I’ll quantify this. She’s in France for a few more days and I still have some days of freedom so with forecasts messing up a planned smut comp, later being completely wrong and being perfect, I made other plans. These other plans involved Noidea, who is up for anything and Stinkyweim who is still in shock from last week. Not forgetting Westie who lives near to our intended venue.
These plans – to the words ‘You’re mental’ – involved me arranging to pick Paul and Si up around 03:30. Now that is excessive even for me. It was necessary though as we had to get from Lowestoft to Cley with three yaks and get on the water at dawn, find the wreck at peak time of light and tide and try to get some bass before they went quiet. Now, had I not picked up Si’s yak over a glass of wine and a couple of hours chatting the night before I may have got to bed before half ten but II didn’t and I didn’t. It was bloody hard but I was pleased to see Si in a similar state; only Paul was chirpy as we drove north the hour and a half to Cley.
We unloaded and tackled up. It was lighter than the photo above but the sun was yet to appear; it waited for us to be ready.
We were all struck by how clear the water was here, our target of mackerel should be a doddle.
So, having been here only once before and thinking for some reason it was low tide and the wreck would be visible we set off and missed it by, quite literally, a mile. We paddled back and I stopped by the beach and asked for directions ;D Ten minutes later and I was over the wreckage…I knew this as I could see the shadows and my rod was bucking in the holder ;D Game on! A schoolie came to the side of the yak before I dropped it. The tide was pretty swift so I paddled back again and then found the wreck as the rod bucked again with a 2-3lb’er (crap photo for size) on my KP ;D
It was unreal, I could SEE the fish below, swimming around. I saw a shoal of schoolies, I saw a load on the surface, I could see the bottom twenty feet below!
It was a bloody beautiful morning!
I managed one more bass, a schoolie that went back and then things went quiet with the arrival of Tim. So, after two anchors joined the structure we headed out half a mile or so to the 40ft mark for the mackerel.
Tim was soon into a fish – a bass in open water! Si followed, his first yak fish ;D
1,2,3,4,5 once I caught a fish alive goes the song and yes, before I could get in position he counted to ten and let it go again. Why did he let it go? He didn’t have a choice – it made the decision for him ;D
The odd mackerel was coming up, one here, one there and then I got one – this was what I’d come for!
Then Si had his first Mackie
Paul too (our very own John Wilson! Every fish is fantastic and beautiful; he’s a joy to fish with) and then I got hungry. Tim tried it but wasn’t keen.
So I finished it myself ;D Breakfast dealt with!
We carried on drifting and then we decided to head in for a coffee at Weybourne, dumping our laden yaks and walking into the village. Such a bunch of degenerates!
Our bellies sated we decided to seal launch down the shingle and get serious again, only Si getting all the way into the water – and off like a rocket through the waves:
With Tim in the lead we went looking for the wreck here.
It took some finding but bugger me if I didn’t get something! The current was too strong for the Dexter to take the feathers straight down (I like them vertical so I can work them properly, whipping them up and down just off the bottom) so I added a 3oz weight to the top eye of the Dexter. I figured something may take the feathers – I had no idea the Dexter would still work like that…but work it did:
My first lure-caught codling! Around 3lb it went down the hatch, I’ve missed eating these! QWuite a pull on a spinning rod too (I only took them today)
Bang, another drift, another codling ;D
And another. 3 of them all in. I changed the feathers over to my KP but that was it for the codling on my rods though Tim managed one as well; it was only snags, anemones and little blobs of arse that came up now.
The water was lovely and clear here as well:
We tried for some mackies again but nothing was happening so we headed back towards Cley. I trolled my feathers in the vain hope of finding mackerel. And find them I did:
Fantastic, mission accomplished!
The Cley wreck was visible now and we milled around looking rather than fishing.
Look top and centre and you can see a fish:
Tim got bored – we were in nine feet of water and so he headed out for mackies again. Soon he called over on the VHF and I headed out, catching them in ones and twos. Si joined us and had some as well and Paul, once he’d re-rigged, came and got a bunch too ;D We all came in on a final burst of fish. It was without doubt my most enjoyable Anglian session in a long, long time and we all had tea:
My total for the day was two bass, 3 codling and a dozen mackerel. I was over the moon. Nine hours on the water and all of it fun with a top bunch. Oh for another chance of a day like that, it was about perfect.
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