Folkestone

Folkestone Warren 19th Sept.1998

Arrived at the Warren around 5.45am, and walked down onto the first apron ... the tide was out, and high water was not due until 11.30. (6.5m). The wind was lighter than the day before, around force 2/3 from the SW, with broken cloud cover.

Continued on towards the centre of the low apron and set-up at 6.30am ...... as the tide was out, and the draft shallow, I decided to use a J9 in firetiger ....... 3 casts later, and I'm snagged ... at which point Leon turned up, and made a quick quip about "bottom fishing" ... ha, ha, ha ....... anyway I lost the lure ....... and Paul came down to join us ....

We decided that our best option was to go back to the first high apron, fish on the beach by the elbow (which is less snaggy!!!!), until the water level rose sufficiently to allow us to move on towards the Nagshead.....

Rolled up my jeans, and waded out so that I could have sufficient depth of water to work the lures ..... sure the other two thought I was mad!!!!! I used a J9 (blue and white), Leon looked as if he was mainly using a Dexter Wedge and a CDJ11 (black/white), and Paul, a Toby, and a J11 also in black/white...... Although the draft was shallow, managed to work the lure OK, which was further helped by a low weed loading in the water.... the wind dropped further to a calm, but although the surface was still, we saw nothing in the way of fish activity, at range or beyond!!!! :-(

By 7.30am, the tide was coming in and allowed us to fish off the concrete buttresses, with Leon on the Elbow, Paul on the next easterly one, and yours truly on the one after that ....... by 8.15am however, the spray being generated by the advancing tide was too much for the potions that Paul and myself were upon ... and I decided that we'd go to the second high apron and see what we could do ... as Leon's potion was at a different angle to the wind/wave direction, he elected to remain, and join us a little later.....

8.30am .... Paul and myself set-up on adjacent buttresses in the centre of the second high apron, as the water depth at this point looked to be workable .....

first cast, and thump... I have a fish about 30 feet out..... call to Paul, and start to reach towards the landing net behind me ..... more instinct than anything, just moving it so that I can grab it , should I need to do so ..... but it's obvious that the fish is small, and I lift the rod, and out pops a small bass ...... tried to take a photo with the camera, only to realise that the battery is flat, and it will not work ... not having a good time with cameras at the Mo, having just sent the Digi Cam off at the start of the week to be mended .. having dropped it!!!!! Anyway measured it, against my hand span quickly ... about 11" or so .... chap with the Old English Sheep Dog comes up and has a chat , as I'm putting it back..... yet another person I really have to ask their name .... strange (if not somewhat rude) how I can keep having quite lengthily conversations with someone, without managing to do so......

Anyway, kept going but nothing doing ..

By 9am, the water level had risen sufficiently to change over to using a J13, Leon had by this time re-joined us, and I moved off to the Nagshead, whilst Paul fished off the other end of the apron towards the Black Wall.

As I retrieved the J13, I saw on numerous occasions, white bait jump out of the way of my lure ...... about 9.10, I had a hefty bang on the lure.....and then nothing.. :-(

Paul wandered back towards Leon and myself, and the pair of them used a variety of lures, but seemed to favour the Rapala jointed needle fish ... looks like a nice lure... I may well be tempted to get a couple for next year...... the wind picked up, and got a little choppy, making reading the surface impossible....

10.30am ... Leon gave a shout, that he'd had a good tug on his Dexter Wedge.. but had lost the fish, very rapidly afterwards.... :-(

By 10.45am, Leon had to go ... five minutes later and the water was over-topping the apron .. I got wet feet, and Paul and myself decided to call it a day...

Walked back and met Geff fishing off the Buttresses at the end of the first high apron ..... he'd not caught anything.....

Walked up to the cars and said good bye to Paul ... the mad fool was going to buy bait, sleep in the car, and night fish for bass, and maybe whiting, down at Dungeness ... I thought I was bad!!!!! ;-)

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