Around 1am after I’d finally managed to drift off I was awoken by a large group of teenagers sitting on the wall of next doors house – 2 metres from my bedroom – creating a hullabaloo. Enough of their shenanigans – my wife told them off (she had just got in) before I could get downstairs. Feeling aggrieved I went back to sleep and ignored my first alarm…
Half an hour later I got up, drank coffee, kitted up and walked down to the beach. I was on the water by 6:30 and just went a few hundred yards out hoping that the shallow sandy beach would produce some flatties. One rod went out with a two hook boom flapper rig and the other with a wishbone, both with 1/0 hooks and a head hooked ragworm.
After a while I got my first bite…I missed the second and third too. I figured I’d better thread the worms up the shank a bit…then finally I got a hook-up…a Whiting.
Not long after it went again and I struck into Jaws…a beautiful Starry Smoothound. This made my day and I’d now christened both rods.
I was back home by 9:30 as I didn’t have much bait and the (very) inshore fleet conspired with slack tide to bugger me up.
Come lunchtime we were off as a family with some friends for a paddle on the river for a couple of hours. A few disasters – my wife and daughter’s paddles were still at home so my wife had mine, my daughter shared a kayak with her friend and I paddled a prowler 15 with a double-torque white water paddle. Not recommended in a ‘touring’ kayak if you want to turn or go any distance!!! The water was very clear and very high, it was bright sunshine and nothing was happening. It took until we were ¼ mile short of being back at the vehicles before I managed to try the new rod on a pike – and boy did I get a feisty one! It was a hell of a hit – they’re punching way above their weight this summer – and I had quite a struggle, the test curve being well and truly tested on the rod! My wife offered to take a picture and I couldn’t refuse…the more alert amongst you may notice I had no PFD on by now having put it in the front hatch when we stopped at the children’s playground five minutes paddle away…shame on me ;D
Well, having had a fun day of it so far I decided to finish the evening with something I’d meant to do for a while, had not gotten around to and would miss out on if I didn’t do it now as the Boat Show is nearly upon me and they’re gone by the time it’s over…it was time for the Great Goby Hunt!!! Of course I swapped my new rods for my untested Goby rod, custom made last year. I dug some harbour rag, paddled out for a play at the school bass (none about) before coming into my Goby mark once it was dark…I was straight in to the first one in moments…then another…then my Personal Smallest …
Then I was into the Bass, getting 6 under an inch including my Personal Smallest
beat that then Olly ;)
Finally I struck gold and after a hell of a scrap finally managed to drag my PB Sand Goby into the kayak, my legs going overboard for safety and stability…
I stopped on twenty of them, my arms aching by now, and went home. It’s never a dull moment on a yak around here ;D
