The dawn was pretty beautiful and the waves looked very nice; we’d need to time our launch to avoid the larger ones but it was no real problem although Tim had a face wash.
We paddled out, past the pier and south to Pakefield, dropping anchor off CEFAS and inshore of the somewhat lively banks. Frozen blacks and frozen squid, still frozen, were rigged up and I stuck out a 2/0 wishbone on a rolling lead and a 4/0 pennel with a breakaway. The current was pretty strong but I held bottom okay and sat there waiting for a bite. It was quite a long wait.
Finally, some nibbles and I struck into a small whiting which promptly went back to its friends. Tim, 20 yards away, was clearly jealous. Especially when, half an hour later, I got another bite. I left it to develop and reeled in a double shot of whiting which also went back. I was on a roll…It was a beautiful morning and as the sun came up and the darkness cleared we sat there bathed in sunshine. It was still bloody cold though and I wondered why I bothered! If only the surf had come…
I had a fourth whiting and then, finally, Tim had one. That was it, two hours after launch we up-anchored and paddled back to south beach. The tide was still running, but slowly so it was a nice warming paddle. Back at the launch however we could see that the waves were now a bit larger! Not huge but enough to take note. I sat out back and watched for a while before following in a larger set. I timed it well and landed with no issues, Tim doing the same.
Red rag. I walked back home and grabbed the RRRapido. Tim fetched his Lipstik from his car. We left the Scuppers on the beach and paddled out. A few rides followed, nothing brilliant as the steeper waves were the wrong side of the groyne and absorbed by it or further out and being absorbed before they got to us. We had to come quite close in to catch the few, very few, that could give us a ride. I bottom turned the first decent one, ran along a bit and then came in sideways in the foam to a ‘well done’ from a couple of guys out walking on the promenade.
I did it again. I managed to get myself surfing backwards! I’d cut back and over a couple of times and this time I cutback and slackened at the right time; I stayed on for a second before the arse buried and I flipped. Right, remember to lean forward.
I caught another, cut straight back over and then one more and this time, leaning forward and sinking the nose, surfed it backwards right into the shore…Success! Tim clapped. I was stoked! I paddled back out, missed a bunch more that weren’t going anywhere and then, as a surfer arrived on the beach, we both caught one. I turned, 180 degrees, with Tim shooting along towards me…I tried to get all the way around and made it side-on and then, just before a collision, went over as he did the same. Great stuff. 270 degrees or thereabouts. Now to master that final quarter and the 180 and back…
It wasn’t to be. We managed a couple more smallish waves and then rode the last in together. Not a great fishing or surfing session but what a lovely morning to do badly.
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