Dover Breakwater 21st Dec.1997

Drove down with Karen to Hythe to pick-up the Bait from Mick's...... unfortunately (and I should have thought about this from the day before), Mick was late and didn't arrive until around 7.45am..... his Wife's party was still going on!!!!!!!

Grabbed the yellowtail and black order, along with a couple of score of rag, and drove straight to Dover........ and found Ant waiting at the Quay along with a dozen or so other anglers...... It strikes me as very strange that as the height of the cod session approaches, the number of anglers fishing one of the premier Cod spots in the country should decline.... guess the Christmas shopping held a greater interest for the majority!!!!!!!!!!

Caught the boat across, and walked down to the teen pegs, and set-up under the Lighthouse......... the wind was a little stronger than the previous day, around force 3 or more from the NE, with high tide due around 4pm or so.........

By the time we got ourselves organised and set-up, we managed to start fishing around 9am........ I elected to fish both sides, again with the same set-up as the day before........ Tony (Ant), set two rods up on the outside, with wishbone and 2 hook flapper........ and Karen set up with her single rod, and flowing wishbone on the outside as well. To the bait already mentioned, Tony brought a supply of squid and clam to tip with, if we wished....... we all decided that we would try for quality rather than quantity, so we were using 4/0 to 6/0 hooks..........

Things started off a little slack........... no bites.......... until.........

9.45am: My rod tip rattles on the inside wall...... 15" Codling......

9.55am: Good solid bite again from the inside, lift the rod, and it bends with the weight and strain placed upon it........ I called Ant over, who grabbed the Drop net...... on one hook is a 7" wrasse, and the other a very large rock........ Tony thought it was possibly the smallest fish ever to be landed, with the aid of a drop net!!!!! :-)

10.05am: I land a 7" dab from the outside.......

10.20am: The rod tip on the inside, dipped well, pulled up a 17.1/2" codling of 2lb....... by this time, Karen and Tony were beginning to plot my untimely end, not yet having had a bite between them.......... Ant decided to start fishing the inside as well.......... followed swiftly by Karen........

10.30am: Ant caught his first fish of the day....... 16" of codling from the inside.....

10.45am: I take a double shot from the outside...... 17" codling and a 10" dab... five minutes later and Ant pulls out an identical dab...... and 5 minutes after that I landed a 16" codling from the inside....... managed to get snagged up and lost a set of tackle next cast... :-(

11.15am: Both Karen and myself get bites on the inside....... Karen lands a 14.1/2" whiting, and all I can manage is one of 11"..........

11.20am: No sooner do I cast out than the rod tips rattling again..... this time it's a 17" codling of 1.3/4lb, followed by Ant pulling in a 15" codling from the outside.......

11.40am: Really good bite on the inside, but failed to connect :-( ..........

11.45am: Ant take a double shot with a 16" codling and 11" whiting from the outside, followed by a 9" codling from the inside........

12.15pm: get a good bite from the outside....... the rod bends with weight, and I can feel a fish on.......... manage to drag in a load of lost tackle, plus a 15.1/2" codling as well......

12.20pm: Land a double shot from the inside 16" codling at 1.3/4lb, and a smaller one at 12"......... this was followed rapidly on the next cast, with an 8" pout, and 15mins after that a 6" pout....... plus crab!!!!!!!!

1.00pm: Got a good bite on the outside, could feel a fish and a reasonable weight..... turned out to be a double shot of codling...... 18" and 14.1/2" ... this was followed rapidly by Ant pulling up a double with a 15" codling and a rather sad looking 6" pout, from the outside........

1.10pm: Ant pulls up a 16" codling from the outside..... along with 2 dabs shortly after.....

1.20pm: I manage a 6" monster pout!!!! followed by an 11"dab from the inside....

1.30pm: Karen starts to catch fish.......... 17.1/2" codling at 1.3/4lb, plus a crab!!!!...... in fact it was noticeable that this tide was bringing in fish of a comparable size to the previous day, but that the fish were a better quality and weight..... around a 1/4 to 1/2lb more........ Not long after this Karen lost a set of tackle, and switched back to the outside.......

1.40pm: Ant has a 10" dab from the out side... followed by a double with a 17" codling and an 8" pout....... at the same time as I brought up a 16" codling and 10" pout...... and Karen a 16" codling....... must have had a large mixed shoal pass us bye...

2.00pm: have a small 6" pout from the inside....

2.05pm: both Karen and I have bites on the outside....... Karen has a double shot, with a 16" codling and a small 6" pout, whilst I have a double shot of codling, at 17" and 16"........

2.30pm: Karen lands a 19" codling that is just a shade over the 2lb mark, along with an 11" pout....... just before this, part of her reel mechanism, had dropped out!!!!!!, so winding the fish in proved to be a bit of a struggle for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2.45pm: Ant lands a 12" codling from the outside.....

3.00pm: I have another double shot on the outside, with a 12" pout, and a 14" codling...... sad when the pout are almost as large as the Cod!!!!! :-)      

3.05pm: Ant has an 8" pout.......

3.10pm: Karen lands a 12" whiting..........

Me well I'm gutting fish for the pair of them!!!!!!!!

3.20pm: Ant lands a 15.1/2" codling , followed rapidly by another of 16"........

3.25pm: Karen has a double shot of pouting...... 9" each.......

3.30pm: reel in to pack away, and bring in an 18" codling at 2lb, and an 8" pout.......

Caught the boat back, and then drove back to London........ Not a bad days fishing.......

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