LIGHT JIGGING IN ANDAMAN

Non è un mistero che le  Andaman sono una delle mie destinazioni preferite, e non è un mistero che mi piaccia alternare tecniche di pesca differenti oltre alle solite pesanti... L'ultimo viaggio ad Aprile scorso è stata l'occasione per divertirmi come una scimmia e pescare leggero, con risultati veramente divertenti, qualche bastonata nei denti che ci sta ma soprattutto con un numero e una varietà di catture assolutamente spettacolare.

Andaman Islands are surely among my favourite fishing destinations, and I often like to try new fishing approaches other than the usual heavy popping and jigging... Last April was the right occasion to enjoy light jigging, with very pleasant results, some serious bust off here and there but most of all with a great number and variety of catches.

Il peso dei jig variava mediamente dai 40 ai 90 grammi, jigging light, non microjigging perchè dopotutto ci sono bestie molto serie là sotto; tra i più efficaci IMA Gunpeki, MG Craft Skill Jigs, Duel Tamentai e vari altri.

Jig weight ranged between 40 and 90 grams, it's light jigging and not microjigging because there are some serious beasts down there; most productive models were IMA Gunpeki, MG Craft Skill Jigs, Duel Tamentai and several others.

La canna giusta ha fatto tutta la differenza, vetta sensibile e morbida per manovrare le piccole eche col tocco giusto, e la giusta riserva di potenza per combattere pesci di buona taglia in una corrente abbastanza sostenuta.
L'attrezzo perfetto è stata la Yamagab Blanks Galahad 613S, abbinata a un buon vecchio Twin Power o Stella  5000 carico di PE3 Varivas multicolor. Finale da 70 libbre e piccoli assit proporzionati.

The right rod has made the difference, a tool with a sensitive tip to move teh small lures with the right touch, and a serious backbone to fight good sized fishes in a steady current.
My choice has been the Yamaga Blanks Galahad 613S, paired with old good Twin Power or Stella 5000 filled with multicolor Varivas PE3 braid. 70 lbs leader and small proportioned assist hook to complete the tackle.
 

Le catture sono state di tante specie, vari carangidi, tonni dente di cane, rainbow runner, cerniotte e pesci vari di fondo, snappers, bonitos, ecc

We caught a pletora of different fishes, several jack species, snappers, small dogtooth tunas, rainbow runners, various bottom fishes, snappers, bonitos and so on.

Big eye trevally

Red Snapper

Not so giant GT 

Brassy trevally

Some kind of rock cod

Green Jobfish

One of the dozens dogtooth tunas

The overabundant rainbow runner

Moon trevally

... something else in the jack family :D

Ma ovviamente non solo light... non sono mancati i bei pesci a popping, ma magari la raccontiamo un'altra volta :)

Not only light game, we got our share of good popping action, argument for another post soon.. :)

 

GUIDING FOR CATFISHES ON LURES WITH A FRIEND FROM GERMANY

This post will be in English only, as I think it will be of more interest to foreing people visiting Italy than the common italian angler.

I've been searching for alternative playgrounds and perfecting unusual approach to wels catfishes for several years, more intensely in the last two, and kept posting the progresses on several media and socials just to share the experience.
At a point my pictures moved some good interest by foreing friends and I received more than a request by fishermen from several european country to guide them fishing with me.

Last request was from friend Hristyian who already followed me in the past to several tropical destinations; a quick plan and he bought the flight ticket from Dusseldorf to Verona, my home town ( or Romeo and Juliet one, but that's another history :D ) for a long weekend.

Apart than the obvious and easily predictable joys of local cousine and sightseeing, alone enough to justify the travel, fishing went pretty well, with two very good days targeting the whiskered critters in relatively small and shallow waters.

It's a very emotional kind of fishing, as the strike is often very vicious with cats breaking and slapping the surface of the water with their big tails; fising is usually done in small river tributaries, with water depth from 50 cm to two meters, and a big beast can do plenty of confusion when roaming that shallows in attemp to escape.

Well, too many words, better let the pictures talk...

 

 

All fishing is done with relatively light tackle, I use and supply Yamaga Blanks Glazer rods in the 1 oz 1/4 and 1 oz 1/2 models, in both baitcasting and spinning setup, a real blast when a big one is hooked.
No giants of 100 kgs here as the waters are small and what makes everything exciting is the "hunting" approach... for the truly big ones I've other waters to fish in ...

So, if anybody is interested in a similar experience I can offer my guiding help and advices, just email me at alleslures@yahoo.it