Out with Mark for both sailings today. Knowing we had short tides, and the first session was going to be all over the low, but with the advantage of an easterly breeze over the ebbing tide creating perhaps more movement than we deserved, we elected to spend the first hour plaice fishing for a change.
We decided to revisit a bank where around this time last year, doing the same thing, I connected with something so incredibly fast I still firmly believe it to have been a Bonito. There are good shoals of herring running these banks as well, which is a draw to many predators, despite the featureless sandy bottom. Nothing like that this time, but the plaice decided to play. Interestingly a mix of fat and skinny. More and more, I wonder if plaice world has changed and they are spawning less en masse. Small gurnard and mackerel accompanied the plaice.
Then onto a poke around for a cod. But with a net laying down one side of the mark, and a friend anchored up bait fishing, it was tricky getting a good drift. I just wasnt feeling it. A small bass broke the boredom. Time to go look for one in closer, with the first trickle of flood. And one is what we found. Strange. We decided to go in for an early breakfast, and bolt the time on the end of the 2nd sailing.
Coming back out, bang. The sounder was lit up. Fifteen bass in a 100 meter drift. But not one of table size. I gave mark the option. Wade through smalls or go hunt something more serious. Happily he took the latter option. And better bass we found, with more smalls to accompany them. Nothing over 3lb once again. A couple of chunky wrasse and both tub and grey gurnard. Pollack. No thornbacks this time. By the time the bugler made his noise, we had managed to get to 31 bass, with a brace for the table to accompany the plaice from earlier. And all in amazing conditions, with the light swell in the morning vanishing for the 2nd sailing. Pure bliss to be afloat, and away from the madness of these times.
