First up, and we had a birthday trip. Oli, was treating his dad Andy, for his birthday. And family friend Julian, was also on board. Andy really really really wanted a big bass for his birthday. So, without any pressure at all, we headed out onto lovely calm seas.
A firm plan, and it all panned out rather well. We were fishing the last 3 hours of the tide. A big tide. This meant, an hour likely with some run, an hour poking the holes, and, an hour working some ground under investigation.
And we found fish on all of them. With not so many smalls. A full house of kills for the boys, and plenty more returned. Twenty one fish in all, with clonkers among them. And happily, the birthday boy himself caught one that was deemed too big to kill. The silver lining of that wish, on BIF1, as I choose to operate slot limits. Two fish per angler, 42cm to a maximum of 59cm, may be retained. But over, and they are released. Big girls with big ovaries.
Next up, some family fun, and another birthday gift, with dad Bill treating son and daughter in law Garry and Helen, and grandson Will, on the occasion of Garry''s fiftieth birthday. We decided to split the session fifty fifty, with a bass hunt, followed by a plaice attack. The bass hunt was pretty tough, although young Will managed to catch two before the rest of us felt a fish. We bumped the total up to six or seven before going plaicing. All were too small, other than the one the birthday boy caught, which was, of course, too big...
This was none too pleasing for keen fish eater Helen. Who's favourite eating fish is... Mackerel. Those uber abundant fish that jump as a constant stream onto the plaice rigs. Except this day. Just one surrendered to the food pile, but was accompanied by three plaice, the best of quite a few very smalls. Need to change my hunting ground I suspect.
Final sailing, Mark and Damo finally not blown off, and joining them, returnee's Peter and Will. Again, patchy fishing. Lots of drifts with very little happening. Then a fish, maybe two, then more nothing. Bait marking, just not many bass with it. Not many cuttle fish today either. We managed to get the total to double figures, and some quality fish among them. But somehow it felt slower than it should have. Maybe September madness will be in October, with the lateness of everything thanks to this years super cold spring.
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