My 3rd Indian Angling Adventure - Jan/Feb 2013

Scott, Markus and I with the van that took us all along the West Coast.

In early January 2013 I jetted off to India for my third angling adventure to the sub-continent, I had 6 weeks to travel and fish. I flew out to meet Scott and Markus, they had been fishing for a month already and got their hands on a van, a couple of kayaks and a basic shack that was to be our HQ for the duration. Upon my arrival there was news of some great Barramundi fishing action which was good to hear.

Red Snapper fillets left to dry in the sun by a local fisherman.

The appeal of sea fishing in India to me is the vastness of the country and the relative absence of other sport fishermen. There is so much ground to cover and it's a rare occurrence to find others fishing. Essentially, it feels like you have the whole place to yourself, especially so if you're prepared to get off the beaten track a little. Fisherman's Paradise. It's not to say the fishing is easy or on a plate, you must be prepared to work at it. But for those with a sense of adventure and willing to make the effort then the results are certainly there for the taking.

Out on the water with Baba, our friend and boatman.

With a base acquired on the coast we had somewhere to call home and stash the vast quantities of fishing equipment we were carrying. Every angling eventuality had been considered and catered for. From our HQ we were then able to run out on trips of several days and up to a week, taking in several locations and destinations as we travelled. 

Markus tries his luck at dawn, flicking a few lures from the rocks.

We carried all the necessary camping equipment and were therefore able to lay our heads wherever the van took us on a daily basis. It was a great way to travel, knowing that you had everything you needed with you. The fishing was number one priority and we were effectively self sufficient for days at a time.

Camping on top of the cliffs.

Compared to the 2010 trip where Scott and I did over 5000 kilometres each on scooters we were now travelling in comfort and style. The van was great. As well as being able to carry extra equipment we could strap the kayaks on the roof. This opened up a whole world of additional angling opportunities.

'India is Great' - painted on the back of a lorry. Yes it is!

Markus was with Scott and I for just my first 3 weeks, he had to fly home to Austria for work after that. We went on a load of incredible road trips as a group together and went to some amazing places. They were good times. After Markus left then Scott and I had a further two and a half weeks of fishing before I too had to leave.

Ah! Ice Cold Kingfisher...not much beats it after a long day fishing!

So it all started off chilling on the beach, acclimatising and sinking a few 'Kingfishers' for a couple of days. We then headed on to our HQ where the fishing could begin. My first night was spent camping out under the stars on a deserted beach at a spot we had fished many times in the past. It is a known Barramundi hotspot to us and seemed like the perfect place to begin our quest. It felt good to be back, all the hard work and preparation back home was worth it.

The quality of the Barramundi that can be found in Indian waters.

The fishing was pretty hot! Scott beached a couple of lovely Barra and I hooked two and lost two. I put that down to my over eagerness and being a little rusty. Not that I was worried though - we had six weeks of angling ahead of us.

Fishing baits at dusk on a surf beach as the sun sinks over the Indian Ocean

I've used Kayaks at various stages in my life and whilst growing up, but fishing from one was a fairly new concept for me. I had dabbled a little on the last trip in 2010 but nothing too serious. This time around I made the most of it and really got a taste for it. The advantages of having the kayaks are many and it really opened our angling up to many other opportunities that had previously been out of reach.

Have kayaks - Will travel!

Just about 10 minutes paddle out from our HQ were a set of inshore reefs and we spent a fair bit of time out there fishing these. It was great to wake at dawn and head straight out in the kayaks to fish them. There were plenty of fish around - snappers, groupers and reef fish of all different colours. We mainly either trolled round the reefs or cast a variety of lures back at the structure from the kayaks to entice a bite. Some days you'd get lots of action, others were quiet.

We even made the local paper! They were keen to tell our story of travelling and fishing the west coast.

The fish shown below is the first that I managed to catch from the kayak on this trip. . The fish took a liking to my rubber lure, giving my tackle and skill a good work-out. It bored down for the rocks below taking line on several occasions. It was an incredible battle but in the end, constant pressure from above won the day and my prize popped up by the boat. After unhooking and a couple of quick photos I slipped the fish back to fight another day. A great result.

A fine Blubber-Lip Snapper opens my account from the kayak. These boys play dirty and fight hard!

If not fishing from the kayaks we devoted our time to re-visiting old successful haunts and exploring new locations. The coast is absolutely littered with incredible fishing locations. The different habitats one encounters are enough to keep any fisherman entertained. There are surf beaches running into reefs and boulders all shadowed by towering mountains of rock, lagoon, bays and estuaries-a-plenty, mangrove swamps. The choice is endless and the fishing opportunities are numerous.

The reasons why we go all that way to fish are clear to see in this photo.

Sharks have never been of any significant by-catch in our experience. The locals seem to think that most of them have been fished out which is a sad thing to hear. However, Scott had caught a small Black-Tip Reef Shark some years ago at stunning surf beach. We have fished this beach several other times since then but never encountered any more. This was all set to change when we visited this time around.

Playing a nice fish in the surf at dusk

We made the long trek to fish the huge surf beach about half way through the trip. It's an awesome place and there's always some good fishing to be had there. Snappers, Rays, Guitar Fish and the likes. You never know what might turn up. We had the mother of all ice boxes with us and a great selection of fresh fish bait direct from a local boat. So we were well prepared as fresher really is better in my book.

Markus, Scott and I relaxing by the fire at one of our camping spots on yet another deserted beach

When we fished it this time round, within 20 minutes our rods were away and we were into the fish. Scott was first in and his rod screamed off with line melting from the spool. A great scrap followed and it wasn't until the fish got close in that we were able to see the characteristic shape of a sharks fin poking through the surf. It was a nice surprise and after that one we went on to beach probably near on a dozen fish between us ranging in size from 8 or 9lb right up to 25lb. They were Black-Tip Reef Sharks and all were released.

My first experience of catching Black-Tips from the shore. What beautiful creatures they are too!

Scott with the biggest Shark of the day. AWESOME FISH!

We went out in boats a few times and would often troll lures to see what could be tempted. There were some good fish to be had. The grouper were often quite obliging, darting out from their rocky lairs to intercept a passing lure. The one shown below put up a great scrap before being subdued and brought to the boat. This one quite liked my Yozuri Lure.

A Toby-Maru lure firmly wedged in the mouth a good sized Grouper.

Profile shot of a great looking Grouper (Malabar Rock Cod)

Other species encountered whilst out trolling in the boat were the usual snappers - Mangrove Jacks and Blubberlips. The Trevally species and the ever present Barracuda. On occasions we spent time popping for the Giant Trevally as well with Scott catching the biggest of the trip. And what a fish it was too!

A huge, bruiser of a GT fell foul to Scott's popper

I took a variety of home made bucktail-jig type lures with me and was able to test these while offshore in the boats. I have found them to be deadly and a very versatile lure. They are cheap to make too so I find I'm not so precious about loosing a few. As it turns out, my home made ones were up to the job and took numerous fish. The snapper and trevally were keen on them and I lost a big kingfish while out in the kayak as he bit through my 80lb leader.

Jochen our German friend with a nice Blubber-Lip Snapper on one of my home made jigs

A pretty little trevally takes another of my home made jigs

Whilst on one of our road trips we came across an amazing spot where there were miles of rocks and cliffs plunging in to deep water with lots of great looking areas to fish. There were a couple of local guys hand-lining when we arrived and they had not had much success other then a couple of small snapper. We set up camp on a grassy ledge on top of the cliffs looking down on to the reef below and then waited for the heat of the sun to mellow. After that we headed out to fish.

Camping up above some very fishy looking ground.

It turned out to be a good spot for us. After hiking for a long way across the treacherous rocks in the afternoon sun Scott and Markus got into some action. Markus caught a Sheephead Bream and Scott then managed to hook into a good sized Trevally. This was a really fine specimen and gave him a great fight from his perch on the rocks. I had been fishing elsewhere further back and just on dark after I'd caught up with the lads again I then caught a nice Fingermark Snapper that was always destined to become our dinner. So we ate well that evening.

Scott with his fine shore caught trevally. Good job mate!

Fingermark Snapper that was kept for the pot on this occasion

The fish known commonly as the Flathead can be found in the inshore waters of India and although having seen one very occasionally I had never actually caught one. They've generally been caught as a by-catch when fishing lures over sand for barramundi, but they are usually fairly small. I happened to catch one by accident one night in exactly these circumstances. I'm told it is a very big one by Indian standards so I was pretty pleased with it. Crazy pre-historic looking things they are too.

Nice big Flathead off the sand

As always the Barramundi fishing was up to scratch and we had some really great sessions taking fish from many different environments. These fish are really very versatile. They can be anywhere from miles upstream in a river to out in the open ocean. There really isn't much in fishing to beat the thrill of casting lures after dark for Barramundi. We encountered many specimens, big and small on this trip. They never fail to please with their dogged and often air-borne fighting style. 

Not every day you see one of these when you're fishing

I saved the best for last. I had caught a good few quality fish during the holiday but a real whacker had so far eluded me. On my last session before having to fly home two fish over 25lb came my way in the space of fifteen minutes. They fought like tigers on the light tackle and after the necessary photos were both released. 

The first and biggest of the pair. What a scrap! Tail-walking, leaping and screaming runs!

Swiftly followed by this brute. What a brace of fish to finish up on!

On past trips we had spent quite considerable time targeting the mighty Mahseer in the freshwater rivers of South India. These fish have been nearly all but wiped out in many places due to dynamite fishing and poaching. We had previously fished for them in the protected waters of a wildlife reserve where their numbers flourished and our results reflected the high population density of the fish in this safe haven.

Markus, Scott and Baba heading out in the boat for a bit of GT popping

Having the van this time round we decided that we should make an exploratory kayak trip up a beautiful river we had discovered deep in the jungle  on our last visit there. The aim was to see if the tumbling, crystal clear waters were still home to the Mahseer and also what other species were in residence.

Heading inland to the river for a kayaking expedition

It would be a largely exploratory trip as we knew very little about the fish stocks other than rumours and fisherman's tales we had been told. We simply had to check it out for ourselves, it was a wonderful change of scenery and pace from being on the coast.

Paddling up river through the jungles of Karnataka, looking for the elusive Mahseer and other freshwater species

From looking at the river it's easy to imagine that it is stuffed with hard fighting fish. The cobalt blue waters and tumbling rapids look very welcoming as they flow from one pool to the next and it was an incredibly beautiful place to be paddling around. We strapped all the provisions and camping gear we needed to our kayaks and headed off into the unknown trolling our lures behind us.

Pausing to soak up the scenery and snap off a few frames

We had seen a large Mahseer from a road bridge as we crossed the river on our journey to the campsite where we left the van and the locals assured us that there were 'barra machli' (which means 'big fish' in Hindi). As hard as we tried there was no action from these hard fighting specimens. They seemed to be conspicuous by their absence.

The obliging cyprinid species that kept us entertained during our paddling adventure

I saw a shoal of perhaps 25 small juvenile Mahseer all milling about under the branches of a fallen tree but could not tempt them to take a lure. They seemed very skittish and vanished as quickly as they had appeared. They didn't seem to be present in the numbers we had hoped for.

A local farmer we met after we camped on his land for the night

Fortunately there was another species of fish present that seemed to be in good numbers and were quite obliging. We are not sure of the species but believe it to be a carp variety, possibly a Carnatic Carp. Either way, they were beautiful fish and quite happy to attack our spinners and plugs. They really fought hard too.

Looking downstream at first light

Fine specimens indeed were these fish and a new species for us but not the Mahseer we so desperately hoped for. It's disappointing to find a lack of Mahseer but they have been persecuted for many years thanks to their high market value and tasty flesh, there are a lot of mouths to feed in India!

A gift to our farmer friend to thank him for letting us camp on his land

On the way back from the river we took a detour via the ancient city of Hampi. It was an amazing journey just getting there which was half the fun. On arrival the sight of the ancient temples and bazaars set amongst the ruins and giant boulder fields was quite a sight to behold and made the long journey all the more worthwhile.

Crazy sights on the road to Hampi....only in India!!

We spent 3 days just wandering around the dusty ruins, taking in the sights and snapping away with our cameras. It was great to soak up the atmosphere of the ancient ruins, imagining how life would have been when the temples were full of pilgrims back in the day.

A view of the Hampi boulder fields seen from high on top of a temple

We slept each night out in the boulder fields surrounding the town. Camping round a fire was far better than any dirty, bed bug ridden lodging in the town itself and afforded us much more peace and quiet. We rarely put our tents up though as we preferred to sleep by the fire.  On this occasion, due to the warmth of the rocks at night having soaked up the suns energy snakes could well have been a pest so we put them up.......and a damn good thing we did too!

A Langur Monkey chilling out amongst the ruins

During one of the nights I was awoken with a start and lay there in my tent sweating and a little confused why I was awake so suddenly. I just lay there, motionless and silent with sharpened senses, listening to hear if there was anything outside my tent. After a short moment there was an almighty roaring sound from just the other side of the canvas. The unmistakable call of the Leopard!

Some of the ruins at Hampi

I totally froze at this point in fear and just waited to see what would happen. I could hear the deep breathing of the animal as it circled my tent a couple of times. Fortuanately, after two or three laps it wandered off and I could here it's call disappearing off into the distance. A close one there! I'm very pleased we put the tent up on this occasion, waking up face to face with a big cat is not something I ever want to experience!

Sunset over Hampi

After Hampi, my time was up and I had to fly back home. Yet again India continues to wow and amaze me. My love affair with it's people, food, culture and fishing deepens with every visit. India really gets under my skin and I can't wait to get back there again. TIGHT LINES!

Scott boulder hopping at Hampi

Mackerel - a sign of summer?

As cold and miserable as it's been this spring the mackerel are not too worried about it. As long as the conditions are right for them then they will come inshore to feed. We need clear, settled conditions and a good degree of clarity for the water to make this happen.

Beautiful sunset over Brighton, what an evening!

A couple of weeks back we did have some settled conditions and the mackerel have been around. I had been informed that they were showing locally at first and last light so made a trip down to the West Arm of Brighton Marina after dinner one evening on a bait and food gathering misssion. Nothing fancy, just a pier rod and a couple of sets of fathers to be cast as the sun went down. It was a beautiful calm evening and it wasn't even that busy on the pier. There were the odd mackerel coming up every now and then as I set up which was a good sign.

I set up a string of 5 feathers and got to work, it took me an hour to get a couple and then had a full string followed by a few more as the sun went down - that was enough for me. With 25 fish in the bag that was plenty for a nice supper the next day and a load of bait for the freezer. Job done - and what a night for it too.

Dinner for the following night - lovely and fresh!

Thin-Lipped Mullet in the estuary

Thin Lipped Mullet going about their business

As the spring arrives here in the South of England and the weather warms up so the migratory fish return to our shores for their annual visit. One of the first arrivals that particularly interests me is the Thin-Lipped Mullet, one of the 3 mullet species that inhabit our waters.

What's particularly interesting about this mullet species is that it displays predatory traits as part of it's behaviour and as such is able to be caught on a spinner. But not just any old spinner. More of that in a moment.

The Thin Lipped Mullet primarily feed by sifting micro-organisms and small worms from the mud along with the eating of algae. The trick to catching them on a spinner lies in their love of small harbour ragworms found in the estuary banks.

If you cast and retrieve a spinner the mullet will have none of it. Not remotely interested. However, if you attach a few ragworms to the hooks of the spinner then suddenly the mullet are curious and will follow the spinner. If you are luck enough they will take the worm and will get hooked. Perhaps it invokes a sense of competition amongst the shoal and they feel that the spinner and worm are two separate beings chasing each other and that it's their job to get to the meal first...who knows! What I do know though is that it works and is great fun. Sometimes you have to keep the spinner just below the surface, others the fish want it a foot or two down. They'll follow it and nibble at the ragworms, just keep winding until you feel the solid resistance as the fish hooks itself.

This is why you need a specially adapted spinner for these fish. Instead of a treble, tie a short length of braid (2-3 inches) to the rear of the spinner and then 2 hooks an inch apart on it. Simply thread the ragworm onto the braid via the two hooks. This serves to help keep the worms on the hook and act as a 'stinger' hook to help nail the nibbling fish.

Finally, a Thin Lipped Mullet graces the bank!

I have been out trying to catch these recently on my local estuary, wandering the banks casting to shoals of cruising fish. It was tough at first as the weather was so cold, the fish were reluctant to chase. Once we'd had a bit of sunshine and the water warmed by a few degrees I started to get interest and eventually managed to hook a few and finally get one on the bank. Great scrappers for their size!

Indian Barramundi Fishing 2013

THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN AT THE REQUEST OF 

THE 'ALL INDIA GAME FISHING ASSOCIATION'

Here I am fishing the surf for Barramundi - thanks to Scott for this super photo

With 2012 being a generally very rubbish year for angling in the UK for a number of reasons....mostly the blinking weather....it was with great delight delight that I planned my third visit to the Indian sub-continent with my old buddy Scott Richardson for another fishing adventure. There's not much that can beat the feeling of leaving the cold British winter behind and jetting off to warmer climes with a bag full of tackle, a tube full of rods and a heart full of hope and anticipation.

We have learnt an awful lot from our previous visits and each trip has enabled us to streamline the gear that we take with us. Fortunately this time we were traveling with Air India who have a very generous baggage allowance for an angler of 48 kg's plus a rod tube - there surely must have been an angler on the board of governors there, most airlines allow a little over 20 kg's. It has to be said, the majority of our luggage was full of lures - rubber, plastic, metal, fur and feathers.....you name it, we had it!

All the gear I took to keep me going for 6 weeks

Scott flew out 6 weeks ahead of me and had arranged a van, a couple of sea kayaks and rented a small hut on the coast that was to be our fishing HQ for the duration of the trip. This gave us independence, flexibilty and security which was far better than on previous trips where we had relied on public transport or scooters. I flew in and took the hour taxi ride to the coast where I met with Scott and two other friends - Markus and Jochen. They are from Austria and Germany respectively, we often fish with them whilst out there. From here began 6 weeks of travel, adventure, fishing and excitement.

Have Kayaks will travel!

On arrival I heard from Scott and the guys that the fishing had been good so far with them having been out targeting the inshore species such as the barramundi, trevally, grouper, flathead, snapper and the like. One thing that really excites me about fishing in India is the light tackle sport with the barramundi. These fish are nothing short of incredible. You can catch them on deadbait, lures, fly and livebaits - I simply couldn't wait to get amongst them. My favourite technique is surely fishing for them over clean ground on light spinning tackle as it is here that these powerhouse fish best get to show off their fighting prowess. Think screaming reels, leaps, long runs, head shaking, tail-walking and acrobatics....you get the picture! These fish have it all. 

My first night of fishing was with Scott at a spot where we had caught some exceptional barramundi on previous trips. I was keen as mustard but a little rusty it has to be said, I hooked into two huge fish and dropped them both. One straightened the hook on my lure as I played it a little too hard in my over excited state and the other just dropped off for no apparent reason. I was disappointed but at least the fish were there and that was the important thing. It was a little reminder of the power of these fish and the fact that I needed to upgrade my hooks to a stronger, heavier gauge - A top tip if you ever find yourself pursuing these powerful creatures. The quest for monster barramundi had begun.

Our humble abode - HQ and fishing base for the trip

My tackle for clean ground when fishing over sand is a sturdy spinning rod in the 20-80g range paired with a solid 4500 size spinning reel, loaded with 20lb braid. I love the non stretch qualities of this line for my lure fishing and the low diameter for casting ability. The set up is finished off with 3 to 4 feet of 80lb mono or fluorocarbon rubbing leader joined to the braid. The lure is then either tied directly to the leader or by use of a sturdy clip.

When fishing from the rocky shoreline and headlands for these fish then the tackle needs to be stepped up to give you a good chance of landing any fish you may be lucky enough to hook. A good sturdy rod with a solid   backbone to give the fish some stick and keep them from cutting the line on the rocks is essential. Pair this with a 6000/7000 size reel, 80lb braid and the 80lb leader and you have a chance of getting the bigger fish out. Without it you can kiss goodbye to your expensive lures and braid and maybe even leave hooks in a fish which no one wants.

Successful lures are small to medium size weighted shads or similar soft plastics on tough jig heads. It's all about the vibration given off by their little tails and a good silhouette that triggers the strike. Hard lures can be equally successful, we've found that rapalas, bombers, yozuris and the like do the business. Lure colour is an interesting topic, everyone has their own ideas on this one but I have always gone for natural, white or silver colours. Match the hatch as it were.

Markus flicking a few lures around at sunrise

As I mentioned earlier, to stand the best chance of landing any barramundi you hook it's always advisable to upgrade the hooks on your lures. The jaw pressure of even a small barramundi is enough to open up most modest treble hooks if given the chance. The best option is to replace them with 5 x strength trebles paired with solid split rings from reliable companies such as Owner, Mustad, VMC, Gamakatsu if you want to land all your fish. Takes two minutes using a pair of split ring pliers. Many weighted soft lures have a built in hook too, best to cut these off and tie on a 5 x treble using heavy braid and super glueing all the knots too.

Hard Lures

By far the best time to be barramundi fishing is in low light conditions or after dark. What always amazes me is that the fish manage to find these small lures after dark in such a huge volume of water. It is without doubt that they 'feel' the lure as much as, if not more, than they see it. It takes a leap of faith to fish lures in the dark but it really works. If you've never tried it before then give it a go, you won't look back. Without doubt, after dark and during periods of changing light (sunrise/sunset) are the best times to be flicking a lure about wherever you are in the world. The fish feel safe and will come closer to shore within casting range.

Soft Plastic Lures

The barramundi are masters of the ambush attack, using structure, current and the environment to their advantage. You need to think like a fish. Anywhere that offers  a good vantage point from which to make an attack, structure that it can hide behind and areas where currents converge, split, rip and eddy are all good places to be working a lure. These fish want be in the best spots from which to ambush their prey whilst at the same time expending as little energy as possible. With a little thought and watercraft it's not too hard to work out where the fish may be laying up on your mark. After dark they can be right under your feet, so it's important to work the rock ledges and margins. Running the lure right to your feet is also a must, occasionally they will hit the lure right on the surface under the rod tip, be prepared and make sure to set that hook well - their mouths are very hard and tough.

Our Quarry.....The Beautiful Barramundi. My first proper lump of this trip.

Whilst lure fishing at night it's important to remain focused, fish well and treat every cast like it could be 'the one'. It's easy to lose your concentration after fishing for several hours without a bite and this can be detrimental. The fish can move through at any stage of the tide and it's important to be ready for them when they do. One bite is all you need to suddenly change everything. It's a question of confidence, as long as you have a lure in the water then you have a chance. You just have to keep the faith and believe. These tactics really do work, it's just a question of putting in the time. A little research goes a long way. Get out there and fish your marks at different times and states of the tide, then you can really build up a true picture of what the fish are up to and where they are. By keeping a record of your findings, patterns will start to emerge over time and this is the secret to cracking the barra fishing on any chosen mark. It's time and experience that really count and in my mind is a big part of the satisfaction, it's not just about catching the fish.

The take from a barramundi can be surprisingly gentle, especially with soft plastics. They are allowed to sink before commencing the retrieve which puts the bait down around the level the fish are laying up at. As the lure passes over the fish, it simply sucks it in which is signaled as a gentle bite on the rod tip. Or the sensation that the lure just stops dead. That's when you set the hook.

With hard lures the fish slam into them a little more. The fish will rise through the water column from below, hitting the lure and then turn back for the bottom creating a much more savage bite at the rod tip. Sometimes in these instances the fish will hook itself but it's always wise to drive those hooks home anyway to create a good hook hold.

Scott scans the water for signs of fish - another day, another deserted beach! 

I had set myself the target of catching a few barra over the magical 20lb mark and after my initial over-eagerness it wasn't long before things improved. I soon settled in to the fishing and honed my skills with the lures, it always takes a few days to get in to it on a trip like this and so it was. After a couple of lovely fish whilst out in the kayak though I was all tuned up and ready to go!

My first fish of the 2013 trip, a fantastic blubberlip snapper caught out in the kayak.

I soon came across my first barramundi on a deserted beach we had discovered with some good rocky outcrops onto clean sand. It was a lovely spot and I'd already had a couple of small trevally on a metal lure before noticing a drop off into deeper water just off the beach that the waves had churned out. I proceeded to wade out and work this area with a small X-Rap lure. Just after the sun had dipped below the horizon I had a good thump just as it came across the edge and it was fish on! The barramundi leapt twice in front of me, shaking it's head angrily trying to rid itself of the hooks before screaming off on a couple of lovely runs. After a few minutes the fish tired and I guided it through the tumbling surf towards me, it was a cracker probably just shy of 10lbs. I was delighted with my first barra of the trip and went to slip my fingers under it's gill cover and lift it from the water when the fish suddenly kicked and the unthinkable happened.....before I knew it, I had a treble hook through the back of my hand and a fish thrashing wildly on the other end of the lure. NOT GOOD!

The double puncture wound on the back of my hand after we got back to camp, it's difficult to appreciate the swelling from this angle but it was not pretty!

At this point, I realised I was in serious trouble as blood poured from the wound and somehow managed to grab the fish and hold it tight to my chest to prevent it from thrashing around any more and possibly tearing the hook from the back of my hand. I waded back to shore and using my other hand fortunately managed to shake the fish from the remaining hook. The fish swam away and I was left with a lure firmly embedded in the back of my hand which had now swollen up due to the trauma. Scott was far, far away and could not hear my calls for help due to the wind so I was left with the nasty task of trying to squeeze the barb down with my pliers and then slipping the hook back through my flesh with my left hand, which was not easy! After a little tugging, pulling and a little tearing the hook finally popped out. PHEW! After washing it in the salt water for a few minutes the bleeding stopped and I fished on, managing to sneak out one more small barramundi before darkness came and we headed back to camp. After giving it a thorough clean with antiseptic and leaving it to breath the wound healed very quickly and cleanly. We were a long way from any medical help or quality care so I was indeed very lucky on this occasion. It could have been a very different story had the hook punctured a vein, artery or tendon.

Markus with a stunning, large fish

There were several other notable sessions for barramundi during the trip, one of which was whilst fishing a shallow water boulder field on a making tide after dark. There were rocks and ambush points everywhere on this mark which was right under some towering cliffs. A better spot for a barramundi I have not seen, it was perfect. It didn't take long before I got my first hit, the fish dived for the boulders but by holding the rod high and keeping the clutch tight I won the battle. After a spirited fight the culprit, a mangrove jack of 5 to 6 lbs came ashore to be quickly unhooked and released, not the target species but a beautiful fish none the less. As I fished on and worked my shallow diving lure I had a few taps every now and then to heighten the tension. It wasn't long before I got slammed good and proper though, right at my feet too. It was so sudden it made me jump out of my skin and I nearly fell off my perch. The fish tore off out to sea and just kept on going, then nothing....the line fell limp and I retrieved my lure with one hook slightly bent.....done again! The strength of these fish is incredible.

I fished on happy in the knowledge that there were a few fish about and it wasn't long before another took a fancy to my lure. By preventing the fish from really getting it's head down I was able to play it out under the rod tip and prevent it from going to ground, finding the sanctuary it was after. This was a lovely little barramundi of 7 to 8 lbs. Followed up by another before tiredness got the better of us and bed was calling. This is the quality of fishing that can be easily found if you're prepared to put in the time and get a little off the beaten track, very rarely did we see another angler.

Markus, Scott and I chill by the fire

It got to the last week of the trip and I still hadn't come across a big 20lb + Barramundi yet, I was starting to get a little worried to be honest but it's not over till the fat lady sings! With this in mind, Scott and I planned a couple of sessions to a location that we knew can produce the goods on it's day and intended to camp out and fish the mark thoroughly. Everything was right, the tide phase was perfect peaking just after midnight and the water clarity and wind were spot on giving us ideal conditions. Things could not have been better. Optimism was high.

Scott with a cracking barra on the fly after dark

On the first night Scott managed to get into a beast of a fish as the tide pushed that led him a merry dance and was easily over the 20lb mark, I looked on in awe as he beached the beautiful specimen, we took a couple of trophy shots and then slipped her back from whence she came. It didn't happen for me that night on the barra front but I managed to take a huge flathead by Indian standards, a bigger specimen I have not heard of anywhere across the sub-continent. I was delighted with this prehistoric specimen and was able to tick it off my list having never caught one before, I think it'll be a while before I better that one...what a clonker!

A huge flathead caught whilst chasing the barramundi

Time was running out fast for me and with only a few days left available for fishing I was fired up...big style! We were in the right place, conditions were perfect and with Scott's success the previous night confidence was high. We approached the water the next day again full of optimism, waded out up to our knees and started flicking some lures around. I was working a small soft plastic shad hoping for the best, things were slow at first but we plugged away at it, they had to be there. As I ran the lure round in some current about 2 hours in to the session, I could feel the little tail pulsating through the braid and rod when it just suddenly stopped with a thump. I smoothly swept the rod back to solid resistance and the fish just stayed there, I felt it shake it's head a couple of times and then it went steaming off. The reel screamed as the powerful fish surged off out to sea, it just went and went! Eventually the run stopped and I was able to pump her back towards me for a few seconds, the fish did not appreciate this though and  let me know by tearing off on a second huge run. This light tackle sport is just incredible, it doesn't get much better! 

After the second run, the fish seemed tired and I was able to pump it back to within 40 yards of the shore into shallower water. It was at this point that it panicked and made several leaps in the moonlight trying to shed the hook and tail-walked all over the place. I could feel the line getting caught behind the fish's gill plates and fins as it jumped and feared the worst. Fortunately, everything held and this final surge of action left the fish exhausted. It ended up wallowing about some 10 yards out for a minute or 2 before I managed to guide it into Scott's capable hands. He slid the huge fish up the beach and she was mine. Probably well over 20lbs and easily the biggest I have ever caught, I was delighted. What a buzz!

We quickly unhooked the fish and I held her in the water to recover whilst Scott got the camera ready, after a couple of shots and a little more nursing in the edge she kicked her tail and was back off to the murky depths to fight another day. What a fish and what a fight....we were delighted. This really wrapped the trip up nicely for me.

The biggest Barramundi I have caught to date - What a fish!

After all the excitement, we fished on. I could have gone home totally happy at that point but carried on casting anyhow. Lady Luck was smiling down on me that evening as within 20 minutes I had another take and latched in to another fish which scrapped just as hard as the first but without the leaps or tail-walking. It was another 20lb'er too, I was elated. What a session, 2 fish over 20lb within a half hour period. Incredible fishing. Indian Angling at it's best.

20 minutes later, along comes this one...what a brace of fish!

As mentioned, It's not just the barramundi that fall to these lure based tactics after dark either, one can expect by-catch mostly in the form of mangrove jacks, grouper, trevally, snapper and flathead. These fish are largely left unmolested along the rocky shores of the west coast. It's difficult to net these areas due to the rocks and strong currents which is an advantage for the intrepid angler. Just take care when rock hopping after dark as it can be treacherous under foot, always remember a good torch and mobile phone. Keep an eye on the tide too, be sure that it wont creep around behind you and leave you stranded or at worse in deep water. Keep an eye out for rogue waves at all times too. I had a lucky escape once whilst fishing the Atlantic coast in Wales, nearly got washed off a rock into deep, swirling waters. Take care, be safe and happy fishing!

Tight lines :)

Fishing in 2012

A salmon I photographed attempting to leap the falls when I visitied
Scotland in August

My fishing in 2012 was a mixed bag for sure. I didn't get to fish nearly as much as I would have liked due to work and personal commitments but I'm sure every angler in the land says that too! I concentrated mainly on freshwater angling this year, I got quite obsessed with going back to my roots and spent a lot of time practicing the art of feeder fishing and good old fashioned float fishing. It really was rather nice and relaxing, a touch nostalgic too.

A good deal of time was spent trying to avoid carp where possible and target the roach, rudd, tench, bream and perch that reside in the numerous rivers and lakes that are in close proximity to me. Exceptions were a trip to the incredible River Test in Hampshire and mullet fishing in the local estuaries and harbours whenever the conditions allowed.

In the late summer I also squeezed in a few sessions along the Brighton shingle to indulge in a spot of mackerel and bass fishing when the conditions were spot on. I only tend to fish with lures, fly or livebaits for these species. There were a couple of memorable sessions which terminated in the most wonderful mackerel barbecues which is what it's all about! Also a couple of nice bass were taken on livebaits after dark, very exciting stuff!

I'll start with the River Test trip as it was at the beginning of the year on a cold february day. My long time angling buddy Dave had managed to secure us a couple of day tickets at a reasonable price and with the chance of quality grayling, trout, dace, roach and chub it looked set to be a cracking trip. The main reason for making the trek down to Hampshire was to seek an encounter with the beautiful grayling, the lady of the stream. I had never caught one above a few ounces before and the Test was the place to do it! We travelled down with around 8 pints of red maggots between us and the plan was to spend the day trotting a float down the varied and beautiful swims available to us. It was a cracking day and we both caught grayling around the 2 to 3 lb mark as well as trout, dace, chub and a random skimmer bream. One of the trout I caught was an absolute beast and would have made a fly fisherman very happy in season.....but this one got lucky as I returned it. What a fish though.....my biggest trout to date by a long way. I'd guess the weight between 6 and 7 lbs, we didnt have any scales with us.

What a beautiful brownie....I was delighted with this one!

The stamp of grayling we encountered

So....onto the mullet fishing. Now, I adore fishing for these wary creatures, they are a real challenge. They keep you thinking and you have to work for the bites. By far my favourite method of catching them is to long-trot on the estuaries using liquidised bread as a feed and a pinch of flake on the hook. In the past this has landed me thick-lips, thin-lips, bass and the occasional roach and bream. I fish on the estuaries of the rivers local to me and I'm blessed to have 3 of them within a 30 minute drive. Namely the Rivers Cuckmere, Ouse and Adur.

During the warmer months when the weather settles a little the mullet can be found way upstream amongst the beautiful Sussex countryside and it is here that I most enjoy angling for them. It's so peaceful and quiet and there are rarely, if ever, any other anglers to compete with. Just how fishing should be. I enjoyed good success this year even managing to catch one of the rarer golden-grey mullet. There were no monsters caught but I rarely blanked and managed specimens up to around the 5 lb mark.

One day in particular stands out. I met a couple of fellow mullet nuts, James and Paul, down at Newhaven Marina in the morning and managed to sneak out a lovely fish of 3 to 4 lb's and then moved a couple of miles upstream to take my golden-grey mullet. This was then followed by a further move of 5 miles upstream to fish the ebbing tide until sunset where I caught and released 3 more beautiful fish amongst the stunning green Sussex countryside. It doesn't get much better than that!

Best mullet of the day some 7 miles inland....awesome fish!

Other highlights of the year were some cracking tench, roach, rudd and carp caught on simple float or feeder tactics. I joined a local angling club and fished at a few of their nicer waters when I could find the time. I had to wade through a lot of smaller specimens as is often the way with this type of angling but the below photos are some of the highlights. The real thrill of this type of angling for me is the light tackle element. It's great fishing with finesse and using appropriately balanced tackle, especially so when you hook up to a few lumpy fish.

A superb rudd that gave an icredible battle against the light tackle!

Best tench of the year from a beautiful, secluded pond

A bruiser of a carp that gave me the runaround for a good 15 minutes on
my roach fishing tackle in early spring!!

Another beautiful farm pond tench

Beautiful rudd

No complaints from me regarding the quality of fish for 2012, some real beauties there! 2013 starts with another trip to India so it will be full-power fishing for 6 weeks out there......I cannot wait! Beyond that I aim to continue fishing for the mullet and bass as often as possible when the weather warms up. My bass fishing has taken a bit of a back seat for the last few seasons so it will be good to get back on the horse. I also plan to spend more time lure fishing in 2013 both saltwater and fresh. Tackle developments have made leaps and bounds in this field in recent years and this discipline of our sport is really rather interesting these days.

TIGHT LINES!