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Principle of the stone fishing technique
The principle is to use a stone as lead, which is attached under the bait (often mussels) with a rubber band, while the hook is carefully concealed in the flesh of the shellfish. When the dorado rips off the plug, the bait separates from the stone, releasing the hook into the fishâ??s mouth, causing a sudden release of the banner visible to the scion.âeuros
Prospecting areas and seasons
The best spots are rock heads, wrecks, shell plateaus or areas colonized by mussels, on bottoms of around 40 to 80 m, sometimes very localized to within a few dozen mètres. This type of fishing is best done in autumn and winter, in calm seas, without too much wind or current, as the bait is fragile and the bites are very fine.âeuros
Hardware and assembly
We mainly use a fairly long, sensitive rod with a good power reserve, and a reel fitted with nylon or braid connected to a discreet fluorocarbon leader. Stone (usually 150 to 300 g) is used as sinker, and baiting is done with one or more single hooks or sometimes small trebles, â??knittedâ? from the flesh of the mussel or other shellfish.âeurosâeuros
Key and shoe detection
In contrast to a traditional prop fishing rod, you hardly feel the contact at the moment of the strike: the rod remains under slight tension and the strike is mainly expressed by a straightening of the tip when the bream hooks the stone plug. In this case, you need to strike widely to tension the rod and bite the fish, which takes a little practice, especially as sea bream are wary and often taste the bait before swallowing it.âeuros
Interest and difficulties of the technique
This technique is renowned for its ability to select beautiful fish and, when the conditions are right, for its ability to catch bream and other sparids. On the other hand, it requires precise placement, favourable weather conditions and a keen sense of how to read bites, making it a technical, tactile and exciting way to fish.
