Well from the title you guessed it, the summer has landed an the top marks around Weymouth have all started producing, mainly Portland bill for Pollock, Wrasse an Bass. My main target this year is Wrasse on soft plastics, I’m now tackled up with a new Century HPR 7.3 an a Tenryu Injection brought second hand From Keith White, for rods in the same class they are very different an both lend them selves to different situations. The HPR being a dark horse, working a soft lures in close with finesse an punching a Duo SLD 125 out of sight, I’ve so far had bass to 3.5LB on this rod an those few bass were caught at range using soft paddle tails over rough ground letting the lure drift in current, the rod handled perfectly feeling every roll over rocks an shy bites from Pollock an Bass. As for the Tenryu, this rod has a tougher back bone an is becoming my rod of choice for wrasse that are slightly out of playing range of the HPR, You have to give these fish hell when you get a positive bite, or your going to get beat up an lose gear. The Tenryu lending its self to these dirty fighting fish perfectly.
This last month has seen me fishing Portland Bill a lot more than most years due to my ever growing interest in HRF and wrasse fishing. Profiling a new fishing mark can be daunting to anyone in any aspect of fishing, but keeping a diary an building up information can be the key to success an lead those days you never forget, looking back at the last month the main thing I have notice with the wrasse is how sun light affects their behaviour, all wrasse anglers know that wrasse only feed in day light hours feeding heavier over sunset an sunrise (the magic hours). But I’ve had days now with gleaming hot sunshine perfect tides no wind and… NO FISH. But as soon as cloud cover comes over an takes the sun’s glare off the water all hell breaks lose an the bites just keep coming, praps this will change as the summer rolls on, or a simple change in lure colour or size will switch those fish on.
Here’s a video I took on an average day at Portland Bill when the sea state was perfect, swell was minimal an water clarity was crystal. It was only when the sun had dropped to around 35 degrees in to sunset did the bigger fish start to show.
Colour of choice at the moment seems to be dark purples changing over to golden browns an deep reds as the sun starts to set. X layers doing a lot of damage but my confidence in 3 - 4 inch senkos is ever growing stronger..
Until the next time, I’m awaiting a huge order from AGM products full of goodies!
