Neptune is one funny fecker to be fair. I'm quite sure he read my blog last night, sniggered to himself, and said "lets show him..." Despite new record sea temperatures this morning of 30.5 according to my HDS7 head unit, he let a few fish come inshore once more.
He also turned down the wind machine. I was actually on my way to fish the shingle, as it slowly dawned on me there wasnt the 20 mph gusts happening. At best, 10mph, possibly less. Perfect sailing weather. A quick consultation of my calendar showed all my first sailing folk, that I had phoned the night before with the "All sailings are off" routine, were all locals.
Is it morally wrong to ring people before 0600 ? I will leave that debate out there for all of you with morals. Meanwhile, I had rung all my first sailing people. Only one was asleep, but by hanging on and hanging on, even he woke up. At 0615, Mark, Tim, Dave and Natalie, were all at the assembly point. We were going fishing.
First mark nothing much happening. Too many gatfish chasing down the shads. I took a long shot for over the dead low, and went to a gulley that fish often accumulate in over this point of the tide. The stiffening NE wind was critical to this plan, as it would keep us in the gulley. I fished the same gulley yesterday for very little. Fishing it today, for the bulk of the twenty one bass we landed.
Maximum kill, and plenty more quality fish released, including the 67cm fish that makes me cover girl today. I also changed techniques and bought the guys to fish much higher in the water. To date, I had been overly worried about seagulls, as they (and very recently gannets) can get hooked fishing this way. But with recent results, it is time to worry more about my clients, and my business, and my mortgage payments. After all, these young gulls are the same ones testing to see if you can fly through buses, and who attempt to steal food from foxes. Plus avian flu. The odd one getting a sore beak isnt going to make much difference compared to all that lot.
A little word here about Dave and Natalie also. They came to me having been unable to get afloat with another operation. Uber keen, they have since been I think twice more, plus today. They listen and take instruction well, and today, it came together really nicely. Both landed their PB bass, and both enjoyed plenty of action. They are also very affable, and gel well with whomever else is on board. I'm very thankful they came my way, because, just as with Marks progression over the years, it makes me quite proud to see what I helped create. Very rewarding, far beyond those bits of paper with a rather flattering portrait of our reigning monarch on them.
Rest of the day remains cancelled, as the wind is now gusting 20 plus. Although part of me is suspicious I might have pulled it out of the bag, even with limited spots to fish. But the other, far more experienced and far larger part of me, knows full well it would be an absolute disaster, with the fish having moved out of those particular spots, and battling fast rocks (a phenomenon of being blown across the tide at speed. Rocks suddenly give vicious, slamming takes) for no end result. A social roast dinner instead, for the first time in a very long time.