Fish of the day for Damo
Just Stuart out with me this morning, although perhaps appropriate, as today was his fourth trip out on BIF1, and so he was welcomed with the usual bottle of champagne, and red carpet up the gang plank. Well. Not quite. But I did pull the boat in tight for him to get on this time...
Stuart with a Gurnard
I wish I could have offered him better fishing to mark this momentous occasion. However, the fishing was suffering once more from lethargic bass. Some did show. A good one lost right at the net. But actually landed for the 3 hours, just a single gurnard and a single bass. Poor show really. However, I had told Stuart that we would be hunting quality but far fewer fish. The one lost at the net sort of qualified that statement, and we were fishing with expectation at every turn of the handle. We both like sessions like that, and it was a happy Stuart, complete with half a dozen chunky mackerel grabbed on the way back to the marina, that walked back up the quay.
Next I had a friend out for a couple of hours fluff chucking. I managed 3, but all small, plus a further 8 or so bumps missed. Pretty sure its the same too much food thing. John was mostly out to test fly rods, so wasn't bothered he didn't land any.
Final sailing and it was Mark and Damo back on board again. They dont come more frequent than these flyers!! Damo wanted plaice, so we went out for plaice. Damo wanted plaice because he has suffered a couple of quiet sessions when bassing. Mark, although now a committed bass addict, went along with the plan for the sake of harmony. There was only one place I wanted to go to fish for plaice...
It is a classic bank. Long and sweeping. It has a nose and a tail. And beyond it, are a couple of sandy bars, that lay across the tidal flow. This area is where we have caught undulate and Thornback rays, as well as out sized plaice. And I just know, one day very soon, we will add turbot to the list. It is rich in bait fish, and well swept by tide. And most importantly well inside my 3 mile limit. So we went there...
A few mackerel obliged, and a few smallish gurnard. And then it happened, just as we crossed a spot I have highlighted on the plotter as "Consistent". Mark's rod doubled over, and something flat and big way down deep tried to resist and swim back down. Big nods on the rod. And then gone. "Dont worry Mark, I know where he lives. We will have another chance next drift". Which is pretty much what happened. The same head shaking bieast, the same sadness in Marks face when the rod sprung back...
Ineed, the only plaice successfully landed was a team effort between Mark and myself. It grabbed his isome, and then nailed my 75gm HTO frolic before either of us could work out what was going on. One hungry little fella...
The tide slackened, and with just an hour to go, we finally persuaded Damo to go for bass. We tried a couple of marks, without success, before a short hop west hit jackpot. First a schoolie for Damo. And then a change from a mighty minnow to a HTO frolic did the goods. A cracking fish in the 3-4lb region. A new personal best for Damo. On the way back in Mark asked his nephew "Whats your favourite fish Damo"... "Bass" came the obvious reply. The reel screaming action, and pure power of these amazing fish had really left an impression.
Still some spaces all week - 07970 112774 to get on board...
