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Milko's Fishing Blog
Tuesday, 7 February 2023
Unwise decision…

Yesterday morning I woke up quite early as I had a boat trip scheduled with a friend. However, as I woke up, I could clearly hear the ocean from my house, meaning the weaves were up and slamming against the beach. The problem was I did not go on a boat for more than 10 days, plus there was no wind to speak of; it was absolutely calm and the forecast said it will remain that way all day. So, we decided to give it a go. We went down to the Vila Real de Santo Antonio Marina, which is where my friend’s boat was anchored and boarded around 8:20. As we made our way down The Guadiana River, everything was perfect – beautiful Sunrise, smooth sailing, and high expectations. BUT, as we reached the estuary we had to slow down as the weaves were quite close to each other and the boat was rocking quite a bit. This should have been our clue to turn around, but nooooooooo – we hoped that it will be better when we exited the estuary so we pushed on to 15m deep in front of Monte Gordo. Weaves were quite high, but there was almost no current, and so it was fishable. Almost immediately, we caught a decent red seabream and a very nice cuttlefish, which is what made us only more determined to carry on. However, there were loads of traps and nets placed by the local professionals here and after getting stuck a few times we decided to go to 25m – bigger depth meant more work and the locals do not place nets and traps there unless they have a really big vessel and a strong electric motor to retrieve it.

To cut the long story short – fishing was very uneventful! We got a few more cuttlefish, and were pestered by small bream until 15:00 when we decided to pack it up. Lesson of the day – when you can hear the ocean and the weaves, hit the beach, forget the boat…

 

Given my recent beach experience with rough sea, I can not help but wander what did I miss !!! A rare day with big weaves and no wind…

 

 


Posted by Milko at 3:39 AM EST
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Friday, 3 February 2023

I had another short session last night at Praia da Alagoa – I wanted to test if fish were active at night. Headed out around 17, first line in the water was at 17:27, and low tide was at 19:01. So I was just in time for the lowest mark when I could reach deep water. Used three rods, one long line single hook and two double hook systems.

Even though the ocean was a lot less calm than the day before, initially there was absolutely no activity. For about 40 minutes I tried long casts, short casts, I even tossed it 5m out into the surf. Not a peep! At dusk, some 20min after Sunset, as the light was almost gone, I got first nice bite and landed a portion size seabream. Not few minutes after, on the long line I got a spotted bass. The fish were no monsters but, the takes were hard, and both swam strong.

However, that was it for the day. I keept getting tiny nibbles on red worm, squid even on sand crab, but it was either mucharra or tiny sargo… Between 19 and 20 there was absolutely nothing! Rods stood still, baits were untouched as I stopped casting far, I did not like working hard for mucharra. Besides, it become quite cold, so packed up and left. - Amanhã é Outro Dia!


Posted by Milko at 3:37 AM EST
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Thursday, 2 February 2023

Sure enough, after the last successful session, I wanted a repeat. I headed down to the beach about an hour after the high tide – the previous session, results were better on low tide as I as could more easily reach deeper water and fish seemed to stay away for some reason.

However, when I arrived, I found that he ocean had calmed down substantially – a few small weaves far apart, nothing like the roaring splash from the day before. I immediately knew it would be a difficult session, it is never good fishing when the ocean is calm. I used 3 rods with the red sand worm on all. To cut the story short – I got 2 bites in 3 hours and I did not hook anything. My buddy was fishing next to me and in full 5 hours he did not get so much as a nibble…

Now I either do a night session or wait for the ocean to get angry again…


Posted by Milko at 12:38 AM EST
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Wednesday, 1 February 2023
Back in action...

I woke up and I could hear weaves from my house. Finally the ocean is moving – it has been calm as a lake for more than 3 weeks, and coupled with low temperatures, fishing was… well, there was no fish to be had at all!!!

I decided to hit the beach. Started around 8 with 2 rods, white clam as bait. From 8 until 12, with hight tide at 9:20, I had a grand total of 4 bites😡😡😡😡. Got one palm sized sargo and a 30cm spotted bass...

But! Around 12, when the water was almost low, fishing became interesting. I started getting regular bites, and caught a few fish. It was FISHING at last!!!!

Unfortunately, at 13:20 I had to start packing - had to take my car to the garage, otherwise, I would have stayed all day or as long as bites were on…



 

 

 


Posted by Milko at 3:18 AM EST
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Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Day of small fish…

We have been having loads of rain last 7 days or so, high winds, plus I have had loads of other things to wrap up – mainly administration for this and that – so I did not quite go fishing in a long while. I did try a few days ago, just before the storm, but there was sooooo much seaweed around, fishing was not possible.

Finally, yesterday I caught a breather, and went down to the beach. Even before I went down, I checked the beach cam of Praia Da Alagoa and saw that surf waters were not clear, but rather brownish coloured – either because of the rain, or because of very strong winds and high weaves from the previous day. I was reserved in my expectations, I only hoped there is no sea weed, so I can put in a few hours. When I got there it was low tide, but the ocean seemed clean, so I set up three rods – one sardine and two squid and waited around a bit… I collected some cockles in the sand thinking I may need to offer something special to get a bite. When I went to check the baits – squids were gone… And I did not even saw the strike. First I thought it was crabs, but I soon realized it is the tiny, tiny fish which had swarmed the surf… Soon after this I started casting very, very close and decided to replaced sardine skeleton with a mucharra fillet. I put on a system with hooks size 6, and sure enough got a mucharra on the first cast. While I was busy filleting it for bait, I got an interesting surprise – a stripped seabream hooked itself on one of the small hooks – which means the water has become warm enough for seabream… If only I could get around the mucharra…

 


 

I stayed on for quite a while, the water started to rise, and rose to the maximum and still all I got is tiny nibbles by the mucharra and empty hooks. When the water started to recede, I got a small seabass, less than 30cm which I immediately released as it was barely hooked on the lip. A nother half hour later I got a mini pregado, a flatfish of enormous 10cm or so which had completely swallowed size 2 hook!!!! And that was it for this session… I hope things get better next week after the rain…

 


Posted by Milko at 7:15 AM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, 23 March 2022 7:29 AM EDT
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Thursday, 10 March 2022

After almost 10 days of not having time to go fishing, I finally got the chance to hit the beach, Praia da Alagoa, yesterday. Weather was strange to say the least – there was moderate west wind and it was cold! I had to wear my fleece hoody while at he beach. Later, when the Sun went down, I had to put on my jacket… Makes you wander where the world is going when you need a jacket in Algarve☹☹☹

The ocean was calm, there were barely any weaves, and the water was crystal clear. I expected bad catch, so I got some razor clams and sardines, thinking that will increase my chances.

I arrived around 16:30, set up three rods, and waited… The catch was poor, to say the least. While it was daylight, I did not expect anything, but was surprised with a powerful take on razor clam – the rod bent down and just kept going as though it was a huge bass. I struck, and while retrieving the line felt the fish was not half as big as expected. For a while I hoped it was a seabream swimming towards me, but in the end, there came out a spotted bass of no more than 35cm… Again, I could only hope the catch would get better with night approaching… Unfortunately, as soon as it got dark, mucharra went wild – tiny as they are, they would eat anything within few minutes. I persisted rebaiting and recasting until around 21:00 – when the water was already quite low. Then I released the poor bass that was still alive in the bucket, packed up and left quite disappointed… Now I will wait for the tide to turn with the next phase of the Moon – fishing like this makes no sense.


Posted by Milko at 9:49 AM EST
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Thursday, 24 February 2022

Yesterday was a great day for fishing at Praia da Alagoa – there was little to no wind, temperature well over 20 degrees Celsius, and the ocean was very rough…

I arrived around 12, just for the low tide, set up three rods, sardine on one and white clam on the other 2. The current was indeed strong, I was using 140gr and 180gr pyramid weights and still rigs kept drifting westward. There was also some seaweed in the water, but not so much that is was difficult to fish. With low tide I got a spotted bass on white clam and a bite on sardine – something small managed to eat half of it.


 

 

With rising tide activity was quite good, I started getting regular bites, so I switched to squid – it is easier to put on the hook, no need to mess about with binding elastic. I got 5 spotted bass and one regular seabass – none of them too big, mostly half kilo or a bit more. Still, it was very dynamic.

I had to leave early as I had some other things to sort out in the late afternoon. And around 16:15 I stopped fishing.


Posted by Milko at 6:05 AM EST
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Tuesday, 22 February 2022

Two days ago I had a very challenging session. I started around 16 and carried on until midnight! I was sooooo persistent (read stupid) to stay long time... there is fish in the surf, and a lot of them, only they are not easy to catch. First bite and fish came only after the Sun had set. I got my first seabream of the year on red worm - tiny little thing, but so lovely…


 

After the mini seabream, I could not get a bite until the water went completely down. With receding tide I got 2 – 3 nibbles and that is all. Only around 21:00, with water very low already, I started getting regular bites - mostly mucharra ticks, but I also also 3 spotted bass. It was a very active period for I constantly had to rebait and recast, and with three rods it turned into hard physical labour! Around 23 I started cleaning the fish, and while I was doing it, a very big sargo swallowed the hook and caught itself... of course, after dark I was fishing exclusively with squid...

Yesterday, I went to the beach late – there was no use being there at daytime. Quite close to the shore, some 10m out, I got a spotted bass on red worm and small hooks – I was aiming at small sargo or something similar to pass the time, but there you have it… After it got dark, the water started receding, but unlike the previous night, there was an onslaught of mucharra – they were everywhere and would eat everything in minutes. I baited one rod with mucharra filet, just to cut down on the work and carried on with 2 rods using squid. I got another spotted bass again quite close to the shore, and loads, and loads of bites – some quite aggressive… Around 21:00 I packed it up and departed – I was too tired from the night before, plus all these mucharra did not inspire me with confidence.


Posted by Milko at 5:43 AM EST
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Thursday, 17 February 2022

The ocean has calmed down – no weave and the currents are not too strong either. High tide falls in the middle of the day and apart from a few sargo, activity is very low. This is why las two evenings I went to Vila Real de Santo Antonio pier – well, right at the beginning of it, by the restaurants… Intention is just to see some action. And of course, there was planty of it, only it is the wrong kind of fish – I have been catching conger eels and a few stray small sargo… As Always, most bites came as the tide turned from lowest and started to rise. There was a bit of excitement in reeling them in – I had total of 4 congers and 2 small sargo – but apart from the strictly necessary doze of daily casting, it did little to satisfy my everlasting need for a good catch…

 


Posted by Milko at 9:24 AM EST
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Friday, 11 February 2022

Another interesting day at Praia da Alagoa… I started around 16:00 when the tide was at he lowest. Standard set up – 3 rods, one with sardine, one with clam one with squid… I had high hopes given the yesterdays success, but I had to wait for looooong while for the first bite. It was a small spotted bass, perhaps 25cm. It ended up in my friend’s bucket – I did not want to have to clean any fish this time around… Around dusk time I got another small one, same size… and then for a while it was quite dead. Everyone else went away and I persisted a bit – it was only when it got completely dark and the water was high enough that they started to bite – I got 2 sargo which I let go, some more small spotted bass and a few more seabass – the biggest one is just above kilo mark. But it got quite dynamic. Unfortunately, before I knew it, it was pass midnight… The ocean has calmed down considerably – I was able to fish with 120 and 100gr weights, but the fish are still around…


Posted by Milko at 5:43 AM EST
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