Camming up…21/05/2014 "I want you to do something for me, I want you to accept a little gift from me because. Well just because. I am going to give you a Greys G-lite six foot six eight to twelve pound class rod and my stepfather’s old Rapidex pin both in fine working order. The pin has mono on it, Frank preferred mono so that’s what on it but put braid on it 'cos I am a braid man. The rod is an absolute joy to use but you will break it for they are delicate. The pin is older than me. Si and Ken are getting an Ugly Stick light and a modern TFG pin nice but not in the same league as the Greys and Rapidex. You see I want a part of me to go fishing with certain people.” And here it was in action with Cam himself. So said Cam a few months back when he heard that he didn’t have much time left. Well, at Swanage this weekend which he missed I was given his setup by Si and had a good talk with his widow Liz. Unable to get off work to attend his funeral down in Christchurch the next best thing I could think of was to take Frank’s Rapidex out on the day of his funeral and christen it as my tribute to my friend. With plaice not being a fish we find here and the forecast of low water at 9am and low winds there was only one place close enough for me to expect to put a bend in the rod without wrecking it even though I’d have to leave straight from work, a favourite secret spot that holds a few bass in the summer, ones and twos rather than loads, and on the ebb it’s sheltered enough that the water should be clear enough for lure fishing. That was decided then, just that rod and reel and my productive pink and silver Fladen Minnow 12 lure. Traffic was awful and I arrived at the beach at 930, half an hour before I could expect slack water. Not ideal. I left the mono on for that was how I received it; I’d fish for both of them. Cam was left this last year by Frank and it was his favourite plaice setup. Looks great, just my kind of thing: You see I’m a fan of centrepins and Cam loved seeing me take my South African KP’s on the water. They’re more special to me now that I’ve lost my aunt who taught me to fish with them and bought me my first but they’re very different. The KP is a free-running spool, no clutch or anything. Available from 1949-1969 the Rapidex originally cost four pounds two shillings and sixpence rising to five pounds nineteen shillings and tuppence. So not a cheap reel then and it’s held it’s value having become a collector’s piece. But, despite being a collector of many things I believe in using things that can be! And so, with the ratchet on I set off trolling; casting was not really an option as it doesn’t run as smoothly as a KP so working tobies would not work today. I tried to switch my deck camera on but though I’d put the card in I didn’t twig that the battery wasn’t present. This was annoying. I had to keep swapping my handheld around to the deck mount and back again…and this hadn’t been charged since the weekend’s heavy use. I set off on the troll, reached the structure and went with the remaining flow for no result. I circled it, still no good but getting a feel for the currents…then it was time for a proper run in. I gave a wide berth on the turn and set off nice and slow with plenty of line out… A hundred yards to the structure, pass twenty yards off, gently does it, walking pace, an amble really…come on Cam you can do it…I pass the structure but the lure is now coming up to it; it’s shallow and there are obstructions here…come along now…quite a wait at this speed with fifty yards of line out and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz That’s one light clutch! Smooth to pull and smooth to z with; paddle hard and it pulls line…I take the rod and swing myself around; dunno what strength this mono is or how long it’s been on, the rod is light and whippy… Nope, not a snag, that’s a bass. I’m messing about with the video camera, I need this recorded but I’m not sure the best way to go about it AND play the fish on such a light pull; it’s action camera work at its most crazy and when the video gets cut and uploaded it’s going to be hard to focus on things but will give an idea of the excitement! I get things kind of sorted, in bursts and up he comes…Morning Cam! What an absolute joy that was! What a reel, what a rod, what a scrap; he knew. He knew I’d appreciate this as a fellow pina-fisha-nado…the sounds, the feelings, the fun! It wasn’t a monster, nothing like Cam’s first double, a 12lb 8oz live-baited bass off a boat… …but it was on a pin and at 42cm it was the perfect size for lunch, continuing Cam’s fillet and release campaign of last year. I bled it, as he would advise. I didn’t need to stick around now, I’d done what I set out for but having been on the water for a mere twenty minutes I figured I’d try another spot as the extended fight in the target area would have scattered the shoal, as much a recce as anything else and I might get a fish for Frank as well. I didn’t, but I enjoyed the paddle and after an hour it was time to head back to the car and send a phone picture to Richi to pass on to Si, Ken and Liz at Cam’s funeral which was about to start. Epilogue. Cam had instructed me, rinse off after every use and I did. Then it was time to prepare this fresh-run spring bass in a way I haven’t done for a while, a delicious way. I scaled it, a small belly slit to remove the guts, leaving the roe intact and then some lemon slices into the cavity to add flavour and keep the shape. Five slashes down each flank and a half slice pushed in and then a brushing of vegetable oil to help avoid sticking and a drizzling of olive oil before seasoning with salt and into the fish basket. I’d lit some wood on the barbecue and the coals were now ready; out we went. First one side, then the other: Within twenty minutes it was on my plate and ready to enjoy as a fine lunch with my departed friend. Delicious, slightly undercooked to give different textures and flavours and the best mouthful was with flesh and roe combined on the fork, soft roe from the gentle cooking. Nothing was wasted, even the head was picked clean to enjoy fully this most delightful of fish. And so to bed before my next shift, the Rapidex standing in one corner awaiting its next outing; Cam was so looking forward to the glorious sixteenth, opening of the coarse season and I think this will be a suitable time for its next airing…Go easy Wrasseta, your treasure is in safe hands. [i]Mingle with the good people we meet Good friends we have, oh good friends we’ve lost along the way; In this great future, you can't forget your past so dry your tears, I say.[/i] Bob Marley. No Woman No Cry.
So said Cam a few months back when he heard that he didn’t have much time left. Well, at Swanage this weekend which he missed I was given his setup by Si and had a good talk with his widow Liz. Unable to get off work to attend his funeral down in Christchurch the next best thing I could think of was to take Frank’s Rapidex out on the day of his funeral and christen it as my tribute to my friend. With plaice not being a fish we find here and the forecast of low water at 9am and low winds there was only one place close enough for me to expect to put a bend in the rod without wrecking it even though I’d have to leave straight from work, a favourite secret spot that holds a few bass in the summer, ones and twos rather than loads, and on the ebb it’s sheltered enough that the water should be clear enough for lure fishing. That was decided then, just that rod and reel and my productive pink and silver Fladen Minnow 12 lure. Traffic was awful and I arrived at the beach at 930, half an hour before I could expect slack water. Not ideal. 
I left the mono on for that was how I received it; I’d fish for both of them. Cam was left this last year by Frank and it was his favourite plaice setup. Looks great, just my kind of thing: 
You see I’m a fan of centrepins and Cam loved seeing me take my South African KP’s on the water. They’re more special to me now that I’ve lost my aunt who taught me to fish with them and bought me my first but they’re very different. The KP is a free-running spool, no clutch or anything. Available from 1949-1969 the Rapidex originally cost four pounds two shillings and sixpence rising to five pounds nineteen shillings and tuppence. So not a cheap reel then and it’s held it’s value having become a collector’s piece. But, despite being a collector of many things I believe in using things that can be! And so, with the ratchet on I set off trolling; casting was not really an option as it doesn’t run as smoothly as a KP so working tobies would not work today. 
I tried to switch my deck camera on but though I’d put the card in I didn’t twig that the battery wasn’t present. This was annoying. I had to keep swapping my handheld around to the deck mount and back again…and this hadn’t been charged since the weekend’s heavy use. I set off on the troll, reached the structure and went with the remaining flow for no result. I circled it, still no good but getting a feel for the currents…then it was time for a proper run in. I gave a wide berth on the turn and set off nice and slow with plenty of line out… 
A hundred yards to the structure, pass twenty yards off, gently does it, walking pace, an amble really…come on Cam you can do it…I pass the structure but the lure is now coming up to it; it’s shallow and there are obstructions here…come along now…quite a wait at this speed with fifty yards of line out and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz That’s one light clutch! Smooth to pull and smooth to z with; paddle hard and it pulls line…I take the rod and swing myself around; dunno what strength this mono is or how long it’s been on, the rod is light and whippy… 
Nope, not a snag, that’s a bass. 
I’m messing about with the video camera, I need this recorded but I’m not sure the best way to go about it AND play the fish on such a light pull; it’s action camera work at its most crazy and when the video gets cut and uploaded it’s going to be hard to focus on things but will give an idea of the excitement! I get things kind of sorted, in bursts and up he comes…Morning Cam! 
What an absolute joy that was! What a reel, what a rod, what a scrap; he knew. He knew I’d appreciate this as a fellow pina-fisha-nado…the sounds, the feelings, the fun! 
It wasn’t a monster, nothing like Cam’s first double, a 12lb 8oz live-baited bass off a boat… 
…but it was on a pin and at 42cm it was the perfect size for lunch, continuing Cam’s fillet and release campaign of last year. I bled it, as he would advise. I didn’t need to stick around now, I’d done what I set out for but having been on the water for a mere twenty minutes I figured I’d try another spot as the extended fight in the target area would have scattered the shoal, as much a recce as anything else and I might get a fish for Frank as well. I didn’t, but I enjoyed the paddle and after an hour it was time to head back to the car and send a phone picture to Richi to pass on to Si, Ken and Liz at Cam’s funeral which was about to start. Epilogue. Cam had instructed me, rinse off after every use and I did. Then it was time to prepare this fresh-run spring bass in a way I haven’t done for a while, a delicious way. I scaled it, a small belly slit to remove the guts, leaving the roe intact and then some lemon slices into the cavity to add flavour and keep the shape. Five slashes down each flank and a half slice pushed in and then a brushing of vegetable oil to help avoid sticking and a drizzling of olive oil before seasoning with salt and into the fish basket. 
I’d lit some wood on the barbecue and the coals were now ready; out we went. First one side, then the other: 
Within twenty minutes it was on my plate and ready to enjoy as a fine lunch with my departed friend. 
Delicious, slightly undercooked to give different textures and flavours and the best mouthful was with flesh and roe combined on the fork, soft roe from the gentle cooking. 
Nothing was wasted, even the head was picked clean to enjoy fully this most delightful of fish. 
And so to bed before my next shift, the Rapidex standing in one corner awaiting its next outing; Cam was so looking forward to the glorious sixteenth, opening of the coarse season and I think this will be a suitable time for its next airing…Go easy Wrasseta, your treasure is in safe hands. [i]Mingle with the good people we meet Good friends we have, oh good friends we’ve lost along the way; In this great future, you can't forget your past so dry your tears, I say.[/i] Bob Marley. No Woman No Cry.
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