BAITING UP

There are two great baits for turbot and brill. The first is mackerel. You can use this is a number of ways. A long, thin strip of fresh mackerel (the silver belly often being preferred) is a brilliant bait.

It’s even more effective if you remove most of the flesh to leave a wafer-thin strip that looks almost like skin without any flesh attached.

Another great use of mackerel is a whole fillet. This works well when the water is dirty, which probably has more to do with scent than anything else. Again, this bait works well if you remove the bulk of the flesh.

The other great offering is a cocktail bait of a mackerel belly strip, and either a whole small sandeel or a fillet of launce. both have their day – it’s simply a case of finding which one works best on the day you’re out fishing. The main thing to remember is that both baits need to be hooked very lightly –by nicking the point of the hook through the thin end of the mackerel strip and either the head of the small sandeel, or tail section of the launce fillet. Remove most of the flesh from a thin strip of mackerel Thin strips of mackerel are what you need for the flatties. Note how I’ve shaved most of the meat away from the fillet. This is how I present my mackerel strip baits, nicked twice through the thin end with a fine wire hook.