Another day of stiff NW winds, combined with tiny tide with little co-efficient. So, why the hell did it fish it t*ts off??? Check this...
First sailing, Al from yesterday was back, along with his friend Kelvin. Joining them, Ian and Rob, both returning. Al had made a big weekend of it, squeezing in some course fishing also, over Lewes way, and staying at an Airbnb find in Rottingdean, at just £45 per night!!
We headed out. Without the wind, my instinct would have been to head for deeper water, to get perhaps half a dozen table fish. But with the wind, that wasnt an option. Not only did I have to stay close, I had to stay really close to avoid the swell that a NW creates. First hour and a half, and just two smalls in the boat. The bit that fished so well yesterday was barren. I could see a crash happening. And then we fished the bit I didnt get to yesterday, 100 meters North of the bit we fished yesterday.
And here we took a further ten fish. Rob was looking to be a cover girl with a cracker of 59.5cm, when Ian topped it next drift. Been a while since we saw a high sixty, but here was 69cm of prime Sussex silver, returned of course. Ian has been fishing with me since perhaps 2008 I seem to recall, and it took till now to beat his personal best. A beautiful fish, in prime condition, and looking 8lb+ all day long. Al also, and as it was Kelvin's first ever session on the sea, he also ticked the box. A great session.
Could I ask for more? ...
Next sailing, all regulars. Mark, Mitch, Lee and Joe. All good rods. And as we headed out, it was apparent the wind had stepped up somewhat more. I went straight back to the spot. And of course, they werent there. Or on the original spot. Nope. Now they were 300 meters South of where they had been. I think they are on crabs, and hoovering them up that they then need to move on to pastures new, in the same way that the hounds tour the beaches, in cyclic motions. Farming the crabs almost.
And because we had not taken an hour and a half to find them, using tactics developed earlier this year, to beat the wind and swells after being very angry at them, it all came together well. Nothing as big as the previous session, but still a max kill and mostly table plus fish in the total tally of 21.
Could I ask for more?
No. Neptune shut me down. I took Trevor, Carl, Steve and Joao out into an even more increased wind, and gave it a damn good go of getting to the lee of the land. But the troughs were too much. An element of danger was creeping in. I turned and slammed back towards the marina and past it the other way. I sided onto a swell to gauge the fishability. P*ssing in the wind would be the best we could have done, with additional safety issues. I had no choice, but to head back in.
A real shame. However, the wind next week is dreamy, the fishing suddenly HOT, and I have lots of empty spaces. Don't let there be a final irony in this topsy turvey season. You have all been working far too hard. Consult the availability ticker on the home page, let your boss know your having some "you" time, and drop me a message with your name and the slot you want on to 07970 112774 It is that easy....
Comments