C-Tugs on, we wandered down to the beach. Conditions were a bit more sea-like than last week and we were faced with a nice bit of surf to go through to begin with. It’s a very shallow sandy slope where I launch so the surf zone is quite drawn out with waves breaking over quite an area. Magic Seaweed had predicted a 3ft swell at 6 second spacing, a 16mph northerly wind and the current was running in the same direction as it was flooding up to high tide at 08:40. So nice and refreshing then…
Both times Mike had come out so far it had been a nice gentle launch but after getting things stowed and sorted out I decided to go first so as to be in position out of the surf to come and assist if need be. After taking pictures of him getting soaked of course. Out I went, getting plenty of water in my lap and onto the back of the fishfinder (whose batteries had died on me and hadn’t been checked). I got into position, turned and became the spectator:
Obviously watching Hawaii 5-0 in the past had left it’s mark and Mike made it with no trouble at all.
So, off we went to choose a spot. We’d planned to head for the sandbank off the Claremont Pier, about ¾ of a mile out. Quite a way past this longliner in fact:
A few hundred metres from where I reckoned it to be we stopped and anchored up, the swell being noticeably larger on the bank itself. We’d gone a few hundred metres further south than the pier as well and were in a spot that gave us a decent view of the CEFAS building (The Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science), formerly the Grand Hotel, perched high on Pakefield cliffs
I quite like stooging around here mid-week as many friends work there and I do it to piss them off.
Anchors down, we let out loads of line and both managed to catch a hold on the first go. I was on a 0.75kg disposable anchor, mindful of the sea-pikeys of last week, and Mike was using a 1.5. Tackling up with 2-hook paternosters and 8oz breakaway leads I dived into the bait tub and did some pick n’ mix. Mackerel strip and ragworm, lugworm inside a squid tube, lugworm tipped with mackerel and ragworm tipped with squid and mackerel and cast the lines either side of me about 30 yards out so as to avoid any disturbance from the boat, anchor line etc.
After about half an hour Mike was in!
That’s twice now that he’s drawn first blood, and he proudly showed off his PERSONAL BEST shore crab. Sadly he was too far and it was too overcast for a decent snap but I don’t think it was mantelpiece fodder anyway.
After ¾ of an hour I was up for moving but Mike wanted to stay. Being without a finder there wasn’t much point anyway as I would be able to spot any features so I did stay put and rebaited. Ten minute or so later and I got the classic whiting knocks, the rod tip going up and down rapidly. Hitting it ineffectively (I have decided to try a different design of rod holder) I felt it shaking down below but then nothing. It was off. At least I knew there was a fish down there. Three more bites without hook-ups followed and I figured the baits were too big so I slimmed them down a bit.
The next knock saw me get a whiting up, a little baby, and I held it up on the line and called Mike to show him but it dropped off seconds before he turned his head. Caught but shaken off, I wasn’t too bothered as it was way undersized.
As was the next one.
Although small, it was pretty and a new species for the year. About ¼ of a fish cake I’d estimate, heavy on the potato and with an equal measure of parsley!
So back it went
A couple more small bites that were left until developing – which they failed to do – and then I reeled in a shore crab, which dropped over the side while I was grabbing the camera. Almost out of bait by now and with half an hour of pass left it was time to pack up and head in. Mike had beaten his PB shore crab by now and had boated both of them, though they were returned unrecorded by camera. He’d not noticed any fish bites though so it goes to show that there is a large percentage of luck involved in fishing blind. He came alongside and we stowed rods and things in the hatches before heading off, me dropping down the anchor I’d just began to retrieve to keep us from drifting.
Paddling back was a breeze, and I decided to try out a different way of going in through surf – across the wave diagonally as opposed to straight in, which I usually opt for, or with the wave when I want to have a surf to finish a session. I figured it may help to avoid the nose swinging and tipping me up and so with Mike holding off I tried that method. It was not effective and I nearly got tipped so I finished it off going in straight, hauling the yak onto the sand and watching Mike head in for his first beaching in the surf, again hoping to catching him getting dunked!
He came in at a reasonable pace and kept an eye on what the waves were doing, timing it well
Very well in fact, only get picked up by a wave towards the end
and riding it in to the beach. No mean feat in a Prowler 15 which doesn’t like the surf very much and which was nose heavy from the C-Tug and assorted kit in the bow hatch..
Another trip complete it was time to head back for a coffee and to put stuff away. Unloading, I noticed something was missing again – BLOODY PIKEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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