Folkestone

Folkestone Warren 2nd Sept.1998

Arrived at the Warren at 5am, and walked down to the Nags Head ........ felt that it was going to be a good day for bassing, based upon what Leon and myself had seen the previous morning.....

High water was due around 8.30am although only being a neap of 5.4M. The weather forecast was good, with hazy sunshine and cloud, Force 2 / calm winds, increasing to a NE 3 by noon. There was still a reasonable amount of weed in the water as the tide slowly rose.

Started off by using a blue/white J9 as there was insufficient water depth to use the J13's ....... picked up weed, almost from the start, a problem that continued half an hour later, when I started to use the larger plugs.

For almost an hour, nothing really happened, save for the ritualistic removal of weed .... my heart was beginning to sink....... then around 6.20am or so, a number of white bait leapt clear of the water, as I retrieved the J13 unknowingly towards them.... a glimmer of hope.......

However, another hour passed, with no hint of a fish, let a lone a bite!!!!!!! :-(

I was seriously questioning my judgment about getting up at 3am to come fishing!!!!

Suddenly the water erupted infront of me, to jolt me out of my melancholy thoughts... a mass of white bait was dancing on the water about 25yrds ahead, followed swiftly by fleeting shadows of pursuing mackerel ........ although I cast my lure, and indeed changed over rapidly to a Krillete, I had no takers....

8.05am .... much the same thing happened again, although this time the mackerel were being forced to the surface by hungry bass ... every so often shadows, splashes, fish and fry would erupt and melt away all within a few meters squared, and just as soon as they had appeared, they where gone ..... no takers on the Rapala yet again ... in desperation, I cast along the length of the wall in the direction that I guessed they had taken...... bang..... the fish managed to pull line, and the clutch sang .... but not for long... this was a fighting fish, but obviously small ...... soon I landed a nice little bass of 37cm ... photographed, and returned ........

Things again went slack ... I kept casting along the line of the wall, about 20' out into the backwash , and above the line of small concrete vanes that run the length of the base of the apron.........

By 8.30am the wind had dropped, the sea was going calm, and there was no sign of activity ... in shear desperation / frustration, I cast the J13 straight out, as far as I could..... no more than five turns of the reel, and BANG!!!!!!.... the rod bent... and the reel screamed ...... and continued to scream..... I had to use my thumb to slow the spool as best I could, and add some extra drag to slow the fish, before I could adjust the reel clutch ... my initial worry being that if the fish dived too deep, it could brush against the rocks and cut the braid....... after a while I managed to bring the fish to the surface... a nice looking bass...... no sooner had I laid eyes on it, than it made another series of lunging dives....... but with care it eventually came to the net ...... a good fish of 3.1/2 lb ...... took photos and kept it for the pot ... well for Nigel actually.... it's his birthday on Friday, and he loves Bass ........

8.40 Talked to Chap with an Old English Sheep dog ...... fishes the point off the Black Wall in his boat ....... and we discussed the pro's and cons of plugging ... he told me that he found a 6lb bass at the base of the Black Wall at the start of the week, that had obviously been hooked, and broken  the line, and then got entangled... he had it for tea.... I wonder if it was a fish lost by the people I'd meet earlier in the week fishing off the rock there?.. anyway just as he moved off, "The Winkler" and his border collie came over (sorry really must ask you your name)...... had a quick chat, before he moved off, and plugging on his way towards the Black Wall and beyond......

8.55am ..... have a small bass come chasing after the lure, just as I'm bringing it up.... followed by a few rather rude words gracing my lips....

9.00am ... get a hit, but missed it, and find another bass chasing after the lure again, just as it comes out the water......

Half an hour later and everything is quiet, and so I cast straight out again .... before I even start the retrieve .. the rod bends, and I meet resistance .. not a big fish, but a fish none the less..... a few minutes later and I'm photographing a 35cm bass, before I put it back.....

9.34am ..... I have another good bass chasing after the lure, but it fails to make a strike .... I cast after it , start to retrieve, and BANG...... the reel sings again....... but all too soon I feel a violent shaking and the line drops dead ..... :-( oh well that's the way it goes.....

I continue until around 10am, and decide it's probably best to leave and go to work .... on the way I bumped into a chap called Geff (I think, I need to look it up), whom Karen and myself had met float fishing here last year, although this time he was feathering with his young grandson and his friends.....

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