METHOD

The general method used when fishing for turbot is to fish on the drift, while ensuring your bait is slowly trundling across the banks where the fish are located, a technique that is highly effective when trying to locate isolated pockets of fish.

Always, it is important to ensure your bait is fishing hard on the bottom. Lower your rig down slowly until you feel the lead weight tap the seabed, and then, as the boat continues to drift, allow line to pour freely off the spool. After a while, check the flow of line with your thumb, and you should feel the lead weight dragging across the bottom, keeping the reel in freespool.

As soon as you feel a bite, usually a distinct thump on the rod tip, allow line to run freely off the spool to prevent the bait from getting dragged away from the fish. After about 15-20 seconds, re-check the flow of line with your thumb, allow it to slowly tighten, then re-engage the reel spool and set the hook by lifting your rod, at which point you should, hopefully, feel the weight of the fish.

If fishing at anchor, casting rigs away from the boat, or dropping them straight back downtide and allowing the tide to very slowly drag the bait across the bottom, is another very effective technique for catching turbot.