TIDE TALK
THIS MONTH MIKE TACKLES THE TIDES AND TACTICS FOR THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING SMOOTHHOUND AND BULL HUSS OFFSHORE
SHORE SMOOTHHOUND
April sees the first shore smoothhound appear in our more southern and western areas, though numbers can take time to build, so getting the tides right is vital to success.
Smoothies like some tide run, but you’ll often find that the bites reduce over the bigger spring tides when the flow is greatest. The rising tides prior to the very high springs falling from the 5th to the 7th look perfect, as do the falling tides from the 12th to the 14th, though dropping tides are rarely as good as risers.
Tides from the 19th to the 30th all look good, but concentrate on the 20th to the 22nd as being optimum, and the secondary choice being those from the 26th to the 28th.
The three middle hours of the flood tide tend to fish best, with slack water slow. On the ebbing tide, again the middle hours can fish, but if the water is shallow, expect the hounds to move out to deeper water quickly as the middle hour passes.
They can be caught in daylight over rough ground if the tide coincides with overcast skies, but the best conditions are when dusk falls around low water or the tide floods through last light. They like calmer sea conditions and stay out in deeper water if it’s rough.
Smoothhound can run the ground in packs and can quickly clear the food out from specific areas, so have two or three alternative venues in mind to keep in contact with the moving packs.
12 to 14ft beachcasters rated to cast 4-6oz with a multiplier holding 300yd of 22lb line and a 60lb shock leader, alternatively an 8000 sized fixed spool with 30/40lb braid and an 80lb braid shock leader.
Pulley rigs are ideal made from a single length of 60lb mono with a lead clip link at one end. Slide on a 5mm bead, pulley rig bead and another 5mm bead, then tie in a figure-o-feight knot at 26-inches to form the hook length. On to this tag end slide on a rig crimp, 3mm bead and a 8mm bead to form a bait stop. Add a Viking hook size 4/0 and crimp the bait stop in place just above the hook.
Peeler or soft crab are the killer baits, with squid a fair second. Hardbacks can also work over the rough ground. Tie the crab legs up the hook shank with bait elastic to force the fish to take the hook point first.
South East, mid English Channel coast, Bristol Channel, North Wales. In Ireland, Wicklow beaches and Kerry.
Bass, conger, huss, rays.
BOAT HUSS
Huss are a good reliable target fish in April for the offshore angler. Weighing well into double figures, they are consistent feeders and available when other general species can still be low in numbers after spawning.
They like some tide run but tend to avoid areas where the tide flows fast. On both reef an
