Pagre, a fish of the Sparidae family, is usually fished with natural baits such as Madaïs or Tenyas. I've been known to hook some nice specimens, while looking for other species such as pollack or sea bass, on soft lures.
What they all had in common was their size, much larger than the fish I usually caught using Madais or Tenyas. So I set out in search of this fish using only the soft lure technique.
Suitable areas
The areas where I find pager are often characterized by the presence of shells, blackbirds or gravel on the bottom, while having nearby stalking areas such as a drop-off or rocky outcrops. Areas rich in food and sand eels bring me very good results, as well as attracting numerous predators, with large pike often lurking nearby.
A search on the sedimentation maps enables these zones to be easily identified. They are available on the DataSHOM website (see link at bottom of page). I've also noticed that several species such as pike-perch, old cockle and red mullet cohabit in these areas.
A number of spots were discovered, starting with old coquette, red mullet or other sparids such as gilthead bream, then, by insisting or returning at another time of the tide, pikeperch.
Decoys
I began by fishing them on natural baits with Madaïs, on which I would eschew a piece of squid. Their small mouth size suggested to me that it was necessary not to offer big bites to this fish.
While researching other species, I found that it was possible to catch pike with large soft lures. I got very good results with the Fiiish Crazy 220 mm.
If pagres are active in the area, the results are not long in coming, and it's often the larger specimens that react first.
Lure animation
With Crazy 220, I opt for two types of animation:
- Vertical fishing involves lifting the lure off the bottom with a strong upward pull and then reeling in the line as the lure descends. It's important to pay close attention to the descent phase, as it's often during this phase that the lure is hit.
- I alternate elevator fishing with vertical fishing. This involves moving the lure up the water column at varying speeds. This technique is not just for pike, but for all predators, using shads, slugs or even jigs.
- Look for suitable areas on maps, taking into account the nature of the seabed.
- Don't hesitate to use big lures. Fiiish's Crazy Sand Eel 220 is an excellent choice.
- Favor periods of current and areas rich in food.
- The presence of shelters such as drop-offs or large boulders increases the likelihood of finding fine specimens.
