BOAT FISHING WITH BARHAM
Advice on catching gurnards on light tackle.
Gurnards are usually caught by accident when anglers fish with bottom baits, but in some areas of the country it is possible to target them with light tackle, which puts a completely different perspective on their fighting capabilities.
Not only are gurnards great eating, they provide some excellent sport for both bait and lure anglers.
Most UK sea fish species are the exact opposite of their tropical relatives when it comes to colouration. Our cold-water species are often shades of brown, grey or silver, but tub and red gurnards are real mavericks when it comes to the colouration stakes. Even the grey gurnard has tinges of purple – guaranteed to brighten an otherwise dull day at sea.
The shape of a gurnard is quite unlike any other British sea species. With their exceptionally strange looks and big head, it will probably come as no surprise that the order of fishes they come from is known as Scorpaeniformes (scorpionfishes and flatheads), and the direct family of fishes that they are related to is called the Triglidae (Searobins).
Scorpionfishes have distinct looks and a matching personality - the gurnard is no exception. From initial looks they may appear quite cute, but this is far from the truth. The gurnard has developed to live and hunt on the seabed among the most fearsome of larger predators.
Large eyes to see at depth in low light, dorsal spines and sharp gill plates capable of deterring any other predator, and a huge head constructed entirely of bone, taking up a third of its body mass, means that for any other predator that eats fish whole, it’s an uninviting meal.
Gurnards not only have large heads and large eyes, but also have an oversized mouth when compared to their somewhat smaller body. This large mouth is the ideal tool for any bottom feeder that needs to swallow dinner quickly and without even having to chew.
Perhaps the most notable feature, though, is the gurnard’s huge pectoral fins, almost like wings, which are used for propulsion. Three long feelers can be found extending like fingers from the base of these fins. These are not only used to feel for food, but to walk on like legs.
WHERE AND WHEN
Gurnards can be caught all-year-round from much of the UK coastline, but catches are more frequent during the warmer months. A gurnard’s diet consists of anything that will go down whole, including crustaceans (mostly shrimps and small crabs) and fish (gobies, flatfish, young herring, eels and other bottomdwelling fish). All three species of gurnard will often be found living hard on the bottom either on clean open ground or on clean ground around the edge of a reef or wreck.
The south coast, Cornish and Welsh coasts, right up the west coast into Scotland provides some of the best gurnard fishing, with notable spots such as Rhyl being established as the hot spot for big tub gurnards, which often weigh in excess of 6lb.
Gurnards love sand, shingle and mud, although you may find areas where they are more common and prolific. Although predominantly a bottom species, I have caught gurnards just a few feet under the surface in over 100 metres of water, strings of them at a time on feathers intended for mackerel.
TACKLING UP
It is highly likely that if you target a gurnard you will be catching multiple other species at the same time, so you’ll need a rod that not only offers sport when playing smaller fish, but one that also has a little backbone to lift larger species that could possibly be caught.
This is where a multi-tip match rod comes into its own, or one of the modern lure fishing rods with a soft tip action and stiff butt. A good alternative is a 6/12lb-class boat rod if the amount of lead weight and tide dictates.
Fishing for smaller species can often be known as ‘scratching’, so it’s all about bite detection and recognising the smallest of bites and knowing when to strike. A fixed s-pool reel loaded with 15lb braid will be perfect for the job.
As you would expect, with match-style fishing comes match rig tactics, and this is the best way to present baits when looking to target gurnards and other smaller fish. Multi-hook paternosters and one-up one-down rigs are perfect. However, in some areas a baited hokkai rig takes some beating – it’s really a case of horses for courses.
If I’m specifically targeting gurnards, I like to use a two-hook paternoster or two hooks down with size 1 hooks and a bit of bling added to the snood, either beads or beads and sequins will work a treat.
Fish strip and sandeel baits aimed at turbot and brill are often taken by larger gurnards, but the best way to target them is by using combination baits. These include ragworms, lugworms, squid strip, peeler crabs and various shellfish, with small pieces of fish strip being the most successful.
LURE FISHING
Gurnards, especially the tub and red variety, love a lure. I’ve caught countless gurnards on Sidewinder sandeels and Savage Gear sandeels and the like over the years. In recent years, though, I have had great success with small metals, more specifically slow jigs.
The way that a slow jig is worked means that it is kept in the feeding zone for longer, which gives the gurnard more time to get to it and attack, which is why I guess the tactic is so successful.
It’s no coincidence that when fishing over a wreck for species, such as bass and pollack, gurnards nearly always put in an appearance on lures. It often happens just after you drift off the wreck, mainly because the gurnards will be laying in wait in the sandy scour behind it. If I specifically wanted to target gurnards on lures, I’d go wreck fishing and not fish the wreck!
Although many gurnards that are caught are generally small in the 1-2lb bracket, the British boat record for a tub gurnard is 11b 7oz 4dr. The British record for the red and grey are somewhat smaller, with their weights being 3lb 2oz 2dr and 2lb 7oz
8dr respectively. Then there is the smallest of the family, the streaked gurnard, with a 1lb 2oz British boat record weight. ■