Nice coddie around 5.5 - 6lb for fish of the day.

First and second sailings were with birthday boy Damo and his Uncle Mark.... (tomorrow's first two sailings are with birthday boy Uncle Mark, and his nephew Damo!!! Amazing...). I was feeling rusty with a week since my last sailing. And this situation leaves me amiss. I havent been tracking the fishes in person, and a huge great storm came smashing through changing absolutely everything. So.. what to do...

First session we went codding. But coddies were not playing. In fact, in slightly coloured seas, and a big spring flood, not a lot was playing at all. To say it was dire, truly would be a very large understatement. I mean, mahoosive. At least as big as three elephants stacked on top of each other, with a Boeing 747 nose dancing on their backs kind of mahoosively dire. Maybe even an Airbus A380... Why so much prose? well... to be fair, all we managed was a single bass, a mackerel, and a gurnard. But, strangely, I wasn't too phased. I had the guys out for the next sailing. And I knew exactly where the coddies would be on a big spring flood as it peters out... So, we returned for Wetherspoons breakfasts, and then headed straight back out again...

Happily, my confidence was rewarded. First off, Mark was away, with a lovely 4.5lb fish.. Then Damo, sadly with a 2lb fish, which swam off strongly on its return. Next. Mark again with a cracking 5.5lb fish. And then the birthday boy managed his own tea, with a very well conditioned and quite dark 4lb fish. Two very happy chappies headed up the road... See you in the morning lads :)

One of our pals in Wetherspoons...

Which left new to BIF1 Tom, a lad from my own homezone of Essex, and in particularly the Thames, Crouch and Blackwater estuaries. Once I realised, I REALLY wanted to find Tom some good bass, as I know only too well how the once rich estuaries are a shadow of their former selves for big bass. Plenty of smalls, but a 3lb fish these days is one to celebrate, in part as they do not receive the same protections as Sussex estuaries from netting. However, it wasnt to be. We even tried an hour on the cod, but just one bumped off. The last hour, we found some fun with bass, but nothing big. Stunning sunset and even more stunning moon rise, although sadly my phone battery had failed by the time this happened. Never did I see the moon look so big, or so yellow.

Spaces all week, and looking likely sailing all week. Im confident the big bass will be around somewhere, but with the coddies as a major distraction, and much of the plan tomorrow, Im not sure how much boat time I will have to go find them... 07970 112774 for cod or bass fun.

Plenty of these around this evening, but no bigger ones this day...