Waxham Washing…06/08/13

Waxham Washing…06/08/13 Still soaked we pulled up at Waxham an hour or so after leaving Weybourne and started to get unloaded. The sea looked okay from the top of the dune and with both kayaks loaded up we started the long haul over to the beach, the water out quite a way out but with the tide about to turn onto the flood. A few people were on the beach and parking wasn’t great but there’d still be enough for Tim when he arrived. An easy launch followed and then I headed out trailing feathers and a firetiger Jointed Minnow. Along the first and then a hook up on a rock with the feathers; pulled out after back paddling and they were stowed while I started trolling. Usually a productive reef but nothing. Same story on the second, third and fourth and then I lost sight of Paul so headed out to drift for mackerel over the remains of the slack while I waited for him to catch up but he didn’t, going inside the reefs instead to stay out of the building swell. Nothing on either rod, one with feathers and one with hokkais Tim pitched up and I gave him shout on the radio – yes, Paul was fine but staying inside. Tim reported things as having gone well so far, he’d had a schoolie which he’d released and a keeper of a couple of pound on a blue sliver. Blue it is then; I changed to a blue mackerel Eco Minnow and headed back for the reef, the third. Padlding against the tide I got a third of the way up when the rod arched over and started to bang around in the holder; the swells were quite large and I headed outwards before grabbing hold. Often the fish give up and come quietly when trolled but this was in great shape and fought as well as any bass I’ve had but it soon came up, three pounds and 49cm. It was soon in the boat. A beautiful fish! Then Tim caught me up and I got him to take a photo of me and mine. Back we went and onto the next reef Tim hooked up at the end as he was working the broken water on the way inwards. A good fish and a great fight until it took him into the rocks and broke free. Damn! Onwards and upwards, the next reef saw him hang up a Sliver on the rocks and that was it, bye bye fifteen quid. He retied and we returned. He hit one, had it on, was fighting it nicely all the way up to the yak when the line got cut on a gill plate as he was lifting it in. Another lost fish and another tenner down the drain. I passed the same spot and hooked up, a four pounder this time that went mental, smashing the surface with its tail and flanks, jumping, sounding, pulling…pulling me into the reef with the help of the swell. I pushed the rod back into the holder and back paddled out of danger – and it was imminent danger for sure – and with about eight or nine feet between rod tip and fish the bass continued its struggle, pulling the tip of my XtrafleXX 10-130g down past the reel and into the water. I figured I had a snapped rod on my hands but no, it sprung back up and went down, not as far, a couple more times before I could get to it and continue the scrap, and what a scrap. Another few minutes and it was beaten and onboard. Marvellous! I’d been going with the flow and the Minnow wasn’t moving enough so I’d changed to a Jointed Minnow in silver and blue with black spots now and that had been the one to do the trick. Up and down, up and down, we worked the bottom three reefs for a few passes and I managed another of 39cm. It was starting to get late and the tide was picking up… I carrie don down towards the bottom, end of the second reef saw the rod arch over and with a lacklustre fight a schoolie came to the side, sizeable but not worth taking so I shook it off next to the yak and headed for the bottom reef. Paul had beached but I could see him standing in the surf taking a battering…why? Ah. Yes. There, in front of him, was a seal, poking it’s upper body out of the water and wanting to play. It was the other side of the breakers though but Paul was in his element, animal lover and daft sod that he is! He was still in the water when I turned to come in. I’d stowed everything inside as the swells were large now and I was trying to catch one from the reef to hopefully go the 300 yards into the beach on the one wave but alas they kept being absorbed and it was only the last part that was rideable again. I went for it and landed upright and amazed after some judiciuos bracing. The view from the shore made me wonder how… Tim, the coward, took the easier option the other side of the groyne and ballsed it right up! [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jExNmWTD_bs[/video] I whipped my fish out and decided to play. I mean, you would, wouldn’t you! [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Ynys8sOMo[/video] Marvellous fun. Sometimes I made it, sometimes I didn’t and I was thoroughly drenched and had a couple of litres of water around each ankle of my Sidewinders but I was beaming. Ian, who’d turned up and decided against fishing – it wasn’t fishable now – was beaming less but enjoyed being there anyhow. It was time to climb that damned dune again, Tim’s journey being made easier with the helping hand of James who’d popped by to see us, interested in getting one after seeing us on the water when he’d fished with Marty a while back. A nice chat followed while we all got bitten by mosquitos and, fourteen hours and a hundred and twenty miles after leaving home I stopped for a late-night doner kebab to eat…the filleting could wait until morning when my two lucky Fladen lures would get a rinse and dry too.