Finally

I can now announce my good news! Some of you already know, but I've been made a Pro Staff member of Plus Fishing. I'm seriously excited about being given this opportunity as Plus Fishing distribute some of the best lure fishing brands out there and now I get my greasy mitts all over them! I've already snagged myself a nice few Wrasse on the O.S.P 4.5'' DoLive Stick - Awesome lure!

From now on, I will be writing a new blog that you can find here. It will consist of tackle reviews and news from the +f stable as well as my usual waffle that I talk about. The new blog will be linked from the main Plus Fishing website in the very near future. I hope that you will all visit my new blog and add to your favourites.

Thank you to all my current readers, I hope you enjoy the new blog.

Short But Sweet

Just adding a few pics from this week's Plymouth LRF meet.

Was nice to see yet another new face checking out the scene. Open minded anglers always welcome, even if it's just to query what's happening. Multiple species taken on lures, in fact I'd be willing to say that we caught more as a group on lures than if we had all fished with bait. Searching out the fish, that's what it's all about.

Andrew Younger's pristine Schoolie

Ben Field with a nice Flounder

Last weekend saw me getting into a nice few Wrasse on soft plastics. Awesome sport for sure, got to love the brutish nature of the Wrasse, they know where they want to go and they do their damndest to get there. More on that later though. I'm off fishing. 

It Was T H I S Big

Check this video I found on YouTube. I'd seriously hate to be the Mullet! Which by the way is apparently 50cm itself. The guys estimated the Bass to be in the 130cm mark!!!!

There have been a few reports of Bass starting to take lures, so hopefully I'll see some action on the planned trip for tomorrow. I'm on the hunt for a lunker this season, with a set target of 70cm. A big fish, but a definite possibility if I find the rite ground - I've got a feeling it's going to be from a nasty, weedy reef somewhere. I guess time will tell eh.

The Pollack are definitely showing a better size still, with many fish over the pound pulling our strings in flowing current. Last night a few of us fished a relatively new mark (for light game) in Plymouth and it was absolutely alive with fish. Decent schools of Smelt, Mullet and even Launce under our feet, plenty of food for lurking predators.

New Ground

Sunday saw me make the journey to a mark on the South Cornwall coast, to meet up and fish with Luke Fox and his buddy Shaun from the Lure Forum. I arrived at the estuary mark on low tide, to find a rather large and exposed sandbar. I could see from where I was stood, there were massive undulations in the sand - perfect for holding bait fish in the current, and consequently Bass. I had a great feeling about this place from the offset. On top of that, the weather was great with just a little cloud cover.

As I have a fair amount of experience fishing estuary flow, my plan of attack was to drift small hard bait's in the current. Hopefully seeking out any pockets of fish. Upon wading out, I spotted several Sand eel half buried, that appeared to be basking in the sun.

Adding to this the odd fish (likely Mullet) breaking the surface, further enforced the feeling that today would see a Bass or two, but unfortunately the fish hadn't read the script and failed to make an appearance. The tide then turned pretty viciously and began chasing us off the sandbar - I'm glad I wasn't fishing there on my own for the first time, as it would of been so easy to stay put just a little longer. Before you know it though, the bar is completely surrounded by flooding water moving at a rapid rate of knots. The day was still young, so I was escorted to a rock mark 10 or so miles down the coast to try for Pollack and Wrasse with an outside chance of Bass. Walking down the coastal cliff path, I was taken back by the ground down there. Amazing shallow reefs with drop offs in to deeper water, deep kelp strewn gullies and ledges over broken ground. Awesome stuff. The boys were rite about the Wrasse. Although today the star of the show was Shaun.

In an error of judgement, I had not come prepared for Wrasse fishing - Leaving all weedless hooks at home. I had a small selection of jigs with me, but they just weren't up to the job. Shaun managed 3 Wrasse, all of which came from a thick tangle of tackle hungry kelp. Weedless presentation was a must! I had one rattling bite in between tying new jigs on. Was still great to see a few fish caught and Shaun was more than happy that he had bagged his first lure caught Wrasse. Well done that man.

I'll definitely be heading back down that way a few times this year. These guys have a few nice marks up there sleeves that have yielded several Bass over 70cm and up to 78cm!!! In one season! Now that's good going for sure. Thanks for the hospitality guys, I hope I can return the favour over the coming months.

The light night games are still going strong, with good numbers of fish per session. I'm sure some of you guys will be aware of the raging debates centred around LRF/HRF at present. It's all a bit mad really. Arguing about fishing? LOL. Come on, what's that all about? This stuff is fun, so let's please try and keep it that way. It's not cool for people who are just entering the world of lure fishing, to get smacked in the face with this stuff.

Buggin Out

Wow! What a week. I'm sure most of you guys that read this blog have been following the events in Japan. Just seems to be going from bad to worse for those living in the north of the island. The images shown have been of devastation that is quite frankly, out of this world. Of all the nations on earth though, you can bet it's the Japanese that'll bounce back from something like this and hang a 'business as usual' sign from their door.
*** Just read this post by Jed of Oriental Angler Store in Japan. It's his account of the earthquake and his efforts to get home to his family***

The last few sessions have seen 'bug' baits proving their worth, claiming multiple species in multiple sessions. Generally speaking, these baits are a bit of a mouth full - so the takes are usually with some gusto. I'm finding these work best on a twitched retrieve, or slow lift and fall. Think of the way a shrimp darts around, or even better - a squat lobster, which is probably the best profile match for these baits.

Last night was the fortnightly Plymouth meet, fish were caught and good banter was flowing freely. The vibe at these meets is definitely that of a social event. A good chance to have a natter about techniques and tackle. It was mentioned though, sometimes this can have a negative effect on your fishing. It's all too easy to stand in one spot chatting for an hour - Obviously that's fine if the fish are in front of you, but remember to move on if they aren't biting. This was proved last night, when Ben suggested a move around the corner after bites dried up - We were in to fish almost instantly. 

Yet again, a new face attended to check out the growing LRF scene. From my brief chat with him, he was most definitely a level headed angler with an open mind. Coming from a coarse fishing background, he had a good understanding and knowledge of the attraction around light tackle. He did however point out a few things, from a non participant point of view. Expressing that LRF'ers seem to over hype and maybe put too much emphasis on the technical side of things, making it seem a little daunting and elitist to those who are on the outside looking in. The thing people need to understand with this stuff, is that there are a whole bunch more ways to catch a fish - on-the-drop, twitch and pause, shakey, lift and drop etc. To those who are used to cast and retrieve plugging or spinning, it's a world apart. But it IS easy to learn. That's really the problem, you need to get out there and have a go to appreciate what it is all about and how these simple, but highly effective techniques work.

This Sunday I've got a trip planned down to Cornwall targeting estuary Bass, but with an added bonus of hooking a Sea Trout and I'm also told, Salmon. Should be interesting!

Please check out Paul Gunning's awesome blog 'Smells Kinda Like Fish'. He's been out literally destroying the Wrasse on lures this week - both HRF and LRF! He's a cool guy to fish with and has learnt a huge amount about lure fishing in a relatively short space of time. His is probably the best presented 'amateur' blog out there at the moment, with real good content. Well worth adding to your favourites list!

My Thoughts....

My thoughts this morning go out to those in Japan, after reports of a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

I hope that the damage is to be minimal and there is a speedy recovery for all those that are affected in any way.

Yamatoyo Spinning Fluoro

After now fishing with this as my mainline for a couple of fruitful sessions, I thought I'd share with you the delight that is Fluoro mainline for Light Game work.

3lb was used in this test

At this point, I feel that I must tell the complete story of the Fluoro and I. It all started at the last Plymouth meet. I arrived to see others already fishing and I excitedly set up next to Paul, anxious to try out the new line. It was spooled perfectly on to a brand new Shimano Rarenium 3000 and balanced beautifully on my Light Game rod. Lure tied, bail off, cast..... SPLASH!!! WTF? Look at rod tip, still there - Phew, thought I'd snapped it. Work my way down the blank checking for anything missing or broken, but it looks fine. Get to the reel - Or at least what's left of it! In my excitement, I had loosened the spool just a little too much. Ok, way too much! As I cast, the spool had actually flown off of the reel and in to the water. Not impressed, the air may have turned just a little blue. Fear not though, all ended well. I managed to pull the actual spool straight back out of the water, but was missing the end cap(drag adjust). Thankfully, it was a particularly low tide that night and I managed to find the end cap by climbing down a boat access ladder and foraging around in the weed. Lesson learned.

Pollack - Yamatoyo Spinning Fluoro 3lb

I really wasn't too sure what to expect from the Fluoro mainline, I did know however that the Japanese use it for most of their Light Game applications - Choosing it for various reasons over super fine PE braids. The two facts that interested me most were that you can feel 'drop back' bites (fish picks up bait and runs toward you), and also that the line sinks, enabling you to utilize retrieve styles more effectively. Upon making my first cast, I actually felt the lure splash down, and the feed back through the rod was reminiscent of my days beach casting - where you could often feel the bait hit the water when casting at range.

The next thing that I noticed, was casting range. I didn't expect it to match the normal 0.4PE braid I use, but I wasn't to be dissapointed. Perhaps 30% down on distance. This was made up for though in the fact that the Fluoro didn't get caught in the breeze, instead it traced the exact arc of the lure during the cast. Excellent. Something that seriously annoys me while fishing fine braid is the huge arc you'll get floating through the air in anything other than 'sneezy' conditions.

FISH ON - Now this to me is obviously the most important bit. If it doesn't feel rite when you're actually fishing it, you'll lose confidence by the load. The good news is that it felt awesome with a fish on. I kind of preferred it over the PE braid if I'm brutally honest. The slight stretch in the Fluoro seemed to compliment the action of the rod perfectly, and the lunging runs of each Pollack were absorbed with a far less 'jagged' feel than usual.

So, in conclusion. I don't see the Fluoro mainline as any sort of replacement for PE braid, but more as a compliment to it. They both have their uses for various methods we are fishing. For OTD and deeper water, it's always going to be the braid for me. But breezy conditions, shallower water and slow retrieved styles are definitely going to see me using the Fluoro mainline as 1st choice.

 Yamatoyo Spinning Fluoro is now available from http://www.artoffishing.co.uk/

So Close...

Literally just weeks now and the local Bass fishing is likely to shift in to gear. I can't wait!

While fishing a new mark on Sunday evening, instantly I noticed there were bait fish breaking the surface. Every so often though, there would be an almighty crash of a good fish breaching the surface. At first I thought it would be Mullet, but the bait fish would go a little crazy just seconds before a fish smashed the surface.

I managed a couple of nice Pollack to the usual Light tactics. With a pretty heavy flow of water running from the estuary, my casts were pin pointed to a bridge support and then left to drift down the eddy. Bites were extremely tentative and reactions needed to be super sharp to connect. I'll admit, I missed a good few 'unmissable' bites though - Lost my focus while watching the bait fish and imagining a 'lunker' Bass about to inhale my bait at any given moment.

Last week's Plymouth LRF meet went pretty well again, with a good number of species landed - Including a bonus Schoolie for Ben. His first of the year, still nice and early. He looked a happy man!

The Rock Fish Files #2

Any of you guys who are into, or even interested in 'LRF' Light Rock Fishing seriously need to check out the new edition of the 'Rockfish Files', this is dedicated to the light approach to lure fishing, that is spreading like wildfire among open minded lure anglers. Stacked with info and techniques, as well as bonus content from overseas writers.

To say the least, I'm pretty chuffed that Keith White et al have used some of my photo's and a couple pieces that I wrote, happy to be involved!

Rockfish Files Issue #2 Light Rock Fish

Enjoy the road to enlightenment....

It's All Gone A Bit Wacky

One of the great things about LRF, is the simple fact that you can't help but experiment. Even better though, most things you are prepared to try just seem to work. A session on Sunday evening dedicated to using Zappu Inch Wacky heads, with Gulp Rag worm saw amazingly good results - With no less than 6 species landed and in good numbers too.

Rigging the worm Wacky style gave it the most natural presentation possible. If you have ever seen a Rag worm swimming, you will have observed the snake like undulated movement. With a little subtlety on my part, I was able to emulate this pretty nicely. This fish obviously agreed, they weren't shy about engulfing it.

The build of these heads is pretty awesome, using a non-toxic Tungsten, rather than Lead weight that they call 'space Metal' - They are also nowhere near as harmful to the environment. Can't be a bad thing eh.

They are built on quality Owner hooks, a nice gauge wire - Being designed primarily for the hard fighting Black Bass market, they are definitely capable of holding much bigger fish. I'm looking forward to trying this with the Wrasse come Summer, I can see them really smashing this stuff.

Finally managed to bag a (tiny)Flounder LRF. I'm not really surprised that it came to a worm imitation as Rag worm are probably the main food source around this time of year, it makes sense that they'll be on the look out for anything that looks, or moves in a similar way.

The photo above show's Mike Sullivan's first Scorpion Fish - New species? Dwarf Sea Scorpion LOL. Mike has just started writing a Blog dedicated to UK Rock fishing. He's enthusiastic about his fishing and I'm sure there will be some pretty cool content in there over the coming months and hopefully years.

I just want to add here, that anyone who believes LRF and associated tactics are nothing new and do nothing to build your lure fishing skill set - You really need to start opening your minds and thinking outside the box a little. LRF isn't going to be for everyone, but experimentation works and builds an ever bigger picture.

Slowly Slowly, Catchy Fishy

It's been a slow week for me, with numbers of fish way down on usual totals per session. I've tried everything in my box, managing to get very little interest. The saving grace though, in my opinion, is that the average fish(Pollack) size has been up on previous weeks.

Wednesday saw me meet up with local boys Steve Arries and Mike Sullivan. Action was slow off the mark, so Steve and I moved to a dark and deep corner, just outside of the main Harbour. It didn't take to long for us to find the bites and landed a few Pollack and the 8-10oz class. I hooked and quickly lost a good fish while trying out a creature bait. The take was OTD and I think it may of been down to me striking into it too quickly, the bait was a bit of a mouth full and incidentally, the fish may never of really found the hook. After this, the bites dried up completely.

We moved back to our original mark and fished on. There were a lot of Smelt in the upper layer of the water and to be honest, I was expecting to see a Bass gorging itself, among all this food. No such luck though. For Mike however, lady luck was shining. I was 40 yards away and I heard his drag singing before I spotted where he was stood - Rod arched over and the tip lunging toward the water. Obviously he was in to a good fish, so I made my way over to him to assist with the landing, half expecting to see a Bass in the 2lb class - I was surprised to see a nice Flounder come to the surface. Mike managed to steer it toward a set of steps and I duly landed it for him. It was a notably 'chunky' (pre-spawn?)fish, with plenty of fight in it. We didn't measure it, but it comfortably made 2lb class. A nice fish by any standard.

There have been a few Flounder caught on Light Game tackle in this spot, so they are definitely becoming a realistic LRF target species. Difficult to make out a pattern yet, as they've taken all manor of soft bait's, with all manor of retrieves. This particular fish came to an EcoGear Grass Minnow.

I've had a similar sized fish on a drifted, Giant Xlayer - a world apart from a 1.5'' shad. The aggressive nature of these fish is pretty awesome, know to chase down crab and fish, a spirited fighter on standard lure gear. I can't wait to grab one LRF.

I was lucky to get out last night as well, with the Mrs pre-occupied with Wedding stuff. Joined by Steve and Mike, but also Andrew Younger and Danny Welch. Always good to get out in a group and they're all thoroughly decent guys - which makes it all the better. Things started slow for me(again!), so after a chat with Mike, we decided to expand the field and move on to another mark. This saw us hitting a mark inside of the Tamar river estuary system, fishing in to deep and flowing water over broken ground. Sport was pretty instant for a couple of the group, taking me a while to find the fish and pattern. My final tally was 5 fish, including the Pollack(OTD) above - possibly my best one LRF to date. I'll definitely be visiting this mark again, it seems like it has the potential to hold some fish of a better stamp.

The Great British Weather

I've not had chance to get out for the last few days and typically, now that I have a few evenings free for some Light Game - The weather has turned snotty. It doesn't surprise me, I have lived in Britain all of my life. We can have 4 seasons in a day over here. I'll still get out though, got to preserve my sanity somehow... My head is swimming with work and wedding stuff...

Anyhow, thought I'd add a few photo's from last week's Plymouth LRF meet. This time though, taken by local lure fisherman Andrew Younger.

Andrew is a pro photographer, and the shots he took are(as you can see) awesome! By shooting on high ISO with no flash, he was able to capture the mood with the photo's he took. Hats of to the man, he's a keen fisherman and it takes a lot to tear yourself from your rod while others are laying into fish.

The urban setting and lighting make for some pretty special photo's in my opinion. A totally different feel to the wild coastal scenery that you'd usually see while out after Bass.

This week I've spent a lot(and I mean A LOT!) of time selecting a new rod for the season ahead. It'll be coming over from Japan and hopefully be something quite special. This one will be my Bass rod, with a Rockfish rod on the way before Summer fully hits.

I've also been busy planning something pretty special for a few local lure boys and myself. I've not revealed anything about it yet, but I'll be getting emails out this week. Should be pretty special!

This week's light game review....

It's definitely been a week of two half's for me. A session on Tuesday night saw me hit good numbers of  fish on the light gear, with the added bonus being that we were doing a little filming at the time. Nothing serious just yet, but more of a chance to document a part of what's going on.

Name and Shame! Stevie Quinton can't hide the fact that he fished and caught LRF

I think I owe it to my good friend Steve Quinton, to name and shame him as a new LRF recruit, and subsequently drop-out. Although, according to him 'it was rubbish and made him forget how to cast a plug'. That'll be the first person to my knowledge, to state that LRF had a negative effect on his fishing. I guess it's never going to be for everyone, or maybe just not yet.

Scorpion Fish - EcoGear Paramax

Last night was the fortnightly Plymouth meet. I usually nail a good number of fish at this regular session, but last night proved very difficult(for me) with only 4 or 5 fish. I did nail a nice Scorpion fish though. On the whole, it was a very good night, with others hitting in to some nice fish - Including yet another new species for Paul 'Gunship' Gunning, and Ben Field winkling out a nice little Flounder on a top secret Japanese bait.

It's only a matter of weeks now until the next issue of 'The Rockfish Files' is released by the guys behind http://www.jerseybassguides.com/. The new issue is dedicated to Light Rock Fish(LRF) and should make for excellent reading, with contributions coming from some very interesting places.

No rest for the wicked

Finally managed to get out LRF last night, has been a busy week finishing off Wedding preparations and work is really picking up - for those of you that don't know, my day job is a Recruitment Consultant, supplying labour force to the Construction Industry. It's looking like we're finally heading out of recession now, with plenty of new construction projects surfacing almost weekly in the region.

Anyhow, back to the important stuff. A couple of hours free time saw me heading straight down to a favored LRF mark. This particular mark always holds good numbers of fish, and for that reason has become the home of the now regular Plymouth LRF meet. Spurred on by reports that a couple of local guys had caught Bass and Flounder on the light stuff only the night before, I began fishing with a definite confidence.

I've been fishing this mark a while now and headed straight to a spot that I knew should hold fish, first cast was into a shadow created by a walkway linking the water taxi pontoon to Terra Firma. I let the lure settle, a couple of twitches and was straight in to a decent Pollack. It was well over the 1lb mark, unfortunately a pass of poor judgment on my part saw it shake the hook as I was about to hand line it up the wall - I really must get a net soon.

1st bass of 2011

 During a brief spell, whilst being plagued by Smelt almost every cast, I saw a few fish cruising the surface. My initial thought was Mullet. That is until I cast and saw a single fish swim across the surface and then disappear into the ripples left by the lure's splash down. Twitch...Pause... Twitch... Solid.... Fish on. Even though it had been a while, instantly I recognized the tell tale energetic fight of a Bass, ripping line from the drag effortlessly. An excellent fight that warmed me inside - I could of been out on the rocks, mid summer in a t-shirt.

Bass, Plymouth - EcoGear Straw Tail Grub

Not a big fish by any standard, probably making 35cm class. On the correct tackle though, very good fun. It was also my first chance to try the Rivally RBB floatation vest. Very comfortable, providing unrestricted movement and easy access to lures and tools. Ben @ Art Of Fishing is now selling these vests, but branded with IMA logo's. Not cheap, but I'd definitely recommend one.

While fishing a couple guys from the Lure Forum turned up to fish LRF. Was great to have a bit of company and we discussed that LRF is a much more sociable way of lure fishing. With the concentrations of fish in front of you, there is not much need for rock hopping and yomping the coastline - Although I absolutely love that aspect of lure fishing.

My Inner Magpie

I guess that in some ways, you really can compare a modern Lure Angler and a Magpie. Both are attracted, quite uncontrollably to shiny, flashy objects. The Magpie has it easy though, he'll never pay £20.00 for a lure!

Yo-Zuri EBA Shad 50mm 4g

I've been looking at lots of smaller hardbody's, primarily used for Bream in Australia and Japan, although there is a big crossover with the Trout market as well.



Bassday Umibaku Shad 40mm 2.6g

Most of these mini wonders are rated under 7g, so can be used with your tube tip Light Game rod. I'm thinking Mackerel, Garfish and Bass this summer on the light gear. I've always been fascinated with Garfish and the way they tailwalk and leap dramatically during the fight, a real Summer light game fighter.

Jackson RA POP 70mm 7g

We're well into February now, the light of evening is slowly, but surely extending its reach. It's always a nice feeling, knowing the Spring and Summer are around the corner. With any luck, we've had our freeze for the winter and the sea temps will creep up a little earlier this year. Was a late start to the Bass season for most people last year, with local sea temps staying under 10c until mid May.

It's a been a very good week so far. Work is busy, Wedding preparations are almost finished and I've had a bit of awesome news from elsewhere. Hope fully I'll be able to expand on that soon, but suffice to say I'm a very happy Matt!

Lighten up, it's just better that way

The Plymouth LRF scene is growing very rapidly, with this week's meet showing around 15 anglers. unfortunately the conditions were set against us, with gusty winds making it very difficult to keep in contact with your jig. I started off the night with 4 fish including a good Pollack in quick succession but was missing loads of bites as I was using a 2.5g head with a #5 hook. Most caught fish in the testing conditions, always great to see the smile on peoples faces even when catching fingerling size fish. Of course though, they aren't all small.

Pollack, Plymouth - Straw Tail Grub

If this light approach to lure fishing keeps growing, we're going to have something massive on our hands. Obviously this Japanese import has been going on for a couple years in the UK , with it's roots firmly set in the Channel Islands. The seeds were sewn, now the growth is steady - How many will we be in 5 years time? How many of the UK's summer visitors will be 'proper' lure fishing targets?

Specimen Sea Scorpion, Plymouth Meet - Paul Gunning

 If the terrain allows, there is no reason why we shouldn't be targeting Bass and Wrasse on this tackle. Obviously I'm not going to be taking 6lb braid out on barnacle covered reefs in windy conditions, but if I know I can 'play' a fish out, then I'm going to take advantage and have some fun. 

Pollack, Plymouth - Spro Trout Sbiro

Had a nice package arrive from Japan yesterday. I used the online shop Rakuten to get my mitts on a Rivally floatation vest. Very nice bit of kit, large pockets will take double sided lure trays and there are d-rings especially placed for your Boga's. There is a small, zipped pouch on the back - probably just large enough to take a small amount of food(I eat too much when I go out fishing anyway!) and a handily placed, insulated drinks bottle holder.

Rivally RBB BV-10

 Obviously the fact that it is built on a buoyancy aid is a huge advantage over other chest packs available in the UK. I do consider myself a capable swimmer, but there are some marks I fish that would involve a lengthy swim if I were to fall in. With 50nm of buoyancy, it wouldn't keep me alive if I were unconscious - but that isn't why I bought it. It is simply there for assistance, should the worst happen. Plus, I think it looks damn cool!

Giant Goby, Plymouth - EcoGear Aqua  Straw Tail Grub

 

Straw Tail Grub

EcoGear 2" straw tail grub & 1.8g shirasu fine head #8

A great Light Rock Fish combination lure for sure, catching me plenty of fish whenever used. Excellent using a very slow twitchy retrieve, with lots of pauses. Also very effective OTD and jigged vertical.

It's been a busy week with work and weather getting in the way of fishing - Funny how time seems to just slip away from you sometimes. I have managed to get out locally for a couple hours of Night Light Game. Was an interesting evening as usual, finicky fish meant I had to chop and change lures and technique to induce a bite. It was the EcoGear Straw Tail Grub that was doing the damage this time.

Whiting - EcoGear Straw Tail Grub 2'' (clear glow)

The Plymouth LRF meet looks set in stone as a fortnightly event now, with more turning up and having a go. Plenty of marks still to explore in the area and a couple marks already standing out as holding the better stamp of fish. Too early to call so far, but if numbers of participants grow as expected, Plymouth could well be the LRF epicentre of mainland UK.

Sea Scorpion - Plymouth LRF meet

EcoGear - Pocket IN Mebaru

I've been using EcoGear Light Game bit's for a couple months now. If I'm totally honest, I've only got great things to say about it. The kit I want to focus on is the Pocket-In Mebaru set, a modern day bargain at £12.95 - Literally containing everything you need to go out and catch yourself a Rockfish.

Containing 2 types of softbait, jig head's to match and even a couple of scent capsules for good measure. My favourite bait being the Grass Minnow SS, which comes in at a whopping 1 1/8''(28mm). This lure has definitely taken the most species so far. Perfect for ultra slow retrieve styles, covering plenty of ground. The small profile gets confident bites from fish of all sizes.

The other bait contained in the set is the 2'' Power Shirasu. This is essentially a straight tailed bait with a small ball on the end, which helps get the tail moving in such a way which entices fish to bite. The lure is provided in 2 colours - My pack contains pearl glow and pink. Both are effective colours for UK Light Rock Fishing(LRF). You can work the Power Shirasu on a straight retrieve with small shakes of the rod tip, on the drop(OTD), or use it for vertical jigging under your feet. Very effective fish catchers.

Check out this Bass caught by Paul Gunning in the local Estuary. He was using a 0.4-6g LRF rod, 5lb Braid and a 6lb fluoro leader. This gear is totally capable of handling better fish when they come along. I'm definitely going to be having a crack at the Bass and other Summer species on my Light Game gear this year. Once you go light, there's no going back.....