[Fishery Pokery]

Hi,
I was hoping to use legered live sandeel on holiday this year in the vain hope of a bass or ray. I heard somewhere that they will bury themselves sometimes fished like this. Is this true? :g:
If it is, is there a way to stop them doing this, that won't affect presentation in clear water?
For some of the time I will be fishinggripleads andwill not be able to twitch these every so often. Any ideas?
Thanks everyone.

 

[dai56]

Hi Geoff
I normally either use them under a float or with a very light running ledger 1'oz tops with a longish hook length about 4ft never used them the way you have described hope this helps dai

 

[Bass-ic Instinct]

I use the float fishing method for fishing live sandeel for the bass. The Drennan weighted controller floats in 20g size are perfect for this task, tie a 24''-36'' long 10-15lb fluorocarbon trace to a small (sz 10 or 25lb b.s.) blackend swivel and tie on a size 2 Varivas semi-circle hook to make the trace.Next slide on a 3mm bead followed by the controller float, then another 3mm bead and tie on your trace, use a 10lb powegum stop knot about 12''-18'' up the mainline. That is your simple set up, very effective for fishing live sandeels, and also floating chum mixers and bread crust! I like to use a 2.25lb t.c. carp rod and a shimano 6000 baitrunner for this style of fishing, the freespool on the baitrunner will allow a fish to run and engulf the bait, before you engauge the reel and hook into the fish. It really is heart stopping stuff, as well as controller float bubble and pike fishing floats are good, and so are home-made Jif lemon floats and candle floats.

 

[fishyrob]

Hey Geoff,
I've always hooked them straight though the eyes, and dont think I have had poblems with them burying, although I dont normally pop down for a look..... Maybe they dont see the bottom anymore!

 

[Ginge]

:clap3: Harsh but funny!

Ben

 

[philtherod]

Sandeels (and mackerel) have a void in their skull which is accessed by passing your hook through between the point in front of the eye. The hook will remain horizontal, and prevents a sandeel burying itself. Hope this helps,

philtherod

 

[Phil Arnott]

I've had well over 150 bass on live sandeel fished on the bottom as well as small-eyed, thornback, and stingray, pollack, dogfish, mackerel and turbot. If sandeels dig in it's news to me.

Damage the eels as little as possible. I pass the hook through the mouth and out the gill and nick the point through the side. Cast them out gently even breaking the reel to reduce the entry speed into the water and keep them as lively as possible. They should be still swimming about an hour later if nothing grabs them.

 

[Fishery Pokery]

Thanks everyone for taking the time. I wasn't saying sandeels do bury themselves, just that I had been told they do. I'll use all your methods, together with my shiney new DVices. I was hoping to visit your shop Phil, for some bits and maybe some advice on venues? What is its address?
Thanks again everyone. :kissing:

 

[Phil Arnott]

I wasn't saying sandeels do bury themselves, just that I had been told they do. :

I realise that Geoff I was just trying to give you some confidence in the bait. There are all sort of myths in angling and a lot of them are repeated on the web.

Good Luck with your sandeels,

Phil

 

[Fishery Pokery]

Sorry Phil, I have just read that back and it sounded very different to how I wanted it to. It's sometimes hard typing what you are thinking but without someone knowing what tone you would say it in if you were speaking (if that makes sense). And your advice is much appreciated, cheers Phil.

 

[DINOBOY]

i dont understand why you want to fish a live eel on the bottom as the natrual way a live eel lives is within 3/4ft of the surface??i recomend you fish over a rocky/weedy ground with a rising spring tide using a bubble float,and as above hook the eel very carefuuly through the front of the eye socket (a 1/4 inch square of rubber band passed over the barb after hooking the eel will stop it jumping off) also if your float goes down give it line 3/5yds then let the rod tip take the weight DO NOT STRIKE lean into the fish..circle hooks are the bizz for this type of fishing gamakatsu fine wire full circles are the boys no bigger than 2/0..
if you want more info pm me and i will be glad to help

 

[Phil Arnott]

i dont understand why you want to fish a live eel on the bottom as the natrual way a live eel lives is within 3/4ft of the surface??i recomend you fish over a rocky/weedy ground with a rising spring tide using a bubble float,and as above hook the eel very carefuuly through the front of the eye socket (a 1/4 inch square of rubber band passed over the barb after hooking the eel will stop it jumping off) also if your float goes down give it line 3/5yds then let the rod tip take the weight DO NOT STRIKE lean into the fish..circle hooks are the bizz for this type of fishing gamakatsu fine wire full circles are the boys no bigger than 2/0..
if you want more info pm me and i will be glad to help

Sandeels are called "sandeels" because they bury in the sand they don't call them three foot under the surface eels! They can be found at any depth between the surface and a foot below the sea bed!

If you stand on a sandy bass beach at low water you can see the sandeels emerge on the flooding tide. The bass know this and are waiting for them. And I've seen this happen in Cornwall where you come from.

I too have caught fish on float fished sandeel and it is a good method but I along with many other anglers have caught lots of fish with live sandeel fished on the bottom. It is also a successful method which I learned incidentally when fishing with Cornish anglers.

 

[fishyrob]

hi Phil. Stingray on sandeel! Was that a one off, or have you had repeated success with them?

 

[Phil Arnott]

hi Phil. Stingray on sandeel! Was that a one off, or have you had repeated success with them?

One year in Kerry (it might have been 1985) there were a few stingray late on when we were fishing the pairs match. Dave Wright had two about 15lb each and in a match Alan Yates had a 31lb stinger. As far as I am aware they were all caught on sandeel. These were caught in Tralee Bay, I caught mine a 5/6lb fish in Brandon Bay which is next to Tralee Bay. The locals have had stingray to 70lb in Tralee bay. I am told that mackerel is the most popular bait.

I had a 35lb stinger in North Wales in 1995 on king ragworm. Four days later I was fishing with Mike Thrusselll and he had a 30 tope!

 

[Fishery Pokery]

Thanks for all your help guys. I've just returned from Devon and tried the legered live sandeel, cast out with a Dvice. On the odd occasion I didn't get a bite I would reel in the sandeel, alive and kicking after being cast at least 140 yards, so I'm very pleased with the Dvice. The only small problem I had was that sometimes the hyperactive sandeel would launch itself from the Dvice as I set up the cast, but I always got them away after a fem reloads.
The species I caught using this method were school Bass, Mackeral, strap Conger, Silver Eel, Rockling, Pouting, Dogfish, but not my hoped for Ray. I know some of these species you wouldn't normally associate with sandeel, but thats what I caught.
I may have had different species, but the doggies absolutely loved the live sandeels, and seemed to beat everything else to the bait. I had no idea they were so predatory.
If I had read the advice about not stricking immeadiatly on the float I may have had a few more hookups, as I missed quite a few bites on the float.