How to fish ledgering in the sea

Summer is holiday time for many Italians, including fishermen. Many flock to the coasts to spend a week at the seaside, together with their family and, above all, with their rods in tow in the hope of being able to fish. When this happens, the choice of techniques to practice in the marine context is twofold: floating or bottom. As already mentioned in a previous article on our blog, many people practice sea fishing with a fixed rod or with the Bolognese rod, a technique of freshwater origin applied to the sea. Others, however, choose to change register, preferring a technique born in England, imported into Italy about 30 years ago and now the heritage of many fishermen in the freshwater world. We are talking about ledgering at sea (or feeder fishing - whatever you want to call it), a discipline that is increasingly popular both for its profitability in catches and for being truly within everyone's reach.

Equipment for ledgering at sea

Ledger fishing at sea requires specialist equipment such as rods and reels designed according to precise characteristics. The rods can be built in 3 pieces, with lengths varying between 3.60 and 3.90 meters (longer or shorter models are more appropriate in fresh water, not in the sea). The market also offers telescopic tools that can certainly be right for us, especially in conditions of reef fishing or particularly harsh environments. On Pescalacca there are various models for ledgering fishing, which can also be used at sea: https://www.pescalacca.it/canne-da-pesca/canne-da-pesca-feeder-ledgering.html .

The rods must necessarily be equipped with a colored tip with a power of 10 to 50/60 grams maximum. The tip will be the main bite indicator, so be sensitive and reactive. Ledger reels are usually sized 3000/4000/5000, that is, they are made with a medium-sized body and a spool capable of holding at least 250 meters of 0.20 inside. Finally, the essential element for ledgering fishing is the feeder: a small "box" in the shape of a bar of soap or a cylinder, the inside of which must be filled with maggots. The ideal feeders for sea fishing usually weigh between 10 and 40 grams. Larger measures are useless for the marine environment, while they make a difference in case of strong currents in fresh waters. So, don't bring them with you because they are not needed.

Rig for ledgering fishing

The mount for ledgering at sea is truly essential. Along the 0.20/0.22 main line, we will pass an anti-tangle (support to avoid tangles) on which a 20/25 gram soap-shaped feeder will be mounted, such as the Kolpo feeder from Feeder: https: //www.pescalacca.it/feeder/pasturatore-feeder-piombato-bigattino-kolpo?search=pasturatoriandamp;sort=p.date_addedandamp;order=DESC . After the anti-tangle there will be a tear-proof bead and possibly a silicone tube. We continue with a swivel and again, a 70/100 centimeter leader in fluorocarbon of 0.14/0.16 maximum. The hook will have a size between 14 and 18 and we will bait 3/4 flag maggots. This is the standard mount, which can be used in many places such as inside ports, external breakwaters, beaches, mouths.

How to fish and tricks to get more catches

Ledger fishing is practiced by keeping the rod resting on a special support, either on benches or on a tripod. The line must necessarily be kept taut. And the bite will usually coincide with a clear movement of the line. The fish, in fact, will leave towards the open sea, after having swallowed the morsel. A trick that we would like to recommend concerns the escape of the maggots from the feeder: to avoid unnecessary dispersion of larvae, you need to pass two or three strips of insulating tape over the holes in the feeder. In this way, we will effectively reduce the escape of maggots, making the "baiting" last. For more time. Another trick, which is particularly useful in the presence of sea bass and sea bream, is to keep the feeder open, into which we will also pour specific pellets for predators. The baiting of maggots and the pellet-based baiting will be a truly deadly mix that will also attract fish such as mullets or murmurs, which are particularly fond of bait deposited on the bottom.

What are you waiting for? Pack your ledgering rods and have fun by the sea!