Fully booked on all four sailings, and with great weather forecast, the phenomenon of Brighton seas on a weekend kicked in. Without any doubt, boating, and all forms of personal watercraft, are becoming more and more popular, as we as a nation become more and more prosperous. There used to be perhaps half a dozen jet skis in the marina. Now, their floating docks spread like fungus on a tree, occupying whole lengths of pontoons. And you can hire them, where you clearly do not get briefed on the etiquette of approaching other boats. Or perhaps just approaching other boats with five rods launching up to 60 gms of lethal metal, attached to up to 100 meters of garroting ultra strong line. Im sure there will never be a lethal contact, but I do recognise the risk, and the potential for it, are there. Probably better if all vessels keep more than 100 meters away from BIF1 whilst we are bass fishing...
I digress. So, despite many of these jetski's being bopped around at first light, which shows hardcore dedication if not high intelligence, first sailing, with Jon and Mose returning to BIF1, and new guys Jason and David seeing if the light line lures from boat experience was for them. I think the resounding opinion was yes. This session was actually the best of the entire weekend, as the quality bass we found, then seemed to slip away. We see this occasionally. The trick is to guess what they have gone to. Lots of marks under the boat, but zero takes, suggests pre-occupation with something. And with cloud after cloud of bait fish now showing on the sounder, the bass really are spoiled for choice.
2nd sailing, this was very much the case. Steve, and his lad Harry, James and Ian all fished very well. I covered a lot of ground looking for susceptible fish but just a few small schoolies took notice. The fish of this session was actually a gurnard in the 2.5lb region, which is quite unusual inshore (at that size) outside of breeding time.
3rd sailing, and Ashley, Damo, Paul and Richard were on board. The session was saved with Richard finding a quality fish, but other than that, again just a few small schoolies. The contrast, to the morning session, could not have been greater, and I was quite happy that a SE wind sprung up, and the sea lumped up, to give me reason to cancel last sailing.