The waves weren’t generally too big (4-5ft) but with the sea so confused and the power of the swell it resulted in pretty tall explosive peaks when the opposing walls of water met...I figured Yakboard for this session ;D
It was wind-driven swell and the wind was from the north. Yes, that’s right; it was bloody bitter! By the time I’d walked the 200m to the water my hands were like ice and my ears were starting to notice the wind too. I launched and with the first few waves on my hands I knew that I wasn’t going to last long. It was really, really cold with the February water and Force 5 northerly. I played for a few minutes before lining up and catching a decent run all the way in. Most unlike me I decided that would do – I’d woken up in an invigorating manner and decided to give up on the frostbite-inducing paddle and get bacon and eggs from the supermarket to take home and prepare for the family.
It took me five miles before my hands stopped aching.
There are two days in a weekend. Plans for Sunday, with light winds (10mph) and a lower (3ft) swell had been for a fishing session all along, fishing the flood. So again I was up at 06:30 and out of the house by 7, arriving around 15 minutes later as the sunrise was happening:
I was the only person down at Beach Road and having set up the Scupper I was on the water by 07:36, launching through a 2ft shore dump. I flooded the kayak waiting for the right moment but got out okay once I hopped in; there’s still no beach at high tide.
I paddled north against the current for a while until I found the patch of disturbed water marking the wreckage off the holiday camp. Paddling uptide a bit I dropped the anchor and waited for it to settle. It hadn’t seemed as strong as that on the paddle out! I was mid-tide and it was a strong one! Streaming through it was, 2.5 knots easy. Still, the 2.5kg anchor grabbed first time and I settled down bar a bit of yawing from the swell.
I sat there for ages with nothing whatsoever happening. I was fishing a 6/0 pennel again on one rod and a 2/0 triple flapper on the other, black lug tipped with squid as usual. There was some weed around but it was not overly bad. It was a nice morning anyway.
The first blizzard came through after about an hour and I still hadn’t had a bite. The water was starting to slow down a bit though so things weren’t too bad. The swell was still pumping, and would carry on doing so all morning, and the noise as it hit the sea defences was quite impressive:
Then, finally, as it started easing I got a rattle...I picked up the rod and waited...it rattled again and I wound down...FISH ON!!!
Trust me, this is a major event here right now ;D
In came a whiting on the 6/0 rig. I cast down again to try and find another, noticing as I did another yak paddling out towards me...hmm, a Big Game...a PFD like mine...the only other person I was half-expecting was Tangleweed who I’d not met before (except I had – he’d spoken to me when I’d been battling a tree at Beccles a few months ago!!!) and who’d said he might be along. A quick hello and chat and off he went to anchor, about 50 metres offshore from me on the same line.
He then proceeded to pull out a few whiting while I sat there with ever-colder toes. Eventually I had another missed bite on a fresh bait, stripping most of it, then another missed one...until finally I got a last bite that resulted in a neatly-hooked whiting on the bottom hook of the 2/0 flapper. My toes were now like ice and I decided to call it a day and head in.
Due to the swell and lack of beach to land on I decided to break down the rods and sling them and the anchor into the front hatch with my C-Tug. This done and with Tangleweed ready too we set off back to the launch point. It was kicking up a bit here and I went in first, going in nice and straight on a wave before watching Dave come in nicely too with no dramas.
It was too good an opportunity to miss – we went back out and played for a while! There were some tidy waves coming in and I launched myself up and over a few of them with a resounding slam as I came down on the other side. Brilliant fun! Coming in was good too, getting quite a speed before being turned (had the cranked Kinetic Wing out today and was surprised at how much more control I had than expected, but it still wasn’t enough). Being turned often results in a dunking but I was sliding in sideways in foam quite happily. Meanwhile Dave was scooting around in his Big Game doing a nice job of it too. It turns out he has a Mysto which he plays in as well ;)
After a while we swapped yaks. Now, I’ve never been a fan of the Big Game and hadn’t enjoyed previous paddles on it. Yes, it’s a comfortable, roomy platform (like a sofa really) which is not to be sniffed at but is limiting for me as I either cover distance or battle tide. But I’d never taken it out in surf...
...up and over, I leapt the first decent wave that was starting to curl over. I’d already sworn, expecting a dunking. I was elated! Out I went...yes, it was slower than I’m used to on my fishing yaks but faster than the Yakboard. I got the feel of it then spotted a wave coming that looked good enough to surf. I was too slow for it but managed to get the one behind...I started to accelerate and pushed myself over the lip...nose down, lean back, the wave rearing up and in I shot, straight up the shingle...BRILLIANT!!! What a surprise for me – the Big Game is great for surfing, like a pie-guzzling Yakboard ;D I dragged it back out and went again...and again...and again. Okay, so I turned it side on the rest of the times and while I rode in sideways (my hat slipping over my eyes one time and leaving me blind) it kindly remained upright...except the one time...
Tangleweed had already been over when the nose dug in as it turned and now it was my turn...bombing in on a biggie I was at a crazy angle, nose down, as I went into a turn towards where the water was curling over...Persil time! It rolled me over and rolled over me as I bounced off the bottom. I got to my feet, refreshed from the dunking and waded ashore laughing. Great stuff. A couple more goes on that and my Scupper and it was time to go home – the fishing may be shit at the moment but when you can mess around like that who cares?
Cheers Dave, see you next week...
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