these areas on the neap stages of the tide cycle. This will give a longer time frame the area may be fished before the tidal surge becomes too overwhelming to fish. If fishing a beach area, spring tides are very good and with little or no tidal factor the whole tide may be fished. I find the best times to fish are just as the tide turns to come in and just as it turns to run out. The Giltheads seem to be the first fish on the scene at the change of the tides.
The kayak setup for catching Giltheads is very simple. An anchor is a must as I want to hold my position to get the bream as they pass you in the estuary. These fish will travel a long way up an estuary feeding so I pick a spot and am patient. The bream will travel in shallow water from experience. I anchor my kayak with the anchor out the back on my trolley (Here is a link to my Kayak Anchor Trolley Setup) so my two rods will sit out in front of me and my kayak sits still with the tide and my baits casted away from the kayak.

Rigs for Giltheads need not be over complicated and the simpler the better. There is no need for bells and whistles for your rigs. I use two different traces for Giltheads from the Kayak which can be seen below. Using the smallest lead possible will allow less resistance to be felt by the fish when they take the bait. A trace line of 12lb I find is sufficient and using Fluorocarbon reduces the visibility of the trace. Hooks all come down to personal preference and for me I do not go bigger than a 2/0 hook and most of the time a 1/0 is used. It depends on the bait I am using and how big the fish are in the area. A word of advice is to use a strong hook. My father has had a 1/0 hook completely broken by a Gilthead. The hooks shown below by Cox & Rawle are very strong and the hook gape is wide enough for peeler crab baits.

Picture Courtesy of www.coxandrawle.com

Bait for Gilthead Bream is of high importance. I dig my own fresh lugworm and gather peeler crabs. These are the only two baits I use for Giltheads as they have worked time and time for me. I will write up on bait collecting in future posts. The best advice I can pass on is to have bait the freshest that is possible. It provides more confidence and I was always taught that your confidence plays a major role in your fishing success. I keep the presentation of my bait simple.

As I previously discussed the anchoring of my kayak, the next step is fishing for the Giltheads. Once anchored I bait up one rod and cast it out in one particular area and then bait up and cast in another area. If I am fishing a tidal estuary, the kayak will sit nice and straight with the current and allow the main line to be kept in contact with the trace so any bite can be seen. I keep an eye on the rod. The Giltheads will either bite in two vastly different ways. One way will be a subtle knock knock almost like a small fish is investigating. In this case I pick the rod up and wait till I feel a decisive take and set the hook. The other scenario will be the Gilthead having no second thoughts about taking the bait and the rod just doubles over without warning. They are strong and I would not be surprised if a rod would be pulled overboard in milliseconds. I try be patient and not be disheartened by a lack of activity as that may turn around and I could have the best half an hour of fishing I ever had as a big group of bream pass by.

These fish are strong and fighting the fish is the most exciting part about it. They have powerful had shakes and long runs. They will not give up easy. Although being very tough and strong I use two spinning rods off the kayak for them as it makes the fight all that much better. The reels are loaded with 12lb braid which sends their head shakes through the body due to the little stretch design of the braid. I don’t force the bream as a weaker hook will get damaged and chances are they will come off.

When landing the bream I handle with caution as they are covered in sharp fins.

Until next time,

Tight Lines.

Fishing Report 24-04-2014

What a weekend for fishing. The sun was shining and the wind was minimal. I had dug lugworm the day previous as I had the intention to try my luck at a spot where I knew the bass ran up the estuary. I also knew there was a chance of some flounder. So I headed over to the spot where I rigged the kayak. The spot is so shallow at low tide there is no need for a fish finder.

The kayak sat nicely anchored up with the flow of water passing by. I could see fish rising as they passed so I could feel that any second I was going to get a take. The first bite was the telltale sign of a flounder. The familiar rattle of the rod. I struck into it and I had my first fish of the day. A small flounder.

The tide was pushing in nicely now and the second fish grabbed the lugworm bait without any hesitation. This was surely a bass. I knew it was not a big one but never the less it was the first one for 2014 for me. After a quick poor photograph the bass was released.

Up next came the familiar rattle again and another flounder showed itself. This followed by another small bass which were released as I was only have a bit of sport fishing on the light spinning rods. These are all I use when fishing shallow water for bass.

I knew I only had a little while longer to fish before the tide forced me to move. So with both rods out with fresh baits on I waited for another bite. It was not long till I luckily grabbed my rod before it was pulled over by a better fish. A good fight and some strong runs due to the current really put a smile on my face. I then landed  decent bass of around 4lb. I took some photos and sent him back to fight another day. Click HERE if you would like to see the video of this days fishing.

 

 

Until next time,

Tight lines.