Turbot and Brill Fishing
Turbot and Brill can be found throughout the English Channel in deep and shallow water and are often caught as a bonus whilst fishing for other species. We tend to target Turbot and Brill over banks and one area known to produce well is the ‘Shambles Bank’ to the south west of Poole. Here we drift the series of banks until we can find where the fish are. Team work is the key factor here, as once an angler has a bite and informs the skipper he can then concentrate his drifts in that area. The fish tend to be in small groups hunting their prey to great effect. During the late summer months and early autumn big fish will come from the deeper marks off to sea around deep contour lines and wrecks and as a real bonus when we’re out winter fishing the odd big turbot will be caught when fishing for Cod.
Rods / Reels for Turbot & Brill Fishing
A light rod with a soft action capable of dragging a 10oz weight and a reel loaded with 30lb braid. Most anglers tend to use a multiplier but with the new fixed spool ranges available some anglers are now converting over.
Tackle for Turbot & Brill Fishing
A simple flowing trace of 40lb fluorocarbon line approx 1200 mm and either 1 or 2 hooks fished as a pennel rig and a weight of around 10oz. NB. The weight should not be round as these will roll down the banks by passing the feeding fish and can roll into another anglers line causing tangles at the crucial time. Hooks vary depending on anglers but usually are between 4/0 and 6/0 wide gape but can drop down in size when you know the stamp of fish you are catching.
Technique for Turbot & Brill Fishing
Effectively we are just dragging the bait across the seabed waiting for it to pass in front of a hungry fish who will then ‘suck’ it in and enjoy his meal. This is the point at which the anglers ‘touch’ comes into its own, the moment a fish feels resistance he will spit the bait out! So when you feel the initial ‘take you must free line your reel to allow the fish to enjoy his catch (I count to 17, not sure why but it works) then engage your reel and lift into the fish, not strike just lift. If you feel no weight, repeat the process as often the fish will not be wanting to miss out on a meal & it will retake the bait.
Keep constant pressure on during the fight, not giving any slack line and should the fish come off let your bait back down quickly as a hungry fish will still be looking for a meal and as happened before retake your bait. Turbot and Brill are not known for their fighting abilities but are sought after for the table.
Bait for Turbot & Brill Fishing
Personal preference and confidence in what you are using is the key factor, most anglers use mackerel fillets (2 day old bait is ideal) cut length wise into 2 and presented on a 2 hook pennel rig as a flowing bait. Many of the banks contain sand eels and launce which again make an excellent natural bait and these can be caught on the drift using fine pre made sabiki style feathers.
To find out more about our technical rigs and Turbot & Brill fishing methods please call or contact us using our enquiry form.
