Folkestone

Folkestone Rotunda Beach 7th Aug.1998

Arrived at the Rotunda carpark around 5am...... walked to the base of the pier and started fishing around 5.20am or so..... Low tide was around 5.45am, with a SW wind of force 2 or less..... and very little cloud......

Decided to use a number of J9's and J13's in a variety of colours around the edge of the concrete blocks at the piers base, and along the front edge of the beach to the old jetty area....... nothing!!!!!!  

Around 7.40am or so, and with my spirits sinking rapidly, the sun rose high enough to radiate above the pier ..... and with the rising tide , I saw some movement in the almost liquid metal surface...... 5 or so small fish at the surface... looked like small garfish of no more than an inch or so in length ....... who promptly dived out of sight when my lure came past them on the retrieve....... As the tide had started to rise, I had positioned myself on the old jetty workings, and felt that with the bright sunlight, and the possibility of adult garfish about, the most sensible option was to switch to a Krillette, which I could tempt garfish with, but would also be attractive to any bass in the area, should they so oblige. After about the fifth cast or so, I felt a good tug on the braid, and a fighting fish on the end ...... felt too small for bass ........ thought it was a garfish..... but no... up pops a small mackerel .... nice to be able to play such a fish on light gear.... God made a real mistake not allowing these fish the ability to grow into double figures....

Anyway about fifteen minutes later, and I'm landing a second one...... decided to get a set of feathers out, and get a few more for the pot, along with those to be frozen down for bait..... well that was the plan... the mackerel had other ideas..... blanked....... whilst this was going on, I noticed a number of anglers turn up on the pier for an 8.30am start ..... bet they thought they were early birds!!!! One chap dropped a mackerel strip down at the base of the rocks.... for bass I guess, although conger are not unknown off the pier, although I believe the far end and at night would be more promising.

Went back to the Krillette, as the feathers were producing nothing, and unlikely to score with any bass in the area..... bang.... another mackerel ...... obviously silver shiny things are in, and coloured feathers are out!!!! ;-) ...Twenty minutes later and it's the same story ........ a little before 9am and I hit another, although after about 10 seconds or so, it managed to get off ...... .... saw a few small bait fish just before 9.30am, but only a handful .... decided to return to the plugs, but with no joy........ packed-up and left to go home around 10am, with the sun getting hotter by the minute.... maybe the good weather will encourage the fry and bait fish inshore..... I'm convinced that the lack of fry, etc, is one of the major reasons why so few bass seem to be about at the mo, or at least reponding to the plugs...... maybe things will change soon....

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