Pagre, a combative fish
Pagre is a very sought after fish from mid-summer onwards. The paddlefish or pagrus pagrus, is a fish of the sparidae family. Close cousin of the gilthead sea bream or the sar, or even of the Mediterranean denti, it has in common a powerful jaw that allows it to crush all kinds of shellfish.
It is a fish which likes the deep zones in winter, it gets closer to the coasts in summer and likes then to frequent the drop-offs in the zones of 15 to 50 meters. It is especially in these areas that we will look for it from mid-July.
Pagre is a rather solitary fish, it can sometimes be found in small groups. Its dress is easily recognizable, among its small names, the one of pink gilthead sea bream suits it well. This nickname is also given to other fishes such as the pageot for example.
Fishing for pike perch in a kayak
The pike is mainly a shellfish eater and we will use this greed to catch them. Occasionally, it does not disdain a squid or a fish, and you can very well look for them with soft lures, near the bottom. The lures of pink or orange colors work well.
In the roadstead of Brest, we mostly look for them in tenya, madaï or kabura. We have seen that they are fond of drop-offs, on rocky and sandy areas, which is good news, as we can find this kind of spots in the Brest bay. These areas are easily accessible by kayak, as long as you respect some constraints of tidal coefficients. Work on tidal coefficients lower than 60, otherwise you will spend your time going up the drifts rather than fishing them.
Lures to fish for pikeperch
In your bait box, carry different weights as well as different shapes and colors. You should try to respect this basic rule, fish as light as possible according to the conditions of the moment. To avoid filling the bottom, the second rule to apply, fish as vertical as possible, avoid dragging your tenya on the bottom, it is the best way to quickly empty your box.
I take baits from 15 to 50 grams. If you have to use heavier weights, it's because the conditions are not suitable for fishing that day, at least in a kayak.
For the dressing, the gambas is the king bait, many species are interested in it, but the pikeperch is quite fond of it. Two setups are possible, with or without elastic ligature.
I use ligature if the grays are very present. Using the rubber band then allows the bait to last a little longer on the tenya.
To dress the kabura, I use a mix of baits, depending on what I found on the shore. Clams, razor clams, mussels, squid tentacles, and arenas, the menu is varied. Many times, you will do multi-species with these different techniques.
Pagres and octopuses
To fish only the pagre is impossible. At the moment, the octopus, very present in the harbour, do not disdain to surround with their tentacular arms a correctly presented gambas!
If you practice no kill, let the paddles decompress by making them evolve two meters under the surface, until they expel a good string of bubbles. Then you can bring them up, take the picture and put them back in the water in good conditions.
If you keep some, you will appreciate its fragrant flesh, avoid heavy sauces to fully enjoy the taste of this fish. Its fishing can be done until mid-autumn, the most beautiful specimens are then present at this time. When winter arrives, they return to the deep sea until next summer and the cycle continuesâ?¦
I take you on a video fishing trip:
