FOLKESTONE

Folkestone Warren 14th Sept.1997

Got-up rather early to drive down to Folkestone to be fishing at 6am around sun-rise and the rising tide(high water around 8am)!!!!! Karen and myself decided to use Pike rods, 15lb line, and a variety of lures.

Karen elected to use a Bass Bullet, whilst I chopped and changed between the ABU HI/LO, a redgill with bubble float, silver krillete, and a green and yellow toby.

Turned into a really nice day, with very little wind, although it was slowly increasing. Around 7am, Karen gave a shout.... a small bass had risen and snapped at the bullet, no more than 12ft away, however it failed to connect!!!!!

Half an hour later something snatched at my toby, but again failed to properly connect, but it felt like a good size fish.

Around 8am and still using the green and yellow toby, something struck home, and how, about 20ft out.... called over to Karen to lend a hand if she could.... played the fish, and brought it to the surface..... a lovely large Bass.....

Then the realisation of the situation struck us...... we're fishing on the concrete apron, the tide has risen, there's a drop of 6ft or so, and the swell is washing over the 3 very narrow slime covered steps between us and the fish...... what had we not brought with us..... NO LANDING NET, NO GAFF!!!!!!!!!ÞDecided the only thing to do was for Karen to hold the rod, whilst I lay face down on the concrete and carefully handline it up....... up it came, my fingers just starting to slip under its gills..... PING..... the line snaps (must have been weakened over the rocks), bass with lure still attached fall to the second step, make a diving lunge for it .... swell comes in at the sametime...... off swims what we estimate was 8lb of prime Bass....... To say that I was not very happy, could be said to be an understatement.

You choose the right time, right place, right tactics, apply the right technique, hook the dream fish, play the fish, beat the fish, touch the fish..... and loose it!!!!!!!!! Gut wrenching sinking feeling, and all for the price of a landing net...... It's a very hard pill to take but the lesson has been learnt..... I've just purchased a landing net, and a drop net today (15-9-97)..... I never want to experience that feeling again if it's humanly possible.

Nothing else occurred, apart from losing two krillete lures, and we left around 11am..... would have gone sooner with the sun being so high, but lunch at my Mums was not until 12 noon.

**UPDATE: Just as we were leaving, a friend of Tonys came down armed with carp rod and sinking plug..... Tony now tells me that he went up to the Nags Head area, and landed a 7lb Bass....... just hope it didn't have a fire tiger coloured toby in it's mouth!!!!!!

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