I did manage a 25lb shore caught conger from Bradda Head, Port Erin a few years back and would dearly love to beat my personal best. As far as I’m aware the biggest shore caught conger weighed in at 29lb from Alfred Pier, Post. Mary. So ideally I’d love to break the 30lb barrier for an Isle of Man shore caught conger eel.

Conger Eel

I plan to fish four of my favourite conger marks over the coming months. Two piers and two rock marks. Fortunately for me conger eels show a distinct preference for feeding in calmer seas, so I should be safe from all of my chosen marks. From past experience I have found that from the shore conger show best during neap tides. If the neap is at the smaller end of the scale then they often feed throughout. Whereas the larger neaps I have found the conger tend to concentrate their feeding to a couple of hours either side of slack water. Spring tides rarely see a conger caught and only one of my regular marks is productive as the tide flow is deflected and effectively reduced. However, the window of opportunity is very narrow as they only feed close to slack water. So more often than not it’s just a one fish hit.

Playing a Conger Eel

The Conger seems to go on feeding frenzy when the first frosts of autumn touch the ground so I am hoping to catch one of the more elusive lunkers as they go on a feeding binge to stock up the calories for the winter before they go comatose for the winter.

I have made all my preparations with regards to clothing, tackle, bait and a rough idea with evening I’ll be standing at my chosen mark in pursuit of my quarry.

Rod

I will be using my trusty Conoflex Nemesis Plus SLR 2002 that has served me well for nearly a decade now. I have had numerous big fish on this rod over the past few seasons and it’s more than capable of handling these large predatory fish and big baits.

Reel

I will be using my faithful Shimano SpeedMaster TSM II CFS which has recently been serviced and magged by Russ at Blakdog Tackle. This is a stunning reel despite the fact that it’s nearly twenty years old! If my memory serves me correctly the shore caught conger record was hauled out using this reel!

Line

For most of my conger fishing I prefer to use 25lb mainline. The two that I have been alternating between this season is the Ultima Power Steel and Ultima Red Ice. The latter is my go to line at the moment!

Power Steel: This certainly is a very strong line. Ultima claim it to be 30% stronger than anything else with a good knot strength and ultrahigh abrasion resistance to match. I can’t disagree with that however I have found it is prone to kinking and has terrible memory. Not something I expect from a line that costs £16.50 for a 4oz spool.

Red Ice: Unlike Power Steel, Red Ice is almost ten pounds cheaper as a 4oz spool sets me back £6.98. It copes exceptionally well with my rough ground marks as it has a high abrasion resistance and an exceptional knot strength. I also find Red Ice the most visible during both daytime and night-time sessions.

Shock Leader

I use about two and a half to three times the rod length of 80lb clear Ultima Powerflex Shockleader when conger fishing. I do this for two reasons. Firstly, I fish marks where conger can chafe my line against sharp crevices, harbour walls and so forth. Therefore, I stand a better than average chance of landing the fish. The other reason is to ensure that I can hand-line a decent conger up a harbour wall or cliff face. I once witnessed an angler lose a double figure conger as his 30lb mainline snapped as he hauled it up the cliff face. If he had been using a shockleader he would not have lost it.

Daytime Conger from Alfred Pier

Sinker

Depending on the conditions I might not use a lead weight. Just let the bait naturally flutter on the seabed enticingly. However, conditions don’t always allow this so I thread a 2oz Bullet Lead and a Bead onto the shockleader before tying on my conger trace. Occasionally I might set-up a running ledger with a rotten-bottom if I need to cast or there is a serious risk of getting snagged up. However, it is a rarity for me.

The Rig

Making a conger trace is not a difficult task. At the one end of the wire I thread on a brass crimp, followed by a hook. Then I feed the end of the wire in and out of the brass crimp leaving a small loop for the hook freely move in then compress the crimp with a pair of heavy duty crimp pliers. I repeat the process with a swivel at the other end of the two foot trace. Voila, one conger trace!

Trace: My conger trace is made from a soft and kink resistant wire trace which is a joy to use and will handle any conger. I have tried heavy duty mono with breaking strains up 250lb but have had double figure conger bite through it if the battle went on for more than a few minutes. You know what I mean, those times when the conger made it to a sanctuary and I’ve had to wait it out. I’ve had no issues since switching to wire. The overall length is two foot.

Crimps: I use brass crimps as they corrode the fastest in saltwater yet they are more than up to the job of hauling out big conger.

Hooks: My hook of choice is a Carbon Steel 6/0 as they are more than stronger enough yet corrode faster than a Bronzed O’Shaughnessy if left inside a deeply hooked conger. I do de-barb my hooks as it makes unhooking conger eel easier with a T-Bar. Also I found it helps to get a better hook hold on the eel too.

Swivels: I prefer to use a rolling swivel rather than a barrel swivel simply because the rolling swivel will still work while under pressure and that is paramount as conger eels spin like crazy. I prefer a size 2/0.

Bait

First and foremost, my top bait for conger is fresh mackerel. I present fresh mackerel in two ways; one as a fillet and the other as a whole mackerel flapper. The latter entails cutting out the spine leaving just the head and two flapping fillets. Home frozen mackerel doesn’t seem to fish as well as blast frozen mackerel so I’d rather buy blast frozen mackerel or joeys.

Squid does catch conger but I don’t find it as consistent as fresh mackerel. I am currently trying cuttlefish but yet to have a conger on one, but I’ll keep you posted on that.

Clothing and Lighting

Well, as the nights get dark and we head into autumn things start getting a bit colder so I’ve decided to treat myself this season so I can stay warm and safe.

Floatation Suit: I have a Sundridge Crossflow Pro which is very warm, waterproof, windproof and breathable. I’ll report back more when I’ve field tested them over the coming months.

Footwear: Slippy rocks are dangerous so I’ve invested in a pair of the Snowbee Rock Hopper Boots and what a bit of kit. These boots have a unique spiked sole which grips rocks like no other. They do have to be tried to be believe. The really do what they say on the tin and keep you on your feet. They are tough, comfortable, waterproof and warm and the cleated sole is fitted with the awesome spikes which make the rock hopper stand out from the rest. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Headtorch: I’ve been looking at head torches for fishing and know from my past head torches that I need something in the region of 500 lumens. Also I’m not fussed on carrying those large acid lead batteries. The one torch I fancied was the Samalite but they cost a staggering £275.

I’ve looked at cheaper renowned makes but they mainly go up to 200 lumens which isn’t bright enough for me. To be honest I don’t relish the thought of splashing out that kind of money nor can I afford too! So after a staggering and relentless time consuming online research I’ve opted to try this: GUMP 5W 600LM Zoom LED Head Light Lamp.

It has the highly popular CREE XP-G R5 LED that can be found in renowned makes such as Led Lenser, Pezel, Silva and so forth. It’s an astounding 600 lumens for £14.99 + Free Shipping. It comes with two batteries that would cost £12.99 from amazon (I checked) so effectively the torch only costs £2.00. It works like a dream! Battery life on full power is about three to four hours. So rather than change the battery in situ which is rather fiddly I’d bought a second one.

I will post catch reports of my conger sessions over the coming months as I try to seek out my personal best.

Until next time, tight lines,

Paul

Sea Fishing in the Isle of Man

The most notable amongst the summer species to depart is the mackerel. There’s no doubt that mackerel is probably the most reliable and essential source of fresh bait in the Isle of Man. We can probably continue to rely on mackerel stocks well into the autumn but we will start dipping into the freezer from mid-September onwards though.

So with the absent of mackerel, squid will inevitably emerge as the single most important autumn and winter bait for the remaining predatory species such as Bass, Cod, Conger and so forth. I do have a preference to offer fresh and frozen squid to home frozen mackerel which clearly loses much of its appeal compared to the pulling power of fresh bait unless it has been instantly blast frozen.

I don’t mind paying for frozen and live bait but both do become a scarce or non-existent on the Island as we get into autumn. So I am looking to stock my freezer up with essentials before the bait drought begins. Over the course of the season I dig and collect my own baits and autumn / winter is no different. However, frozen bait has to play a part in my bait strategy as Mother Nature doesn’t always allow bait digging and collecting on the Manx Shores. So with that in mind let’s look at my top autumn / winter baits for shore fishing in the Isle of Man as we approach the cusp that leads us from the summer to winter species.

Mackerel

Fresh Mackerel is an unbeatable bait as it accounts for a large variety of species all year round. It can be used whole, cut into a flapper, halved, fillets, long strips, short strips or in small chunks which all work with great results. As I mentioned earlier I don’t rate home frozen mackerel but will aim to get a few in the freezer for the occasional session throughout the colder months. At least it’s a free bait!

Sandeels

There’s no doubt that live Sandeel Launce is the ultimate bait for targeting Callig (Pollock) during the summer months. However, pretty much like mackerel they begin disappearing as the water gets cooler. Blast frozen packs of Sandeel however are an excellent bait in the winter months often giving the edge when targeting dogfish, bass, callig (Pollack), whiting, pouting, conger, flounders and so forth. I’ve found that winter flounders seem to like a worm bait tipped off with a sandeel opposed to mackerel.

Ragworm

Ragworm has been as stunning bait for me this summer with the Wrasse. It can be hard to obtain a steady supply of fresh ragworm from tackle shops so I have taken to digging my own. They really can make a difference when targeting Plaice. It is also a consistent bait for searching out Dragonet and Callig. Probably one of my favourite baits when fishing from sandy beaches over shallow scars for cod on the north west coast of the Island. It also makes one of the very best bass baits when fishing in the surf from beaches throughout the summer and autumn months.

Blow Lugworm

On its day Blow and Black Lugworm can out fish every other bait that you can get your hands on and is a superb winter bait. It has a great scent and is crucial when targeting cod, dabs and Red Gurnard. Local tackle shops don’t sell fresh Blow Lugworm so I dig my own which can be found in abundance from many beaches around the Isle of Man.

Black Lug

Black Lug on the other hand is much harder to dig for as there as only a few beds around the Island so I tend to get wraps of Black Lug from across (the UK). Black lugworm is different from normal Blow Lug in that they have a thicker tougher skin and leave a yellow stain on your hand when you are putting them on the hook. I find that Black Lug is a great bait to use as a cocktail with other baits such as peeler or being tipped with squid.

Peeler Crab

I don’t rate peelers as my number one winter bait as they are only of interest to certain species at certain times of year. I can often out fish myself using lugworm or other baits in most situations. Nonetheless, they do have their place in my bait box. I find it a top bait for cod and coalfish throughout the year. During the summer months I find peelers is particularly good for flounders and eels. Peeler crabs also accounts for other more opportunistic species such as whiting, pouting, plaice, dabs and noticeably wrasse, ballan wrasse to be more precise. I’ve found that fresh peelers will out fish frozen crabs all except wrasse who sho a distinct preference for frozen peelers!

Squid

This is an underrated bait on the Island but shouldn’t be forgotten about. It’s superb to tip of black lug when fishing a cocktail bait for cod and is superb for fishing whole of cod, conger and bass. This is a must have bait to keep in the bait box if targeting that specimen cod. Small calamari squid used whole is also a top fishing bait especially for the double figure cod.

Razorfish

My secret weapon! This is a crucial bait to have in the bait box. It is a consistent bait for targeting Haddock not to mention an excellent cocktail bait for Cod. Razor is a decent fishing bait for southern rock anglers when used from the shore especially after very heavy seas. Makes a great cocktail bait and I swear that it sorts out the better fish.

Hermit Crab

Hermit crabs has to be the most underrated Manx Cod Bait of all time. It can catch fish wherever there is sand and can at times make all the difference to a nights fishing. If I can get a supply I wouldn’t be without it.

So that is my line up of baits that I use to catch various species from around the Island. I’d be most interested to hear your thoughts on baits that you use to catch on your local patch and / or the Isle of Man, so please feel free to leave a comment!

Until next time, tight lines,

Paul

LRF and HRF on the Isle of Man

Light Rock Fishing and Heavy Rock Fishing is a Japanese terminology for “Small Rock Dwelling Species” and “Large Rock Dwelling Species” that has been modified to suit the British coastline and species. Rods between 6-8ft in the 21-23 gram range are most popular with the heaviest being no more than 28 grams.

I think LRF and HRF techniques are perfectly suited to tackle the spectacular rocky coastline in the south of the island which is home to an array of species. I am able to target everything that swims from blennies through to double figure callig and everything else in-between with minimal gear. Wrasse often being my chosen quarry.

This has real advantages when long hikes to remote marks are the order of the day. Normally, when rock fishing I am armed with a 13ft rough ground rod teamed with a 7000 sized multiplier loaded with 25lb mainline, a 60lb shock leader connected to a pulley rig and a 6oz breakaway lead to tackle the rugged Manx marks. Not to mention the need for a tripod.

This isn’t a problem from some of the more easily accessed and comfortable venues but it can prove to be hard work lugging all that gear to some the more remote marks. Picking up a light lure rod and a dainty fixed spool reel along with a selection of soft plastics, jig heads, hard plastics and a net makes rock hopping a much more realistic proposition.

Since I am intending to devote a lot more time and effort to fishing with these methods, I would be very pleased to hear from any anglers who have also embraced LRF and HRF, especially those on the Isle of Man.

Tight lines,

Paul

Saturday 14th July 2012 | Alfred Pier, Port St Mary

I rarely fail to catch a few Ballan Wrasse from Alfred Pier and I’m often fortunate enough to pull a handful of decent specimens out most sessions. Today wasn’t an exception. The Wrasse are a quite wised up here and tend to be more fickle over high water when angling pressure is at its greatest.

Wednesday 18th July 2012 | The Jetty, Port Erin

A Ballan Wrasse from the The Jetty

I’ve been spending far too much time fishing Alfred Pier this season and opted for a change of scenery. I arrived as the tide was just being to ebb and fished until low water. The stamp of Ballan Wrasse is smaller here than those taken from Alfred Pier but I was catching steady from the time I arrived to when I left at low water.

Sunday 22nd July 2012 | Alfred Pier, Port St Mary and The Jetty, Port Erin

Life Boat Day at The Jetty

Today saw me fishing back down Alfred Pier in hope of catching a Wrasse on a soft lure as a way of change but conditions were far from favourable. Nobody was catching so I decided make a move to The Jetty in Port Erin in hope of a fish or two. Conditions here were a little more favourable and I was sheltered from the strong winds I was experiencing on Alfred Pier. Unknown to me before I got there that it was Lifeboat Day and the place was packed! Nonetheless, I managed three mackerel and a couple of Callig (Pollack).

Saturday 25th July 2012 | Scarlett Point, Castletown

I decided to make the long trek to Scarlett Point in search of a daytime Ling. I arrived and hour before low water and fished right up to high water. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to connect with a Ling but did miss a very good bite. Just before leaving I opted to belt a large peeler crab out on a 4/0 Pulley Rig and was quickly rewarded with a small Ballan Wrasse, which turned out to be the only fish of the day.

Wednesday 29th July 2012 | Perwick Bay, Port St. Mary

A brace of Ballan Wrasse from Perwick Bay

Another first mark of this season was Perwick Bay in Port St. Mary. Not the easy mark to get down to laden with fishing tackle! To top it off I forgot my wellies so had to stand in the water up to my ankle for the whole session. It took nearly a week for my boots to dry out. I arrived in time to fish the last three hours of the ebb and first cast was rewarded with a brace of Wrasse. I caught steady until the tide turned and as it began to flood the weed became a nightmare. After having to pull for a break twice in two casts I opted to call it a day. I’m hoping to get back down there for a Ling session sooner rather than later.

Tuesday 31st July 2012 | The Jetty, Port Erin

Float Fishing

I had hoped to find some mullet at the Albert Pier, Port St. Mary or at the back of Raglan Pier, Port Erin but unfortunately they weren’t showing. The wind was beginning to really pick up so I opted to fish The Jetty, Port Erin. Despite the wind I still chose to float fish for a change of tactics.

As before I fished from high water down but on the opposite side of The Jetty as the wind was blowing quite a howler from the beach. I was surprised how many Wrasse were chucking themselves at my float fished ragworm which was a good ten foot off the seabed. The fish went wild for a couple of hours then it started dropping off throughout the remainder of the session.

Saturday 4th August 2012 | Alfred Pier, Port St Mary

Ballam Wrasse from Alfred Pier

As you can probably guess I love fishing down Alfred Pier, especially with all these high winds and rain we’ve been having lately. I fished for a few hours over low water and steadily caught a concession of beautiful Ballan Wrasse. This year has been exceptional and so far I have tallied over 500 Ballan Wrasse!

Tuesday 7th July 2012 | Scarlett Point, Castletown

This is my first blank of the season! I fished hard but struggled I did have two superb takes on large peeler crabs but never connected. My fishing buddy managed a couple of Ballan before we left!

Monday 13th August2012 | Alfred Pier, Port St Mary

I had the pleasure of my younger brother and nephews visit me over the weekend and the boy’s fancied a crack at fishing. Neither of them had ever been fishing before so where better to take them than Alfred Pier for a Wrasse or two. Neither thought they would catch a fish left alone the numbers they did. The eldest (11-years-old) caught eleven on his own and had a grin from ear-to-ear. The youngest (8-years-old) helped by his Dad also took a few fish. Great couple of hours!

Monday 20th August 2012 | Life Ring, Bradda, Port Erin and Alfred Pier, Port St. Mary

Daytime Conger from Alfred Pier

I fancied a change of scenery from Alfred Pier and had planned to have a crack at some daytime conger fishing. So I packed my rucksack for a lengthy daytime session. As I head of from home I began worrying as the wind was really tanking it and I knew we had big spring tides. I finally arrived at the Life Ring on Bradda. The wind wasn’t too bad but there was quite a big swell on the sea and my usual fishing spot was already getting doused three hours before high water. So decided to knock that on the head and head round to Alfred Pier for safety reasons.

Now I’m all geared up for a conger session so decided to try targeting them on the Pier. I was trying various spots around the Pier in hope of locating them. The swell at the end of the Pier was immense and a seal took my mackerel flapper but fortunately dropped the bait! Eventually I try inside the wall and after about an hour I felt a very familiar nod, nod on the rod tip and lifted into what felt like a nice fish. Unfortunately it had made it into the sanctuary of the harbour wall. So I gave it some slack and waited a few minutes. The line began moving and I wound in the slack and was back in direct contact with a 10lb 2oz Conger. I had another one half an hour later but lost it. I had one further take but missed it before packing up but at least it was mission accomplished!

Until next time, tight lines,

Paul

Port Erin Beach

Sunday 8th July – Port Erin Beach

No-one ever fishes the beach, so I am on a mission to catch something from there. I’ve now blanked twice in two sessions but I will not give up. I spent five hours fishing from low water in hope of a flattie but no avail. I’ve taken dabs from the pier a mere hundred yards away, so why not from the beach?

Rather than just call it a day I headed to Port St. Mary Breakwater!

Sunday 8th July – Port St. Mary Breakwater

The pier has been fishing pretty well for a couple of weeks now, especially for the wrasse. So I arrived on the breakwater geared up for flattie fishing. I had a nice colourful rig with beads and a spoon tied to a size: 1, Mustad Blue Aberdeen (3262)!

I proceeded to catch a few wrasse, basically it was one a chuck for about an hour. Then suddenly I had a couple of very gentle taps, like you would when a conger takes the bait. Then the rod hoofed over and the line parted! There aren’t any snags where I was fishing so I’m guessing a small strap conger took my rag and colourful rig!

I didn’t have long left before I had to head home so I put a spinner on my rod in hope of a coalie for my species hunt but after about half an hour of fishing I only managed a few mackerel.

Sandeel

Wednesday 11th July – Port St. Mary Breakwater

I had a small window of opportunity for a couple of hours fishing so I grabbed my spinning gear and headed down to Port St. Mary Breakwater. I was hoping to catch a coalie for my species list. Quite a few have been coming out albeit to everyone else’s rod. I was starting to wonder if it would become a nemesis for me!

The wind unfortunately wasn’t favourable blowing away from the pier. Nonetheless, plenty of wrasse was coming out to a rather packed pier so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Coalie

It wasn’t long before I had my first bite and I reeled in a sandeel! I then proceeded to take a dozen or so more sandeels or the next couple of hours! They put up a nice fight on my small lure rod. I was just thinking of calling it a day when my rod suddenly developed a healthy bend in it. Bingo! A Coalie! To say I was chuffed would have been an understatement. Not a biggie but a coalie nonetheless! I stopped for a few more casts and had a couple more coalie before heading home.

Tight lines,

Paul

Callig (Pollack)

Plenty of wrasse were coming out on ragworm. He did manage a couple of lunkers but they kept ditching him in the weed that seemed plentiful since our last session down there. The wrasse switched off for a couple of hours either of high water, so he decided to spin and was rewarded with some nice callig and the odd mackerel.

I opted to concentrate my efforts on getting a conger or two and within fifteen minutes of the bait being out I had a conger showing interest in my offering but never connected. I’d settled in to the spot I was fishing and was sitting nice and comfy as conger fishing is often a waiting game. All of a sudden, the rod was practically yanked from my grasp. This was no conger! It made a few lunges and then it broke the surface. Lo and behold it was a stunning 4lb 14oz callig that had devoured an entire mackerel fillet I had prepared for a conger on a 200lb trace and 6/0 hook!

It was quite a pleasant surprise! Nonetheless, the remaining of the flood tide was uneventful but predictably around an hour into the ebb I was getting interest in my mackerel flapper. Tap, tap then the reel began clicking away and I was in! I had a nice 10lb 6oz conger. Then things started getting a little frustrating. The conger’ were hitting my baits but I just wasn’t connecting with them. About an hour before I was due to pack up I was in again and after a minute or two the conger dropped the bait. I only had one more bite before it was time to go but failed to connect!

That’s the thing I love about sea fishing. It doesn’t always go to plan. You’re never really sure what might take the bait even though you’re targeting a particular species and the target species might not want to play ball!

Tight lines,

Paul

Playing a 3lb+ Ballan Wrasse

The second session was today (3rd May) down on Albert Pier (aka Port St. Mary Breakwater). The weather was pretty dreary with constant drizzle. Fortunately the breakwater was sheltering me from the wind. High water was at 10:38am (5.7M) so I opted to fish one hour up and 4 hours down.

I had a double of wrasse on the first cast. One was a decent Ballan around the two pound mark whilst the other was about 10oz. I caught pretty steady throughout the session on peelers and ragworm. The stamp of wrasse coming out was pretty good with the majority of fish being around the 2lb mark. I had ten over the 3lb mark with the biggest of the day weighting in at 3lb 9oz. All told I had 44 Ballan Wrasse.

Just before I packed up I had a few casts with my spinning rod as I wanted to catch a Coalfish for my 2012 Species Hunt. I did have one but it shook the hook free as I was hand lining it up the harbour wall! I had a few more casts which produced a couple of mackerel. So I decided to call it a day!

Tight lines,

Paul

Ballan Wrasse

Ballan Wrasse

I’ve found that the majority of mini species tend to feed very close in especially over rougher ground. Slack water or where the tide run is lessened by a natural obstruction tend to be hotspots.

What determines a mini species? A mini species has a maximum potential weight of less than a pound and around the British Isles there are 42 mini species to be caught.

Tackle

I have opted to have a specialist “Mini Species Hunter” set-up to target them. The rod I’ve chosen to target them is a Grauvell Teklon Concept Spin 832M, which is 8′ 3” and can cast weights between 15-50gm. I’ve teamed it with an Abu Cardinal Saltwater 174SWi which holds 180yds of Berkley Trilene Maxx 12lb.

Rigs

I have three specialist rigs tied up purely for targeting mini species; a two hook flapper, flyweight two hook flapper and a flyweight pulley rig.

Two Hook Flapper

For the large min species such as rockling, gurnard, poor cod, etc … I use a standard two hook flapper with size 4 to 6 Aberdeen’s.

Flyweight Two Hook Flapper

For the micro species such as gobies, shannies, the smaller wrasse, etc… I scale down right down and find the lighter I go the better!

For the trace I use either 18in of 20lb clear mono or 18in of 30lb clear mono if I’m casting. I first tie on a Breakaway Spinlink onto the bottom of the trace. Then I thread two Tronix Match Swivels (size: 12) onto the trace and tie off the top of the trace with a Gemini 45lb Snood Swivel. I lock the Tronix swivels in place with a couple of stop knots. This allows me to have a very lightweight rig that I can adjust to suit individual species. I then tie on the snoods to the Tronix Swivels with either 5lb clear mono if fishing over clean ground or 10lb if fishing over ground. The snoods are about 6 to 8inches long with Kamasan B981 Specimen Hooks in sizes 10, 12 and 16.

Flyweight Pulley Rig

The flyweight pulley rig is an excellent rig for fishing over rough ground as it helps to magnify those tiny bites on the rod tip when fished at close range. For the trace I use 20in of 30lb clear mono with a Breakaway Spinlink tied at the bottom. Then I tie thread on a 4mm bead, followed by a Gemini 45lb Snood Swivel and another bead. I then tie the end of the trace with another Gemini swivel. The snood is about 10inches of 10lb clear mono with Kamasan B981 Specimen Hooks in sizes 8, 10 and 12.

Bait

As for bait I have found using tiny scraps of worm or a sliver of crab, mackerel, sandeel, squid and shellfish works well. However, in most cases I’ve found that many species tend to ignore a single hook bait and show a significant preference for combo baits such as worm and mackerel or crab and razor.

Mini Species List

ANCHOVY (Engraulis encrasicolus)
ARGENTINE (Argentina sphyraena)
BARRACUDINA (Paralepis coregonoides borealis)
BLACKFISH, Cornish (Schedophilus medusophagus)
BLENNY, Butterfly (Blennius ocellaris)
BLENNY, Tompot (Parablennius gattorugine)
BLENNY, Viviparous (Zoarces viviparus)
BLENNY, Yarrell’s (Chirolophis ascanii)
BOAR FISH (Capros aper)
BREAM, Axillary (Pagellus ararne)
BUTTERFISH (Pholis gunnellus)
DAB, Long Rough (Hippoglossoides platessoides)
DRAGONET (Callionymus lyra)
GARFISH, Short-beaked (Belone svetovidovi)
GOBY, Black (Gobius niger)
GOBY, Giant (Gobius cobitis)
NR Goby, Leopard Spotted (Thorogobius Ephippiatus)
GOBY, Rock (Gobius paganellus)
PILCHARD (Sardina pilchardus)
PIPEFISH, Greater (Syngnathus acus)
PIPEFISH, Snake (Entelurus aequoreus)
POGGE (Agonus cataphractus)
POOR COD (Trisopterus minutus)
RED BAND-FISH (Cepola rubescens)
ROCKLING, Five-bearded (Ciliata mustela)
ROCKLING, Four-bearded (Enchelyopus cimbrius)
SANDEEL, Corbin’s (Hyperoplus immaculatus)
SANDEEL, Greater (Hyperoplus lanceolatus)
SEA SCORPION, Long-spined (Taurulus bubalis)
SHANNY (Lipophrys pholis)
SAND-SMELT (Atherina presbyter)
SAND-SMELT, Big-scale (Atherina boyeri)
SKIPPER (Scomberesox saurus)
SMELT (Osmerus eperlanus)
STICKLEBACK, Sea (Spinachia spinachia)
TOPKNOT, Common (Zeugopterus punctatus)
WEEVER, Lesser (Echiichthys vipera)
WRASSE, Baillon’s (Crenilabrus bailloni)
WRASSE, Corkwing (Crenilabrus melops)
WRASSE, Goldsinny (Ctenolabrus rupestris)
WRASSE, Rock Cook (Centrolabrus exoletus)
WRASSE, Scale-Rayed (Acantholabrus palloni)

Keep an eye on my Mini Species Hunt page to see what I’ve caught from the Manx Shores!

Tight lines,

Paul

Ballan Wrasse 3lb 7oz

I set-up my bass rod with a 1 up to 1 down rig with 1/0 hooks baited with ragworm. First cast I was into a nice Ballan Wrasse around the pound mark. Second cast produced a stonker of 3lb 7oz. This prompted a remark from the direction of my father, along the lines of “Are you okay there Jack, fishing the best spot” which had a hint of a sarcasm in the tone. I did offer up the spot but he turned it down. Nonetheless, within a minute he was pulling in a double shot of Ballan Wrasse. One was a tiddler but the other was a really decent fish. “Son, give me a hand” so I when over and held the larger wrasse for him as he want to unhook the small one fish first for some peculiar reason! However, he pulled the trace as he was unhooking the small wrasse which promptly made the specimen wriggle to break my grip on it. This forced me to juggle a little, during which time the wrasse had duly sliced the tip segment of my little finger and stab the palm of my hand with its dorsal fin. Painful! As you can guess I was rather polite to my Dad. The fish weighed in a 5lb 2oz. We didn’t pack up though and continued fishing for a further seven hours. I cleaned the wounds when I got home. The swelling has subsided now but the cuts are still rather sore.

Dad’s Double Shot of Ballan Wrasse

Anyhow, back to the fishing. We both were doing rather well and continued to catch plenty of wrasse in the region of a pound to two. I was hoping for a Cuckoo for my 2012 Species Hunt, but that never materialised. Spinning hadn’t yielded much success from the breakwater of late, so my Dad was just having a few casts every twenty minutes or so. Around two hours before high water the fish suddenly became really fickle. Every cast the wrasse were sucking the rag off the hooks but we just couldn’t connect! So I tried casting a little further out which proved successful as we were back to consistently catching again. As high water approached they went balmy and were hitting the baits hard before the lead had even hit the seabed. Float fishing would have been superb. Anyhow, we were running out of rag fast. We had tried mackerel and sandeels but had very few bites. My Dad gave spinning another go and was rewarded with a mackerel on the first cast. A few minutes later another one. By then I had used the last of the ragworm. Between us we had gotten through a pound in six hours or so. With no bait apart from frozen mackerel and sandeels, I thought I’d stick on some feathers as I wanted a mackerel for the species hunt. First cast I was rewarded with one small mackerel. Second cast I had a triple shot, then a seven shot. This continued for about an hour and a half. By then my hand was beginning to throb, so decided to call it a day. All the mackerel went back. The average size from this particular shoal was rather small.

Mackerel

The best fish of the day for me was a 3lb 7oz and for my Dad it was a stonking 5lb 2oz. Specimens on the Isle of Man don’t often exceed 4lb 8oz, so this was a real beauty. My Dad isn’t too fussed about taking pictures of his catch but I managed to get this photo. All told I had 35 wrasse and 37 mackerel. Not sure how many my Dad had but it would have roughly been the same apart from the mackerel. As it turned out the pier wasn’t that busy with just a couple fishing alongside us from about midday and another couple arriving an hour before we left. It was packed with spectators for the boat race though!

I’m currently working out the tides and study the long range forecast to try and figure out the ideal time to take a trip up to the North West beaches in vague hope of connecting with a Tope!

Playing a 15lb 4oz Conger

Anyhow, the weather was great yesterday (Wednesday) so had to get out. High water was around 12:44 (4.8M) so I decided to head to one of my favourite daytime conger spot in the south. It was about 19°C (Real feel 15°C) with a nice cool breeze (15mph easterly) which was blowing off the beach to my left.

I decided to fish 3 hours up and 3 hours down. I was armed with a good supply of cuttlefish and mackerel fillets. Tackle wise I fished my trusty Conoflex Nemesis SLR Plus 2002 and my Abu 7000i C3 CT Hi Speed Mag loaded with Ultima F1 (Black) 25lb. I attached a 60lb Grease Weasel Shock leader (Clear) and my own Conger trace.

I had four takes during the flood but failed connect with any of them. Just before 2pm I could feel a conger knocking on my rod and it wasn’t long before I had a healthy bend in my rod. I got it up on the surface then sudden stalemate! I just couldn’t bring it in any further! The more I pulled, the more the conger twisted into a ball. It must have been a good 20 feet out, when suddenly it came towards me without any more fuss. However, once out of the water, all was revealed. There was line wrapped around the conger (head to tail). So the poor fish had been tethered up to the bottom with 15lb line! The conger was fortunate I’d caught it! The line was duly removed with care and after being weighed was returned to fight another day. It weighed 12lb 6oz.

Conger

About an hour later I was into another conger. It felt like a good fish and after a good battle I landed a 15lb 4oz eel. I had another take about thirty minutes later but it dropped the bait.

I was pretty chuffed with my day session. My next trip might be for a shore caught ling or tope, we’ll see!

Tight lines,

Paul