Martin McGowan of Ullcatch is onto a sweet thing when it comes to fishing and reports:
Fishing with… bait, soft plastics, spinners and hard lures, I have tried and tested them all. Well at least that is what I thought. However, when it comes to fishing, shore fishing that is, you can never be too sure, as I was soon to find out.
A number of weeks ago I was ‘experimenting’ with a few soft plastics, (by this I mean stretching them out, cutting bits off here and there… basically reinventing the already invented), when a friend of mine (John O Connor) happened to drop by. ‘What are you at with those soft plastics?’ he enquired. ‘Ah I am just sorting them out, giving them a bit of a clean down’, I answered. ‘We should try and catch some fish using some of those real jellies’ John replied light-heartedly whilst pointing at a packet of jelly sweets on the table. A long pause was followed by a curious look and a silent agreement. Why not… As they say ‘you may never know unless you try!’
So the next clam day, John and I along with another friend Daniel Brosnan headed for the sweet shop. Daniel, who was under the elusion we were going to be fishing with soft plastics, was a bit gobsmacked when we pulled up outside a sweet shop and explained our idea. Inside the shop we were greeted by numerous jellies – only these were the type meant for human consumption! After 10 minutes rummaging through the various sweets we agreed to try some soft-jelly snakes. (For obvious reasons I will not name the brand) As we made our way to the till to pay we were met by the inquisitive eyes of the shop owner… if only she knew our plans! Looking at my purchases I knew they would not go to waste; my two kids Aaron and Sophie would be more than delighted to get their hands on them if the wrasses are not interested!
Our plan was to hit a mark that had fished very well on our last visit. As you can imagine the trip to the fishing mark was one of amusement and anticipation. On arrival there was a slight swell of about 5ft with a light south-west breeze – the perfect conditions to stir things up!
I decided to set up using soft-plastics, mainly to see if any Wrasse were lurking underwater, whilst Daniel set off with some crab-bait. John was very eager to get the jellies in the water but not before a photo (or three) of the set-up we used for the jelly snakes. We decided to fish using a Texas rig style set-up.
This is probably the most common method of rigging plastic bait and the most familiar to anglers. It is a quick, simple and tidy method to fish with soft plastics for Bass, Pollock and Wrasse. We had 5g 1/6oz ball leads, a bait stop to keep the lead in place and weed less hooks size 2/0, with a hitchhiker to keep the worm in place (a bit big for wrasse you would think? Not in this case it seems as we were using jelly-snakes!) Wrasse hit soft plastics with such force that the first hit should kill, and believe it or not a size 2/0 will get gobbled down, no questions asked. Every angler you have a natter with will have some variation of the basic Texas Rig, and the explanation given here is undoubtedly not the final word on this flexible modus operandi.
So side by side the lures went in. For 3-4 minutes there was not a stir, and I was under the presumption that I would get a take first. Alas, it was not to be. Instead John’s rod started to bend over… bang, bang, and bang! The hook came back, but without a fish. Well at least it was a sign that something was happening down there, and so in it went again. As I realised this would be the first fish caught on actual sweets, I ran to fetch the camera. As I did John shouted, ‘I am on again’. I just got back to him when they were gone again. We then realised that the majority of Wrasse were latching onto the tails and breaking off, thus not getting hooked. So with a little modification and sniping of the tails, we knew they would begin to hook a lot easier. ‘Now we just have to be patient’ I said, ‘all good things come to those who wait’. No sooner were the words out of my mouth when low and behold a beautiful Ballan Wrasse comes to the surface, much to our delight. Well there you have it… fish really do have a sweet tooth!
Our fun did not stop there and after a few snaps I had to get in on the action. Out came my bag of sweets and I decided to try a tasty orange one. By the time I had set up John had another, and moments later I caught my first Ballan Wrasse. It was shaping up to be a “sweet” day! We fished for a further two hours until the jelly-sweets were all devoured. Between us and the fish nibbling on them they are definitely one lure that will never go to waste!
In the meantime Daniel, who opted to fish with crab bait, was also catching Wrasse on the other side of the rock on a one hook size 4 fixed Paternoster. He was having great craic jostling with Wrasse to try and pester them away from the cover of the rocks and kelp.
We converted back to our lure boxes to pick out some original soft-plastic lures to continue fishing. The sun shining down and this was not an opportunity to be missed. LRF (Light Rock Fishing) can be one of the most rewarding and advantageous types of fishing as the choices are endless for the angler. However, bear in mind that it is one of the most dangerous types of fishing, so keep alert and vigilant at all times.
Since we were rock fishing we wondered if there was any Pollock to be had. John O Connor who loves Pollock fishing will always try for one whilst out rock fishing. (You have endless options from the rocks. I have caught Wrasse, Pollock, Conger, Dogfish, Bull-huss and Ray, and these are to name but a few.) John opted for a “Savage Gear Sand eel” which rarely lets him down. Now I have to say they are a super lure for Pollock. Although they are a bit pricey, (you only get 2 tails, 1 lead head in a pack), they are worth it all the same. Just try not to misplace them – easier said than done sometimes! A testament to their worth are the two 4lb Pollocks caught that day after a small battle on light gear.
LRF can throw up all kinds of surprises on a particular day, such as the Wrasse that was landed with a big gash in its tail. This causes the human mind to ponder on what goes on beneath the surface. Maybe the Wrasse ambushed by a Conger eel as it travelled along its merry way, or perhaps a seal had a snap at it. Well, whatever the cause it was still left with ruthless nasty wound. Nonetheless, the show must go on and even after that traumatic event the Wrasse still had the appetite to gulp down a soft plastic.
Compliments of Ullcatch
