At last things have changed for the better and with sub-10mph winds, flattish sea, small neap tides and sunshine she was finally able to get back in the saddle and get herself ready to compete in the OK Classic kayak fishing tournament that is less than a month away. That’s why she was awoken just before six this morning and dragged out in the cold. It’s still taking a while to warm up but, suitably clad and with the heater only on half strength we headed off for a Hopton launch.
Ten minutes away and we had to turn around. Si had roofrack problems and sent a text asking if I had space for his Caper…luckily my RRRapido was on the J bars rather than on the back of them so I was able to help and with it safely dumped in his garden I set off again.
A slight swell, a small shore dump and the sun already up things were far removed from the two-hour darkness of our recent pre-dawn launches. It felt like lunchtime to be honest and with the three of us kitted up we launched just before seven for the brief paddle out to the sabbelaria beds.
There’s not a great deal being caught right now, the occasional dab and some pin whiting but the spring run of cod is imminent, as every optimist insists, and the bass and thornbacks are also heading our way, preceded by the dogfish. Now, as much-maligned as these small catsharks are I love them and Eloise had yet to catch one so I was keeping my fingers crossed. With those beautiful green eyes and mottled bodies combined with the pull they give here on the East Coast I’m as happy catching them as I am any other species – who cares if it takes a cod bait that can go back down?
I get to the zone and drop anchor; bang on the mark when I settle. This is still saved in my unit as Steve as he outfished those around us from here one day three years back. Eloise manoeuvres in closer and we lash the two kayaks together so we can talk and I can teach and assist where necessary. Her Fladen Ice Pike rod is rigged with a 2/0 spreader wishbone and one of my Shimano multipliers and we start baiting up with frozen black lugworm and unwashed loligo squid; I picked up another 13kg of it yesterday and damned near bankrupted myself. Ever since the sword rattling started again down in the Falkland Islands the price has been rising as the boats have to return to Port Stanley each time instead of offloading along the South American coast…who decided to dispose of the Sea Harriers? Not an angler, that’s for sure!
So we sit there, baited up, for a good two minutes before her rod tip rattles and she picks it up waiting for the bite to develop. Great, I’m going to be outfished by her AGAIN! It goes again and she strikes, I start to film and she winds in what looks like a decent whiting, swings it in and as it unhooks itself by her feet she picks it up to show me…her first cod! Undersized maybe but that’s one more than I managed in fifteen years of shore fishing. It’s good to see the youngsters around and it bodes well for the next season. I miss a bite while taking her photograph and have to wait and play catch up now!
She’s in again, she’s missed two fish and I’ve only had that one bite, this time it’s another new species and she’s over the moon – doggie! Unhooked, she has a good look, asks me what sex it is – female – and remembers to kiss it for luck as must always be done with any shark then back into the water it goes, swimming away strongly. Another small first-year fish this.
Finally! I get a hell of a bite, fishing braid straight down in 30ft and up comes a codling. Undersize as well and initially really pale but I’m off the mark and it’s given a fair account of itself. It’s my first for some weeks and gets easily unhooked and returned.
I catch up, a skinny, spawned-out whiting. Sizeable but not worth eating it goes back and then it’s her turn again with a plumper one of similar length. A keeper, that’s lunch for her then. She likes whiting, lucky considering how often it’s been served up this winter! En pappilotte, she tells me, that’s how she’s cooking it. Not battered, not crumbed but in foil the French way. Now she wants one for her sister too.
I get the next fish, another doggie. I’m chuffed, first of the year and I’ve been hoping for one since my brush with it’s somewhat larger cousins the other side of the equator a fortnight ago. I don’t get pulled along on a six-knot sleigh ride this time and soon have it to hand to unhook and return. I’d have kept it if it was Eloise’s, they’re tasty enough and this one would have fed her and her sister but she’ll catch her own soon enough I’m sure and then she can have it served up with pride and tartare.
She takes the lead again with another whiting and I follow soon after and then things go quiet as the tide eases off. The bites cease and, with that northerly wind blowing on us, it is time to take Eloise back in, her hands suffering from the cold as we’ve not brought any gloves with us and I really need to get her some warmer clothing to go under the drysuit. We wind in, I untie her and she starts to paddle in while I up-anchor. Si catches up and joins her and I play catch-up once again by the time I’m sorted. Si’s happy enough, he’s had four as well and watched the Grand Prix on his phone (tart) and lands first then nearly re-launches when he sees us holding back off the shore for five minutes and guesses something’s wrong. It is. I can’t get the right angle for the picture I’ve been planning! No matter, I snap a few and we head along to the landing spot. I hang back and film as Eloise paddles in, nice and easy and catches a small wave to surf in the final bit. Impressive stuff!
We load up, I bump into an old customer from ten years ago and we catch up and then Steve pulls up to see how we’ve got on, fishing on ‘his’ mark! A nice ending to our session, that.
Eloise's Report:
On 14th April I went fishing at Hopton beach. I got up at 5:45 and then we went to the beach. I launched all by myself and I paddled to the spot where we were fishing. After 10 minutes I caught my first codling. I was constantly getting bites but not catching anything. After about half an hour I caught a whiting and my first dogfish (also my second shark). I caught another fish (whiting) and then we paddled back. I surfed the last small wave. I caught 4 fish!
I really enjoyed it and wish I could go a bit more often.
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