My last available night to fish before my girls get back from France. To be honest after a long day yesterday and a full day at work (which I struggled to get up for) I wasn’t overly keen and with an achy back it seemed a lot of hassle but what better way to wind down after a day at work? It’d be a short session straight off the beach by my house and it’d be after something I’ve wanted to target for a while. Sole.
The previous night, when I’d finished scaling, gutting, heading, finning, filleting and freezing I took all the frames down to the pier and chucked them in for the harbour critters to dispose of. The sea was like glass, a beautiful evening and I watched a baby sole come out. That was it, I had to do it. Paul and Si got an invite and Paul was available – he was then on bait duty and went and got some decent rag and squid.
18:30. I get to the beach. Paul arrives immediately and apologises, he’s had a shit day. No worries, I tell him, this’ll cheer you up ;D He was expecting me to drag him out miles but I explained we were literally paddling straight out for a couple of minutes and then fishing. Conditions were okay but the tides were wrong and we’d be fishing blind but would be in after a couple of hours anyway. He was persuaded.
We launched and dropped anchor. It was slack water so we were all over the place. He told me he wasn’t bothered with sole and wanted something bigger after I mentioned that 4/)’s were a bit large for them ;D
Then the cheeky bastard caught a whiting ;D
Me? I had a crab. My baits, on size 6 hooks, were stripped in minutes and with the second crab and most of my fresh bait now used I had to dig in the coolbox for some frozen.
Then the tide picked up. With it came the red weed. It was time to go in. Outfished by Paul he was in a great mood but though he calls himself Noidea he’s a bloody good angler and will one day teach me heaps about specimen coarse angling…
So that’s it. The end of my freedom to go anywhere, anytime for as long or short as I want. Not to worry, I’ll still get plenty of time on the water and I’ve made the most of my three weeks and with Paul, and latterly Si being dragged along for a lot of it I’ve had a blast even if there have been some blanks.
Highlights? My first big local smut. My first summer and lure caught codling. A frantic night on the pike. A car pulling up with two Tridents atop after seeing me come in with a 4lb’er. Hitting a huge swell with Paul and Uptide and seeing Paul’s surf-play come into action as he made it in in one piece. Meeting up with Spark on the water and seeing Phil again. Dragging Tim out on his home turf. Having a big day expedition further afield to North Norfolk. Paul’s big smut. Paul’s joy at the seals. Paul’s first Mackie. Si anchoring in a shitty sea the day after he’d been shown how to anchor the first time. Si’s first yak caught fish…so many great moments but the best of all?
The best of all is reading the local reports from the last couple of days and seeing everyone having a great time and a lot of success too.
See you on the water just as soon as I’m no longer grounded for the state of the house ;D
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