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Fort D'Auvergne 24th Aug 2002
Map Ref: 656,477
Tide: HW 8.21am (10.2m)
Weather Forecast: North to NW Wind F2/3, bright and sunny.
Picked Chris up from Five Oaks around 5am, and drove down into town …. Parked down at Green St, and walked to the front of the Fort Hotel to set up on the promenade rock….We had to wait for the rising tide, but this afforded us some time to drink coffee, survey the area, and generally get ready in a relaxed fashion….. Just after 6am we were able to start fishing, with Chris on the upper platform, and me on the lower ……. I’d spoken with Paul and he’d indicated he would try and pop along if he was able, so we left the middle section free…..
6.08am ….. float went under, and I pull up a sand smelt rather than a mullet ….. not a good start, indeed it felt like we were picking up from where we’d left off the previous day!!!! :-(
Shortly after I manage another smelt, and at the same time Paul came along and joined us…..
Things seemed to get better with both Chris and Paul on their higher vantage points being able to see mullet swimming about, within casting range ….. was a little frustrating, not being able to see them oneself, but reassuring to know that they were at least there…..
7.30am ….. Paul hooked into a fish, straight in front of me……. Took him around the front edge of the rocks a couple of times, before we could net it for him….. took it to the back of the rock to unhook …… a 17” golden grey (although it took me a while to realise … I certainly wasn’t awake, and needed more coffee) took a couple of pix, and then Paul took it to the steps and gently let it go…….
7.40am …… Chris manages to pull up a sand smelt, although he was none too pleased!!!!!
We all experienced a series of missed bites over the next hour or so, but getting more and more quiet as time went by…… did manage another smelt, although it unhooked itself before landing it…..
9.00am ….. Chris moved over to try his luck in the gully to our left, between the swimming pool and the rocks……
9.30am …. Paul missed a bite, and then had a small mullet chase after his trailing bait, but failed to connect….
Things went dead, with even the sand smelt abandoning us….. by 9.50am, we’d all had enough, and decided to call it a day …… I wanted to give the Albert Pier a bash but the other two were less inclined, and seemed to value sleep before mullet…… strange people!!!!