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Video: Mike Ladle & Steve Pitts Lead image: Mark Hoffman In the final video of the introduction to saltwater fly fishing series Mike Ladle chats with Geoff Hancock about how he connects leaders to the fly line and then attaches flies to the business end of the leader. If you missed the first two parts then click on the links below:- VIDEO – SALT FLY BASICS … Continue reading VIDEO – SALT FLY BASICS (PART 3)
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Lead image: Henry Gilbey (https://www.henry-gilbey.com/) Recently Dr. Mike Ladle was asked by Robin Bradley of the BASS club if he had any evidence to prove whether or not bass anglers’ catches have declined over the years. After giving it considerable thought this is Mike’s response. “I guess, on the face of it, this is a simple question; do I (and my pals) catch more bass now … Continue reading ARE BASS STOCKS REALLY DECLINING?
Video: Mike Ladle & Steve Pitts Lead image: Mark Hoffman In Part Two of the introduction to saltwater fly fishing series Mike Ladle chats with Geoff Hancock about the tackle he uses as Geoff fishes a tide race. Once again finding a place where fish are likely to congregate to feed is the key to success. Note how Geoff retrieves the fly and the emphasis … Continue reading VIDEO – SALT FLY BASICS (PART 2)
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Text: Mike Ladle Lead image: Henry Gilbey (http://www.henry-gilbey.com) In order to successfully target bass with lures and flies it is essential to gain a detailed understanding their feeding behaviour. The southern and western coasts of the British Isles are almost at the northern limit of distribution of bass although this is slowly changing due to global warming. Bass in this area are slow-growing and large specimens of … Continue reading BASS FEEDING BEHAVIOUR
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Just received a copy of Mike Ladle & Steve Pitts new book “Angling on the Edge”. It is a stunning book which covers the exploits of anglers from all around the world. Perfect for the coffee table or when you need some inspiration to pack up your tackle and head overseas for a change of scene. Divided into sections covering Indian Ocean, Central America, Transatlantic Relatives (USA), … Continue reading BOOK – ANGLING ON THE EDGE
Video: Mike Ladle & Steve Pitts Lead image: Mark Hoffman This video is a basic introduction to salt water fly fishing prepared by Mike Ladle, Geoff Hancock and Steve Pitts. Check out where they fish, what time of the day, the “flies used” and how Mike, in particular, retrieves them. The underlying message is that you don’t have to cast long distances if you are fishing in … Continue reading VIDEO – SALT FLY BASICS (PART 1)
Text: Mike Ladle Lead image: Ty Sawyer To many, if not most anglers, the anticipation, though not always the realisation, of catching large numbers of big fish is basic to their enjoyment of the sport. For the sea angler the possibility of catching large fish, perhaps even larger than any previously landed, is ever-present. This element of the unknown is psychologically important to us all. … Continue reading THE GROWTH PATTERNS OF FISH
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Text: Mike Ladle Lead image: Paul Smith The tides, the weather, and the manner in which these effect the sea are crucial to understanding the behaviour and feeding patterns of sea fishes. The tides are due to a double bulge of water, on either side of the earth, caused by the attraction of the moon. If the moon was stationary in relation to the rotation of … Continue reading USING TIDES TO PREDICT WHEN TO FISH
Text: Mike Ladle Featured image: GT with Lure (Al McGlashan – http://www.sportsfishingmag.com) Mike Ladle has visited the tropics many times on fishing holidays and written at length about his tropical fishing adventures on his Operation Sea Angler blog. By comparison, I’ve only been fortunate enough to visit Fiji a handful of times and written a solitary article on the experience. https://activeanglingnz.com/2014/05/25/fishing-in-fiji/ Fishing in the Tropics is undoubtedly different to fishing in … Continue reading TROPICAL FISHING TACKLE
Text: Mike Ladle & Alan Bulmer Lead image: Constantine Alexander Around the world there are several species of grey mullet. In the UK there are three namely the thicklip (Crenimugil labrosus), the thinlip (Liza ramada) and the golden (Liza aurata). To the untrained eye they may appear to be identical. The streamlined, silver-grey striped flanks, toothless rubbery lips, powerful muscular bodies and … Continue reading TARGETING GREY MULLET
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