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Karen and I started fishing around 4.30pm... things were looking good, with others catching codling, the largest being around the 7lb mark. The wind was dropping down to force 4 to 5 S to SW, with scattered showers forecast. High tide had passed us around 3pm, but with darkness rapidly approaching, and the severe weather conditions of the past few days abating, we felt we were in with a shout......
Used clip-up / clip down rigs with size 4/0's on top, and 2/0's below (scaled up on the hooks in the hope of getting quality fish rather than quantity), baited with fresh lug, frozen black, and squid combo's...... I also fished a second rod with a 4/0 wishbone rig....
Whilst we were rigging up, one got the impression that things were starting to slacken off, and rapidly...... and the tidal pull was still very strong, with 8oz long graps, still not holding bottom well....... this was compounded by a lot of weed, old fishing net material, and general rubbish blown in by the storm....
Around 5.15pm, my rod with the clip down set, started bouncing with a bite, and then dipped down in an alarming fashion...... lifted the rod and felt it bend with the drag... pumped the tackle home, but it kept on pulling, and every so often diving down..... really thought I had a decent fish, 'cos I could feel the characteristic movements, and could now feel weight as well... Karen couldn't see over the wall, so I shouted at two chaps next door to lend a hand to see if they could see anything.... after a short while, one of them said he saw something, and that it looked small enough to bring up with out a net..... I was not entirely convinced, but started to winch up the haul....... suddenly Karen and the two chaps started to laugh...... I'd managed to catch a polythene bag, full of sea water..... and so they turned away laughing to themselves... I continued to wind in some what perplexed, 'cos it sure had looked like a bite, and felt like a fish..... and then surprise, surprise, over the wall attached to the hooks, one small codling, and a pouting to boot...... nice but I'd rather have had the large cod that I originally thought I'd hooked into......
Around 5.50pm, I had another very positive bite, and brought the tackle in.... again the rod tip bent well, and I could feel a reasonable fish of around 3lb on the end.... after the last incident decided that I may as well try and bring it up myself..... unfortunately the leader knot got stuck in the top ring with the extra weight, and I could feel the fish kicking, although I obviously couldn't see it in the dark, and half way up the wall... the only way to free the knot, and continue to reel in was to turn the rod over.. unfortunately in doing so, the knot jerked free, and dislodged the fish........ just one of those things I guess.....
Just after 6pm, Karen gave a shout, and her rod was bending nicely...... after a little while, she managed to land a nice sized dogfish, that we unhooked and returned..... about 45 minutes later Karen gave another shout, and felt she had a decent sized fish... unfortunately it seemed to come off just as she was bringing it in towards the wall..... much the same thing happened to me about 10 minutes later.... but I guess these are all just fishy tales......
Anyway, I managed another small pout around 7pm, and that was to be my sum total for the night..... Karen managed a sizable whiting around 7.45pm, and a small pout at 8.30pm.... We packed up around 8.35pm, and managed to be the last people off the pier, at 8.55pm..... Talked to the steward, who like us seemed some what perplexed at the sudden drop in fish, with the onset of darkness..... the night before had been great... is it not always that way, in this game!!!!!!!
I'm also told that a Bass of around 13 to 14lb, was taken at Samphire Hoe, on the Friday before, I shall be very interested on how, as the Hoe, is really just an extension of the Warren.... maybe we'll give it a whorl very soon.....
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