The calling of LRF, Weymouth Harbour

As I’m writing this It is horrid an raining outside, we have just seen a huge storm blow through in the past week, which has left many parts of England a little worse for wear, but that’s the least of my concerns. how’s the fishing? From the reports I’ve been hearing an seeing the storm left Chesil beach producing well for bass at all the popular venues. Wrasse fishing got completely shut down around Portland over the period of the storm, a friend posted a picture on face book of 30+feet waves smashing the pulpit.

So with the wind blowing an rain falling I started to get that feeling again to go ever lighter an search the harbour depths of the mini beasts. I heard earlier in the week that the mackerel were showing well from the stone pier. The fight these fish put up is second to none for the weight category an shear numbers. As me an my buddy rob pulled up with light plugging an LRF gear we could see strait away that the water was boiling with fish, GAME ON!

All the mackerel I caught was using small 1inch straw tails on a 2g size 8 jig head. The fish just wouldn’t let up, they were everywhere an at all depths of the water Colum. I was starting to wish I had brought the bass rod an lures to avoid the mackerel as there must have been bass underneath the shoal. Mackerel aren’t a challenge to get on the hook when competing in a shoal this big.

The real challenge is when it comes down to playing the fish on an LRF rod using Varivas Light Game 0.4 PE braided line. For such a understated fish, on balanced gear these fish can run!

So after a manic macky session I had to go back a few days later an try my luck, this time though purposefully avoiding the mackerel. To do this I had to head deeper into the harbour.

Lure of choice was the Marukyu power isome on a size 18 kamasan Aberdeen hook, instead of using small jig heads like normal I thought I’d try an use two bb split shots 3 inches up the hook 2lb fluorocarbon leader. Main reason for this was to give the lure a more natural presentation when the lure settles on the sea bed, same principle as a neutral pop up rig when carp fishing. I don’t want to use a jig head that might bury strait down into weed taking my lure with it. My methods an madness paid off well with plenty of fish being caught, including my first scorpion fish on lure. For one of the biggest mini beasts, this fish had the shyest of bites, but once I set the hook this little critter took off. Great fun!

I had to fish very very close to the harbour walls at times, looking for structure, an casting no more than two rod lengths at a time. polarised glasses are key in these situations when looking for small underwater structures like Broken clay pipe work, submerged railway sleepers an old rotten pier up stands. If only I had an under water camera.. Weymouth harbour is an aquarium!

My goal for the next couple weeks is to get back to the harbour an search the deeper channels around the more busier parts of the harbour, both at night an by day. ho an before i forget, I’m in the process of making my own hand crafted moulds for my wrasse fishing lures, here’s a sneak preview at one of the designs made from Flimo clay.