Stuart with the first codling of the day...
Just Stuart rose to the posting of a sailing, and he joined Captain Bruce and I, on a wonderful forecast. A check as we came out just to confirm no bass hanging around the west arm, despite big shoals of bait fish, so, I headed straight out to the outer rock marks. And this is pretty much where we spent the rest of the time. The rocks yielded a steady "click click" on the bass counter, but all were small. A couple of cracking wrasse also found themselves attached to the 65gm HTO Frolics, as did a couple of squid (the assist hooks are like magnets. If a squid grabs a Frolic, its usually landed...).
These beauties are still around...
After a little zig zag along this reef, I decided to leave the feeding fish and head out to a wreck that sits within our permitted operating zone. Again, it was thick with fish, but the bass here were a little bigger, with a couple that would have been for the table if we were in bass murdering mood. But none of the three of us were today. Stuart did take one of a constant stream of 2lb plus pouting for the table. Gutted immediately, there is no finer fish to batter. Especially when you have fresh squid rings for starters..
Codling for Bruce...
It was Stuarts rod that went over, and stayed over with a regular "thump thump".first. Bruce and I held our breaths, as we were familiar with this type of battle on these marks, but a big pouting also does a good impression of a codling. This time though, it was the target fish. A beautifully conditioned autumn codling. Released to perhaps become next autumns beautifully conditioned autumn cod....
Terry and his brand new quicklsilver - "Sea Mistress II"
The more we pursued the bass, the tighter to the wreck they got. Until eventually, we harrassed them too much, and the drifts became all about the pout. I suggested we check inshore, just in case, to a patch of rough ground directly in line with our westerley position. An hour in there, but just a gurnard and a single schoolie to show for it. With the wreck rested, we came back onto it. The plan had worked, as some of the bass had reformed. But it was almost time for Stuart to return to society, and I wanted to check one more mark out. Happy I did, as both myself and Bruce also found codling. By the time we said goodbye to Stuart, the bass counter sat at 42.
My first coddie of the season...HTO Frolic again...
A quick mcdonalds and Bruce and I headed back out to the wreck for the first of the flood. It was dead slack as we got there, and with little tide and gloomy light, the squid were quite crazy. But as soon as the tide got moving, the bass and the pouting shoals thickened enormously. No more codling, but I was very content with the final days tally. 53 bass, probably over 50 2lb+ pouting, 3 good wrasse, a cracking gurnard, and a new BIF1 record of 3 codling in a single sailing. Its nice to set bench marks. A friend of mine, who has just come to Brighton from Newhaven with his brand new quicklsilver, was out and about taking marks. Got a nice shot of him at speed.
Dreamy Seas...
When we got back in, a friend was berthing opposite. "Got any scales Rob? " he asked. "Be right over" I shouted back, leaving Bruce to hose down BIF1. "What you got?" I asked. A huge barrel of a bass appeared. He had been way down west, but here Martin had his personal best bass, and he has caught a lot of bass. It went 18lb 8oz on the scales. Yes, it was killed for the table. That might upset a few people. But it also inspires people that this year class still do have survivors out there. This fish, had already done an amazing service for the future survival of her species. That she dies and will be well appreciated, does not upset me so much, as seeing undersized fish taken, that had yet to prove the strengths of their genetic.
Plenty of bass and cod food down there...
We will be sailing again on Friday (quite possibly captain Bruce because my camera and I have a date with a beautiful girl in some beautiful woods...) and cod will most definitely be on the skippers mind... 07970 112774 to get on board. Likely a 09:45 meet, for a 10:00 sailing.
18lb 8oz of Sussex bass....