FOLKESTONE

Folkestone Warren: 28th Sept.1997

Up again at 4am to fish at 6.30am.... just myself this time, 'cos Karen can't get up for two early morning starts in a row, bless her cotton socks!!!!!!!!......

Started at the far end of the second apron using a variety or Rapalas... J13 (blue/white) (black/white), HJ-14 (silver/blue), etc, and a weighted purple Redgill (trace of about 8 ft, looped back and nicked into the 1 or 1/2 oz swivel bomb lead for casting).....

Rising water, with high tide at about 10am, with the wind less than force 3.

No joy and I managed to lose the Redgill.

Moved off towards the Nags Head around 7-15am..... around 7-45am and using the HJ-14, missed a small fish of around a pound, that snapped at the plug and rolled away, just as I was lifting the lure out of the water!!!! Tried a variety of other Rapalas, but no joy....

About 9am, I noticed that the large flock of sea gulls that normally reside halfway along the lower apron, had become agitated, and were now wheeling and diving at the sea, and moving progressively towards my position. Decided that it was highly probable that it could be white-bait rising to the surface to avoid attacks by bass...... thus I decided to change my lure to a Rapala J9 (black and white) to imitate the bait fish that I thought the bass could be chasing..... cast out a few times to get used to the lighter weight, and then waited....

Suddenly the water started to boil, no more than a rod tips length away..... it was white-bait trying to avoid becoming breakfast, but being chased by mackerel, not bass...... thought crossed my mind that maybe the Bass would be after both the white bait and the mackerel, so I cast out...... thump..... 1 mackerel...... landed, bumped over the head, recast..... Bang, down goes the rod tip... this is no mackerel..... 3mins later, a nice bass comes towards the surface.... get the landing net ready, just about to net it and it dives again..... bring it back up, and it's got 3 other bass friends swimming along side it ...... formation bass ballet.... almost netted them all (would have been nice 4 for the price of 1, but it was not to be)..... landed the fish I'd hooked... 2 and 1/4 lb... photographed.. and kept for Nigel.

Cast out again, straight into an other mackerel... this one however caused me a little grief in removing the hook.... by the time I'd finished the shoal was moving off, and Tonys Mum and Dad had arrived on their bikes, with their spinning gear, and toby lures....

Changed over to a J14 (blue/white), hit home twice, but lost contact with both within seconds.... saw bass chasing the lure 3 or 4 times to the rod tip, but not hitting it... very frustrating....... changed retrieve strategy, by reeling and pausing every so often... then around 9.40am the rod tip went down ...... got the fish to the surface, but it still wanted to keep diving.... Margaret grabbed the landing net, and after a little maneuvering, I managed to draw the fish into the net..... weighed in at 2 and 3/4lb, photographed, and again kept for the pot....

Margaret and Peter swapped their tobys for Rapalas...... the mackerel returned a number of times, with the bass in hot pursuit..... Margaret took a mackerel on a black and white J9....... both the mackerel and bass chased the various lures I presented to them, but either failed to connect or didn't hit them...... went back to the J13 and cast out.... hit into something large, some way out, but before Margaret could get across to me with the landing net, the line dropped slack, and the fish was gone.....

A few more chasing but non hitting bass, and then around 10.40am, just as I was thinking about calling it a day.... wham..... in again... smaller fish, but still with a fighting spirit... landed, weighed in at 2lb, photographed, and returned ......

Packed up around 11.20am or so, the fish seeming to have gone and the sun breaking through the mist and cloud...... what a morning...... that's what I call fishing.....

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