Sea fishing at the beginning of the season

In April, the temperatures are milder, the sky more clear and the days get longer and longer. It is indeed time to get out your rods, go to the seaside and enjoy the sunny days. But which fish will be biting? Which techniques should be favoured? Take a look at our tips for successful spring outings.

The return of the sea bass

The arrival of spring coincides with the return of sea bass near the coast. Exhausted by the spawning season, the fish get close to the coast in search of food to replenish their energy reserves.

In this season, lure fishing is an effective technique for fishing from the shore. You can use a soft shad type lure like the Biga Caperlan or an imitation sand eel like the Mogami Caperlan. From May onwards, you can fish with lures from the beach using a spoon like casting jig. Very dense, this type of lure can launch long-range enabling you to explore a large area of water.
To flush out the sea bass, explore rocks, oyster beds, estuaries, marine structures (ports, piers, dams) or even the "baïnes".

Surf casting is an effective technique in this season and it is not uncommon to catch fine specimens at this time of the year.

Generally, surfcasting rods come in lengths of 4 m to 5 m in order to maintain the line above the waves. To begin, it's best not to exceed 4.5 m because above this, handling becomes more complicated.

Take a look at our tips for starting surf casting by clicking here.
If you are fishing on the Atlantic coast, make sure you carefully study the tides so you give yourself every chance to succeed. The best time to fish is one hour before the high tide slack water. The slack is a brief interlude of about 30 minutes between the tide coming in and the tide going out. This is an excellent time to fish because the fish follow the coastlines and can be taken anywhere. However, quick action is needed, because as soon as the tide goes back out, the fish return to the open sea. However, fishing conditions remain good for two hours after the slack.

Find out how the tides work by clicking here.

In April, boat fishing is also excellent. With a soft lure? With a jig? Supported with natural bait? There too, you have a huge raft of choices.

To find the areas full of fish, look for the hunts. Frenetic activity on the surface? Birds diving in? Fish jumping? This is a sign that fish are hunting beneath the surface. You must go there immediately, stop at casting distance and then start fishing. You should not get too close to the hunt as you might scare the fish.

Fishing for sea bream

Along with sea bass, bream is one of the most sought-after fish. It is easily recognisable thanks to its particular shape. The most famous is, of course, the gilt-head bream. Its silvery blue colour, elongated and solid body and its gold band between the eyes make for a fish that is very beautiful but also very powerful.
Long regarded as an essentially Mediterranean fish, gilt-head bream is now present on all our coasts. It has even become plentiful in certain areas of the Atlantic coast and the English Channel. It is important to note that the king of the Sparidae also appreciates waters that are low in salt, which explains its presence in estuaries and coastal ponds. Young specimens tend to gather near the coast while adult specimens prefer the open sea. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to catch fish weighing several kilos from the shore every year.

The most popular technique for catching this fish from the shore remains ledgering fishing near rocks. Port structures are also interesting areas to explore with a fine-tip set. You need to look for areas where shellfish are present in large quantities because bream love bivalve molluscs (mussels, oysters, scallops) and crustaceans. They are also very fond of marine worms like the ragworm or the peanut worm.

Fishing this suspicious and powerful fish requires the use of a solid and discreet rig.It is best to use fluorocarbon type wire and sliding rigs. The leaders should be long (1.5 m to 2 m) so you can present your bait naturally. The gilt-head bream is a suspicious fish and the slightest tension on the wire will drive it away.

#Caperlan Tip

The more you fish with a long and thin leader the greater your chances of getting touches will be. You can loosen your brake and release some tension from the line so that the tip of your rod is slightly bent.

The bream has a very powerful jaw. We advise you to favour the most resistant "strong wire" type hooks.
Whether this is for or black or gilt-head bream, the legal mesh is fixed at 23 cm. Bream should be released gently back into the water to allow the fish to calm down after a hard struggle.

Flat fish

Spring is also a great time for fishing for flatfish such as flounder, sole and plaice.

These fish are particularly fond of sandy bottoms where they can feed and hide. Fishing for them is simple and accessible, from the edge or from a boat.
As for equipment, a surf casting set will be appropriate for fishing for flatfish. If you fish from a boat,rod/reel set for casting is more appropriate. For the leader, a simple rig with a long snood baited with a lugworm will be effective for all flatfish.

#The Caperlan tip
Using shiny pearls on the snood increases the attractiveness and effectiveness of your rig. For night fishing, phosphorescent pearls are more suitable.

You now know the key techniques for this season. Make the most of the mild spring to get down to the sea so you can practise the right things ready for summer.