Flipper
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2020
- Messages
- 294
- Reaction score
- 1,346
- Points
- 93
- Location
- Devon
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
The Big Lerf
My boys are lure fishing nuts and wanted to fish the Big Lerf comp in Plymouth, so regardless of my own feelings I signed them up and agreed to take them around for a long day targeting as many species as possible on lures. Firstly, let me say we don’t sea fish LRF much at all, my boys prefer the pike and perch of the CW canal and I am not much cop at mini species fish id. So already this is going to be a steep learning curve!
During the planning I sold the boys - it was a difficult sell due to the walk and access - on the idea of getting away from the crowds at Mt Batten, Sutton, Elphinstone, Mutton, etc and going to a rock mark that drains away to sand, with an abundance of rock pools to dangle their Isome in over low tide. The sand can produce some interesting species like red mullet, dragonets, flats and the rocks produce all the usual species plus some triggers occasionally. It was a great plan, however, like most plans the theory wasn’t back up in practice, the route down to the mark was so overgrown I would have had to have a striker and a machete to get down there. Already looking like a complete plank to my boys having wasted an hour of the comp on a duff decision we mover to plan b and another heavy rock mark, again away from loads of anglers but given the overcast conditions, a dropping SW wind and some lovely swell, the turquoise water with white foam showing high levels of oxygenated water made it looked bang on for a bass and the usual rock mini species. The boys did their thing with split shot and drop shot rigs, whilst I got a small metal on my light game rod. 3rd cast in and my rod just got whacked over with a half decent bass, it gave a good account of itself over the shallow rocky ground, especially on the light tackle, it measured 53cm.
The boys were pleased and gutted at the same time, with them both wanting to have caught it. They kept on scratching out the mini species, but, sadly most were Giant Gobies, which are protected and thus ineligible for the comp. It was very exciting watching them target individual fish in rock pools, but, at the same time incredibly frustrating as I knew if they used a tiny bit of rag instead of the Isome they would have caught loads more. The fish would attack the Isome and even the split shot once or twice, realise it wasn’t food or a threat and then just lose interest. That level of inefficiency is probably why I have always used baited LRF gear on the odd occasion I have dabbled for fun. That said it did take me back to my childhood and wandering around the rock pools of Constantine Bay and Wembury to catch as many little critters with nets, hand lines and even bare hands, so was a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, the boys were getting restless and wanted to head back to Mt Batten to target some wrasse, pollack and maybe an elusive topknot, so somewhat reluctantly I ferried them back. Given the pressure of 90 LRF anglers targeting Mt Batten it was no surprise that they struggled to get bites and the last 5 hours were a complete slog, the icing on the cake being my youngest drop a corkwing wrasse as he swung it to hand instead of netting it
All in all a great day, not a branch of the sport that holds much appeal for me, but, to see such a keen, talented and excited group of anglers battle it out for nearly 9 hours was a cracking day. The three lads who organised it Joe, Richard and Ben need a medal for all their hard work. Also so good to see the level of support from Pure Fishing especially, but, lots of others too. Fantastic to see companies supporting angling and promoting it.
My boys are lure fishing nuts and wanted to fish the Big Lerf comp in Plymouth, so regardless of my own feelings I signed them up and agreed to take them around for a long day targeting as many species as possible on lures. Firstly, let me say we don’t sea fish LRF much at all, my boys prefer the pike and perch of the CW canal and I am not much cop at mini species fish id. So already this is going to be a steep learning curve!
During the planning I sold the boys - it was a difficult sell due to the walk and access - on the idea of getting away from the crowds at Mt Batten, Sutton, Elphinstone, Mutton, etc and going to a rock mark that drains away to sand, with an abundance of rock pools to dangle their Isome in over low tide. The sand can produce some interesting species like red mullet, dragonets, flats and the rocks produce all the usual species plus some triggers occasionally. It was a great plan, however, like most plans the theory wasn’t back up in practice, the route down to the mark was so overgrown I would have had to have a striker and a machete to get down there. Already looking like a complete plank to my boys having wasted an hour of the comp on a duff decision we mover to plan b and another heavy rock mark, again away from loads of anglers but given the overcast conditions, a dropping SW wind and some lovely swell, the turquoise water with white foam showing high levels of oxygenated water made it looked bang on for a bass and the usual rock mini species. The boys did their thing with split shot and drop shot rigs, whilst I got a small metal on my light game rod. 3rd cast in and my rod just got whacked over with a half decent bass, it gave a good account of itself over the shallow rocky ground, especially on the light tackle, it measured 53cm.
The boys were pleased and gutted at the same time, with them both wanting to have caught it. They kept on scratching out the mini species, but, sadly most were Giant Gobies, which are protected and thus ineligible for the comp. It was very exciting watching them target individual fish in rock pools, but, at the same time incredibly frustrating as I knew if they used a tiny bit of rag instead of the Isome they would have caught loads more. The fish would attack the Isome and even the split shot once or twice, realise it wasn’t food or a threat and then just lose interest. That level of inefficiency is probably why I have always used baited LRF gear on the odd occasion I have dabbled for fun. That said it did take me back to my childhood and wandering around the rock pools of Constantine Bay and Wembury to catch as many little critters with nets, hand lines and even bare hands, so was a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, the boys were getting restless and wanted to head back to Mt Batten to target some wrasse, pollack and maybe an elusive topknot, so somewhat reluctantly I ferried them back. Given the pressure of 90 LRF anglers targeting Mt Batten it was no surprise that they struggled to get bites and the last 5 hours were a complete slog, the icing on the cake being my youngest drop a corkwing wrasse as he swung it to hand instead of netting it
All in all a great day, not a branch of the sport that holds much appeal for me, but, to see such a keen, talented and excited group of anglers battle it out for nearly 9 hours was a cracking day. The three lads who organised it Joe, Richard and Ben need a medal for all their hard work. Also so good to see the level of support from Pure Fishing especially, but, lots of others too. Fantastic to see companies supporting angling and promoting it.
