Back to my favourite local beach again this evening for another impromptu session to get rid of the ever present niggling that sets in whenever i don’t go fishing for a while.
I hadn’t planned on going out this evening initially but still had a couple of packets of dodgey looking ragworm in the fridge from a week ago so rather than salt it down for LRF bait I decided to used it while it was still on its last legs and head up to see if there were any more Bass about.
Conditions were going to be interesting; there’s been an onslaught of onshore easterlies this week coupled with masses of rain, so I was expecting chocolate coloured water and a lot of weed. Well, surprisingly the water at my mark wasn’t as bad as further down the coast. It was still murky, but because there’s no mud/silt in the immediate area, just plain sand, it seems to clear up quite quickly once the sea dies down.
The surf was smaller than it has been on recent trips but still Bassy enough to instil some confidence. I’d arrived for the last 3 hours of the ebb intending to fish it down and back up until the bait ran out. The sun was already dipping behind the dunes by the time the first baits went out on what was a cool but beautiful evening. No weed present yet – result! And the surf is just light enough that I can get away with using a plain pyramid lead – result!
The first hour and a half is quiet with only a couple of flounders troubling the rods.
Then while taking pictures I turn around to find slack line, so start focusing more intently on what the rods are doing and sure enough 10 mins later I get the first proper bite of the evening; the rod is bouncing frantically and it’s obvious the Bass have arrived. The first fish is beached without much fuss and hits 41cm. Good start!
Next chuck on the same rod and not 5 minutes later another thump and fish number 2 is hooked, giving a good account of itself in the surf and providing enjoyable sport on the Gravity Surf. This one comes in a little bigger at 43cm so just over legal size. I’m partial to the occasional bit of oven baked Bass, but I’m content enough with a picture this time and he’s unhooked and slipped back none the worse for his ordeal.
The bait is already running out and I’m having to be very stingy. Some baits are going out more than once, while others that are more washed out are just shoved up the line with fresh added below to bulk them out a bit! It doesn’t seem to put the fish off though as I miss another cracking Bass bite before the Coalfish start to make an appearance at last light. Inevitable that they’ve turned up really what with the post storm conditions and the onset of darkness, but they’re of a decent size and still provide some exciting sport so not complaining too much.
I manage a few of these with the best going over 35cm then just on low water the weed comes on hard, with big balls of it clinging to the line and dragging everything in shore. Checking the bait situation I realise the ragworm is pretty much gone – I do have a partially thawed mackerel in the bag as well but since the weed is here and the surf has died down considerably I decide to call it a night – the mackerel can go back in the freezer. I probably could have had a few more Bass in the time I was there if I’d had better/more bait but I’m happy with my few hours effort and won’t be too tired for work in the morning!