Dirty water - go fishing!

With the continuing dirty water conditions I've held off having a stab at a bass with lures. Its early yet as well although I am hearing that bass are being caught. There was a report of five off Cei Bach (a local beach) on bait, three from the local fish factory outlet (smelly place to fish but well there seems to be bass there) and twenty odd from a gill net in Cardigan.

So we have targeted huss and spurdogs with keeper whiting the prime fish and doggies pestering as normal. The added bonus has been a couple of codling and a sprinkling of dabs. Its great when the huss run  through as they turn up in packs and this week on one occasion we had four on at once!

For me the thing that really gets me interested is the whiting. The spurdogs pull hard and are big fun but its the whiting that make me salivate (literally). Leave them whole, clean them out, scissor off all the fins and pan fry in butter and oil. Plenty of salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon and you have yourself one of the best tasting white fish in the sea.

And I'm not alone in liking fresh whiting as it seems so doe Cardigan Bay's predators! I use live whiting as tope bait in the summer, its a sound strategy as it works; well. But whiting fillet at this time of year catches the big dogs... And big dogs are fun even if you are only 9!