Finally started surfcasting last week in Praia da Alagoa. Since end of June, I was merely doing a few odd spinning sessions here and there early in the morning, for an hour or two without much success, and it simply was not something I wanted to write about. Plus, there was LOADS of tourists and grass, so surfcasting was pretty much a bust!

Last week I noticed that with high tide the belt of seaweed stays in the same place, which effectively meant one could fish 1 hour before heigh tide and another hour after – just what I needed😊

So, on Tuesday I tried very, very hard to get there on time but I was too late – I only got there as the tide was already receding – still, I got a small seabream, spotted bass and a small sargo – not bad I thought for the first session in 3 months.

And so, on Thursday, I set out again, this time I left house around 21:00. The high tide was just after 11, and I was in time to set up and cast out. My usual set up – 3 rods, two with double hook surf systems and one with a single long line hook, as set up for seabream… For bait I had squid, sardine and clams… This time it was a bit different, there was strong current with big weaves, which effectively meant that the seaweed belt was pushed closer to the shore – to be able to fish at all, I had to cast only very short distance, not more than 20m… If I tried going beyond that, all I would get is piles and piles of seaweed…

I stayed there for about 2 hours casting literally in the surf without much success. I got so lazy that I stopped putting the sardine or clam, I cast out all 3 rods with squid… And small hooks too, as I was expecting seabream. The water came up, and finally started receding – it is only then that I had a bite – one of the rods bent down forcefully and would not come back!!! I struck, but there was nothing on the hook… Oh, well, at least there was life in the ocean.

Shortly after, I got a small seabass – maybe half kilo, and was starting to get excited about the prospects of a catch!

Well, you know how passionate fishermen go to the water waiting for the moment they would strike and the time would stand still??? When all would become irrelevant save for the excitement of a big fish pulling from the other side… One of my rods just started quivering, not bending, just quivering back and forth – I ran to it and struck! The rig just stopped in place for just a split second, as though I hit a rock, and then it started moving forcefully away… My drag was wound up tight, as I did not expect a fish of this size, but I was out on the beach and I had space to run into the ocean, while loosening the drag. Thinking back, it is amazing how quickly I adopted and reacted – all modesty aside, not many people would be able to do this! Anyhow, the main line I had on the spool was 0,20 – with something like 4 kilo breaking strain, so there was no forcing this fish out. And so started our dance on the beach – even with the low power drag, more than a few times I had to follow the fish into the surf as it tried to swim away riding an outgoing weave – back and forth, back and forth we went for a good while. It took me, what it seemed to me, forever to close the distance of these 20-30m, all the while I was stressed about whether the main line will hold, or if the darn size 4 hook would fall out… I got quite a lot of fish in my life but I still could not tell what this was – I honestly expected a 10 kilo seabass – one of the trophies you see in fishing magazines…

When finally I was able to strand it on the beach, using a big weave to literally push it out – I saw this magnificent white shine and there it was - my first CORVINA!!!!

After that I even got a decent spotted bass of about a kilo, but next to corvina it really looks like a teadpole😊… All I can say is: ME HAPPY!

Posted by Milko at 7:00 AM EDT

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After having this disappointing evening with soooooo much fish around and the colossal score of 0 (zero/null/empty), I went back for the seconds… This time I started in front of the former factory in VRSA, just next to the ship yard… There are always loads of mullet swimming around the few boats anchored there... I walked about casting my trusty Xrap XR08 GGH without any result… At one point I noticed there was a fish about 50cm swimming lethargically on the surface, thick black back, very similar to a big mullet. However, every time it would approach small mullet, small fish would start fleeing away, and jumping out of the water. Cut there was no energy, no usual speed, it was all like slow motion camera – I am now sorry I did not make a video of it. I cast the lure in front of it and before I closed the bail, it was on the hook. I did not even feel the strike, it was just on. Still, I was pulling it up quite uneventfully, like a cod, quite lethargic dead weight, until it woke up and started swimming away – the drill on my Twinpower started giving line and then there was this damned pop sound and it all stopped…

It took me a second to realize it did not throw the hook, the braid line broke, the fish was gone as was my favourite lure…

When I examined the line, I was so pissed to discover the main line, so not the leader, the freaking braid, had been frayed and severely damaged, presumably while it was in the car… who knows! All I know is I still think it was a small corvina… It was to slow and lethargic for a bass, and once it did start swimming, it was too strong for its size… this is definitively NOT my month!!! Talk about bad luck!!!! I am going to start checking not only the moon phases and tide charts before heading out, but also the bloody horoscope!!!!

Posted by Milko at 7:11 AM EDT

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It has been a while since I had a session – let alone, a successful one… First I had some things to do in the North of Portugal, visited Coimbra for a week, after I returned there was extremely strong wind… And so on, and so forth…

Yesterday morning I got up eager and ready for battle, went down to Praia da Alagoa and discovered HUGE weaves slamming against the shore – grass being thrown left and right – meaning there could be no fishing done…

I returned to the car and drove to the Vila Real de Santo Antonio pier – there the weaves were equally rough, but after the half of the pier I was far enough from the shore so that it was possible to fish. I had my spinning rod on me, and tried all sorts of lures left and right without success… As always, there were quite a few other fishermen there and I think there were close to 50 rods in the water. No fish to be seen anywhere – that is, until this guy came along with a float and started casting next to the blocks – he was getting regular bites and was pulling sargos out regularly. There were quite a few big ones, 40cm and more, one of the bigger ones broke his line… It was quite enjoyable to watch him have fun on light tackle, so much so, that I decided to try the same drill in the evening…

After a nice day of rest, I headed out around 20:00 in the evening, but when I got there the wind was very high, weaves even bigger. Still, I persisted for about an hour or so, and caught 1 tiny sargo and 1 tiny mucharra – obviously not what I was bargaining for.

On my was back I decided to try and catch some mullet by the restaurant to lift my spirits, but as I was fiddling around, water started going down, and some predators moved in among the mullet. Naturally, I switch back to lures and nearly tore my arm out casting without any luck. Oh, I did foul hook a mullet with my trusty BayRuf – but that does not count.

An hour into casting another fellow noticed me and the hubbub on the surface and brought down his surfcaster… And so, we stayed there until 3 in the morning, casting, experimenting, talking and eying the jumping mullet with anticipation. Finally, I decided to give up and started packing my tackle. I had 3 squid leftover from my float experiment and I gave them to my new friend. He put one of them on – the whole thing of course – and before I was able to get my lures back into the box, his surfcaster bowed down and he pulled out a very nice corvina – digital scale showed 2,25kg!

He stayed behind – I will ask if he caught anything else this evening when I see him – 100% he will be there again😊.

As for myself – well, enough said – off to try free floating sardine, and the rest of the tricks – I got to be able to catch something – that is, if they decide to show up again tonite!

Posted by Milko at 1:14 PM EDT

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Zero streak continues… it has been good 10 days since the ocean at Praia da Alagoa is empty… well, not empty per say, but it yields no catch whatsoever! This morning the heigh tide was at dawn, but I overslept and went there around 7. The wind was North and in the mid-range, around 10 to 12 knots, but it was quite, quite cold for this time of year.

When I got to the beach the water had started receding, and as I was setting up my spin rod, I saw a friend of mine already getting ready to go. Sure enough, I went over and spoke to him – he had been there since before the dawn, and did not get a single touch in more than an hour – he was getting cold and was about to leave. Eventually we both stayed for about an hour more – he did not fish, he merely observed and we talked a bit… Around 7:30 we saw a delphine not 150m from the beach, it went by quite close! At one point it was clearly hunting for something, swimming in circles before moving off towards Vila Real de Santo Antonio.

And just before we gave up, I got a strike on my kastmaster 21gr. I immediately knew it was not a bass by the way it swam… About a minute later there comes a weever up on the shore – luckily as it hit the sand it threw the hook, so I did not need to handle it, and I just shoved it back into the ocean with the butt of my rod… For the rest – NADA!

Posted by Milko at 3:34 AM EDT

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As expected, this morning was no fun at all… Got there around 6, the water had started to rise, and it was quite fresh after yesterday’s rain and change of weather, so I did not like wading into he surf. Started casting from the dry, and saw a few needlefish roaming the weaves. But I also saw quite a lot of grass… Soon enough, a needlefish struck the lure with such force I was sure it was a bluefish… But as I was pulling it in:

Again, what fun is there hauling the fish through so much seaweed and cleaning the lure every cast… Still, I walked from Altura to Manta Rota casting about 2,5 hrs without success. I saw a few boils after the lure but I am almost certain it was all needlefish. Now I wander if I should try at dusk, for now the heigh tide falls in the evening…

Posted by Milko at 3:57 AM EDT

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I woke up to the sound of thunder around 5 this morning. I looked over the radar forecast and figured out it will pass in an hour. And sure enough, around 6:30 I was already at the beach casting. The clouds do make fantastic sunrise!

The ocean was calm, no wind and the water was rising – heigh tide was around 9, so plenty of time for some light lure action in the surf… Upon arrival I saw a needlefish in the weaves, and what I thought was a bass… Oh, that got my blood pumping! I expected immediate action… And sure, the needlefish jumped at the BayRuf and missed it, but that was just about it!!!! I walked up and down the beach, and walked and casted, and walked and casted, all I could see are needlefish and mullet – here and there, alone or in groups, but no bass to speak of. The closest I came to a fish is this weever – mind you, the lure is 7cm…

Obviously, I am not happy with this turn of events. Tomorrow heigh tide is even later, so around dawn it will be lots, and lots of shallow water… Still, I will try until about 8 – as it is Saturday, I expect I will be chased off by the police anyhow…

Posted by Milko at 3:40 PM EDT

Updated: Friday, 18 June 2021 3:46 PM EDT

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Another fishy morning – pardon the pan! I got up earlier than usual as I wanted to try some bottom fishing – I had a few kingfish and that crab from yesterday, so I figured I can not go wrong… When I got there, it was still a good hour before dawn, turned on my headlamp and set up two rods – one for the crab, the other for the kingfish with a two-hook rig. But when I waded into the ocean to get some water, I was sooooooooo pissed to see all the seaweed floating in the surf! Grrrrrrrr!!!!

Luckily, the grass was but a few meters from the shore, after that the ocean was clear. And with surf rods high up, it was doable. Of course, while it was dark, I knew was going to be pestered by small mucharra, so I did not use the kingfish and the crab, I stuck to squid and sand worms… Yes, yes, my bait try was a regular laboratory, a bit of everything! Sure enough, got a few muchaara, and even a small palm-size sargo on the squid… As soon as it dawned, started casting the lures but without any success, for lures would be rolled in grass during the last few meters, and it was a nuisance to keep them clean.

After it finally got light enough, I saw the sky was completely cloudy… What on Earth was going on – forecast said sunny and sunny, and this is Algarve afterall – here it gets cloudy something like 5 times a year!!!!

After wrapping up the kingfish and the crab with the binding elastic, I casted out and went back to weeding the ocean with my lures. And you guessed it – nothing happened. Another fellow sufferer arrived, and started doing the Raglou as people here usually do. He walked up the beach for a good 200m away from me and then stopped. I could not hear him, but I saw him weaving me there, so I grabbed the spinning rod and ran up the beach his way. And as yesterday, there was a small school of 30+cm spotted bass and we had a bit of fun in the shallows. I stuck to my 7cm BayRuf but the fish were much more active than yesterday – they would chase it up quite aggressively and once hooked put a fair fight for their size, some of them even jumping up theatrically… BUT, as yesterday, this lasted about 15 minutes and it was over – the bass disappeared without a trace. Still, I managed to get 4 and had another one on which threw the hook in the surf… Naturally, we persisted for about another 30 – 40 min, and eventually gave up.

I went back to my surfcasters, and recast. The crab was eaten in less than 5 min and as I did not have anymore crabs, I switch back to squid. The kingfish rig I casted quite close by, in the shallow, for this is where I would see and expect bass. And just to pass the time, I put a needlefish rig on my spin rod with almost immediate results… Of course needlefish were about and quite active. And in all the commotion my kingfish rig went off! The bait runner let some line, I ran over there, and sure enough, something was pulling on the tip, not aggressively, but continuously, as a big fish would do. All excited I struck and lo and behold – a freaking needlefish managed to swallow 2/0 hook with the kingfish😊😊😊… Oh, boy, was I disappointed!

But, something was happening, and as it was cloudy, there were no tourists, so I carried on catching the needlefish while I was waiting for something bigger. I had few more mucharra on squid… Another needlefish on the big hook rig😊… I also got 3-4 weevers… But the highlight of the day was around 10 o’clock – some 100 – 150m out, right in front of me, a whale swam by. Big, black, majestic! It came up 3 – 4 times and then disappeared. It is nice to see something like that right there on the beach!

Still, a good day out – I can not wait for tomorrow!

Posted by Milko at 11:51 AM EDT

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This morning there were PERFECT fishing conditions. Heigh tide around 5:30, absolutely no wind to speak of, and just an occasional blade of grass here and there… There were LOADS of kingfish and mullet on the surface, but… Predators were either not around or too lazy… For about 2 hours I casted into what seem an empty bath tub and around 8 finally saw one fish follow the tiny BayRuf 7 into the surf, virtually 20cm shallow.

A bit later I moved closer to the sunbed area for tourists and there I had my 15 minutes of fun – a friend of mine spotted some kingfish in the shallow and got one spotted bass on raglou, so I went over to him and indeed, there was kingfish and some spotted bass around – not too many and not too big around 30 – 35cm, but they were so sluggish! They would come up behind the BayRuf into the shallow, but there was no aggression, no precision. I had more than 15 times a bass made a boil after the lure, or jumped to what it seemed against it, on the side… I manage to hook up 3 times and none of the fish offered any resistance, they were quite literally dead weight… I do think something was off this morning… But again, this was just enough to keep me going back.

Posted by Milko at 6:47 AM EDT

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Yesterday’s session was a bust – so much so I did not even want to write about it. I woke up before dawn, rush down to the beach with an entire arsenal of lures a thought may did the job, only to be greeted with cloudy sky, strong South wind and piles of grass in the surf.

So, today, I was reserved. Still got up early, but had no hopes of a good session. When I got there, I found one guy fishing with raglou and he had one spotted bass in the bag. I set up and started casting myself… BayRuf did nothing… So I switched to Du DC Bullet 7cm… That got me a needlefish on the first cast… For a while, that was it. I switched back to BayRuf and got another needle… and that was about it. I did not see anything following the lure, or swimming in the surf.

There was a guy trolling lures from a kayak, just out of the reach of my casting distance. He did have about 10 spotted bass… So it would seem today they were a bit further than I can cast… Fingers crossed about tomorrow… Hope afternoon tide does not pick up all the grass which is now scattered all over the beach, just at the edge of heigh tide line.

Posted by Milko at 5:02 AM EDT

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