Dover Breakwater 23rd Nov.1997

Arrived in Dover around 7-45am... went over to Bills to collect the bait..... apparently I had caused a bit of bother..... I'd phoned up on the Wednesday, and asked if any yellow tails would be available, and was told that was OK..... unfortunately, no-one had consulted their son (who digs the bait) if this was pos.... being a set of neaps, he felt that he'd never had to dig so hard and fast, to complete an order.. ( and even then wasn't very happy with the quality of some, being a little small for his liking... personally I thought he did a great job getting any at all !!!!!!).... and then had to shoot over to Pegwell to dig normal lug for others..... This Sunday, he got the tray out in preparation of my arrival.... big mistake..... every angler that walked in to the tackle shop, could clearly see them, and apparently all bar none, attempted to beg, bribe, or indeed almost steal them.... things I guess were made worse with a Comp on the Ad.Pier, DSAA Boat Comp, and another Comp that night down at Sandgate....... many offers of Grandmothers were made........ anyway picked up the 6 score, plus some frozen black, and squid, not to mention the possibility of a few death threats from my fellow anglers.......

Went across on the boat with Karen, and decided to walk down to the mid 50's pegs to give ourselves some room. Karen decided to fish the outerwall (clip up / clip down) with a clip down 2/0 pennell combined with a single bottom clip-up 2/0 with beads. These were baited up with lug and squid.

I decided to fish both the inside and outer walls, with identical rigs to Karen, although my pennells were 2/0 : 4/0, and the lower single clip up was a 1/0 (basically I used the same rigs that I'd just put away from Allhallows 12 hours before)..... I also set-up a third rod (on the inside wall) for Bass..... 4/0 : 6/0 pennell, 10 to 15 off the bottom..... mounted with whole squid or squid heads......

Started fishing around 9am......... nothing for an hour or so... things did not look good...... no one else seemed to be doing well... one small plaice and that was about it..... Around 10am I had a good solid bite, and dipping tip..... unfortunately, what ever it was did not connect to the Kamasans :-(

10.20am and I take my first fish.... 13" of whiting on the pennell from the inner wall. Karen went off to get some coffee, and said that more flatties (dabs and plaice) had been caught.... decided to remove the squid tips from the single lower hooks to try and improve my chances...... I later found-out that the dabs had gone for squid tips.... indeed one chap had swapped to just squid to try to catch codling rather than dab... but the flatties came even faster!!!!!!!!.

10.45am 12"Codling again on the innerwall but on the bottom hook baited with just lug....

Around 11am I managed to pull 2 starfish out from the outerside, when again the rod on the inner started to bounce around.... 13" of codling again on the lower lug only hook.....

Things went a little slack for the next hour.... I was a little concerned for Karen who had yet to hit home.... I suggested fishing the inside....... 2 major snag-ups, one set of lost tackle, and a few looks that could kill.... I wish I'd not make the suggestion.. and she returned to the outer wall!!!!!

Suddenly, around 12 noon, the ratchet on the 7000 started to sing... the squid heads had done their work... we raced over.... I grabbed the rod, Karen put the drop-net down the wall....... unfortunately it was not the large silver bass, that my heart had just promised me...... but a codling of 1 and 1/2 lb!!!!!!!!!

Took 3 more codling again from the innerside until around 2pm.

Decided to try and catch a small pout to live bait with down the wall.... instead I pull up a Bull Head (sea scorpion)......

2.20 Karen pulls up a 10" dab, her first and only fish of the day, and the only fish for us from the outerside..... a trend really in reverse of the week before....

2.40 and I catch the worlds largest pout on the 4/0 pennell.... all 4" of it!!!!!.... it went straight down the wall on the other rod, for Mr Bass..... who as it happens didn't show (no change there then!!!), and so I let the pout swim free at the end of the day....

Anyway picked-up another codling around the 1 and 1/4 mark at 3pm...... started to pack-up ready to be taken off the Breakwater for 3.45...... left the main rod to the last minute.... the tide had turned and the flood had started....... the steward was coming our way collecting up the rubbish..... I went to reel in..... I instantly knew I had a fish... something in the 2 to 3 lb range..... brought the tackle to the surface... it's a double shot of codling... the largest just over the 1 and 1/2lb mark... nice way to end the day...... Most people (Karen included), did not fair so well (most fished just the outer wall), with a few dab being the main stay of catches with only 1 or two codling here and there with a few pout thrown in for good measure..... One luck chap, had a 3lb plaice, which I think was the best fish of the day.......

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