Kayaking Angler: Avon Calling...21-23/07/2012

Well this was it, with Johnson Outdoors UK being closed down this was to be my last demo event and back where I did my first with Crazywater all those years ago. It was different though, instead of being on Mudeford Spit the venue had changed and was split over the weekend and so, at midday after a couple of night shifts, I once more headed south from the office for the final time. Traffic. What a nightmare! Friday afternoons are never great and the six hour trip took me just over eight. Granted I dropped in at Gosport to give Andy Biggs some boats but the hour and a half of crawling along the M25 was intensely annoying and delayed my steak platter until nearly 9pm! Oh how I suffer. A big breakfast consumed with Andy, I set off for Avon Beach the following morning. No mud, no towing multiple kayaks across the run; this was easy. Back up to the wall and use it as a level loading ramp as one by one the selection of Ocean Kayaks, with a couple of Necky Vectors thrown in for good measure, get pushed out. Paddles, buoyancy aids, seats, flags, banners...all went over to the shore. People came from the off. Not a massive surge but a nice, steady day with everyone being able to try the boats without having to rush. Flies everywhere, we needed some kayak anglers to turn up to draw them away from the kayaks. And turn up they did...Paintfly, Cam, Si, Richi, Gosling, Maghouse...chatting, trying different yaks and then finally it was time to bully Cam into some self-rescue practice.

We paddle out, Richi, Cam and I and over the next quarter hour we demonstrated and then coach and it's sorted; Cam is back in the boat and happy again. Drysuited, I decide to have a paddle in a few of the demo fleet. I'd not tried the Vector 14 as far as I could remember so took that first. Asked what I thought of it I replied succinctly. "It's a shit boat". Nothing like passing judgement favourably! The Vector 13 was next and suited me better...still a tad buoyant but then I'm under the suggested weight for them both and was carrying no kit so I was using them out of the design parameters. next up was the latest version of the venerable Prowler 13, the Prowler Ultra 4.1. Now fitted with a Tetra-style mod-pod and an Ultra-style central storage area in addition to last year's upgrade with the forward-facing flushmounts this looks like being a great success on all fronts. Lighter than the other Ultras, shorter and with more leg space and ready to fish 'out of the box' it was alright, everything I expected...but it's still not my Scupper! Poor Gareth. Unable to get away with merely running the day, getting people out, organising, chatting and doing all the myriad other things a demo organiser has to do he was now forced to do some self-rescue practice for which he was duly charged in Scotch eggs. Out we went, in I went and then it was his turn. It was, naturally, surprisingly easy so I demanded a second attempt. Easy too and back in we went, him looking like a bedraggled Steptoe in Lozz's drysuit; too big and without the braces on him! Eventually we packed up and, needing sleep, I returned to my Premier Inn. seduced by nachos, ribs and beer I failed to get my head down before heading back to the beach, loading up an Ultra 4.3 XT and heading to Pout Hole with Richi, Lozz and Paintfly (who I've only ever fished with here and that over many years).

Picking up Maghouse on the way, paddling out from the Run and avoiding the swans as we headed down towards Hengistbury Head against the tide.

The trolled feathers failed to hook up any mackerel and I was starting to get concerned at how the fishing would be, seeing as I had no bait. Then came the overfalls between Beerpan Rocks and the breakwater. Ha! Overfalls? I'd surfed this in my Trident 15 years ago. I soon got through but then noticed Paintfly catching up; the overfalls were coming closer again. Yep, I was paddling forwards to go backwards. This was not according to plan so I reeled in the feathers, dug in and pushed myself through the funnel and passed the tide race after a few minutes. I'd just about had enough of this paddling bollocks. I looked longingly at each buoy but none were where I wanted to be. Keep going, get off the Coastwatch Tower. feathers out again and hurrah! at last a mackerel! At least I had some bait and then, a buoy that looked okay.

I clipped on, my dive reel passing through the rear carry handle to a carabiner. Lip-hooked, the live mackerel went down to the bottom and I flung my feathers for a while in the hope of another but no, nothing. Up came my mackerel and off came the rear before I made it into a flapper. with the rear filleted and cut into small strips the baited tinsels went to the bottom and the bites began...

Finally! All those strikes and an eventual connection. A good scrap this, the rod arching over as my catch ran, circled, fought and came to the side in the tide. bream! A keeper too and a nice plate-size at that. Number one for Paintfly.

As the tide moved through it was constant action form small pout. ideal bass or tope bait, I swapped the mackerel flapper over and used that for the tinsels. then I lost two rigs in two casts and had to call Richi in for some more lead. the others weren't doing too well so he joined me and was straight into fish; bass, bream (lost), pout, and eventually tope and conger worrying of his baits. me? More pout and then another good bream for Kev.

Things began to slow, the tide eased off, would the conger come? the others started to leave eventually having had nothing but dogfish and then, with slack approaching (the key time for conger) my unwillingness to paddle back against the tide and the late hour made my decision to knock it on the head and I headed back to Avon Beach.

Coming up to the breakwater I noticed the flashes. Wow! I'd not seen this since last year here. Phosphorescence from shagging plankton with each paddle stroke and in the bow wave. I dug in and sped towards the breakwater, maximising it. With lights off it looked good from where I was sitting and judging by the three silhouettes standing on the wall it looked pretty good up there too! the three of us regrouped and headed through the shallows, startling a couple of decent fish at the surface, before crossing the run and dog-legging round to the launch point and coming ashore nice and easy; it was a calm night and, after loading up again I crawled into bed at 01:30. Back to work mister! I pulled up at the green and unloaded. The fun day would shortly be in full swing and with a borrowed hat I made the most of the scorching weather. More chatting, Gosling, Phatbuoy and Richi all turning up and then it was time to load up for the last time, drop stuff off at Crazywater and head back home with the usual south coast summer Sunday traffic to contend with seeing me get back to the office at 1am, home half an hour later and up for a day's training on the Monday before a full week of night shifts. And that's it, job done.