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La Coupe 16th Aug 2002
Map Ref: 711,539
Tide: LW 7.44pm (3.3m)
Weather Forecast: Fine and clear with a NW wind F2
Decided to try a bit of ground fishing while Karen was over …… unfortunately we got a little behind, and had to rush to get things together….. as a result we were about an hour later than we’d intended, when we arrived at Five Oaks to pick-up Chris around 6pm….
Loaded Chris’s gear, and drove down to Gorey to dig some lug, to supplement the squid and fish baits, that Chris had already…. Let Karen and Chris go down and collect the worms off the beach, whilst I sorted out some of the equipment, and just keep an eye on things….. it was then that I realised, that in my haste, I’d forgotten to pack the rod-tip lights…. There are worse things to forget, but it was still irritating, especially since I’d seen them when I was originally packing the tacklebox that afternoon!!!!!
Drove up to La Coupe, and down the narrow twisty lane, to the small parking area, and the steps leading down to the beach, around 7.25pm…….
Set-up in a fairly central position, on the left hand side of the stony/sand beach, with a mind to the small number of submerged or soon to be submerged rocks, that outcrop within the beach, rather than just the rock outcrops either side….
A neighbour of Chris, had told him, he’d had a number of bass the previous week, from the mark, so we were optimistic, but not really fussed, as long as we caught some fish…..
Karen and myself fished with a single rod each, and shared the double headed telescopic rod rest…… terminal tackle used were Wessex ledgers with 1/0’s loaded with lug and/or squid, and 4oz weights….. Chris fished with two rods, one with a 3 hook flapper, baited with lug and squid, and the other with a single hooked running trace, baited with a scallop of mackerel…… plus we each had an individual food parcel c/o Karen and her mum, with filled rolls, current buns, crisps, sausages etc etc .. pointed out to Chris that he’d better make the most of it, ‘cos I sure wasn’t going to be able to do that, once Karen went back to the UK…….
By the time we’d sorted ourselves out, the time was 7.40pm and low water …… so as the tide returned, so we retreated in steps, back up the beach …. Have to say that it was a lovely clear evening, but the wind was much cooler than we’d expected … so we were all soon wrapped up in fleeces and coats, just as the sun went down behind us…….
Looking at the rod tips proved to be difficult, although helped by the half moon light…. But all too soon this disappeared below the cliffs and trees behind us, and so had to use a set of rod bells each, that Chris very kindly loaned us….. whilst Chris used the rod-tip lights that he’d brought with him…… Chris laughed, and said he’d rather be using the bells, as every time he used the rod-tip lights, strangers would come over and watch his rods with determined fascination, and often start-up strange conversations……
As the evening progressed, a large number of people started turning up with tents, generators, and sound systems, and two separate beach party / barbeques got well under way behind us, at the top of the beach….. I was just hoping the bass liked 100w of booming bass Nirvana!!!!!!!!
9.05pm ……. Both Karen and myself started to reel in … to change baits, and move further up the beach…. Unfortunately, Karen’s tackle got snagged up on a small patch of submerged rocks, just in front of us…. Despite our best efforts couldn’t get it free .. went to pull it free, but the line snapped very close to the rod, rather than at a weak spot in the terminal tackle as I’d hoped for… :-(
Baited up, and cast-out my stuff, and then restrung, and sorted Karen’s, so she could get fishing again very quickly……
9.55pm….. Karens bell started to chime with a series of small bites ….. but these initial signs failed to develop further ….. five minutes later, my rod did much the same…. But when we both reeled in, had nothing to show for it…..
Chris had moved over to our right, as the available room to fish was slowly being reduced as the tide came up…. And had experienced the same sort of thing, with little bangs, and nudges.. again with nothing to show…. Chris wasn’t sure if they were bites, or just the plain weight turning……
10.30pm… again the bell on my rod gave notice of a series of small bites…. Gave the rod a sharp tug and reeled in …… thought I’d missed what ever it was … well until I lifted the tackle clear of the water.. and there was a very small pouting.. well 5.1/2 inches worth…. Took a picture, but I’ve not put it up .. too out of focus …… :-(… and popped it back…..
I went over to speak with Chris, about the general lack of fish, when a young chap came over from one of the beach parties …. Offered Chris and myself a tin of larger (which I had to turn down, as I was driving), and started to chat to us about fishing…… I got a call from Karen, to give her a hand and move the gear further up the beach, and left Chris to it…… Chris told us later, that the conversation had rapidly moved onto St Christopher, and Christ being the fisher of men …… we just laughed when he came over and told us.. and pointed to his rod tip lights!!!! ;-)
11.35pm…. reached the point of tiredness and boredom, and had decided to call it a day … just as we were about to reel-in, Karens rod gave a series of sharp taps.. left it, but it became very obvious that something was hooked on the other end……. She pulled out a silver eel from the surf of about 24” or so… so once again, she’d beaten Chris and myself combined, although Chris was goading her, about the fact that it didn’t count as it was a freshwater fish …. LOL
However it had taken down the hook, and without newspaper to control the eel, I was forced to cut the line as close as possible to the hook, and let it go….. without a photo…..
Packed up, and trudged off the beach….. thinking we should perhaps have had our own beach party instead……..!!!!!!!