A morning off! Hurrah! Si and Mike both free too and with the forecast being all over the place we had to hedge bets. The 6mph southwesterly on the flood looked really promising to go to the banks in search of thornies, bass and smuts but this changed back to 15mph southwesterly changing to southeasterly so that would see us on the inshore mark again…we prepared for either with a decision to be made on the day.
Twelve hours before Si and I had scrabbled around in search of hardbacks and perhaps peelers but an hour too late on the tide meant a limited area to search and all we scraped together were half a dozen usable hardbacks. Now we just needed the fish to want them.
Just before 7 I pulled up once again on home territory, actually being beaten by Si for a change. He and Mike were not far off being ready to go so I unloaded and started hunting for the unsorted paraphernalia slung into the back of the van after the Swanage trip. It came together but slowly. I’d had an idea though to use Whippersnappers Fladen gear today though, the two 4ft Ice Pike rods as well as the 12lb IM7 along with some of the traces I’d tied for her.
The water was up to the ramp. There was a lively bit of swell too, dumping close in. Si was going first and I mentioned waiting for the flat spot…here it was, go now…he was busy though and twenty seconds elapsed, then he went. Mike and I laughed quite heartily as he yo-yoed back and forth between breakers but to his credit he stayed upright though Mike had to bring his hat out to him! Mike went next, chose a flat spot and got out easily enough, just popping over the first wave of the oncoming set. I just strolled out all casual-like.
A quick paddle out against the tide and we dropped anchor. The ram tubes were swung into position and tightened up, one being tricky where the threads have become jammed with salt, and I started to bait up. On the left with a small fixed spool, a Power 30, went a 1/0 pennel rig, a frozen black and a squid head. In the middle on the longer rod went a whole squid bait with a squid head on the bottom hook and to my right on the Fladen Warbird 3600 multiplier a 2/0 wishbone rig with live hardback on one hook, black and squid on the other. 5oz leads on the zip sliders for the tide and I was away. What a difference from the south coast a week before – 3-4ft swell running through, short, murky water and a gusty wind. It was fine to be back on familiar territory and even the odd spit of rain wasn’t annoying.
Ten minutes in and I had my first bite on the centre rod.
Not a bad scrap at all from my PB dogfish, around the 2lb mark I’d guess; taken on the whole squid. Unhooked I considered eating it but with smuts around I popped it back instead.
Half an hour later and the left hand rod goes. Up comes a spawned-out whiting and again it goes back.
I wait for the next bite. I miss it. another half an hour passes and the centre rod goes again, I strike and another dogfish is swung aboard and popped back over the side. I like these pretty little sharks.
It’s quiet though, there’s really not much happening and I miss a couple more tiny bites by waiting for them to develop. I replace baits, cast out closer and further, all to no avail. Still nothing on the right hand rod and then a good, shaking whiting bite. I make a hash of striking though and it also results in nothing on the end.
The wind starts to change direction and the yak starts to move about as the tide slows and the wind gusts. Some bigger swells are coming through now and then, finally, another bite. The rod dips and I wind into the fish, it’s quite heavy but with this tide that means little. I wind it up and am rewarded with a just-sizeable codling. Just-sizeable isn’t enough for a meal though and so a quick unhook and pose for the camera and over the side it goes again.
We leave it another half an hour and then decide to call it quits. The others head in while I’m bringing my anchor up and I can see the water hitting the sea defences; bumpy landing coming up! I figured they’d go the other side of the groyne where it was slightly dissipated and there was more sand but no, Si went for it and landed without problem. Clearly things looked different out here. Or did they? Mike went in and then I saw his underside. Si went to assist and next thing they’re both on their arses. I love the entertainment but now I had a predicament – do I be all cool and professional and take the coward’s route next door or do I be cool and foolhardy and follow them in? No question really…
I let the bigger ones pass and start in, I miscounted though and there’s another behind me. Not massive or anything but I paddle and then start to swing the nose; I’ll go up and over or bongo slide it, which will it be? Si has his camera out…I bongo in beautifully and pull up sideways on the sand without embarrassment.
Well, we all caught though nothing to eat for our lunches. A good mix of species with dogs, cod, whiting and a pout as well for Mike so perhaps slow and for scraps but a decent morning all the same, a precursor to my drive down to Worthing for tomorrow’s demo day!
A quick paddle out against the tide and we dropped anchor. The ram tubes were swung into position and tightened up, one being tricky where the threads have become jammed with salt, and I started to bait up. On the left with a small fixed spool, a Power 30, went a 1/0 pennel rig, a frozen black and a squid head. In the middle on the longer rod went a whole squid bait with a squid head on the bottom hook and to my right on the Fladen Warbird 3600 multiplier a 2/0 wishbone rig with live hardback on one hook, black and squid on the other. 5oz leads on the zip sliders for the tide and I was away. What a difference from the south coast a week before – 3-4ft swell running through, short, murky water and a gusty wind. It was fine to be back on familiar territory and even the odd spit of rain wasn’t annoying.
Ten minutes in and I had my first bite on the centre rod.
Not a bad scrap at all from my PB dogfish, around the 2lb mark I’d guess; taken on the whole squid. Unhooked I considered eating it but with smuts around I popped it back instead.
Half an hour later and the left hand rod goes. Up comes a spawned-out whiting and again it goes back.
I wait for the next bite. I miss it. another half an hour passes and the centre rod goes again, I strike and another dogfish is swung aboard and popped back over the side. I like these pretty little sharks.
It’s quiet though, there’s really not much happening and I miss a couple more tiny bites by waiting for them to develop. I replace baits, cast out closer and further, all to no avail. Still nothing on the right hand rod and then a good, shaking whiting bite. I make a hash of striking though and it also results in nothing on the end.
The wind starts to change direction and the yak starts to move about as the tide slows and the wind gusts. Some bigger swells are coming through now and then, finally, another bite. The rod dips and I wind into the fish, it’s quite heavy but with this tide that means little. I wind it up and am rewarded with a just-sizeable codling. Just-sizeable isn’t enough for a meal though and so a quick unhook and pose for the camera and over the side it goes again.
We leave it another half an hour and then decide to call it quits. The others head in while I’m bringing my anchor up and I can see the water hitting the sea defences; bumpy landing coming up! I figured they’d go the other side of the groyne where it was slightly dissipated and there was more sand but no, Si went for it and landed without problem. Clearly things looked different out here. Or did they? Mike went in and then I saw his underside. Si went to assist and next thing they’re both on their arses. I love the entertainment but now I had a predicament – do I be all cool and professional and take the coward’s route next door or do I be cool and foolhardy and follow them in? No question really…
I let the bigger ones pass and start in, I miscounted though and there’s another behind me. Not massive or anything but I paddle and then start to swing the nose; I’ll go up and over or bongo slide it, which will it be? Si has his camera out…I bongo in beautifully and pull up sideways on the sand without embarrassment.
Well, we all caught though nothing to eat for our lunches. A good mix of species with dogs, cod, whiting and a pout as well for Mike so perhaps slow and for scraps but a decent morning all the same, a precursor to my drive down to Worthing for tomorrow’s demo day!
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