Fishing 'backline'

[Mark Crame]

When I used to fish in South Africa we would occasionally troll along the 'backline' for gamefish. 'Backline' is that area where the water changes from muddy brown to clear just off the coast for whatever reason. Anyway, it was said that the gamefish - from memory Dorado were the main one - would hang around by the edge in the murk and dart out into the clear to snatch unwary baitfish on it's way past, kind of like an ambush from a camouflaged position. As we mostly fished a reef for yellowfin tuna we didn't often do this. This is just background for my question (though anyone who knows more about this would be welcome to add/correct me on here!!)

 

Question is, has anyone tried, or regularly used, this method, and does it *seem to* work here in the UK? I thought of it the other day when driving past the beach and think i'll give it a go when the wind dies down a bit and I can get out on the sea. Having not actually gone for a sea fishing trip yet it's all an experiment to me anyway.

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts/experiences,

 

mark

[Ped]

When I used to fish in South Africa we would occasionally troll along the 'backline' for gamefish. 'Backline' is that area where the water changes from muddy brown to clear just off the coast for whatever reason. Anyway, it was said that the gamefish - from memory Dorado were the main one - would hang around by the edge in the murk and dart out into the clear to snatch unwary baitfish on it's way past, kind of like an ambush from a camouflaged position. As we mostly fished a reef for yellowfin tuna we didn't often do this. This is just background for my question (though anyone who knows more about this would be welcome to add/correct me on here!!)

 

Question is, has anyone tried, or regularly used, this method, and does it *seem to* work here in the UK? I thought of it the other day when driving past the beach and think i'll give it a go when the wind dies down a bit and I can get out on the sea. Having not actually gone for a sea fishing trip yet it's all an experiment to me anyway.

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts/experiences,

 

mark

 

 

Try again !!

 

It's certainly a technique used on large resrvoirs for trout

 

Ped

[spanner]

It works here as well where estuary waters mix with the open sea. For example, I've read many times that targeting that brownline when fishing off the piers around the Tees is the most successful.

[Simon Everett]

It works for bass too - in that they don't like the murky water but you will find them in the clear water close to the food carrying weedy, murky water.