Much harder out there today. Fish have moved around, and gone somewhere. Thats the thing with fish... They have fins, and strong tails, and often use them. So, all I can do in that situation, is hunt them down.
First sailing, joining the hunt, my pleasure to welcome back Mal, and this time he bought David, John and Simon along with him. It actually started reasonably well, with five fish landed, four in the well, in the first fourty minutes. But then, a rather cruel thing happened. On a forecast that promised mirror calm seas all day, we suddenly got big NE winds. So big at one point, that I phoned the following sailings crew to give them the option to abandon. Happily, as it turned out, they were already well on their way down from Essex, so decided to stick the nose out with me whatever, and see what it would be like.
We really struggled with that wind. Two nice wrasse popped up to help a little with the poor fishing, but as for bass, the lure control was extremely difficult. I had to up the weight of the shads and basically have everyone vertical jigging, but it wasnt a great success. The guys were all happy an smiling though, and with a table fish each, were pleased they could prove to their respective partners that they really had been fishing. And, as if even Neptune was attempting to make amends, Simon and myself both had codling, to bring the accumulative total up to 13 since they arrived. One other point of interest. The smallest bass of the morning, actually had eaten the biggest breakfast. A mullet, not so much smaller than its captor.
It is amazing the effect a nice breakfast and a coffee can have on the weather though. By the time I met up with Colin, Nick, Doug and Gordon, we had the promised forecast. Absolutely lovely. And with good flooding tide, I felt confident that I might be able to do a better job with the bass. I suggested twenty for the session. Which is when they reminded me they also wanted to do some plaice fishing...
In the end, I was very happy for the option. Despite great conditions, the bass were still not having it (a phone call from a friend explained why, and where they were. I wish I wasn't blown off tomorrow) . Just four landed, with two for the table. So, onto the plaice. Which were really having it. Mixed sizes, but plenty for the table.
Been so long since I did this, I forgot how much fun it was. Lots of double shots, of plaice, dabs, gurnards and mackerel, and various combinations of them all. A real lot of fun, and a great session saver. Everyone loved it, which made me happy, as coming all the way from Essex to spend a few hours with me, is not just flattering. It also adds a bit of stress to the occasion. And everyone is always amazed, at how effective lures can be, for pretty much everything that swims.
