I tuned up, invited him out and got a tentative agreement to the possibility. It was on the beach later that he informed me that yes, he’d be at mine for 6am. Sure enough, he was and we popped my Prowler on the roof with my Scupper and headed north to Gorleston.
Launching half an hour or so later we paddled down to the wreck of the White Swan. The sea was pretty flat and the water pretty clear so I flicked out a couple of Rapalas and did a pass as close as I dared. I felt one tug but whatever it was it didn’t stay hooked. It may have been a schoolie or a piece of wreckage, I don’t know, but I suspect the former. I tried passing the wreck again but snagged a pot buoy on the turn and ended up making a hash of the second pass down so gave up and carried on towards Hopton.
We spotted a seal on the way down, Liam actually having it pop up three feet off his bow at one pint and then, in the distance something a bit more special – two or three harbour porpoises broaching the water a couple of hundred yards or so ahead of us. We couldn’t see them again when we got closer sadly but it was still pretty good.
Arriving off Hopton I was startled to see a fish jump a good couple of feet straight up out of the water. It’s only the second time I’ve seen this and again identification eluded me. Bass? Mackerel? I think the former as it seemed lighter and shinier but for all I know it could have been a sea trout. Had the bugger grabbed the lure I flicked out I’d have known for sure!
Passing Hopton we hit the rough water where the waves reflect off the sea defences. Even though it was calm the change in the sea was quite noticeable. I actually came off video here and took a photograph of Liam, my only still of the day.
We exited this area of confused water at Corton and continued on down past Gunton. The current was pretty strong here as it always is but it was with us so things were easy. Further on we got to north Lowestoft where the rock sea defences are. These begin just north of Ness Point and so the Rapalas went back out. I’ve never seen the sea so clear here and I really thought I might find a bass if I could keep myself slow enough. I stopped to chat with a shore angler when ¾ of the way down past these rock defences and on starting to paddle again I got fifty yards when Liam’s dinner jumped onto my orange Rapala ;D
A quick battle that saw me having to put the rod between my knees and paddle back out from the rocks saw the fish netted and, at 40cm, dispatched. His next paddle pass was now guaranteed ;) I put the rods away and we paddled past the harbour mouth before cutting into the bay and landing on the beach just down from my home.
Sometimes fishing takes a back seat and with a relaxed eight mile paddle with a mate in a calm sea and with just the occasional troll I figure I made the best use of my morning. It was grand ;D
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