The day started with delay... Robin (my client) and John both met the "perfect storm" of traffic chaos that the news was happy to report on yesterday. Happily only around the edges of it, so both got through. We sailed just before 09:00. And I really did not know what to expect...
It was a repeat of the previous sailing in many respects. Except visibility was excellent everywhere. But water temperature inshore had crashed since I was last out, with it being recorded at 7.6 degrees. As we found the 40' water it raised to 8.5. And the flooding tide bought with it much warmer water, so that by the end of the day when we came back in, the inshore was back up into double figures. It is quite amazing the fluctuations. But fish like settled, not fluctuating. I think a big part of the reason that the beaches and shore structures are suddenly not producing fish, save for a few spratts.
We tried a few pieces of rock along the way. One showed some very exciting marks, but despite three drifts over them, nothing doing. I continued to push BIF1 westwards. There was quite a big swell, and I could only manage 17knts.
Finally, we contacted some fish. Pouting. Big ones. Just two in a single drift. Another eight drifts and nothing. With five hours of the session to go, I felt it was time to head to the spot I have now called, and enforced by this session, Gurnard Sands. Clearly, there is a gathering of gurnards at this spot Almost certainly it is some kind of spawning congregation, as this bank is literally carpeted with them. Interestingly I have not seen the water temperature dip below ten degress in the two times I have visited it. First drop down, all rods bend over. And that was pretty much how the rest of the session went...
Big gurnards fight well They offer a stubborn resistance, and you truly know you are attached to a significant fish. Many times we were wondering if it wasnt codling attached. A lot of good sized fish in the 1-3lb range. Some smaller but not so many. Smiles constantly on every face, which is what BIF is all about...
It wasnt all Gurnards though. One bass, caught by John. Squid, caught by Ted and myself. Robin had a chunky mackerel. A solitary whiting put in an appearance. But the real order of the day was the fast and furious Gurnard fun. HTO Frolic and HTO mighty minnows both effective. John had been counting his fish. He reached 64 and was perhaps the slowest rod, due to his fondness for sandwhich and coffee breaks. Multiply that figure by the 3 client rods plus mine, and that is over 240 prime gurnards. Mostly returned. But some cracking roasting fish also, that were less lucky. Very happy customers, at a time of year when it is perhaps the very hardest thing to do. Thank Neptune for Tub Gurnards!!
Not looking so good for sailing for the foreseeable. But as always, we will be ready and available to sail as soon as the forecast allows. Keep an eye on our facebook page BRIGHTON INSHORE FISHING for last minute sailing announcements. And please, be safe over the festive periods. Eat, drink and be merry, but stay alive. We need you all back on BIF1 next year... From Capt Bruce and myself , have a very merry Christmas.
