Guest post by Steve Richards
I’ve always enjoyed the competition element of fishing having grown up with a very successful beach angler as a father, which probably attributed to my mind set when entering a competition.
One of the things I’ve noticed from all the successful anglers I’ve managed to fish with and against is their preparation. No stone will be left interned in their quest to come first among their fellow competitors.
The Saltwater Festival is more than just a competition with such a great social side to it but for me it’s still a competition and I try to approach it in the same way the anglers I’ve mentioned would.
Here are a few things I try and do that may be of help over the weekend.
Use Google Earth it’s your friend when fishing new areas. There is a historic setting you can use which shows you the area at a different time period.
This can be great for working out spots especially currents off of structure. YouTube can really help. There are lots of guys posting videos of the festival areas, this will give you an idea of how an area will fish and at what time.
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Have a plan for the day try and find marks that are fairly close or ones that can cover multiple species. A lot of marks in the harbour will have mullet and bass so prepare for both. I chose spots that take 20-30 minutes to move and then try and move at the least productive time.
Having chosen your spots make sure you get there early. With an over hundred anglers fishing, the last thing you want to do is walk to a mark and find someone standing there.
It’s worth the wait especially if you know the mark fishes at a certain state of tide.
Think about tactics, why the fish are there in the first place and what they will be eating. Mullet have a whole range of flies to choose from, as do bass. In my own area of Kent, I fish big deceivers but at the festival I tend to fish a lot smaller. Flies like sparse Clousers and small bait fish are my go-to. It’s worth remembering though that in July most of the bait will be small Sand eels and baitfish so try and match the hatch. Think about fly colour a lot of small bait like baby mullet stay unnoticed due to their colouring blending in with the harbour bottom.
Bright flies will work at times but far more success, especially in a harbour environment, will be a fly that matches the natural bait.
Try and approach the mark like a ninja - slowly and as quiet as possible. It’s worth taking a few minutes to observe the area as fish especially mullet but also bass will give themselves away. It’s far better to make one good cast and hook up than make 3 bad ones and spook the fish.
Don’t be too quick to move off but don’t stay planted in one spot, move around a little until you find where the fish are holding. If you’ve started at a low water mark the most productive time will be the last couple of hours of the ebb and first couple of hours of flood. A lot of spots will fish well around high water so try and time your moves with this in mind.
Have confidence in what you are doing, why you are at certain mark but more importantly have confidence in the fly you are using. I’ve seen plenty of people keep switching between flies without fishing one fly properly.
It’s worth remembering that you won’t be concentrating on how you are working a fly if you are already thinking of the next fly.
If you’ve had a tough first day don’t be put off, there’s lots of good advice by the guides and other festival entries. Check the score boards for catches and areas that have been productive.
Talk to people, you will find everyone is happy to talk especially when it comes to the days fishing. The competitors probably won’t give you specific marks, but most will talk about tactics.
Lastly enjoy the weekend as it’s three days of fishing in a lovely location with lots to do and see. The night station on Friday is always well attended as is the Saturday night social. Don’t worry if you’ve not got into the prizes this year you will have hopefully learnt something and even made some new friends.
I’m blessed with a grumpy looking face which is great at keeping small dogs and kids away but if you see me don’t let that put you off because I love talking saltwater fly fishing and will happily have a chat.