Just go and paddle!...24.12.10

I had to go again. It wasn’t a case of begging and pleading today either. No. I made my wife so pissed off with me that she told me to go paddling. Result.

Waves were messy as anything so it was back into the Necky and off to the river this time. Picked up a hitchhiker on the way and we chatted about the teachers we had known at the same school (he was in my brother’s year it turned out) and then, with him dropped off I headed down to the launch in Beccles and got the kayak into the water. The water was the bit between the pontoon and the inch thick ice.



I broke up some of the ice and then noticed a crack down the middle which allowed me to push a 20ft square iceberg into the flow and get myself out with no bother.



Off I went and after 50 yards chucked out a lure and tucked my spinning rod behind my back (spraydeck wasn’t pulled over at the back). I figured that although I didn’t get this as a kayak for fishing from I may as well try to fluke a pike even though it was way too cold for them to go for a lure.



It was lovely on the river as I wound my way upstream through the marshes and past Geldeston. No-one else was on the water and I only saw one angler on the banks. ‘Hi Mark’ he said as I paddled past giving his lines a wide berth…there are ways for paddlers and anglers to co-exist, it just takes mutual respect or the hiding of mutual hatred.



A couple of miles upstream I spotted something worth a closer look – either a muntjac or Chinese water deer, I couldn’t tell as the head was submerged. Funnily enough I am serving muntjac tonight for Christmas Eve dinner. I didn’t want a well-marinated one though!



I carried on up past Shipmeadow before turning around and wandering back. Six or Seven miles in minus plenty with no bites was pleasant enough and at least I knew I could so some limited fishing from the Necky. Okay, so I didn’t get to feel what a pike would do to my balance but I did catch 3 submerged branches, 2 trees and the bank so I have a fair idea.

That Sinking Feeling...23.12.10

Well I began my day by taking a look at the sea on the way back from Asda. It was filthy! Good waves, 4ft+ but not much gap between them and they were tripping over a bit early but it looked rideable and they were fast and so following breakfast (I cooked for 9) I got kitted up and wandered down to the beach. I chatted to a couple of the local surfers who were watching from their van then launched. The wind was very strong and head on as I paddled out and I just couldn’t make headway against that and the constant foam. Managing to get halfway to my chosen jumping off point I turned to take a good one that was coming in where I was and rode it all the way in, jumped off, picked my Yakboard up and went home to fry some other fish.

I say fish but I mean christening my new ride. I brought home a new yak yesterday which has taken some saving for and which I’ve wanted for a good few months – a Necky Chatham 17 in ‘Advanced Composite’. White with a yellow top side she looks lovely and the reviews are all good. I figured I’d have a quick blast around Oulton Broad and then go and dish up a nice lunch of Muntjac Stew that I had bubbling away. It's all Carpyken's fault. He inspired me a year ago.

Oulton Broad was iced over. With the sea off limits the only remaining option was Lake Lothing. Parking up at Harbour Road I carried the Chatham on my shoulder down to the ‘beach’, floated her and hopped in through the cockpit.





It was very windy and blowing straight down towards me. I stuck my Nordkapp in and off I went. The acceleration was so much more than I’m used to and I was cruising at a good speed in moments. I didn’t feel unstable and it was as though she ignored both the wind and the incoming tide. Off I went up towards the harbour mouth.



I passed YH89 Lydia Eva which summers at South Quay in Great Yarmouth but returns to Lowestoft for winter maintenance. Built in Kings Lynn in 1930 she is the last surviving steam-powered herring drifter.



I turned at the CEFAS Endeavour, opposite Asda, and paddled back again with the wind and current behind me this time. It made no odds – I never felt any difference in speed or effort, nor did I when the river changed course and I went across the wind. I played about with the skeg a bit and got an idea of how it affected things (having never used one before) and carried on past my launch point to go and look at the historic vessels at the marina end.



First up was a tarp-covered LT472 Excelsior, a restored fishing smack built in 1921 and the last surviving sailing trawler.



Next I went off towards the wreck of the Probe, MMS 1086, last used as a survey ship operating from Lowestoft in the 1960’s. She was and was sold for scrap in March 1969 after searching for oil and gas reserves in the North Sea when the company went bankrupt and their fleet disposed of.



Next up was the wreck of the MFV Yellowtail, LT326. The water was really high now, higher than It’s ever been when I’ve paddled down here and I was able to paddle onto the wreck and have a nosey at the inside.





Across the water and further down I went over to MTB 102. Launched in 1937 she was the first Motor Torpedo Boat of the modern era and crossed the English Channel eight times to rescue stranded servicemen from the beaches around Dunkirk and later carried Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower on their review of the D-Day fleet prior to the Allied return to Occupied Europe.



Not a bad christening for a new boat and my first SINK. A good few miles in strong wind and hail with plenty to see. Now to persuade my wife that I can paddle the ten miles to my parents for Christmas lunch and she can pick me up with the car!



Sorry about the picture quality – my camera was set to 1600 iso.

That Sinking Feeling...23.12.10

Well I began my day by taking a look at the sea on the way back from Asda. It was filthy! Good waves, 4ft+ but not much gap between them and they were tripping over a bit early but it looked rideable and they were fast and so following breakfast (I cooked for 9) I got kitted up and wandered down to the beach. I chatted to a couple of the local surfers who were watching from their van then launched. The wind was very strong and head on as I paddled out and I just couldn’t make headway against that and the constant foam. Managing to get halfway to my chosen jumping off point I turned to take a good one that was coming in where I was and rode it all the way in, jumped off, picked my Yakboard up and went home to fry some other fish.

I say fish but I mean christening my new ride. I brought home a new yak yesterday which has taken some saving for and which I’ve wanted for a good few months – a Necky Chatham 17 in ‘Advanced Composite’. White with a yellow top side she looks lovely and the reviews are all good. I figured I’d have a quick blast around Oulton Broad and then go and dish up a nice lunch of Muntjac Stew that I had bubbling away. It's all Carpyken's fault. He inspired me a year ago.

Oulton Broad was iced over. With the sea off limits the only remaining option was Lake Lothing. Parking up at Harbour Road I carried the Chatham on my shoulder down to the ‘beach’, floated her and hopped in through the cockpit.





It was very windy and blowing straight down towards me. I stuck my Nordkapp in and off I went. The acceleration was so much more than I’m used to and I was cruising at a good speed in moments. I didn’t feel unstable and it was as though she ignored both the wind and the incoming tide. Off I went up towards the harbour mouth.



I passed YH89 Lydia Eva which summers at South Quay in Great Yarmouth but returns to Lowestoft for winter maintenance. Built in Kings Lynn in 1930 she is the last surviving steam-powered herring drifter.



I turned at the CEFAS Endeavour, opposite Asda, and paddled back again with the wind and current behind me this time. It made no odds – I never felt any difference in speed or effort, nor did I when the river changed course and I went across the wind. I played about with the skeg a bit and got an idea of how it affected things (having never used one before) and carried on past my launch point to go and look at the historic vessels at the marina end.



First up was a tarp-covered LT472 Excelsior, a restored fishing smack built in 1921 and the last surviving sailing trawler.



Next I went off towards the wreck of the Probe, MMS 1086, last used as a survey ship operating from Lowestoft in the 1960’s. She was and was sold for scrap in March 1969 after searching for oil and gas reserves in the North Sea when the company went bankrupt and their fleet disposed of.



Next up was the wreck of the MFV Yellowtail, LT326. The water was really high now, higher than It’s ever been when I’ve paddled down here and I was able to paddle onto the wreck and have a nosey at the inside.





Across the water and further down I went over to MTB 102. Launched in 1937 she was the first Motor Torpedo Boat of the modern era and crossed the English Channel eight times to rescue stranded servicemen from the beaches around Dunkirk and later carried Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower on their review of the D-Day fleet prior to the Allied return to Occupied Europe.



Not a bad christening for a new boat and my first SINK. A good few miles in strong wind and hail with plenty to see. Now to persuade my wife that I can paddle the ten miles to my parents for Christmas lunch and she can pick me up with the car!



Sorry about the picture quality – my camera was set to 1600 iso.

Well that’s quite enough of that thank you…08/12/10

I don’t think things have gone worse without a disaster occurring. I got to Hopton with the water half up the wooden ramp, a bit of a shore dump but no great issue there. It looked swelly but okay beyond so I got the yak and myself ready and wandered down to the water via very slippery, frosted slope. By now the waves had got closer together and some were starting to get little bits of white on them but no matter. I waded in to my lower thigh and got in just as a random wave came in at an angle, side swiped the kayak and squeezed in through my pee zip – I’d rooted around to get something out of a pocket earlier and not done it up Anyway, I swung it back and went straight out. The tide was pretty strong by now as all the traffic had been in my way and although I was making progress the sea was starting to get snottier. Enough was enough, I’d go piking instead, this was unfishable.

Of course, all my piking gear was at home and I had neither cash nor fish bait so had to go back whatever. Of course I checked the sea again at the end of my road and it was fine so I unloaded again and then went and parked the car at the bottom of my road and walked back. I got set up to go and then walked back again for my paddle. High water was galloping closer all the time.

I launched, got out back and seemed to have little assistance. I barely drifted at all when i stopped. I watched as a boat trawled the line from the pier down to the mark I was headed for and so chose to go a bit deeper in another hole. Down to CEFAS I paddled, dropped anchor and cast in.

The next hour resulted in not one bite. The sea started to pick up and then the wind started to build. Crests were forming and I was getting fucked off so I up-anchored and paddled back into the wind and still-flooding tide (it should have slowed but hadn’t) which hurt somewhat as my fingers started to ice up. The surf had picked up a little but was easily dealt with and I dragged the yak home on my C-Tug.

That’s it. Day’s off have shit seas, days at work have calm seas, the cod haven’t arrived, the whiting have buggered off and snapper is going on the river for the next few weeks. I’m fed up wasting my time and my worms.

Stirred Crazy…21/11/2010

Enough. Going nuts. That’s it. Got to get out.

Three aborts in a row was getting to me big time. All this time off and the weather has conspired against me each time. Enough was enough and so I ‘negotiated’ a pass during the afternoon for once. I don’t like to do this as early starts stay off the radar somewhat. I guess the fact that it’d be a blessing for everyone helped though ;D

I thought about heading for the usual spot at Hopton but decided that I’d go off the beach at the end of my road and paddle down to Pakefield. I used to fish quite often just offshore from the CEFAS building and had done pretty well in the past. Now normally I’d aim for the smaller inshore hole, stored on my finder, but I didn’t fancy luging the extra weight of that and the battery down to the beach so decided instead to guess it, to go for the rough area. I knew I’d miss it but with bugger all happening in terms of bigger fish it didn’t really matter.

I got down to the beach and launched in a pretty calm environment. There had been surfers and a paddle boarder out earlier but it was pretty small so I headed out without incident. Then I turned south and set off for the ten minute paddle south with the ebb. It took 20 minutes before I remembered that the ebb goes north which was why it was such hard going ;D Nothing like familiarity…

Half an hour saw me in position and anchored. Between the wind, the swell and the current I was wandering all over the place but I baited up and cast out two rods and waited for a small whiting to rig live on the third rod carried in the hope of a big cod – four 20lb’ers have been caught locally this according to reports. It took a while but eventually the first came in; it was a keeper so the second got rigged instead. I had a couple more soon after too.

The tide was running pretty hard still and that was what surprised me most about the knock. I had just turned the ATC9K on a couple of minutes before in the hope of swinging in a fish on film when I got ‘the knock’. I like the knock. It’s quite infrequent this year but just as pleasing when it happens. I picked up the rod and waited for further indication, giving it time…

As I started to put pressure on the rod bent over in a satisfying curve! I could tell it wasn’t a big fish on the end but it was pulling and the current was increasing the pressure quite a lot. The yak started to turn and with it breaking the surface twenty yards downstream I also had confirmation that I’d snagged the livebait rod with my weight…great. Wait all this time for a codling and then risk losing it. I shimmied forward, grabbed the snood and hauled the fish in…3lb or so of fresh Suffolk codling ;D I was happy now, my weekend was not such a bad one after all.

I carried on until slack water which also coincided with an increase in wind speed and wave height. Up came my anchor and I headed back to my launch spot expecting fun and games as the north easterly wind, north easterly swell and north-south flood should all work together and kick up some decent waves to come in on; I strapped everything down. It was quite invigorating on the way back and the run in was fun too even though it hadn’t got big (being low water). I beached, loaded the yak onto the trolley and went home. A pleasant, short trip with ten whiting and a codling landed, all but 4 of which were keepers.

Back home I unloaded my haul into the sink and got to work gutting with Abigail looking on and having a biology lesson. The whiting were pretty empty but the codling delighted her with its gut full of shrimps (no prawns) and one small fish of undetermined species.

Then it was onto the filleting. I like to fillet fish to fit more easily into the freezer and also to allow me more scope in the kitchen but in this instance I had a specific process for these fish. Whiting are a bit fiddly to fillet but are excellent ‘training’ – if you can fillet whiting well you can fillet anything well.





The dozen fillets went into a dish on top of a layer of salt



And were then covered in another layer.



Then it was time for the codling.







Once both fillets were off they were skinned, placed into the dish and salted as well.




The whole lot went into the fridge and in a couple of days should be nicely firmed up with most of the moisture removed. These will then be frozen and used at a later date for brandade de morue, a gorgeous dish.

My weekend ended better than it began.

A Hundred on the Hundred…19/11/2010

A day off and with a head full of calm seas and sunlight from those who launched earlier in the week I arranged to hit Hopton early and meet Steve, Simon and Seaweed. Due to the timings of the tide I figured my best bet was to get on the water around 6am and fish the next couple of hours up until slack water and so at 05:10 my alarm went off for a second time and I went and got a coffee inside myself and myself inside my drysuit before driving off to the launch.

I pulled up, parked and got out. I could hear the waves crashing on the beach and straight away thought of the previous week when I’d aborted (for the first time this year) once kitted up. I wandered down to have a look and was greeted by a sea that was getting close to the top of the ramp, limited sand and a 3ft shore dump. However there didn’t appear to be any white stuff behind so I decided to get my gear together and launch.

Shortly after I wheeled the yak down the slope and got set up ready to launch. I figured to go deeper than normal to give myself that extra few seconds to break out if needed and so pulled the yak out until I was in up to my thighs, then as the last of the set rolled under me I jumped aboard and paddled out in the smaller waves and headed for the mark.

I was pitching and rolling and the 15mph+ south easterly was pushing me in all directions. There was no way I could anchor safely in this and no way I would even fish it if I did so I decided that I’d have to head in. The trouble was, of course, it was still dark and I’d have trouble picking out the wave to land on. As it was I headed to the next groyne north to try and get some shelter from wind and waves. Luckily it seemed like I had chosen the right moment and I came in easily enough with no drama, landing on the last 2ft of sand not under water! From there it was an easyish lift onto the concrete track and away up the hill. I was not impressed.

I texted to say I’d aborted and went home to fill up on coffee and croissants and see the girls before grabbing some freshwater gear and heading for a river to try and troll a pike up.

Now, today was going to be this year’s 100th launch…and what better place to paddle in this instance than the River Hundred? Now, this is almost a secret river – very few people know it exists even though they drive over it in their thousands each day as it passes under the A12 at Kessingland. I’d not fished it for a couple of years when I’d had a ten pounder out in a tournament as it’s narrow, shallow and weedy. In fact it’s not fishable for the majority of the year…but this time of year should be alright with the weed having mostly died down.



The first change I noticed was some fencing around the bad-enough-anyway launch access. I had to do some fiddling to get in here. I managed though and while loading my gear in a Kingfisher flew past a few feet away…cracking! I saw them 3 or 4 times all in.



I got myself in and comfortable and paddled away from the noise. The water was still, it was reasonably clear, the wind had died and being quite narrow and quite shallow I figured I had a fair chance of a fish. I trolled one rod and enjoyed the scenery as my arse slowly got more and more numb – the water was bloody cold.



I had a chat with a pair of swans as I made my way down to the bends where I’d caught before and as I’d got snagged on weed as it shallowed here I decided to fling some lures for a while.





I began with a popper, went onto a Wildeye Perch then tried a Big S all to no avail. I gave up and paddled some more. It was a nice, gentle paddle and I covered the distance to the sluice and Benacre beach pretty quickly. I pulled up onto a bit of beach on arrival and went to look at the sea…it was fine, easily fishable. I was not impressed.



I trolled back up to the bridge and merrily fiddled with the camera…in the few hours of my gentle trip I didn’t get so much as a sniff of a fish but I did strap on the ATC9K and do a bit of filming to while away my evenings with some editing so at least something came of it.

(Video not posted yet as the audio is cocked up; Windows Live Movie Maker does it again >:( )



Never been so cold on the yak in my life.

Quite A Big Wednesday…10/11/2010

I was supposed to be at work on Wednesday and taking Thursday off but the forecast was crap while Wednesday was predicting big swell and a reasonable resultant breaking wave estimate…7-8ft according to Magic Seaweed which would translate in reality to about half that due to the banks tripping up the formed ones. Luckily swapping my day wasn’t an issue and so after I’d done some jobs I got kitted up and arrived on the beach at around 9:30am.



Well, it was mostly quite small with a few slightly larger sets coming through at around 2-3ft. A body boarder was out but no-one else. The tide was down and still ebbing so it’d improve over time but it looked okay for a bit of fun. I dumped my Yakboard on the sand and wandered onto the groyne to take a bit of film with the Olympus.

With enough background footage I went back down and grabbed the Yakboard. I was planning on plenty of filming today and had the ATC9K all rigged up and ready to go to work. There was plenty of light and with practically no-one on the sea I figured I’d get plenty of rides. I switched it on, set it running and headed out to the end of the groyne, my usual take-off spot.



I paddled out easily enough with the swell coming from the northeast which left the groyne taking the brunt of anything that might have caused me trouble. I got to the spot, turned, waited less than a minute and caught my first wave in…bliss! 3ft or so, an easy take-off and an easy ride. They were pleasant waves, a bit slow but no problem to catch and come in on. Back out I went and again came in immediately on another. I kept this up for the next couple of hours with constant runs until finally I exerted too much pressure on a thigh strap and snapped the buckle in half which immediately flushed my sinuses out in front of a bunch of board surfers who had arrived and were watching to see how things were developing. A couple more runs and I went home. I wanted breakfast and to repair my thigh strap so I could have some more fun.



I downloaded the take from my camera and, kitted up again, went back to the beach. It was now high water and the waves had grown to about 4ft. The population had grown too as there were now some board surfers out in the same spot. I paddled out to my spot, said hi, turned and took off on a wave straight away…again! The waves were faster now as well as bigger, 4ft+, and over the next 3 hours or so I lost count of the rides. Often I’d take off at the same time as boardies, other times I’d hang back to let them take the wave and twice I had to bail when I saw them ahead of me in the water.

Just before 3pm I trashed my thigh strap again – or rather my repair – and decided to call it a day. I was pretty worn out now anyway and I’d had my fun and I did have some stuff to do at home still after all! It had been great.

Back home I downloaded everything and that evening began work on my video. My ATC9K has a GPS module in it and I had a brief look at the data – I’d hit a maximum of 18.02mph during my time on the water! Mental ;D I then spent the next couple of evenings working on the video before bashing my head against the wall for a couple of days when Windows Live Movie Maker refused to allow me to save the finished film. I hate that fucking programme.

Finally, though, I found a work-around and produced my longest - and probably my best – video of what was absolutely my best day’s Yakboarding yet so crank up the volume and enjoy:

Veni, Vidi, Vamoose...07/11/2010

25 knots north easterly, wind over tide, big spring, rain.





Well the children won't go hungry after all so not a totally wasted day, got something after all...

Hairy cod (Muntjac)



Nekkid:



Ready to freeze:



Waste not want not:



Normally organic venison is expensive but this was only a little deer ;D I did read that "Dead ones may be observed at daybreak, spread like pâté along most major routes in southern England that pass through woodland." I liked that.

Gotcha! 02/11/10

Well there I was, another day off and a reasonably flattish sea. Windy, force 4 gusting to 6 but a WSW so perfectly comfortable off Hopton.  With the codling playing hide and seek this year I decided on different tactics to normal…if they wouldn’t play fair then it was time for me to pull out all the stops. I put on my LUCKY SENSATIONAL HAT.

Now, for those of you not aware of my varied yakking headgear it consists of the following:

 Ushanka (extremely bloody cold lucky hat)

Green Watch Cap (nearly twenty years old, as holy as a nun, responsible for my largest pike)

Lucky Sensational Hat (South African ex-navy (blue) cricket hat, embroidered with my Aunt’s charter boat logo).

Beardhead (Whispered-about headgear)

Black watch Cap (two of these. Good hats but no mystical powers. Worn when skill is relied upon.)

AKA Watch Cap (too new to judge)

So, with the Sensational Lucky Hat plonked firmly upon my head, sides folded up like a Chindit in a cupboard and held in place by the neck cord over the top and tied off I was ready to go. I also had a different yak too – My Prowler 15 was on the roof instead of the Scupper so I took that to sea for the first time in ages. Then I tempted fate. My ‘new’ Shimano spinning rod and reel combo, bought in the summer to replace a gift to Davy Jones, was swapped for one of my cod rods. Now this rod hasn’t done the business yet as the bassing seemed to go off with the purchase of it…but I figured it might be fun for the whiting.

I launched around 9am I guess. The sea was fine and until I dropped anchor the current didn’t seem that strong. It was though. I baited up, chucked out and waited. For a fair while.

Then, with a rattle, the first whiting appeared…on the spinning rod ;) Maybe it had broken it’s curse? It seemed to be the case as it had the next fish too, a lovely dab…and the next. In fact it outfished my other rod by 3 or 4 to one over the course of the day.

Anyway, the fishing wasn’t that fast and furious but it was regular enough to keep me interested. There wasn’t a lot else happening on the sea anyway ;D

Then a decent bite and pull followed a trembly bite. I’d got the rod in my hand by now, the spinning rod. This was a better fish. In fact, as it turned out, it was the target fish! At last!

After more whiting I had a second and finally the other rod brought in my third. Come slack water the bites died and I returned to the beach, the final tally being 14 whiting, 3 codling a dab and a big pout. Lovely stuff; glad I chose that hat!