BACK IN BLACK

Decided on fishing a couple of marks on St.Marys this afternoon in the search for some big old kelp donkeys, I wasnt expecting a great deal of action as there was quite a bit of swell around the rocks and plenty of white water not to mention a side wind. This usually makes fishing soft plastics incredibly difficult due to not keeping a tight line to the lure. I decided to counter the swell by stepping up the cone weight from 7g to 10g and fishing tight under my feet into a nice looking gulley that was 10ft deep and 20 ft wide, it did look fishy though so cast out one of fellow lure addict Karl Fox's homemade soft plastics. I believe that he is thinking of selling them and I must say they look very impressive and very professional - but would they catch Scillonian wrasse like they do their Devon cousins?????

First cast with the black goby and as I take up the slack I get a tap straight away, leaving the lure in the same spot and making the bell dance around and ring like crazy the rod hoops over and fish on!!

Next few casts produced similar sized wrasse, there was certainly plenty of fish in this gulley!! I cast a little bit further out to what looked like a drop off, closed the bail arm and started to twitch the black goby imitation back - BANG BLOODY HELL!!!! The lure was absolutely nailed and this fish wasnt stopping!!!! Just like last sunday up at Tresco this fish was heading out away from me and there was bugger all that I could do to stop or slow her down with the 20lb fluorocarbon leader being done on the barnacles!! 

I set up again and cast out to the same spot, bang fish on again but not the stamp of kelp donkey that I had hooked previously.

Again it was a spirited scrap that tried its hardest to do me in one of the barnacle covered boulders, not the size of fish that I had lost but at 4lbs put a good bend in the Major Craft Crostage.

A change to another one of Karl's homemade specials, this time a sort of slug go type invention but again black was the colour. A flick along the side of the gulley and after several small bumps which I thought was a small fish the rod bent over and a serious wrasse was on. As it had taken right under my feet the rod bent double as I tried to stop it diving straight back to its kelp hole!!! This was another beast that I just couldnt halt and with the same outcome sadly. These big old wrasse were smashing me up good and proper!!!!!!!

I was starting to wonder what I had to do to actually land one of the bigger bullies from this gulley when I was in again on the following cast. I had changed to a Black Hawg Senko and managed to land a steady stream of smaller fish in the 1.5-3lb bracket. Good fun but I was waiting for another lunker to come through the gulley again. 

This one again was 4lbs that led me on a merry dance and wet feet as I netted her. I cast out again over the drop off, several small taps started as the lure was bounced over the edge and bang fish on. This was another brute that headed towards me this time, then out again then turned and swam back I could feel the line rubbing over the boulders as it tried its hardest to beat me up. Thankfully with a bit of side strain she surfaced and was a cracker!!! Slipping the net under her and lifting her out I knew she could be the 6lb that I was looking for...

At 6.1lbs she had a massive head and a really fat belly that wasnt very long surprisingly but it was a new best for me using this soft plastics and lighter tackle. Anybody that says wrasse dont fight well you need to try this type of fishing. You will be pleasantly surprised!!!!! A great afternoon and a gulley that I will be heading back to thats for sure!!!! As for Karl's homemade lures, well they work mate and work very well too - Scillonian wrasse love em!!!!!!!!!!