Out with Dean, Gary and Jon for a little look around. We headed to a cod spot for the first hour, but very barren ground and just a single (big) mackerel to show for it out there. I began the hunt, moving from rock to rock, except we were forced by just too much S in the mostly E wind to stay in quite tight to get out of the worst of the waves.

This was in no way a waste of time. Despite the inshore sea temperatures hovering around the 10 degrees mark, the bass were there. Lots of smalls, one better fish. Wrasse also were playing, as were gurnard. These all thicken up during the winter, and as the Bass vanish it seems to me the Gurnards come closer to take their place. Big gurnard will hopefully join cod as the mainstay of our winter sport.

Just the one sailing, but folk with big smiles left the craft. Critical, as the last time Dean and Gary fished with me it was on the smooth hounds from the shore. That must have been around 8 years ago. But now they found me again, I suspect we will see more of them. Light line lure fishing is so refreshingly different.