Winter tilapia

Usually tilapia is not realy active at winter.
But I was already at the lake taking photoes of Carpfishing competition.
So why shouldn't I try and cast a fly at the end of the day when the water is a little warmed up...
The one ate the whole Copper John on 14 hook.

Reservists Service

Once a year they make me meet some old friends and remember those days I was 18.
And this time even a chance to visit some local lakes.

Saltwater photo

Summer is not gone yet...

This weekend we went to find some big winter fish.
The sea was very quite and pretty low, it was Youri's second time lure fishing out, so I gave him my summer ultralight set. I have started with topwaters myself, this new toy by ZipBaits, Fakie dog 70 DS is just fantastic. This dog just walks itself. But that day there were no clients for my dog.
Youi cought the firs bream and I was sure that the crazy guy just doesn't know it's winter, but then came another guy and another... So I have switched to zome Zipbaits Riggie 40 MDR, this old guy started working immidiately bringing bream from every hole in the reef.
At least summer is still here, these breams are great fish...

Carp rods test

It is famous to believe among carpfisherman on less successfull days, that they are not getting to the fish. They believe that they need to cast just a bit farther...
And so they buy all those new extra distance rods that appeare lately on the market. On weekends their wives don't allow them to go fishing they go casting somewere closer to thir house.
Two of those crazy carpfisherman are very good friends of mine. I've bought a new superwide lens Canon EF-S 10-22 F3.5-4.5 and so it was my opportunity to test it past saturday.

A one I just found somewhere in my archive...

Early morning on Engeleni Lodge, Drakensburg, SA

Streams of north

This friday we've finally got to check the Jordan river stocks.

At the place we were supposed to wade, the water was too high and I even got a little water flown over in my waders.

We've seen no signs of fish at all this time.

It was strange, as usually it is the best season for our barbel this time of year.

Tho days later we went to check out some smaller stream in the north. It is heavilly used for irrigation and so the water is pretty low untill 9.00 am,and the flow is mild.

Lots of smalscale barbel taking zak nymph at the shallow places.

I have seen some biger ones at deeper places, but none of us did not manage to get hold of one untill the water had risen. And then it was just cut, not a single bite at all.

The weather acting strange this year, we had some rains in september which is very unusual, and the water is pretty high in the rivers. Maybe October will bring some bigger barbel.

Bat Yam walk

Bat Yam is a small city near Tel Aviv, the beach there has lots of rocks.
The place is very heavily fishing pressed, but on the weekends I'm on call I can't go any feathere that this.
The sea today was really high, waves hight did not suggest walking on the riffs, but I'v tried...
A good Locus below was my reword, and later I was washed off by a big wave, it was quite scary.
Dual Hardcore SH 50 was working just perfectly,very intensively playing in the rough sea.
It seems as a universal lure for different fish, the only place you can't use it is flats with depths of below half a meter.
So after all it was a succeffsull day out.

Casting for carp

Sunday sea fishing.

So we met at 4:50 at the northern entrance to Ashqelon.
The sea was just perfect, waves of about meter or a bit higher.
The water feels like tea, veery hot as it's always in the end of summer.
We were optimistic though usualy august is quite dead.
I got first bream off the rocks soon on Zipbaits Riggie 46s MDR.
We caught some more though no biger fish was seen.
It was a good start of this week.

Carpfishing method

This picture was taken during last years Galilee Carp competition at December last year.

Just another shot...

SeaBream

Rough Day

We did not look at the weather report the evening before, otherwise we would stay home watching BassMaster...
We found ourselves at Michmoret beasch at around 5.00
setting up our ultraligt gear (we even were clever enough not to take a little heavier rods).
The sea was high and the western wind was strong, and we could only throw our lures, all with magnetic system, to no more than just in front of the reef. But usually it is enough for the bream, but at the beginning not even a sign of those guys.
After about an hour Shai takes his first bream.
And 15 minutes later he pickes up a tiny seabass on YoZuri SeaFox minnow 50mm.
I fished the shallower area picking up some tiny fishes, and a baby Seabream.
At the end of our 5 hour walk Shai catches a huge Bream.
And another one on his way back.
At around 11.00 we packing up because the heat is just enormous.
Ok I will meet my bream the next time ....maybe

Fly Fishing, David Hockney style

pOPpeR AcTiOn

Matchfishing Session

We thought, we will never make it this year.
All busy with fresh and saltwater fly fishing. And saltwater plugging taking into account that I just got my new Tenryu rod from Japan...

But, anyway, somehow we decided to go.

A long drive at night, a little walk with seat box, holdall, groundbait bowl (full), and a small bag all on your back. Making groundbait at first... Ve-ery strong coffee with cardamon out of small glasses, just like it supposed to be here in the middle east.

And to the business...

First it is a real hell to setup your seatbox on those huge stones, but we're quite used to it.

Choose a rig, and you can roll your pole forth to plumb the depth.
Wow this year it's nearly three meters, good news!

Last year it was hardly over 2.5m.

I've decided to fish the 11.5m and a 5m kit on a very light float (0.4gr).
The depth at 5 meters is somewere at 5meters. 6 balls going on a long line and

only loose feed to the short one.

The short line started with sweet corn and works immidiately, bringing 3 small crucians.

The long line started working first for Steve with half a decent carp n corn as well.

I have swiched to carp as well.

Chopped worm did not work, I forgot my bread at home (as usual). And I did not realy have motivation to prepare paste or the meat. So we stayed with corn.

All of them were like brothers about 700grams each. We have not seen any grass carp or bigger carp this time.

Any way we had a great start this year, and I hope we will still have the power to make it a number of times this season and even maybe will take a part in matchfishing competition at the end of july.

Memories of South Africa

It's been a long time since my last visit to South Africa. It is probably the most beautifull place I have visited untill today.
My last visit was two years ago and I've been there for so many times and it is still always number one on my list and I can't wait to get there.
Another thing is looking at my last time visit photographs and I see all different ones from those I chose two years ago.
Looking at old raw images is like visiting the place for another time.
I hope South Africa does well in the future and i will visit it for another endless times.

Saltwater bream fishing.

Somehow only the float fisherman used to fish for bream, we sometimes heart that someone took it on lure, but it was concidered accidental. It was like that until Igi this guy from Haifa appeared somewere about two and a half years ago, an he wanted to explore the saltwater UL fishing. He had some success on spinners first, and then he tried small minnows, it worked even better and then he found an excellent Australian site: http://www.breammaster.com/
It was a breakthrough, following that summer he summarized all his knowledge in small article, in Russian of course... If someone interested it is still the best source for bream fishing.
I was busy then setting up my fly fishing, but then I was invited to visit the best bream spot near Rosh Hanikra with someone who knew what to do. My goal that day was to catch a bream on fly. I tried Crazy Charlies, Clousers and a special weapon Green Polarflash Clouser and the fish has just ignored it. In that time Andrey was taking fish after fish showing me the spots were the fish is staying. I decided to switch to spinning and feel and find the fish myself. I chose Duel Hardcoe SH50 (my favourite now) , but that day I have seen no fish at all.
Some time later I went to different place alone, it is somewhere near Netaniya. Someone told me it was a realy interesting spot.
As i approached the nearest rocks on my third cast I had a bite and my very first sea bream was trying to eat my Hardcore.
Untill now thi place is one of my favourite in my bream fishing, though this fish has it's own moods and is never easy, yet I have never cought one on fly.
I have noticed that my best lures for bream are all vibrating and tried to tie something like a fly with a lip, and I even made a couple, but none of them would work like they supposed to.

Freshwater Lure Fishing Competition

This year I said that I'll take on myself the arrengement of the competition, the rules stayed the same, we found a long piece of coast with huge rocks all over the place, should be the best place for tilapia.
about 3 or 4 meters from the shore the bottom drops to about 3 meters.
We went to check if there's fish some two weeks before the competition. Some good barbel was taking big gold Kastmasters 7 and 10 grams. Tilapia was actively taking the topwater Towadi.
On the competition day we were already there and the people started to arrive at about 5:00 in the morning. After registration and small briefing everyone spread all along the coastline.
The referees were lucky not to break thier legs trying to run all along the coastline, watching that everything goes right.
The left side was working well and people were taking fish after fish, but in the middle and left guys stuggled for every single tail.
In the middle the leaders were already far enough to compete between themselves, not caring about the oters left behind.
Finally the last ring and everyone meets the referees at the center, final weighting the fish and it took some half an hour to count all the results.
Finaly the first place took over 50 tails.
This was uor second time and it went pretty well, will everyone enjoyed.
Will try and make it even better next year.

First Cast

This years freshwater season started a bit late, somewhere in the middle of April.
The winter was warm but ended late, as usual Kinneret warm up first so we decided to give it a try.
Tilapia was a bit slow to wake up and we already thought that we would need to wait a week or two but then there were a first one on goldhead and we had some more on spinning using Smith Towadi. Only towards 10-11 in the morning the started to take the goldheads pretty confident.