I went to see James yesterday. James is my oldest friend from way back in middle school. We used to fish together quite often, from a canoe a couple of times a long time back and though he’d fished off my kayaks on the broads before he’d never caught anything. Could we perhaps do something about it today with the bass about? Tides looked great, weather looked good and the sea, well that was going to be perfect…time to check out the White Swan.
I wandered back from work at the end of my shift and James was waiting outside my house. With everything loaded we were about to leave when my children phoned up from France…ten minutes later and we were off to Gorleston, pulling up at the top of Marine Parade overlooking a very promising sea with the uprights from the wreck clearly visible. We headed down to the shore.
James’ first time on the sea and his first time on a kayak for a few years; he launched and paddled out through a small shore dump to the pot buoys a couple of hundred yards off.
I joined him, tied him off and then clipped onto another…the water was bubbling over the boiler, was pretty clear on the offshore side and cloudy inshore; I flicked out a popper and worked it around the structure. To no avail.
I changed to a Toby. The tide was still a bit quick for it; Dexter wedge next…down the side, over the top, nothing. Then a snag and I pulled it free. Then another snag and it was gone. Okay…Cebar, let’s see if the sandeel shape will do any good…no. Fry maybe? I added some tinsels to it and twenty casts went by before it stuck in the wreck. Damn, the last Cebar, best I get some more in as the two I’d bought had paid for themselves with one fish, a 4lber I’d scoffed last week when I’d had no trouble getting the bass.
What the hell was up this week? I’d blanked at the outfall, lost two and only got a schoolie on a really quiet day at Sea Palling and now this. James was trying his selection too, Rapalas, Yo-Zuris, wedges…nothing. It was cold too. We gave it a couple of hours and then, accepting our fate, untied and headed in.
I landed first and went to assist James, camera at the ready…damn the slow response of my zoom!
Up the cliff and back home for tacos. A pity really as James has never eaten bass. There’ll be another chance though I’m sure.
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