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Arranged to take Paul Davies down, and show him around....... thought we'd been scuppered when we got to Folkestone, with a huge tail-back (what we thought was the result of the efforts of Welsh Farmers, but later transpired to be due to an accident...), nifty bit of driving through the back streets, and up over the White Cliffs, and we got there with time to spare...... picked-up the bait from Bill's.... I'd ordered 4 score of yellow tails, but supply was limited, so I had a mixed bundle of yellow and blow plus some squid...... Paul had only ordered blow, and also purchased some 8oz long wire graps......
The weather was not what I had anticipated at the start of the week... the weather I thought we would have for the weekend turned up a day early, and so now the weather was deteriorating with showers and a force 4 to 5, occasionally 6 predicted, and worse to follow on Sunday.....
The boats were a little slow getting out, so we were on the Breakwater just after 9am, and set-up around pegs 65 - 73.
I chose to fish both sides, using 2/0 : 4/0 clipdown pennell (at the top), with a single clipup 2/0 with beads on the bottom.... these were baited with a couple of lug, and tipped with squid for good measure. I set-up a third rod on the inside for Bass, with a 3ft flowing trace with 4/0 pennell, mounted with squid.
Paul set up 2 rods (and went with my suggestion of trying to fish both sides.... not sure he believed me at first, as just about everyone else was fishing the outer-wall), one with a 3 hook Pat with booms (with size 2/0's), and a single hook rig (again 2/0's) ..... well at least I think that's what he used... he did tell me, but I forgot to write it down!!!!!
By the time we got ourselves together, we started fishing around 9.15am. The tide was not ideal, neap, and high water not until 3.30pm or so, just when we would have to leave!!!!!
Paul drew first blood with a small pout around 10am. Approx.10 minutes later, I managed to follow by catching a small plaice of 11", ...... ten minutes after that Paul was really happy with his first ever flattie.... a plaice of about 7"......!!!!!
The inside of the "Wall" is rather snaggy, and around 10.25am or so I lost a rig... and whilst I'm trying to tie my new leader, Paul pulls out a double shot of Whiting at short range from the inner-side.....
New leader and rig, and I'm back to fishing the inside again..... 10.55am, and I pull up the first codling of the day, and from the inside.... only about a pound, but nice to see, before I put it back.....
11.05... and Paul gives a shout of joy.... he's just caught his first ever
Bass.... OK, so it's only 11", but it's still a special
moment
for him...... I have to say that Paul was very good at putting fish back,
not just in terms of size etc, but also the manner.... rather than dropping
them over the side (which I have to put my hand up for doing), he went out
of his way, to lovingly return them, by walking down the sea steps, and returning
them by hand regardless of the species..... and a far better policy than
stuffing every fish caught into large white plastic drums, as some would
seem to be doing!!!!! There was no Comp. on, so the question is
simple...WHY!!!!!!!
11.20, and I catch my second codling of the day, around the 1 and 1/2 lb mark, followed shortly by the loss of more tackle..... as a result I decided to fish very close in..... under-arm cast, so no more than 20ft out..... 5 minutes later, and I'm pulling out a codling of 1 and 1/4 lb....... Looking at what others were catching..... or in reality not... I decided to pull my rod from the outer wall, and just fish the inner...... I also decided to stop tipping with squid, having tried a few combinations with and without....... and finding without, seemed to be doing the trick......
11.50,
and Paul pulls out a nice flattie from the inside.... a right-handed flounder
of just over 1lb...... Pauls eyes were starting to burn, and was eager to
get out again...... another advocate of the "Wall" had been born.......
Half an hour later, and I'd pulled out another Codling of 1 and 1/2lb and a small pout...... Paul laughed at it's size until 30 seconds later when he pulled out a smaller one!!!!!!
Around 11-40 or so, and Paul and myself are having a chat, and comparing how we are doing relative to others...... on the whole about the same if not better), when my rod on the inside, gave a big dip, and rattle..... grabbed it, and reeled in....... one very small pout...uuummmmm!!!!!!
The wind started to get up.... I would think around force 6 or so..... white horses on BOTH sides..... only good thing, was the wind was blowing from the SW, so the waves generated, were running parallel to us, but some of the outer waves were really rather large, and just a little scary!!!!!! Thought a few times, we maybe called off.... but everytime it dropped just a little, and so we fished on....
Just after 1pm, Paul had a double shot..... his first codling (he was desperate to catch one before we left), and also a whiting, both undersize........
Over the next half hour or so, I pulled in another codling, a dab of reasonable size, and a 6" pout!!!
The tidal run kicked in, and started to increase around 1.40pm or so..... as a result, many people were finding difficulty holding bottom, and switched to the inside..... what they failed to appreciate is that the tidal run marks the rapid flood, which brings the fish with it..... and whilst the weights may not hold static, 8oz of lead with graps, will touch bottom and more around to an angle or 20 to 30 degrees to the flow direction (anything less tending to be swept in before doing so!!!!!)..... Me , well I changed, and started fishing the outer wall for the first time properly that day.....
1.50.... double shot of pout and codling.......... surprise, surprise.. from the outside...... 1.55 Paul picks up a small pout from the inner.....
The wind started to back and blow more from the south, as a result the waves started to lap (well lap is maybe the wrong word... crash would be better) into the seaward side of the Breakwater, and with the rising tide, ment that the occasional one came over...... I'd just walked away from my rods, when a huge wave crashed against the wall, soaked my rods and reels, and washed over my tackle box and bait, set towards the back... the lads next door laughed, but not for long... they had a tangle, were right by the wall sorting it out.... whoosh, sploosh... two wet anglers!!!!!!!!
2.10... Codling and pout, both sizeable, on the same Pennell, pout on bottom hook, codling on the upper!!!!! never really had that before...... not like trying to catch small pout, and then using the top hook for cod that want to eat the pout..... this pout was about 2/3 the size of the codling.......
Around
2.10 both Paul and myself catch Pouting...... I manage to persuade Paul to
start fishing the outside again (he'd stopped 'cos of the difficulty of the
RUN...)..... he was soon rewarded with his biggest codling 1.1/4lb, followed
by another Pout. Around 2,40, I had a double shot of codling, with 1and 1/2lb
on the top, and a 9" monster on the lower snood!!!!!!
Paul managed another whiting, followed by a 1and 1/2lb Codling (his best fish of the day), along with a Pout..... just at the same time as I pulled out a small but sizeable whiting.....
Around 3.15pm, I was chatting to a Chap who was packing up and was going to wait for the boat.... told me that two chaps in the corner, under the Lighthouse had the largest fish of the day.. a 4lb codling..... no sooner had these words been said, than out of the Corner of my eye, I saw a large wave bearing down.. straight into said corner...... wave crashes into wall, overtops, and in slow motion and in horror, I watch as the hapless pair have their gear washed over the side behind them.... with no retaining wall, just the open railings, all goes over the side and into the stormy drink!!!!!
After a number of futile attempt to retrieve some of it with rods and dropnets, they get to were we are standing.... but they are throwing the net out and not retrieving fast enough.... after watching this two or three times, I had to step in , and with one throwing the net, me on the retrieve, and a third chap holding the ropes end, we managed to salvage some stuff..... well packed lunch mainly... and a haversack, with a weight in it .... other gear, stowed away in the bag, reels, etc..... lost...........
I reeled in, so I could pack-up...... pulled in my last fish of the day.... 1and 1/4lb Codling......
Caught the Boat... very interesting in the swell....
Drove back to Subiton for about 5.30pm....... think Paul enjoyed his day out!!!!!!!
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