My new spinning rods arrived during the week and I was itching to try them as soon as I could. The Fladen Maxximus Nano 210cm 2 piece 7-25g had only arrived in the UK a week or so earlier so it could be that I was christening them for the whole country; no pressure there then!
Amos arrived on Friday night too late to launch the kayaks and with Saturday planned as a visit to Duxford for the Flying Legends airshow we were left with the option of trying them for a spot of LRF off the small part of Lowestoft harbour that was still accessible. I had no idea how suitable they’d be with a small jighead and a piece of isome worm and, to be honest, I had no idea if I knew how to fish like this anyway! I’ve never done it before you see but with the sensitive tips and the possibility of a few mini species it had to be worth a go. Amos was going to try dropshotting at the same time and so we headed out in the darkness to see what we could find.
It was dark, like I say, but with some light spilling from the various buildings and streetlights around and the moon of course so we gave it a go.
I had a go in a few spots for half an hour before I decided to jerk the jighead fast near the rocks where I’d seen a surface swirl that might have been a fish…five minutes passed, ten minutes…and then my rod tip started to pull against me – I was in! This was no shanny or sea scorpion and as it came up and I saw the reflection of the lights on its silver scales I knew it was a small bass. I played it until it quietened down and then, hoping the 4.4lb line on the small DX2000 reel would hold, I brought it up and into my hand. Success! With accusations of being spawny Amos took the all-important catch photo before I returned it.
With nothing else showing up we called it a day soon after and headed back to sleep before the drive to Cambrdigeshire and the promise of a squadron of Spitfires hammering through the air at low level…
Come Sunday and I was feeling decidedly rough. I had felt the onset of a cold on Friday and this had developed over the weekend leaving me on land again; I’d not been out since the competition at Runswick Bay the week before. Amos was relegated to being Uncle Fester while we did family stuff before leaving after dinner to be home for work on Monday.
Monday. Well, it seemed like it was going to be a nice day. Though fortified with coffee and tablets I wasn’t convinced I’d have the strength to haul the kayak around or paddle for long but I was sure I’d be able to struggle through and collapse later if need be! I drove down to the end of the road, took my Tempo off the roof and down to the shoreline then went and parked, returning with my paddle in one hand and a pair of the Nano’s fitted with my LP Magnet baitcasters in the other.
I’d also got a fistful of Warbird Minnow 12 lures in different colours and tied a mackerel pattern to one rod with my productive pink one onto the other.
I set off to the pier wall, setting the drag lighter than normal to protect the rods from the shock of hooking up on a rock.
I paddled across the harbour mouth and around the point, the water was right up as high as I’ve ever seen it. I continued on, past the nesting birds and along to the wind turbine without a sniff. I wasn’t surprised as the water was the colour of tea even though it was calm – I guess the big tides have pushed all the sand up into the water.
I turned and headed back, expecting nothing. That’s when the first fish hit, bucking the rod in the flushmount by my hip. Yes! Colour was immaterial I deduced as there was, at best, six inches visibility. Movement and rattles, that’s what brought this bass to me. It pulled line, fought gamely on the light rod and took its time bringing its 57cm and 3.5lb bulk alongside where I handed it in. Bonus!
I decided not to make another pass as I wasn’t feeling great so rounded the point and headed towards the harbour mouth. Straight through one of this year’s hotspots; 51cm and 3lb of spiky silver slammed into the pink and silver again!
I drifted north while dealing with it and set off back through that spot. At which point the third bass hit, 2.25lb and 47cm this time, a lovely plump fish on the mackerel coloured lure. I was now decidedly happy but enough was enough; even though the fish had come on the feed I wasn’t going to fish any longer, I had enough.
As I approached the harbour Paul came through on Cleveland Princess then turned around towards the beach to pull his pots. I popped alongside to say hi and he asked if I was then going out; I replied I was heading home and when asked if I was setting the world alight again I held the fish up one by one…a big difference from my repeated failure bait fishing for them on the boat!
Socialising done in a large patch of sea I left them to it and headed for shore with my catch which was filleted and in the freezer an hour later, the evidence of my break from convalescence hidden from view and my wife none the wiser! Yep, I like my new rods.
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