Dropping Off…06/09/2013

Dropping Off…06/09/2013 Cracking session yesterday, bass around and feeding, clear water, taking wedges and plugs, clear water and little wind…Bruce was back home and keen to finally try kayak fishing after the conditions earlier when he was home had scuppered them. He’d put a twenty down during my fundraising for a session, hoping for cod and now here we were at the tail end of the bass season. Oh well, at least it’d be warmer. I had time for an hour’s kip first which was much needed and the car was already loaded apart from the rods thanks to yesterday’s session at the same place so I was ready to go when he arrived at 10:30. Well, nearly ready, my wife had the day off and I had to finish unloading the dishwasher first. A few minutes later we were heading north, back to Yarmouth. It’s one of those shorts and barefeet weeks, my naturally preferred state even if I had trod on glass the day before and cut my foot. I’ve never enjoyed wearing shoes all that much when I don’t have to and was running barefoot before I’d ever heard of Zola Bud. Bruce was only half convinced of course as he got ready for his first launch… I pushed him in, the stern stuck briefly on the shingle and tipped a little but he instinctively balanced it out, this bode well, and set off. I followed and cut ahead with the camera. Yes, more on the camera. We were well on our way when I had a fit of tourettes when remembering my camera was at home. My camera…I have two of those Olympus compacts, a couple of mobile-sized video ones that take stills as well and all four were at home. My mobile has a terrible camera and it was only through chance that I had some headcams rattling round in the boot. I’ve never used them for stills but knew that you could so we’d see…very wide lens and small screen which was invisible with my polaroids on but I think it coped okay. Up to the outfall, the water really clear. More so than yesterday, twelve foot vis perhaps? Promising. A bit of wind but westerly, slightly earlier than yesterday which we hit at the right time, would we have a repeat? The wind had moved around from southerly to westerly and it was slightly overcast rather than clear blue but that was the only difference other than an ever so slightly increased tide with the spring approaching; bass like the bigger tides apparently anyway. We started drifting around it flicking edges. I had the 2-16g again, Bruce on a 10-30g and we worked opposite sides. Nothing from the off and I made a few drifts down the side before my heart skipped a beat. Retrieving from the wall and the wedge is coming up to the side, just as it is coming out of the water there’s a splash right by the rod tip as a bass lunges and misses and makes me jump. Damn! Never had that before apart from a pike many, many years ago from the bank. Well, there were some here and they were feeding I guess? I guessed wrong. Bruce had a pluck mid-water but other than that nothing as happening. I tried an eel instead, nothing. What to do? I paddled back and retrieved a handful of lures from the car. I’d forgotten them as I hadn’t intended trolling as the bass had been on the outfall yesterday. I landed short where a lump was visible that had been there the day before and I was still curious. A young seal, the first one I’ve seen dead. Bruce asked when I got back if I’d seen any sign of what might have killed it. Due to the stink I hadn’t really examined it all that closely but it didn’t have a head. We changed over to lures and ran over to the harbour wall, sticking nice and close as it was calm. Perfect it was, a really good chance of catching but no, not a thing on the way up. Back down, again nothing; back to the outfall. I got a handful of casts in but the wind had trebled in strength and holding position was impossible. Nothing was happening anyway and with the sky darkening I made the decision to head back. It was all going really well and I landed, turned around and saw Bruce in the water, turned and rolled by a wave by the shore. Oh well, it happens to us all and all that was lost was a single Portland Eel. We headed back to the car and finished loading up just as it started to spit. Perfect timing and we’ll just have to try again in a few days…I think Bruce nailed the possible reason though as we discussed things. In the 24 hours that had passed we’d had a massive drop in pressure.