First sailing, and Scott and Stuart had chartered the boat. And a hard core bass or bust session ensued. Happily, it was bass, and no less than 29 of them, to a biggest of perhaps 4lb. Even better, all of them were taken in tight, which is a big relief, as now N and NE winds can be fished once more, utilizing the lee of the cliffs and city.
Even better still, fish were smashing bait off the top. Which prompted Scott to try a patchinko looking lure on the surface. But it was a patchinko with a twist, with a canal in it for water to flow through, creating I guess an extra bubble stream in the wake. Whatever it was, the Labrax TW from Mr Labrax, a company based in Northern Ireland, worked, and the first surface caught fish of the year on BIF1. A few more followed. And I armed the guys with some new tools. How to fish a shad in these situations. Stuart especially got the hang of that one.
2nd sailing was also supposed to be a bass attack, but with the SE wind strengthening as per the forecast, it was far too bumpy and fast for good lure control. As such, the bass guys agreed they didnt want plaice, which is all I could offer. So, a last minute appeal on Facebook. and Mose, Mark and Damo (yes, the usual Mark) found themselves heading out for plaice.
First hour and a half was hard going. Held inshore by the swell, we werent really going along the tide in the way the plaice respond well to, instead being pushed slightly across it. As such, bites were tentative, and every fish well earned.
Then the wind backed off, and the sea flattened off enough to get out to the bank where the crackers had been caught yesterday. And here the fishing was much better, with the final toll being around 25 fish landed, too many bumped off, and some great table fish going home with Mose. No super beasts or rays though sadly.
Third sailing was cancelled, as the wind was forecast to come back again, and again it was a bass plan. I quite regret it now, as the wind has not returned, and an idylic evening is happening outside my window. The wind will be increasing at some point though, which means Sunday's sailings are off. Perhaps I will go for a roast or something... Although, I do need to play with the mullet on the fly as they are beginning to feed quite hard in the marina, and hopefully in local estuaries too.
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