Folkestone

Folkestone Warren 1st Sept.1998

Drove down to the Warren and arrived around 5am .... walked down to the Nags Head, and set-up to start fishing just before 5.30am. The tide was rising with high water at 7.30am and 5.2M. The weather conditions were less than pleasant, with a force 4 wind from the SE, and intermittent drizzle......

It became rapidly apparent from the onset that the water contained a great deal of floating weed, which would rapidly collect upon the lures, interfering with their action to varying degrees...... and also resulting in an almost equal amount of time spent removing it!!!!!!! I elected to use a J13 in blue and white livery......

5-38am ........ bang ........ a small bass of around 31cm takes the lure in the white water of the back wash.... and is well hooked by the central treble hook..... quick photo... and it's soon swimming off......

Just as I'm returning the fish, Leon Rosk comes ambling along with his rod and gear .......

20 minutes later, and Leon's calling for help ... he's in, and just needs a hand netting the fish, that took the lure from close in ......... soon have the bass on land ....... Leon unhooks the fish from the CDJ11, only to find that the other has just nicked the skin behind the gills.... so he cut the barb off and returned the fish, but not before a quick photo, and a little hand measuring by me ........ fish was in the order of 40cm or so, and at a guess for that size fish probably around 1.3/4lb to 2lb or so (rather than Leons estimate of 1lb, which I think was too light).

6.38am ..... see some activity in the water about 15' out or so,with small fry jumping out the water ...... I have to say that with the weather conditions as they were, very little could be seen as the surface of the water, which was quite choppy at times.

6.55am.... see 4 or 5 mackerel skid across the surface of the water just to the left of me, some 25' out, going in Leons direction ....... gave a shout to Leon, but we both failed to connect with anything........ :-(

7.18am..... just starting to retrieve the lure, when I get a small knock, a shake..... and then nothing... :-(

I choose to stay with the J13, but Leon used a wide variety of lures... some of which looked very interesting....... ooooh dare I spend yet more money on lures ........ don't know about the fish, but this angler's hooked!!!!!!! :-)

By 8.30am I'd had enough of weed, wind and rain, and decided that I really should go to work ..... left Leon to it, who said he'd fish for about another hour or so.......

Leon had another fish after I left ... here's part of the e-mail he sent me......

"Shortly after you went, I moved onto the lower apron. The sun came out and it began to feel quite pleasant, though if anything, the waves and the weed seemed to increase."

"Wanting to take advantage of the sunlight, I put the wedge back on. On about the fifth retrieve, right at my feet, I saw a bass coming straight up at the lure. As my mouth hung upon, it hit the lure and dived, stripping off line :-) "

"Funny how I'm always surprised when that happens. I always tell people to expect bass *close* in!!"

"2lb 4oz, 17 inches, weighed at 9:40 am. Unfortunately my camera is one of those pre-digital thingies, so you'll have to wait a while for the JPG." ............

Nice to know the bass like someone!!!! ;-)

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