Tomorrow dawned nice, probably. I couldn’t face getting up too early so arranged to meet Steve down at Hopton for 7. I had all kinds of good intentions in the meantime though, namely sorting the van out, rigging my rods and so on. But no, I just really couldn’t be bothered. So, I went to bed.
I arrived at the beach at 7 and it was glorious – a beautifully sunny morning, not too much wind and the sea was pretty flat. Granted the tide had turned and the flood was starting but that’s no great issue really on such a beautiful morning. Even if it was one day after the vernal equinox ;D
I was really slow getting sorted out. Everything was in disarray as I’d not hit the salt in a fortnight and that hadn’t been for fishing. Still, eventually I got down to the water’s edge and paddled out to the mark, guided by GPS. I dropped anchor just up from the mark and settled down to fish around the sides of Steve who ended up in front of me ;D Usually it’s me cramping his style but we’re mates so it doesn’t matter. The tide was already pretty strong as we baited up and started to fish. Two worms and a squid head on a 6/0 pennel and 1 worm and a squid head on each hook of a 2/0 triple flapper.
It only took about half an hour before the bites started. Both of us missed one in the first instance – I lost the squid off my pennel, the only bite on it as it turned out. Then, a minute or two later a bite on the flapper rig and as I wound tight the rod arched over. The combination of the current and a pissed off fish gorged on sprat and herring ensured a cracking scrap and it took a couple of minutes to get the fish in – first post-spawning codling, weighed in later at a shade over 5lb. The day was a happy one!
Another half an hour passed before the next bite. P.N.Gwin phoned up and we had a chat and, moments after he rang off the rod banged down! The fish felt heavier and stronger than the first but this was purely down to the current picking up – it weighed in at a shade over 3lb. Steve had landed a small whiting by this point so I was chuffed to be outfishing him – not a common occurrence I hasten to add.
Another whiting came aboard and then shortly after it became too fast a tide to hold bottom and my yak was starting to yaw a bit. It was getting difficult to relax and so I made the decision to head in. Unfortunately Westie had just arrived and as we started in he started out ;D It’s not that you smell or anything Tim...
Anyway, we hung around on the beach chatting, being chatted up and photographing women holding my cod before saying goodbye to Tim, who was heading out again now that the tide was due to slow and headed home for the rest of the day, chuffed that the codling were coming back.
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