Dover Breakwater 27th Oct 1999

Arrived at Dover around 7.15am, and went to Bills Bait and Tackle .. collected the five score of yellowtails that I had on order ... then went over to Channel Angling, purchased a few bits and bobs, along with a score and a half of rag....

Parked the car and walked to the DumpHead to get passage over to the Breakwater .. even though it was only 7.30am, and the boat was not due for another hour, I was greeted with the sight of 15 other anglers already there .... not really what I had expected, either for the time of day, nor the day itself ..... as it turned out about 50 anglers went across...... with myself in the second boat load.....

Made my way down to the eastern end, and set-up around Peg 52 ..... things looked good .. big tide of 7.1m due at 1pm, SW wind of force 3 to 4, and a good brew-up two days previous ...... so my prime goal was codling / cod and decided to use flowing wishbones with 2/0 to 4/0 hooks, loaded with yellowtail / rag / frozen crab (which I’d brought with me) in what ever combination came to hand ..... well that was the plan!!!

Started fishing at 9-15am .. with a rod both inside and out ..... spoke to Tom the pier steward who felt the best fishing would occur around high water and then on the down tide......

9.40am .... had a good bite on the inside rod ..... struck .... only to find that I’m snagged ..... a few tugs later and I get all my tackle back, except for one of the Kamasan 2/0’s ..... it’s been cut or bitten in half!!!!! ...... probably a lobster wanting a late breakfast..... who knows!!!!

9.45am ..... I’m snagged on the outside, and loose the trace, but get the weight back .... I was starting to get a funny feeling this was not going to be my day!!!

10.05am ....... rattling good bite on the inside .. but instead of the first codling of the morning, I’m left staring face to face with a 22” dogfish ..... uuummmm ... doggies and codling tend not to go well .... now I’m really starting to get that sinking feeling .... but it’s a fish, and you never know what the next one is going to be....

I only had to wait 40 minutes to find out!!!!

10.45am ... pull in the outside rod ..... and a 10” pouting .......

I noticed that the chaps down from me fishing around peg 40 are pulling in whiting .. and if there are whiting then may be codling :-)

WRONG ..... what I got at 11.30am was a starfish, from the inside!!!!!!

12.00 noon ... 10” pout , plus ...... another starfish, this time from the outside ....

12.15pm ... had another chat with Tom about the poor summers fishing etc..... and the chaps on 40 start pulling in codling ... 1, .... 2 .... 3 ..... best around 2.5lb

What do I get .... 10.5” pout from the outside at 12.30pm .......

12.45pm ... got a good bite .. started to reel-in and knew I had a fish .... yessss codling.... eerrrr NO ..... what I have is a 10” pout and a large pout of 14” (1.5lb)

I notice that a number of people are now landing codling .. average around 1.5 to 2lb

1.10pm ... 6” pout from the inside ....
I just start to rebait the trace, when the chaps at 40 ask to use my drop-net ... they’ve got a nice codling .. around 3 to 4lb ..... but disaster .. just as they bring it to the net the swell causes the wires of the lead to snag on the net..... the wave drops, so does the codling, and parts the trace attached to the snagged weight ........ no ones fault .. just one of those things.....

1.35pm ..... my line goes slack on the outside .. when I retrieve I soon realize why .. my lines been cut ....... I’m smiling.....

1.40pm .. get snagged on the inside ..... I really must have upset someone upstairs!!!!

2.05pm ... another pouting .... all of 10” from the outside....

2.30pm ... nice thump on the inside rod .. and weight on the retrieve ... but no it’s not a codling ..... it’s a 12” pout and a large stone!!!!.....

Go down to the tuckshop for a coffee .... the chap in the knuckle at peg 1 has 8 codling ... most around 1.5lb, with one around the 3lb mark

2.55pm ... 12” pout from the outside ....

3.20pm ... get snagged on the outside .. let line out in the hope that the tide will pull it free ... but I have to hand line it .... managed to get my tackle back, plus my last fish of the day ...... yup .. another pouting, this time of 12”

3.25pm .... pack-up to catch the boat back .. have a chat with people on the way .. most have caught whiting and pouting, with the odd codling here and there .. tipping with squid seems to have been the key for most .. one chap had a bass of around 2lb, and Tom had a nice dab from the inside.....
Just about to catch the boat when Tom shouts across ... I’d left my rod/railing rest behind .. very kindly he and Alan had collected it for me ..... I felt very silly ;-)

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