Plaicehunter

I'll be back on the Tamar first thing tomorrow (Sat) in search of another lure-caught 'mackerel', you know those ones with the spiky fins. The river is a bass nursery area and you are not supposed to target bass from a boat, even if you fish barbless and put them all back like I do. It's all right for Henry Gilbey to fish for them from the shore though - and keep a couple of in-size ones if he wants to. You'll never find a dead bass on my boat.
It's a crazy old world. Strangely enough, I do occasionally catch real mackerel from the river on my hard plastic bass lures. One day I was having a cup of tea with the lure dangling over the side just touching the surface when a mackerel zoomed up, grabbed it and dived, neatly hooking itself. I don't know who was more surprised. That went back too. PH

I'll be back on the Tamar first thing tomorrow (Sat) in search of another lure-caught 'mackerel', you know those ones with the spiky fins. The river is a bass nursery area and you are not supposed to target bass from a boat, even if you fish barbless and put them all back like I do. It's all right for Henry Gilbey to fish for them from the shore though - and keep a couple of in-size ones if he wants to. You'll never find a dead bass on my boat.
It's a crazy old world. Strangely enough, I do occasionally catch real mackerel from the river on my hard plastic bass lures. One day I was having a cup of tea with the lure dangling over the side just touching the surface when a mackerel zoomed up, grabbed it and dived, neatly hooking itself. I don't know who was more surprised. That went back too. PH

The water temperature here in Plymouth is still only 8.8C, but it was such a lovely day that I headed out in 'Piranha' yesterday to try out some new braid and new lures.
The braid, Sunline Siglon Advance, was most impressive: silky smooth, silent through the rings and cast miles.
I also gave a swim to various new sub-surface lures. Topwaters are my favourite, but with water this cold I couldn't expect a bass to take on the surface. My new Zonk 120 looked good in the water, a little copy of the Ruf Bay cast a long way and I liked the action of the X-Rap. But it was the reliable Megabass Flatbacker which did the business. First a garfish hit it, self-releasing near the boat, then I had a more determined take and a little bass. I've never taken a landing net to a half-pound schoolie before, but this was the first lure-caught bass of 2021 and I didn't want to lose it.
Hopefully the water will warm up soon and there will be many more and much bigger bass to follow! PH

I was fishing the estuary over shallow mud flats which are dry on a big tide and have the odd rock and patch of weed. There is a channel leading to a big shallow bay which gets very warm in summer, as the dark mud absorbs the sun's heat. I anchor on the edge of the channel but most of my bass come casting onto the shallows themselves. Fish often take as the lure swings onto the edge of the channel; I don't catch many right in the channel, though I did get one of 7-10 one day while waiting for the flood tide. In summer you can see bass and mullet coming up on the surface with the tide to feed in the bay, and quite often bass drive baitfish up there and there is carnage in the shallow water. Very exciting! 

I'll be back on the Tamar first thing tomorrow (Sat) in search of another lure-caught 'mackerel', you know those ones with the spiky fins. The river is a bass nursery area and you are not supposed to target bass from a boat, even if you fish barbless and put them all back like I do. It's all right for Henry Gilbey to fish for them from the shore though - and keep a couple of in-size ones if he wants to. You'll never find a dead bass on my boat.
It's a crazy old world. Strangely enough, I do occasionally catch real mackerel from the river on my hard plastic bass lures. One day I was having a cup of tea with the lure dangling over the side just touching the surface when a mackerel zoomed up, grabbed it and dived, neatly hooking itself. I don't know who was more surprised. That went back too. PH

The water temperature here in Plymouth is still only 8.8C, but it was such a lovely day that I headed out in 'Piranha' yesterday to try out some new braid and new lures.
The braid, Sunline Siglon Advance, was most impressive: silky smooth, silent through the rings and cast miles.
I also gave a swim to various new sub-surface lures. Topwaters are my favourite, but with water this cold I couldn't expect a bass to take on the surface. My new Zonk 120 looked good in the water, a little copy of the Ruf Bay cast a long way and I liked the action of the X-Rap. But it was the reliable Megabass Flatbacker which did the business. First a garfish hit it, self-releasing near the boat, then I had a more determined take and a little bass. I've never taken a landing net to a half-pound schoolie before, but this was the first lure-caught bass of 2021 and I didn't want to lose it.
Hopefully the water will warm up soon and there will be many more and much bigger bass to follow! PH

The water temperature here in Plymouth is still only 8.8C, but it was such a lovely day that I headed out in 'Piranha' yesterday to try out some new braid and new lures.
The braid, Sunline Siglon Advance, was most impressive: silky smooth, silent through the rings and cast miles.
I also gave a swim to various new sub-surface lures. Topwaters are my favourite, but with water this cold I couldn't expect a bass to take on the surface. My new Zonk 120 looked good in the water, a little copy of the Ruf Bay cast a long way and I liked the action of the X-Rap. But it was the reliable Megabass Flatbacker which did the business. First a garfish hit it, self-releasing near the boat, then I had a more determined take and a little bass. I've never taken a landing net to a half-pound schoolie before, but this was the first lure-caught bass of 2021 and I didn't want to lose it.
Hopefully the water will warm up soon and there will be many more and much bigger bass to follow! PH

The water temperature here in Plymouth is still only 8.8C, but it was such a lovely day that I headed out in 'Piranha' yesterday to try out some new braid and new lures.
The braid, Sunline Siglon Advance, was most impressive: silky smooth, silent through the rings and cast miles.
I also gave a swim to various new sub-surface lures. Topwaters are my favourite, but with water this cold I couldn't expect a bass to take on the surface. My new Zonk 120 looked good in the water, a little copy of the Ruf Bay cast a long way and I liked the action of the X-Rap. But it was the reliable Megabass Flatbacker which did the business. First a garfish hit it, self-releasing near the boat, then I had a more determined take and a little bass. I've never taken a landing net to a half-pound schoolie before, but this was the first lure-caught bass of 2021 and I didn't want to lose it.
Hopefully the water will warm up soon and there will be many more and much bigger bass to follow! PH

Turned up at the boat club compound this morning with everything I needed -except the gate key...
Fortunately I live just round the corner.
My usual trick is dragging the dinghy-on-wheels round to the slipway only to find I've left the oars back in the boatyard.
One day I set off from the mooring and glanced back to see the rods still in the dinghy.
More haste less speed or old age setting in? PH
 

I don't keep bass at all (though I catch quite a few), but surely no-one needs more than a couple a day for personal consumption? We all know that bass stocks are under threat from excessive commercial fishing and illegal fishing, and that one trawler can take more bass in one haul than most of us will catch in a lifetime. But being seen to abide by limits and not keeping any bass at all during the spawning season gives us the moral high ground and strengthens our argument for restrictions on commercial activity and a clampdown on illegal netting. A free-for-all is just a race to the bottom. PH

I don't keep bass at all (though I catch quite a few), but surely no-one needs more than a couple a day for personal consumption? We all know that bass stocks are under threat from excessive commercial fishing and illegal fishing, and that one trawler can take more bass in one haul than most of us will catch in a lifetime. But being seen to abide by limits and not keeping any bass at all during the spawning season gives us the moral high ground and strengthens our argument for restrictions on commercial activity and a clampdown on illegal netting. A free-for-all is just a race to the bottom. PH

I don't keep bass at all (though I catch quite a few), but surely no-one needs more than a couple a day for personal consumption? We all know that bass stocks are under threat from excessive commercial fishing and illegal fishing, and that one trawler can take more bass in one haul than most of us will catch in a lifetime. But being seen to abide by limits and not keeping any bass at all during the spawning season gives us the moral high ground and strengthens our argument for restrictions on commercial activity and a clampdown on illegal netting. A free-for-all is just a race to the bottom. PH

I don't keep bass at all (though I catch quite a few), but surely no-one needs more than a couple a day for personal consumption? We all know that bass stocks are under threat from excessive commercial fishing and illegal fishing, and that one trawler can take more bass in one haul than most of us will catch in a lifetime. But being seen to abide by limits and not keeping any bass at all during the spawning season gives us the moral high ground and strengthens our argument for restrictions on commercial activity and a clampdown on illegal netting. A free-for-all is just a race to the bottom. PH

I don't keep bass at all (though I catch quite a few), but surely no-one needs more than a couple a day for personal consumption? We all know that bass stocks are under threat from excessive commercial fishing and illegal fishing, and that one trawler can take more bass in one haul than most of us will catch in a lifetime. But being seen to abide by limits and not keeping any bass at all during the spawning season gives us the moral high ground and strengthens our argument for restrictions on commercial activity and a clampdown on illegal netting. A free-for-all is just a race to the bottom. PH

I don't keep bass at all (though I catch quite a few), but surely no-one needs more than a couple a day for personal consumption? We all know that bass stocks are under threat from excessive commercial fishing and illegal fishing, and that one trawler can take more bass in one haul than most of us will catch in a lifetime. But being seen to abide by limits and not keeping any bass at all during the spawning season gives us the moral high ground and strengthens our argument for restrictions on commercial activity and a clampdown on illegal netting. A free-for-all is just a race to the bottom. PH

I thought I'd cracked it today when my first uptider started nodding before I'd even set up the second.
I left the bite, whacked out the second rod, baited with a large calamari on a pulley rig, and picked up the first rod.
Fishing 100 feet of water on the Tamar, you have to wind down till everything goes tight before striking, and when I did it felt as if I was snagged.
Heavy pressure told, and soon a conger was kicking its way to the boat. Happily it was lightly lip-hooked, so I guesstimated it at 7-8lb and T-barred it off.
After such a fast start, I thought I was in for a hectic day, but nothing happened for two more hours, despite an ideal ebb tide.
I moved a mile or so downstream, but it was no better there, and faced with the choice of getting back to the mooring before Low Water or after it, I decided to give it best.
A modest resistance turned into a half-pound whiting, which like the eel was hooked on half a mackerel and safely returned.
So a fish on the first cast, a fish on the last cast and nothing in between.
The Tamar is notoriously moody and the water in March is at its coldest for the year, so I suppose not blanking is some sort of achievement! PH
 
 
 

I thought I'd cracked it today when my first uptider started nodding before I'd even set up the second.
I left the bite, whacked out the second rod, baited with a large calamari on a pulley rig, and picked up the first rod.
Fishing 100 feet of water on the Tamar, you have to wind down till everything goes tight before striking, and when I did it felt as if I was snagged.
Heavy pressure told, and soon a conger was kicking its way to the boat. Happily it was lightly lip-hooked, so I guesstimated it at 7-8lb and T-barred it off.
After such a fast start, I thought I was in for a hectic day, but nothing happened for two more hours, despite an ideal ebb tide.
I moved a mile or so downstream, but it was no better there, and faced with the choice of getting back to the mooring before Low Water or after it, I decided to give it best.
A modest resistance turned into a half-pound whiting, which like the eel was hooked on half a mackerel and safely returned.
So a fish on the first cast, a fish on the last cast and nothing in between.
The Tamar is notoriously moody and the water in March is at its coldest for the year, so I suppose not blanking is some sort of achievement! PH
 
 
 

Tips for catching gilts.
Gilts are not hard to catch so much as hard to locate. They move around in shoals and it's a question of intercepting them as they pass through. Yesterday I moved six times to where I expected them to be at that stage of tide. This is partly a matter of putting in the hours and partly a question of figuring out where the current will be running at a suitable speed. I like some current but not one running really fast.
Gilts eat a lot of crab, and when I keep one it invariably contains crab remains. They investigate any structure: reefs, rocks, mooring blocks and chains, so fish near those.
Successful baits include razorfish, lugworm, ragworm and soft or peeler crab. Razor is good because schoolies don't like it but gilts and Couch's bream do. Use as little elastic as possible to secure it. I have caught most of my gilts on lug, but last year switched to rag because I could dig my own. However, I would use crab all the time if I could source and afford it, as I think it is the supreme bait for gilts. 
People always go on about the need for small, strong hooks for gilts, but any gilt worth catching has quite a big mouth. For worm baits I use a pennell with a #1 circle on top and a strong #1 Aberdeen on the end. For crab baits I use a 3/0 crab hook or 3/0 Chinu. The rig is a running leger with as light a weight as you can get away with. I use a short length of 30lb Korda Arma Kord braid next to the hook/s as I was once bitten off on 12lb fluoro by a huge gilt!
Tackle is 8ft spinning rods and baitrunner reels. These are essential, as bites can be very violent and you don't want to lose a rod overboard!
I don't use braid for gilts anymore. It's not necessary to see the bites, and stretchy mono is no handicap when playing hard-fighting bream.
Bites are usually a series of sharp knocks followed by the rod pulling round as the bream makes off downtide.
Finally, a plea. Bream are very good too eat but are quite localised. In some areas they have been wiped out by netting and overfishing. If you locate some, keep it to yourself! Last year I had 54 and put back all but 10 in the interests of conservation. Fish of 2-3lb make the best eating, so any smaller or larger go back. My best last year at 6lb was returned and my pal Barry (pictured) had a 7-pounder from my boat and put it back. PH

Tips for catching gilts.
Gilts are not hard to catch so much as hard to locate. They move around in shoals and it's a question of intercepting them as they pass through. Yesterday I moved six times to where I expected them to be at that stage of tide. This is partly a matter of putting in the hours and partly a question of figuring out where the current will be running at a suitable speed. I like some current but not one running really fast.
Gilts eat a lot of crab, and when I keep one it invariably contains crab remains. They investigate any structure: reefs, rocks, mooring blocks and chains, so fish near those.
Successful baits include razorfish, lugworm, ragworm and soft or peeler crab. Razor is good because schoolies don't like it but gilts and Couch's bream do. Use as little elastic as possible to secure it. I have caught most of my gilts on lug, but last year switched to rag because I could dig my own. However, I would use crab all the time if I could source and afford it, as I think it is the supreme bait for gilts. 
People always go on about the need for small, strong hooks for gilts, but any gilt worth catching has quite a big mouth. For worm baits I use a pennell with a #1 circle on top and a strong #1 Aberdeen on the end. For crab baits I use a 3/0 crab hook or 3/0 Chinu. The rig is a running leger with as light a weight as you can get away with. I use a short length of 30lb Korda Arma Kord braid next to the hook/s as I was once bitten off on 12lb fluoro by a huge gilt!
Tackle is 8ft spinning rods and baitrunner reels. These are essential, as bites can be very violent and you don't want to lose a rod overboard!
I don't use braid for gilts anymore. It's not necessary to see the bites, and stretchy mono is no handicap when playing hard-fighting bream.
Bites are usually a series of sharp knocks followed by the rod pulling round as the bream makes off downtide.
Finally, a plea. Bream are very good too eat but are quite localised. In some areas they have been wiped out by netting and overfishing. If you locate some, keep it to yourself! Last year I had 54 and put back all but 10 in the interests of conservation. Fish of 2-3lb make the best eating, so any smaller or larger go back. My best last year at 6lb was returned and my pal Barry (pictured) had a 7-pounder from my boat and put it back. PH

Good luck, Maverick! They are fascinating fish. One thing to add: don't strike at the knocks - wait for the rod to pull round, click reel into gear and resist the pull. No need for violent striking as this is close-range work. They fight incredibly hard, especially on light gear when they turn side-on to the tide. Don't put your fingers in their mouth. They have small, sharp teeth at the front, crushing pads behind and very powerful jaws. They can smash a crab or full-size mussel with ease. PH

Tips for catching gilts.
Gilts are not hard to catch so much as hard to locate. They move around in shoals and it's a question of intercepting them as they pass through. Yesterday I moved six times to where I expected them to be at that stage of tide. This is partly a matter of putting in the hours and partly a question of figuring out where the current will be running at a suitable speed. I like some current but not one running really fast.
Gilts eat a lot of crab, and when I keep one it invariably contains crab remains. They investigate any structure: reefs, rocks, mooring blocks and chains, so fish near those.
Successful baits include razorfish, lugworm, ragworm and soft or peeler crab. Razor is good because schoolies don't like it but gilts and Couch's bream do. Use as little elastic as possible to secure it. I have caught most of my gilts on lug, but last year switched to rag because I could dig my own. However, I would use crab all the time if I could source and afford it, as I think it is the supreme bait for gilts. 
People always go on about the need for small, strong hooks for gilts, but any gilt worth catching has quite a big mouth. For worm baits I use a pennell with a #1 circle on top and a strong #1 Aberdeen on the end. For crab baits I use a 3/0 crab hook or 3/0 Chinu. The rig is a running leger with as light a weight as you can get away with. I use a short length of 30lb Korda Arma Kord braid next to the hook/s as I was once bitten off on 12lb fluoro by a huge gilt!
Tackle is 8ft spinning rods and baitrunner reels. These are essential, as bites can be very violent and you don't want to lose a rod overboard!
I don't use braid for gilts anymore. It's not necessary to see the bites, and stretchy mono is no handicap when playing hard-fighting bream.
Bites are usually a series of sharp knocks followed by the rod pulling round as the bream makes off downtide.
Finally, a plea. Bream are very good too eat but are quite localised. In some areas they have been wiped out by netting and overfishing. If you locate some, keep it to yourself! Last year I had 54 and put back all but 10 in the interests of conservation. Fish of 2-3lb make the best eating, so any smaller or larger go back. My best last year at 6lb was returned and my pal Barry (pictured) had a 7-pounder from my boat and put it back. PH

Tips for catching gilts.
Gilts are not hard to catch so much as hard to locate. They move around in shoals and it's a question of intercepting them as they pass through. Yesterday I moved six times to where I expected them to be at that stage of tide. This is partly a matter of putting in the hours and partly a question of figuring out where the current will be running at a suitable speed. I like some current but not one running really fast.
Gilts eat a lot of crab, and when I keep one it invariably contains crab remains. They investigate any structure: reefs, rocks, mooring blocks and chains, so fish near those.
Successful baits include razorfish, lugworm, ragworm and soft or peeler crab. Razor is good because schoolies don't like it but gilts and Couch's bream do. Use as little elastic as possible to secure it. I have caught most of my gilts on lug, but last year switched to rag because I could dig my own. However, I would use crab all the time if I could source and afford it, as I think it is the supreme bait for gilts. 
People always go on about the need for small, strong hooks for gilts, but any gilt worth catching has quite a big mouth. For worm baits I use a pennell with a #1 circle on top and a strong #1 Aberdeen on the end. For crab baits I use a 3/0 crab hook or 3/0 Chinu. The rig is a running leger with as light a weight as you can get away with. I use a short length of 30lb Korda Arma Kord braid next to the hook/s as I was once bitten off on 12lb fluoro by a huge gilt!
Tackle is 8ft spinning rods and baitrunner reels. These are essential, as bites can be very violent and you don't want to lose a rod overboard!
I don't use braid for gilts anymore. It's not necessary to see the bites, and stretchy mono is no handicap when playing hard-fighting bream.
Bites are usually a series of sharp knocks followed by the rod pulling round as the bream makes off downtide.
Finally, a plea. Bream are very good too eat but are quite localised. In some areas they have been wiped out by netting and overfishing. If you locate some, keep it to yourself! Last year I had 54 and put back all but 10 in the interests of conservation. Fish of 2-3lb make the best eating, so any smaller or larger go back. My best last year at 6lb was returned and my pal Barry (pictured) had a 7-pounder from my boat and put it back. PH

Tips for catching gilts.
Gilts are not hard to catch so much as hard to locate. They move around in shoals and it's a question of intercepting them as they pass through. Yesterday I moved six times to where I expected them to be at that stage of tide. This is partly a matter of putting in the hours and partly a question of figuring out where the current will be running at a suitable speed. I like some current but not one running really fast.
Gilts eat a lot of crab, and when I keep one it invariably contains crab remains. They investigate any structure: reefs, rocks, mooring blocks and chains, so fish near those.
Successful baits include razorfish, lugworm, ragworm and soft or peeler crab. Razor is good because schoolies don't like it but gilts and Couch's bream do. Use as little elastic as possible to secure it. I have caught most of my gilts on lug, but last year switched to rag because I could dig my own. However, I would use crab all the time if I could source and afford it, as I think it is the supreme bait for gilts. 
People always go on about the need for small, strong hooks for gilts, but any gilt worth catching has quite a big mouth. For worm baits I use a pennell with a #1 circle on top and a strong #1 Aberdeen on the end. For crab baits I use a 3/0 crab hook or 3/0 Chinu. The rig is a running leger with as light a weight as you can get away with. I use a short length of 30lb Korda Arma Kord braid next to the hook/s as I was once bitten off on 12lb fluoro by a huge gilt!
Tackle is 8ft spinning rods and baitrunner reels. These are essential, as bites can be very violent and you don't want to lose a rod overboard!
I don't use braid for gilts anymore. It's not necessary to see the bites, and stretchy mono is no handicap when playing hard-fighting bream.
Bites are usually a series of sharp knocks followed by the rod pulling round as the bream makes off downtide.
Finally, a plea. Bream are very good too eat but are quite localised. In some areas they have been wiped out by netting and overfishing. If you locate some, keep it to yourself! Last year I had 54 and put back all but 10 in the interests of conservation. Fish of 2-3lb make the best eating, so any smaller or larger go back. My best last year at 6lb was returned and my pal Barry (pictured) had a 7-pounder from my boat and put it back. PH

Although it was probably six weeks too soon, I had a go for an early gilt in the Tamar today.
Every spot I tried I was plagued with schoolies, and must have had a couple of dozen to 1.5lb, with one nearer 2lb.
I fished three rods, one with rag, one with lug, one with crab, but the only three good bites were on peeler.
The first looked very much like a gilt bite - several sharp knocks and a pull-round, but unaccountably I missed it.
The second was the biggest bass of the day.
The third was a heavy fish which banged about down deep but came off the 3/0 crab hook just as I thought I had it beaten. It was probably either a decent gilt or a big wrasse.
A rather disappointing day, but the gilts don't usually turn up here in force till May or even June, depending on water temperature.
Pray for a warm spring!
 

Although it was probably six weeks too soon, I had a go for an early gilt in the Tamar today.
Every spot I tried I was plagued with schoolies, and must have had a couple of dozen to 1.5lb, with one nearer 2lb.
I fished three rods, one with rag, one with lug, one with crab, but the only three good bites were on peeler.
The first looked very much like a gilt bite - several sharp knocks and a pull-round, but unaccountably I missed it.
The second was the biggest bass of the day.
The third was a heavy fish which banged about down deep but came off the 3/0 crab hook just as I thought I had it beaten. It was probably either a decent gilt or a big wrasse.
A rather disappointing day, but the gilts don't usually turn up here in force till May or even June, depending on water temperature.
Pray for a warm spring!