A few more days destroyed by wind. This time though, it coincided with BIF1's engine making its high pitched demands to be serviced. Aquatech from Lancing back on the job, after trying another mechanic for the last service. I found the communication to be best with Aquatech, and communication is everything. Also while she is out I gave the job of a hull clean and polish to "Bright n clean", another marina based business, and she looks better than ever for that. First sailing, with Ian on board, and I was also very pleased to find BIF1 doing 24 knots at just 5000 RPM. Usually 5.5 to achieve that. I do like a good service. Perhaps now with 1000 hours on the engine, she has finally run in.
Fishing was quite wind affected and it took quite a few stops to find reliable fishing, which we did eventually find really tight to the shingle. A brace of food fish was quickly despatched and we chipped away, finishing on 7 bass landed. With max kill achieved, we spent the last half an hour on the squid, despite poor condtions with wind and bright sun. But knowing exactly where they like to be on sunny days paid dividends, and we snatched 3 and a cuttle before the session was over.
2nd sailing, Dex, his wife Edda, and Sam all aboard. First time for Edda but she warmed to it all very quickly and was a delight to have on board. She also hit the first bass, although sadly it slipped the hook before it could be landed. Bass were in very short supply, despite fishing among some immense bait balls. But plenty of other species wanted to play with the Axia mighty minnows.
Fish of the day was probably for Sam. The first John Dory for a good long while. We did not have any last year. Not the monsters that Robin Chapman gets on Bite Adventures down in the west country. But ours always small, and cute. And this one was quite chatty, grunting away. Sam also had another croaker, a tub gurnard, as part of his tally. And the only table bass of the session.
Meanwhile Dex and Edda were tapping away. What I assumed were cuttle due to the fairly shallow water and bright sun we were fishing, turned out to be squid when the jigs were deployed. Mackerel also in among the bait fish. I was expecting a cod at any moment, but sadly that did not happen before the end of the session.
Final session, I was happy to have aboard Nick, his son Andrew. and Patrick, all new to BIF1, and returnee Anna-Marie. With new flood tide, and the wind holding us at a great angle for it, I was expectant of a great session. And it did start well, with two tsble fish n quick order, and more released. And then the unthinkable happened. A stiff SW wind, completely not on the forecast, blew up to put white horses and everything on. I tried to ride it out, but a set of big troughs decided me on ending the session. When you are only in touch with your shad half the time, you can only expect half the results. A very early bath. And worse, with waves slapping the shingle creating a colour band, the end of a proposed shore squid session this evening also. Very unhappy with Neptune this evening.
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