Home | Blogs and Opinion | Mike's Diary Archive 2004 | Choosing the right lead, fish release

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Choosing the right lead, fish release

Mike Thrussell 22 July, 2004 04:10:00

ANGLE OF ATTACK
I've been watching anglers on beaches with keen interest recently just to gauge as to what lead choice they make. Immaterial of sea and wind conditions I figure about 90% choose a 5 to 6oz release wire lead. Boys, you're costing yourself fish!

In a rough sea, lateral tide, strong wind conditions, then obviously the wired lead is the way to go. In a calm sea, slight tide current or light breeze you'll do better by choosing a plain lead.

The problem with a wired lead is that it is designed to anchor a bait and relies on a fish passing through the baits scent lane to draw the fish towards the bait. It covers minimal ground and is only fully effective when the sea is full of fish. The plain lead obviously has the ability to roll due to tide pressure on the line and covers much more ground seeking out areas of gutters, depressions and changes in seabed feature.

leads.jpg
Choosing the best lead for the job
Think about the lead in front of you. As tide pressure on the line pulls the lead around, it describes a wide arc that travels back towards the shore. This angle of attack covers 90 degrees. That means you're covering all that ground and literally seeking the fish holding hotspots out. This technique also tends to produce a much greater variety of species as it covers extreme distance right in to the sand hugging surf tables. You need to hold the rod and maintain a tight line otherwise you'll miss bites though.

Yes it is hard work, but stop and think next time you're finding bites hard to come by. If you don't need the lead anchored to the seabed change your angle of attack.

TIPS AND TRICKS
When after whiting most anglers use short 10-inch hook snoods which are fine for fishing when the tide is running hard, but hooking the fish becomes much more difficult when the tide slackens off. When this happens, try lengthening the hook snoods to at least 15-inches. The extra length of snood gives the whiting room to pick up the bait and swim away a little distance before the snood tightens. This encourages self-hooking and keeps you catching when others are struggling.

FISH RELEASE TACTICS

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Careful release of fish
How you place fish back in the water when releasing them is critical and needs a careful approach.

Always handle fish with wet hands or with a wet cloth to preserve protective slime on their bodies and minimise heat transfer off your hands. Big fish like huss and tope I often gently sit astride them lightly pinning their bodies down as this restricts their movement and minimises the chances of them injuring themselves, plus it's easier and quicker to unhook them this way. Placing a wet cloth over a fish's eyes also tends to quieten it down for unhooking.

Hold fish securely by the tail and you must also fully support the body when carrying them to the waters edge. Walk knee deep in to the water and hold the fish in the water for a few seconds for it to get its bearings. The fish will indicate when it is ready to go and you simply open your hands and let it swim away.

When fishing from a pier or breakwater some distance above the water, remember you can use a drop net to release fish as well as land them. Simply place the unhooked fish in to the net, drop the net back down in to the water and let the fish swim free.