Into the light
THERE are whispers that mackerel are in although not on my radar yet but if you’re after some holiday fishing, you might want to pack LRF gear alongside the feathers and floats.
If you’ve not tried light rock fishing it’s a method that can get you and the kids catching off rocks, piers, harbour walls pretty much anywhere around our coast.
I spoke to TronixPro & HTO’s LRF guru Jake Schogler about where to start.
He said: “LRF is a way of ultra light lure fishing in the sea. It includes using ultra-light lines and rods capable of casting up to 8g in conjunction with small reels and lures only.
“This style was introduced from Japan and the uptake in the UK has been fantastic, for good reason – fishing ultralight lures in the sea catches fish of every size and species.
“Add to the fact that you don’t need a ton of equipment nor a vast expense to get started, you can see why.
“You don’t need to gather or buy baits which means that providing you have your rod, reel and lures, you can go whenever you have time.
“This in itself can lead to a
much more opportunistic approach to fishing, if you are by some water and have your tackle in the car (it takes up no space) then you can have a quick cast to see what’s there.
“This can throw up some great surprise catches and leads you to explore new areas, and more fun.
“Actively working a tiny lure around harbours, rock marks etc can pick up a host of species big and small.
“The fact that we use low diameter braid main line and crisp light rods means that even a pollack under a pound puts up a fight and it gives you a new appreciation of what’s swimming around your marks.
“There are some fantastic species that you’ll rarely see – blennies, dragonets, various wrasse, all sorts waiting to be caught plus once you hook a mackerel on LRF gear you might put away the big rods for good.
“It’s the tackle used that defines LRF not the species targeted or the venue fished.
“Short sensitive rods, little reels and braided mainlines – I’m fishing my HTO Nebula Light Gamer 7ft 1-7g , a 2000 Rockfish reel loaded with 8lb PE0.8 braid and a spool of fluorocarbon for the leader.
“For lures a selection of jigheads and weights to rig up soft lures or artificial baits plus some metals like the Tic-Tac or Flip-Flop.
“LRF use in Britain spread to multiple shoreline types from flat sand beaches to harbours and docks. It is a style that can be practised where there is saltwater and fish present. It’s about whatever is in front of you.”
Check out Jake’s tips, reviews and fishing reports on www.tronixfishing.com