What’s on the board for today then? Had a good time on the bass yesterday and though the water is still clear and it’s fishable on that mark again I want to try something else. The clear water…small tides…low winds…and mackerel starting to show…drifting with feathers it is then. Mike was free as well and I’d not fished with him for a while so with everything arranged we met up by the Pleasure Beach. Ian was called at the last minute and though tempted didn’t think he could make it in time and Andy had stuff to do. Just the two of us then. A scorcher it was, happy to be in my Ion Bib I suggested Mike avoid being boiled-in-the-bag and stay in his shorts, the tiny chance of immersion and hypothermia outweighing the greater chance of heatstroke.
A quick go for bass before starting the drift, trolling lures around structure and along the harbour wall produced nothing, surprising but it was slack water so perhaps not so unlikely, so we headed straight out about a mile or so before dropping down. I had a 340g Fladen Portland jig on the bottom with various Fladen tinsels, hokkais and feathers and sabikis above, not knowing what the mackerel/Sandeel or potential other species might prefer. I went for the stiffer 10-20lb Nano rods today as the Xtraflexx’s would be stretched a bit by the weight of these jgs. The plan was to trail one and work the other and so that’s what I did.
I covered the first mile quite slowly, very little movement at all. Mike headed inshore while I headed further out…good water depth and clear as you like but all I had was a starfish…
I carried on. A few more starfish and then, as Mike approached me at the second or third mile of the drift a pair of porpoises came between us, broaching he surface at a leisurely pace and snorting. Of course they only stay up long enough to get the camera out, not to switch it on!
And then a new one on me…a sunstar. A twelve-limbed starfish. Pretty little thing it was. We drew level with the windfarm and the tide was picking up now, past a buoy or two and then the clanging came closer. Mid-Caister Buoy was passed in no time and it was time to head in.
Caister was our end point, Andy had offered to drive us back to the cars so that we could avoid waiting for a couple of hours until the tide turned. We started for shore and I soon picked up yet another amorous seal which followed us for most of the way in, either staring or surfing my wake.
They really don’t know what to make of me on my black Tempo.
We landed at Second Avenue and as I reeled my line in I was surprised to find that I’d caught something else. Yep, two jellies. A blank then! We hauled the yaks across the beach to the road, not far at all, another easy launch point, and awaited Andy who soon arrived with crisps and drink and car full of aquaria; I was shoehorned in, the yaks loaded and away we went. A marvellous day trip that answered questions on tide and ground and drift speed etc even if we did fail to catch anything.
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