It feels like spring again…06/03/2013 One day left and though spring is around the corner, surprisingly, in the words of Transvision Vamp it feels like spring again, you sprung this on me and then…and then I went fishing. Well, I had to, didn’t I! Solo again, Ian had used up his permissions and had some stuff to do but once more the weather looked great, the forecast was good – very low offshore winds and reasonably bright and warm – and the tide, well, it was almost spot on! I had to drop the girls at school first though and with Eloise going on a three day trip I didn’t have her nagging to skip school and come fishing this time. Such a pity really, the conditions were spot on. Duly deposited I headed straight for Corton and parked up by the golf course. Scupper Pro onto the C-Tug, ram tubes onto the sockets. Into the Typhoon and Kolas, VHF in one PFD pocket, GPS in the other, Nordkapp and anchor kit slung into the cockpit, baitbox into the tankwell and then time for the rods…I’ve cracked a tip ring so only two rods today, no livebaiting this time as it’s fraying the braid. Need to get some spares, it’s an easy job. So, a pair of Maxximus IM7 12lb class 7.5ft rods fitted with Warbird 3700R reels, Maxximus 30lb braid and, to deal with rough ground abrasion, 21.3lb Maxximus fluorocarbon. Rigs…rigs…okay, still want points…2/0 – 4/0 pennel on a running leger for the cod and a 2/0 spreader wishbone on a running leger for the dabs. I have whiting already but they’ll come regardless whatever I use, could use a 16/0 baited with half a seal and I’d pull up a whiting this year! I trolley the kayak down the ramp to the beach; it is flat calm, oily even. I bump it down the steps, drag it over the shingle and unstrap the C-Tug and stash it away in the hatch. PFD on, paddle clipped together and I’m off, picking up the current to head north for the rough ground off the holiday camp. I haven’t got the mark stored in the GPS as I’ve only transferred the wrecks and buoys so far but I know roughly by sight where I want to be. Had I bothered to bring my GPS fishfinder out I could go straight there of course or see where the fish might be lurking but I’m local, this is my backyard! I don’t really need it and that’s quite an incline back to the car. The flow is slowing already, I could have done with getting here an hour earlier really but I have all day. I drop down my anchor, release half the warp from my big McMahon dive reel and the kayak settles. I don’t even need my feet out to stabilise myself today! I switch on the VHF, take out some unwashed loligo squid, cut the heads off and cut 2cm rings, guts and all, defrost some frozen black lugworm and put everything else away. Now, I want dabs for another point and a nice tasty meal so the 2/0 wishbone needs…half a black lug and a ring of squid on each hook. Flow isn’t bad, 5oz breakaway lead should do the trick. I reel the baited trace up, thumb the spool release and flick the lot out fifty yards downtide. Second rod – Six inch squid, head off, skin off so it’s whiter, bottom hook through the top of the mantle and passed down through the guts (left in for scent), top hook doubled through the top of the mantle. A whole black slid up the hook and into the squid tube and then the head back on, hooked through the eyes to leak some colour and scent…usually works. That one goes out the other side. I hear Jon call up the coastguard for a radio check…I’ll call him in a bit and see what High Flyer is up to. I call up the coastguard first though, let them know I’m about. Channel 16… “Yarmouth Coastguard, Yarmouth Coastguard this is kayak snapper, kayak snapper, over” “Kayak snapper this is Yarmouth Coastguard go to Channel 67 over” “Moving to 67, out” I move over to 67… “Kayak snapper this is Yarmouth Coastguard, is that you mark? Over” “Yes Yarmouth, to whom do I have the pleasure today over?” It’s Glynn, first time I’ve had him on the radio I think. It was Mario last time for the first time. It’s great being on first name terms with the people who are looking out for you. We exchanged pleasantries and I filled them in on my whereabouts and plans and then moved back to dual watching 16 and 8 (the latter being the channel the local fishing boats use, the channel advised to us by them so that we know if they’re shooting nets or what have you). I strike into my first fish, my obligatory whiting and, being a reasonable size, place it in the tankwell. I add some squid, cast the wishbone back down and give Jon a call on 16… No answer. Then my mobile rings – it’s Jon, he’s in port with High Flyer working on the aerial, I came through badly so it looks like the signal is being blocked. We have a chat about conditions and catches lately and so on then do some check transmissions – we both receive about 50% of the others. Now, there are 3 miles between us, I’m a metre off the water and there’s a massive great lump of concrete pier between us, with only 5 watts on my set I figure that’s quite good that ‘ve got through that much. We chat a bit more and then, with an offer of a trip while I’m recovering, I put the phone away and watch my rod tips. Thump thump. Cod! I pick up the rod, tighten up and wait, let it feed…thump thump. I strike and the rod bends nicely as the first cod of the day comes off the bottom, head nodding, and up to the surface...and there I am clearing weed off the tiny leader knot before I can land it! It’s hooked alright though and I get it alongside, onto my leg and lift it in just as Mustang On pitches up a couple of hundred yards inshore of me. I unhook and photograph dinner and another point and slide the much-wanted fish-pie filling into the hatch. You beauty! I rebait and cast back down. Five minutes pass and thump thump…a repeat of the process and another cod about, 2.5lb this time. Into the hatch. Is this going to be a red letter day then? The pennel rig rattles, the first movement of the day and a whiting comes aboard and into the tankwell. Another lug goes on and it’s back down again. Ten minutes have passed. Another twenty pass when the wishbone rod thumps again and another 2.5lb cod comes aboard and into the hatch, blimey, this is a great session! Ian is going to be so annoyed. I text him to let him know. I’m good like that. The tide slows and with it the bites disappear. Just before it starts to turn I pick up the pennel rod; this had a rattle which I struck with the last cod but no further movement…but as I pulled it up to check the baits I felt quite a weight on it…no thumping to indicate a cod fighting though, but heavy and not still…a thornback perhaps, or a docile cod not yet woken up? Some rubbish in the water? I’ll never know, up near the top things lightened off and I had my rig back. The tide turns, I’m dragging the lead and then a whiting gives me a rattle. Up it comes, is unhooked and released. I take both rods out, rebait them and wait for the flow to begin, gutting my catch in the meantime and giving the gulls something to squawk about. It takes a while. Finally it’s worth dropping down again and ten minutes later a seal pops its head up six feet from my bow. I keep still and smile at it but make no move for the camera just yet…it dives and I take the camera out; it pops up twenty feet away but the camera is still booting up…it dives and then it’s a hundred yards off my bow and the photo isn’t worth bothering with. Oh well, my closest view for a couple of years, I’m happy with that. My rod bucks, the wishbone AGAIN! The cod seem to be wanting small baits right now. Up comes a baby, twenty five centimetres or so, too small to keep but what a lovely looking specimen! A perfect mini cod, it would look so nice in an aquarium but it belongs back in the sea. The tide really picks up soon after and hits a couple of knots. It’s still flat but there has been nothing bar that baby cod on the flood. Mustang On has up-anchored and moved deeper and further north, I don’t know how he fared but it can’t have been great if he’s moved. I hope he’s caught though, I hope everyone catches, even One-eye if he’s on the beach! There’s plenty of fish in the sea after all…I up-anchor and head in for a smooth landing, got myself some filleting to do tonight.