SUMMER ROCK TIPS
Ten great LRF tips from Jake Schogler.
1 TIDES AND WEATHER
The first thing I do when planning a trip to the rocks is check the tides and weather. There are some great websites out there that allow you to find out the likely wave height, as well as the time and height of the tides. Metoffice.gov.uk is a great reliable weather forecast site. I also use magicseaweed.com to check wave height and tide times and also windytv.com which gives you a visual wind map to help plan your trip.
2 FOOTWEAR
You need sturdy footwear. Hiking boots, wading boots or, in my case, my Vass Super Nova waders that are heavily studded. Clambering about the rocks can be dangerous, especially if your footwear doesn’t give you grip or support. A slip, trip or fall can have major consequences but this risk can be reduced by grippy footwear and a sensible approach.
3 STAY SAFE
Another item I wear especially when fishing alone is a personal flotation device (PFD) or auto-inflate lifejacket. It’s an item that I hope never to need, but it is there if I require it and doesn’t get in the way of my sea fishing.
I try to fish these marks with a friend – besides having some company, it is much easier to deal with any dangerous situations if you have back-up.
Lastly, I always make sure my mobile phone is charged and ready to use. It is also a good idea to invest in a waterproof pouch to store the phone. Saltwater can destroy a phone, as I have found out on numerous occasions.
4 LRF AND HRF TACKLE
When fishing off the rocks, I take both my LRF tackle and a small selection of HRF tackle too. There is no point making the effort of hitting the rocks and being underprepared for the session.
My LRF gear consists of a fast-actioned, tubular-tipped rod as generally I need an LRF rod with a bit more backbone to help quickly get a hooked fish away from the snags when they are trying to escape.
The HRF tackle follows the same requirements, with a fast-actioned rod preferable to a soft rod. I use the upper end of the LRF spectrum, using braided lines around the PE 0.6 mark and with leaders from 6-8lb. My HRF gear is usually braided line of PE 1.5 to PE 2, with a leader around 16lb to 20lb.
5 UNDER YOUR FEET
Don’t ignore the margins when fishing rock marks. Ledges and rock walls are great places to target, especially for wrasse, which will happily work a rod length out. Purposely fishing under the rod tip and moving along fingers of rock and along gullies can be a great way to pick up wrasse species, as well as sea scorpions and blennies.
6 WATER COLUMN ZONES
I find that the depth you can efficiently work a lure is one of the most important aspects to consider when selecting a lure. Bearing in mind that LRF rods have a casting weight range of 1-8g, you cannot use a heavier lure to work deep. Instead you have to choose a lure type or pattern that will do the job rather than just relying on weight.
I always carry a selection of lures to cover the different areas of the water column, from a couple of top-water versions to jigs that work in the mid-layers through to soft lures and weights I can work close to the seabed.
7 CHECK YOUR LINE
Snags are inevitable. Although there are ways of minimising tackle losses, snags will still happen. It is really important that you keep checking your line especially after snags.
Look for any rough or feathered patches on your braid. If you see these you must cut the line above the frayed patch and re-tie your leader. Fluffing of the braid line will mean that it is considerably weaker and there is every chance a prized fish will break the line if the weakness is left in the rig.
8 METALS
When fishing deep-water rock marks through the summer, metal mini jigs (above) are really in a class of their own. Among the most simple to rig and work, these lures are capable of taking most species in warmer water temperatures. From big fish to multiple species, no trip to the rocks should be complete without working some metal jigs around your chosen mark.
Metal lures are small, heavy and generally aerodynamic, meaning they cast well and far to enable you to cover more water in search of fish. When conditions are windy and rough, metal lures can excel, allowing you to achieve good distance in the cast even into a headwind. They also have the ability to fit a small profile lure into a heavy (for its size) package. This means that the lure’s action is less affected by rough seas, making it a bit easier to control in a swell.
Mini metal jigs, like the HTO Shore Jig or HTO Fugitive, are among the most versatile metals in my tackle box and ideal for working in deeper water. I carry a range of weights up to 7g. These lures work right through the water column. You can twitch them in the surface layers for garfish and mackerel, launce and bass, or work them with a sink-and-draw retrieve close to the bottom for pollack, coalfish, cod and even flounders. They also fish very well on the drop, and I seem to get the most bites as the lure is falling through the water column.
Many shore jigs come ready-rigged with an assist hook, which can help to cut down on snags without affecting hook-up rates. However, I prefer to remove the treble and replace it with a single hook.
9 WEEDLESS
In summer, weed and kelp beds are in full bloom and this can make working lures tricky. You have got to be in it to win it, and these weedy areas hold lots of good fish. From the mini species to big pollack, wrasse and bass, all will use the weed as cover to ambush their prey.
One of the many benefits of using LRF tackle to fish in and around these snaggy areas is being able to feel the underwater terrain. LRF rods are very sensitive and, coupled with the use of braided mainlines, mean you are able to work a lure over and around snags and weed without getting snagged up.
The fact you can feel when your lure is in contact with weed and rocks means you can keep the lure out of the snag zone.
There are also some great rigging options to enable you to fish right in the thick of the weed. The two most versatile rigs are drop shotting and Texas rigging soft plastics.
Drop shot rigs are great for working a lure so that it fishes just above the weed. To do this, it is simply a case of setting the distance from your hook to your lead weight so that it sits on the seabed and the hook is just above the weed. If you combine this with the use of a weedless hook then the snag risk is very low and you can really fish effectively in the thickest of weed beds.
Texas rigging small soft plastics is very effective, but requires the use of a small offset hook. These specialised bits of equipment come in small sizes and can be quite hard to obtain, especially in size 6 or lower. However, if you can get them, they are a great option to use when working a lure in the snag zone.
10 LANDING FISH
Make the landing of fish considerably easier by using a long-handled landing net or a drop-net. I prefer a purpose-designed rock fishing net handle, like the Daiwa Iso net handle, that extends to six metres if required. As a result, I can get a net to the fish without having to get too close to the water.
It is very easy to take your eye off the waves and swell when it comes to that exciting moment of landing the fish, but having a longhandled net allows you to keep out of reach of the waves and safely land your catch.
I have used various net heads but by far the best have been those with rubber mesh. These are soft on the fish and cause no scale loss, as well as being hook-proof. You can unhook the fish and get straight back to fishing without having to spend ages untangling your hook from uncoated netting. ■