An evening of excitement...17/08/08

TEN DAYS! That’s how long it’s been since I last launched. I don’t know why – there’s no excuse. I’ve been busy but I’ve been busy before. I’ve been tired but I’ve been tired before. It’s dreadful. Still, tonight I just had to go…I needed to paddle, I needed to fish and I needed to type. It was a beautiful evening.

The beginning was pleasant too. Low tide saw my daughters and I scrabbling around in the mud digging harbour ragworm and turning rocks looking for softback crabs, I had one from digging and the girls found millions of tiny ones which they enjoyed catching. Then I found a couple of small eels, maybe 6 inches long. Though undoubtedly excellent bait eels have become somewhat less common here of late and so I let them swim away after the girls had felt them squirming in their hands.

After dinner I drove down to Lake Lothing and got set up ready for a launch. I’d taken the Kinetic Wings off my shaft and put on a pair of Kinetic S blades to try (like the Wings these were salvaged from the scrap box). Paddling with them was pleasant and effortless but I prefer a bit more power. I would try some Kinetics but at the moment there are four right hand blades salvaged and no left-handers. Bugger. I paddled down to my mark:





I like this time of the evening when the wind is down as the reflections are great



I started by the Sea Survival and Safety base as the sun sunk lower



Nothing was doing so I moved



Still nothing, I headed for the wreck. I had a bite, but just lost the rag with no fish. Then the wind picked up so I moved to calmer water where I could actually see the float (a small 4bb waggler). Trouble was there was no fish here so I moved back into deeper water and cast it in. Richi had wished me luck beforehand and told me not to do as he had done twice this weekend and blank. I texted him to thank him for putting a curse on me.

As I got his text reply the float went down and I was in!
Bar of Silver!!



Unhooked it swam strongly away and I reported that I had outfished Richi this weekend :D

I stuck a lightstick on the float and cast again. Straight under, but I failed to connect. No more bites were forthcoming so I decided that I’d had enough of their shenanigans and would go hunting…for monsters!



I paddled to my secret Goby mark. I tackled up – most people make the mistake of fishing too light for these and then wonder why they lose them. They can grow to well over an inch and have rows of nasty looking teeth, their large, powerful tail capable of propelling them to speeds unheard of throughout the rockpools of eastern England. No, I play it safe and use 4lb line with a size 18 specimen hook, barbed and with a sharp point to ensure that they don’t escape once onboard. I also only ever use one rod when targeting these as you’re playing with fire if you try to fish two. Believe me, one rod is plenty.

I found one...well, two in fact,



I made sure that everything was in place – it doesn’t do to mess about when dealing with Gobies and everything must be in place ready for when they come aboard, thrashing and twisting.

I dropped the bait down. Almost immediately it approached, sniffing the blood in the water…it eyed it up – the tension was unbearable…A TAKE!!!

The Goby hit the bait, I struck…



I tried again.

This time, success smiled upon me and after a lengthy battle of many seconds I brought it alongside. No gaff (flying gaff handles can cause a lot of damage) and no net (hooks caught in the mesh can cause all kinds of problems), Instead I hauled it in by hand, over the gunwhales. A real beauty…



I went for a brace…I was clearly targeting females now - teasing me they refused to swallow.

Finally one took and after the usual fight it came in and was unhooked and released.

Then, while waiting for more to be attracted to my rubby-dubby, I noticed a pair of glowing eyes…what was this weird sea creature looming up from the depths? I had to catch it…

ON!



OFF!

I tried again and…


It was no shrimp, that’s for sure. A keeper, but tonight was catch and release only…I was there for the sport.

Back to the Gobies…and two more came in. Now, with five fish caught, I decided to turn for home, exhausted by my strenuous battles – on a par with Hemingway’s story of ‘The Old Man and the Sea’…but wait, I had only video of my captures – no still photographs of these splendid fish. I needed one more…

And sure enough my patience paid off and I skilfully landed my last.



1 Bass, 5 Gobies and a Prawn. Not a bad night’s work.