Out East...27/04/08

Well all week I’ve been looking forward to today – original forecast back then was sun, 6 inch swell, 4 mph onshore wind. I can assure you that it was anything but! According to Magic seaweed today was finalised as being 2-2.5ft swell, 15 dropping to 10mph, South moving to West South West cross/offshore and overcast. Well, it was overcast a lot of the time but we saw some sun. The swell was mostly 2-2.5 ft when we took shelter after retreating from the usual mark a couple of miles out – with some a bit bigger and the wind didn’t seem to drop all day (although it may have). It was a funny day, and not ideal – but it was great anyhow! Especially as I hadn’t fished since France nearly a month ago.

The day started well – I woke up a couple of hours before we planned to meet up and after a coffee headed down to the car boot sale to get some more weights – a guy flogs breakaways for 50p and I needed more for one of my guests. Then back home and start getting the gear together. Then David rang and I directed him in, in the meantime knackering my bike pump trying to resurrect a flat on one of the C-Tugs so we had a coffee instead. David is one of my new colleagues and a keen fisherman so of course I invited him out and he turned up with a demo Drifter and a bag of boilies. More of which later…

Scott turned up next, another local who came out with me once before - he had the bait too, the best lug I’ve seen, ever, and a bunch of good peeler crabs He’s heading off on Friday for a substantial period and so we had to get out come what may - and get out we did with the Prowler 15 on David’s roofbars and me walking the Trident down to the beach on the C-Tug.

Highpoint of the pre-launch was David asking us if we hair-rigged baits :D Not having a clue about boilies and hair rigs but knowing they were carp things I looked blank.



Down on the beach we set up, got our kit on, divvied up bait and posed nicely for the chap who dropped by to see us off, being in the area. I was slightly concerned passing my camera to one who needed a haircut but it turned out okay.



We launched. It looked really pleasant and pretty flat really. Perfect in fact. It didn’t last though, past the surfline (if you could call it surf) we had the 2ft swells and they were fine. Past the overfalls on the sandbanks we carried on heading out to the Stanford Buoy where we usually find some codling. I started up the finder and by the time I had the right screen the other two were out of earshot due to the wind direction. Five minutes later I regretted this as the swell was picking up out here and there was no way I was happy about getting them to anchor in it – David not having anchored before and Scott only once. Frankly I didn’t want to anchor in it either as the leads would be bouncing and it never feels comfortable anyway – especially being wind over tide for the next few hours.







So, having had a nice gentle calorie burn we turned and came pretty much most of the way back. It was a bit more tricky though as we had the current coming crossways and some chop as well. It didn’t take long though and we found some calmer water of around 2-3ft in 23ft of water about quarter of a mile off the wooden pier. A pity really as we’d knocked a reasonably good mark on the head for one that I wasn’t so confident in. I kind of felt guilty making them paddle all that way to turn back but fair do’s – they felt the same! Then out came the first windsurfer I’d seen in years:



So, the other two anchored off (easily) I dropped mine down and started tackling / baiting up. Then came a shout – David was in – his first yak fish and first sea fish in the UK! Jammy sod – I only had one rod in by this time. It was a baby so it went back in.



I dropped my second rod down and hauled up the first with my first ever sea double-shot – a pout on the lug and a whiting on the squid. Two more species for the year.



Off they came and smiled for the camera:

Pout:



Whiting:



More of each followed and then Scott was in – a pout.



I carried on pulling out the odd pout and whiting and then Scott was into a better fish – Codling. It fell to peeler. I had some on one of my rods (just bought myself some new ones – Masterline John Wilson prime 7ft 2-piece boat rods. 2x12lb and 2x20lb. They’re the same trim as my other rods. TART!).



Then out came the kite-boarders…



…followed by some tosser in a gin palace that was heading straight for David (and presumably us afterwards). Now, I wouldn’t be in trouble if I didn’t bring him back but he had two of my rods and so I raised my paddle as he put his back together to do the same (no paddle keeper). Thankfully Captain Twatt looked up from pouring another and stopped, turned tail and fled. I dunno, shouldn’t be allowed on the sea.

Meanwhile Scott continued to haul in codling. We weren’t that far from each other but I didn’t attract a single one. It must be down to superior skill, that’s all I can think of. Bastard. Then I got a rattle and wound in my PB Whiting! Lovely stuff. Not long after David saw the porpoise surface a metre or two from my starboard side but guess who was reeling in to port?



It was nice out there, a bit lumpy but really pleasant to be out. I tried to have a sleep at slack water but the sun was in my eyes so I couldn’t. Then David shouted across the question of all newbies – “How do you have a piss from one of these things?” I don’t know how he managed it in the end but he did, without falling off.



The wind had moved around, the tide was supposedly running the other way, the swell had flattened a bit but was more choppy, the lines were slackening constantly and the fish had disappeared. After last drops we up-anchored and headed in…



…riding the small surf into the beach with no casualties.



Of course we had to unload and play in the surf then. David didn’t want to miss the opportunity and I figured it’d be fun to play in the surf with the Drifter which has a nice looking keel and is shorter than I’m used to. It also had thigh straps which I’d often wandered about but never got around to getting. So after he had a couple of goes I let him take the Trident out.


I surfed in a couple of times and then caught a lovely wave. I rode it nicely for 50 metres or so and then the nose went down to the rear of the front hatch and I was dumped. Luckily the water is not quite as cold as it as been (although I still wouldn’t go in it if I wasn’t yakking!) and apart from getting some in through the cag/pants I got back in and played some more. I then watched as David saw what I meant about the Trident wanting to go sideways in surf as he calmly fell off :D One last go, both of us catching the same wave in and then it was time to pack up and head back to mine. Scott had sat this out and was lovely and dry. Typical eh? Dry, and with the best fish too.

Final tally was 4 pout and 7 whiting for me, 3 good cod for Scott (and a few whiting/pout) and another 3 fish for David. Most went back apart from Scott’s biggies, my big whiting and 3 smaller ones that were hooked deeply – they’re fishcakes tomorrow.

Top day, cobwebs blown away, a PB, 2 more species for the year and a good day out with good company – who can ask for more?