| #1  04-13-2004, 06:32 AM | ||||
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| best way of catching flatties ?? whats the best way of catching flatties in an estury?? any type of flatties thanks __________________ Bens The Name And Catchings The Game Anti the Anti's     |
| #2 04-13-2004, 08:40 AM | |||
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| Three hook flapper, snoods ending in 1/0 Aberdeen style hooks. Slide beads and sequins (patterns seem to work better, 2 white, 2 red, 2 green etc.) on directly behind the hooks and crimp into place with a small ferrule. Squins fit between the beads. You can add a flasher spoon if you like, but just on final hook on the trace! On clean marks (not mud) fish using a watch lead. On other marks use a plain lead to allow the baits roll about and find lies. If the mark is snaggy use a rotten bottom link and ensure the hook snoods are of a lighter breaking strain than the main trace as it will allow you pull for a break and lose only the snagged lead or hook length. Bait can be lugworm, sandeel, mackerel strips, mussel, cockles, clams, ragworm of any size but in daylight and clear water, but the best bait is almost certainly peeler crab. You can collect these yourself or buy them fresh or frozen on the local sea angling tackle shop. You will need only half a small crab for each 1/0 hook. Whip this on to the hooks and cast out into a deeper channel as it fills on an incoming tide. Try to fish along the channel rather than across it. Tipping with tiny bits of squid (some people using elastic band) helps keep the hook points free and available... Wading may be required, and care must be taken in wading in estuaries as quicksand, deep mud and other hazards abound. It pays to know the mark like the back of your hand, for safety's sake... Flatfish are inquisitive by nature. This is why the beads and sequins work, but they have to be on the move in order to generate the interest so use a stepped retrieve. Cast out, give it five minutes for the scent trail to start working, then reel in a few yards. Stop for 30 seconds to a minute. Reel in another few yards. Repeat the process right up to the surf line - you would be amazed how little water a flatfish will and can operate in... Dabs are slightly different in that they are scavengers and absolutely love old dead lugworm, the smellier the better, with five days stored in the garage being about right! Sole are rare here in Ireland bar the southern coasts but more common in the UK. They like to feed in the suf line, very close to teh shore but the key here is the hook size. You need to drop it down to 2s or even 4s as they have tiny mouths relative to the size of the fish itself. If you are using peeler crabs, try using the legs and claws rather than the body for bait, as they will fit on such small hooks. You will need to whip them on... Flounder in particular are known to lie on a bait, munching quietly away so always check your baits regularly if you do not want your fish to be gut hooked, especially if you are using the very small hooks targeting sole. In very calm conditions, whip a bit of mackerel into the hole in the watch lead using shirring elastic to get a bigger scent trail. Hope this helps, more information on the website... |
| #3 04-13-2004, 11:02 AM | ||||
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| :well: if you get plagued by crabs try the floats or take the beads off dont get very many crabs if you dont use any beads __________________ |
| #4 04-13-2004, 12:49 PM | ||||
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| thanks for the help gr8 bit of info how many beads is it best to use?? because i saw a pic of a rig (wishbone) which had about 50 beads on!!!!! and thought this might be a little bit of over-kill __________________ Bens The Name And Catchings The Game Anti the Anti's |
| #5 04-13-2004, 12:51 PM | ||||
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| ye you dont need to use many if your using 3 hooks you only need about 3 beads on each hooklength if you use 1 hook about 6 __________________ |
| #7 04-13-2004, 01:01 PM | ||||
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| i never used them from the shore __________________ |
| #8 04-13-2004, 01:05 PM | ||||
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| i have a few times and i caught about 5 out of the 7/8 flounders i have caught with that rig but i dont know if this is just due to luck or the weather it was just a 1 up 1 down rig with booms and 1 sequin using rag for bait seemed to work also it seems to me that the better i get at casting the less fish i catch, are flatties as liekyl to be in close as out far?? __________________ Bens The Name And Catchings The Game Anti the Anti's |
| #9 04-13-2004, 01:11 PM | ||||
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| they are normally close in __________________ |
| #10 04-13-2004, 01:15 PM | ||||
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| If you're being plauged with crabs, swop the normal beads for 5 or 6 floating beads. This will lift the bait off the seabed a little and deter the crabs. Flatties will lift up from the seabed to take bait. I normally use 6 beads and 3 sequins as stated above, but I don't crimp, I use a stop knot above the beads that can be moved up and down the hook length as I sometimes like to thread on a whole rag up the line and then add a couple fo smaller ones as head hooks. You really need to experiment Ben. With a 3 hook flapper you can try different scenarios and see what works best for you, in your area. |
