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Puerto de Mogan, Gran Canaria 

On Carp Safari 

This year in autumn it was time too catch some sun again on Gran Canaria. Because we liked it so much last year we went to Puerto de Mogan again. But this time I was determined to find out about the black bass and only took tackle for them with me. I also did more research from home and stumbled upon the web page of Canary Safari Carp Fishing, where my mails where answered and I was assured they knew where to find the largemouth bass. So I phoned Mike and he picked me up at our apartment in the morning. I was expecting a jeep, but he came with a small car which did manage too bring us to our destination safely : a small bay of the Embalse de Chira. While the English clients where still struggling with the set up of their carp gear I made the first casts with an Arbogast Hula Popper and soon spotted a small follower. I switched too a smaller silver-green Popper and just a few casts later my first ever Canarian black bass was wriggling on the hook. I slowly searched the shore line for more fish. The whole part was not very big, before the shore became too steep to walk and I caught one fish after the other on my popper. When I got to the end of the fishable part I made my way back trying some different lures. Successful where: the X-Rap and the small 7cm Salmo Slider, all catching fish in the 25-30cm range.
Now it was time for lunch and afterwards I switched to my worming combo with a Texas rigged Berkley Powerbait Worm to fish the same places again. After a few missed bites, some seemed to be larger fish, and a few more small ones I lost the lure and rigged my newest Hook: a Gamakatsu EWG Wormhook. That did cut down on the missed bites. After another missed bite I was reeling in the worm pretty fast when I noticed a dark shadow following it. Immediately I let the worm drop to the bottom again and felt it was being chewed upon, when the fish pulled away to the side I set the hook and was fighting the biggest bass of the day. As I was standing a bit high over the water on a rock I had to climb down to lip it. I measured it to be 44cm and, after a few quick photos, released it. I had a few more small ones and then went to rest with the carpers, quite happy with 22 smallish Bass and the one bigger fish. Now, shortly before we planned to leave, the carp had finally found the boilies and I could watch two fights with nice carp.

Embalse De Cueve De Las Niñas

After this nice tour I arranged another date with Mike to go to a different lake, the Embalse de Cueve de las Niñas, where you can access more of the shoreline by foot, so I was told. I also heard, that all dammed lakes belong to the government and can be fished with the official fishing licence. We tourists don't have an own fishing licence though, we are fishing on mikes. For the next time I'd like to try it on my own. Again we've got some carpers coming along curving through the mountains in an extremely broken down fiat which Mike took over from the previous owner of the business. This lake also looks quite good and is not as clear as I had expected. Of course I start with poppers again, but it doesn't work this time. After a while I do see some quite small followers and decide to tempt them with a 6cm Husky Jerk in colour "glass minnow" ( transparent-white). That works and I make the acquaintance of a younger generation of bass, compared to the Chira. So now I walk around the lake (well, not completely) and catch a bass in the 20-23cm class every now and then. Looks like there are no bigger ones here, but even the small ones can fight. This time I skip the lunch break and switch to soft baits on the way. 2 fish grab a crayfish on the fall after a cast far out, which I find quite unusual, several others go for a smaller brown worm. But this time I can't find any of the "parents". With a days catch of 18 black bass there's still no reason to complain. The carpers also catch just small fish on this lake, but much more than in the other one.

And The Sea?

We tried a big game trip this time as well, but it was pretty much a complete fiasco. It should have been a combined fishing/beach party tour. Great, I thought, just what the family needs. But then it was a very stormy day, so the boat just trolled to the next harbour where we went on land again and had a look at the beach. Then we had some grilled bonito with the inevitable and tasty Papas con Mojo on board. On the shaky way back my little son threw up and in the end we where just glad it was over. What a pity. Last year had been much better.
In the harbour we see a lot of fish, even the cornet fish is there again. To my disappointment it is caught on one of the last days by a village boy and of course not released. I take my children to the canal between the village and the beach to go after the mullet with bread. I had expected it to be a mere child's game pulling out some mullet but was reminded how difficult it can be to fish with (soft) bread, they just keep on stealing it from the hook. But I finally manage to hook a fish for my daughter. On the very last morning there is a positive surprise: I'm going for a walk with my daughter, as we go over the bridge spanning the afore mentioned canal, of course I cast an eye on the water and what do I see? There's a hand sized baby skate swimming around in the shallow water!