We kept changing our plans; the forecast wind was lower than the reality and although it looked good off south beach it was a different story at Gunton, being choppier and with more swell showing. Ian had called to say it wasn’t looking as nice as he had expected so Lake Lothing, our alternate launch, might be the better option. Paul had turned up at mine and we set off to take a look first, again checking south beach which was still fine. Gunton was doable but not at its best and with Ian uncertain about it we decided to do the harbour instead, calling Shaun to let him now.
Parked up, the four of us got the yaks ready and swapped over to lures and spinners for a bit of trolling in the hope of a bass as one or two had been caught recently on bait from the shore. To be honest I was expecting a blank as is usually the case when I fish there other than with freshwater gear and small hooks at night…still, it’s a pleasant enough venue for a paddle and the water was nice and clear.
We set off, heading towards the Yellowtail and Mutford Lock, past the Excelsior, forlorn with a broken mast and MTB102 on a different berth. No luck near the pontoons and boats on either side I decided I was heading up to the top end and back. First though I was going to land and put on a top as the breeze was getting stiffer and cooler so my lack of shirt was probably unwise.
Off we went with some trolling and some casting; I was using a jointed sub-surface 13cm lure on one rod and an 11cm Minnow on the other. To no avail. They were as effective as everyone else’s lures though! Make that ineffective…
Apart from the breeze it was a pleasant paddle, the current and wind opposing each other making an easy time of things in both directions and the banter was good. A few people greeted us and chatted as we past, one even getting me to smile for a photo and then, as we got closer to the harbour itself, I passed the Border Agency cutter which, as it turned out, was preparing to put to sea…
We carried on at it, past the collapsed wharf where the Endeavour used to dock and with nothing over the rubble I stopped and changed over to some feathers with a pirk on the end for a wind-drift back. We milled around for a few minutes, chatting and were about to head back when someone called over to Paul. Yep, the duty harbour master. The Border Agency had complained that we were in their way, fishing and so on (had we seen them move from the dock we’d have gone to the side and moved off promptly) and Paul was duly informed of something of which we were unaware, namely that it was illegal to fish Lake Lothing.
We started heading back immediately and then the captain of the cutter called out to me that the harbour master wanted a word. Now, I’d left my VHF in the car as I’ve been having problems charging it and although I borrowed Shaun’s I decided to check the situation by mobile with the coastguard, calling up Humber to ask if it was in fact the case that we couldn’t fish here; I was put through to their ‘expert who knew everything about fishing’…
“Who’s that?”
“Hello Mario, thought you’d retired!”
“Hi Mark, no most of us have moved up here”
Good news then, local knowledge and known quantities. Had a good chat for twenty minutes and was informed that Harbour Masters have complete authority to dictate in the areas under their control. That’s fair enough then. I asked Mario, as I didn’t have port control’s number on my phone, to give them a call and say I’d drop by in a couple of hours and we headed back without a fish between us.
Ian offered pints all-round afterwards, even though he was wondering what the hell he’d let himself in for – thinking he was in safe hands he’d been caught up in at least two breaches of byelaws and upset the Border Agency…but with Paul being tee-total, Shaun not wanting drink and me needing to see the harbour master we all declined the offer. Still, he tried and there’s always next time…
I dropped Paul off, went home and changed, stuck some padding down my trousers and walked over to the dock. Inside I introduced myself and was called into the office for a pleasant and enlightening chat. Indeed, fishing is not allowed under the byelaws, namely : "No fishing devices may be used in any part of the harbour without the express permission of the harbour master”. However, it was because we had been (unknowingly) obstructing the departure of a vessel that this had become an issue on this occasion and the inability to contact us and us not having informed them of our presence was something he would like to avoid in future. Unofficially, if we’re down the other end and out of the way without causing any disturbance then it won’t be a problem but if paddling into the commercial area he asked that we do make contact for safety and security reasons.
So, no fish and a visit to headmaster but a very interesting and informative day. Seems that I’m currently jinxed…
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