Si’s Birthday Bonanza…10.11.2011

I was over at Si’s a few weeks back. I randomly pitch up when I have spare cooked fish, feel like riding the bike or just fancy getting tempted into wine. That and the text affair I’m having with his wife ;D Anyway, this particular occasion saw him telling her that he was going to take the day off for his birthday.

“Why? I’ll be at work and the kids will be at school.”

“I just want to take the day off”.

A vision flashed before my eyes…

“I’ll take the day off too if you fancy going fishing!”

It wasn’t difficult to persuade Tim to have the day off as well. Thursdays are better spent not working and so it was all planned and all in hand.

08:00. Tim pitches up and we have bacon, sausage, tomato, egg and warm cheese ciabatta rolls with coffee. Si pitches up at 9 and we head for Hopton as the sea looks fine as opposed to the forecast that would have been snot (and seen us in the Alde).

The sea was well up to the ramp but apart from the shore dump it looked fine. A bit of swell but no chop. We let Si go first as it was his birthday. It wasn’t his lucky day though and he started off wet ;D



We were soon on the mark, it was just coming off slack so a nice gentle paddle and we dropped anchor and started to fish. The bites were immediate and within a couple of minutes the first whiting came aboard. Then a double shot came aboard.



Rod 3 went out as a livebait.

Then a dab



Then Si called out “Did you see that?”

I’d seen nothing but I watched as between the two of us a pair of porpoises broke the surface. I couldn’t capture them on film, as brief as they are but I saw them and felt good; I’ve not seen any for ages. We saw a seal later too, it was one of those days. I half expected my livebait rod to scream…

Then Si went north, up anchored and paddled back again.

Next came my first ever double shot of dabs



It was manic and I was pulling fish for a while. I missed some, dropped some, left some waiting for codling. It was constant for all of us. Well, for Tim and I. Si kept padlding back again every time his anchor slipped ;D

As the tide started to pick up things slowed and it became a waiting game, just tiny bites but I still saw dabs coming in amazingly and some good ones at that – even a PB! Then I got a decent bend in the rod and started pulling up an almost definite cod. It felt a decent one too but alas it dropped off just downtide of me and I didn’t see it. Bugger! Then Tim called over – he had one on and then in the yak.

Si was still padlding about. We took pity and Tim let him go get a larger anchor from his car. It didn’t stop him drifting but at least he went slower!!!

We came in around 3pm after 5 hours on the water. 11 dabs – more than I’ve had some years – and 39 whiting had been swung aboard and about half the latter had come back to restock the freezer tray which was down to the last 3 whiting (tray currently weighing 20kgs with seven species, some also available smoked and salted; I’m prepared for a repeat of last winter’s desert). It had been a great day out and we left with the water looking like this:





Back ashore we loaded up and Mike wandered down with his dog. Mike is a local and I work with his wife. As we chatted the emergency phone on the clifftop rang – the one for dialling the coastguard. I answered, concerned it might be a call for assistance. Apparently I may be eligible for compensation for being missold Payment Protection insurance…unbelievable!

It’s illegal (or should be) to work on your birthday in my book and to work on a mate’s birthday is not on either ;D Many happy returns you old fart!