June 2011 – Hooks, Lines & Sinkers

Hounds in the fog…..

A trip out on the kayak was long overdue and after keeping a close eye on the weather forecast all week it looked good for today and the time I had available this morning. In fact the forecast was for something of a scorcher so I was surprised when the alarm went off and I looked out into the darkness to see a bit of fog outside.

Nevertheless, with the scorcher forecast I thought it would burn off pretty quickly so headed out locally and on arrival got my self rigged out – the fog was thicker as you’d expect down at the waters edge but the sea was flat as a pancake so with GPS at the ready I paddled out into the early morning gloom. Visibility was about 100 metres at best in parts which made it very eerie and a bit surreal…

It’s amazing how disorienting it can be to be honest as a couple of times I had to double check I hadn’t paddled in a circle! Certainly the GPS unit comes into it’s own in these circumstances.

The intention was to have a few hours fun with smooth hound so the only bait I took with me was crab. I wasn’t disappointed in terms of quantity – I think the final count was ten but the biggest was only around the 5lb mark and that was with just one rod out. It can get messy on the kayak smooth hound fishing with two rods especially if you get a double hook up. They are really good sport though from the original take to getting them yak side and that’s only the beginning of the fun really … you do have to make sure everything is tied down or there’s a fair to middling chance that a piece of kit could find it’s way to Davy Jones’ Locker! Even the smaller one’s are feisty – if I’m ever lucky enough to get a double on the kayak I can only imagine the pandemonium it would cause!

Action was pretty consistent with a bit of a lull as the tide turned when weed became a bit of a problem for a while. Here’s the first starry pup of the day…

Another slightly bigger one coming yak side…

And one on board…

During all this time the fog hadn’t lifted one bit and at times it was surprisingly chilly given the forecast for blazing sun shine! Eventually it did though …… about the time I had to head in – typical!

I had the Waaycool hand line with me so on my way back in I put it out and managed to nab a couple of mackerel for lunch which was a bonus… really need to do a proper mackerel session soon if possible.

So, all in all a pleasant little session and just nice to get out on the kayak again after the windy weather of late. I am working the next couple of weekends so I think my fishing opportunities will be curtailed somewhat but you never know.

Until next time…

Nice bass but oh the one that got away….

When you talk to fellow anglers a story that often crops up is about the one that got away and we all listen and say “yeah, yeah, sure it was a big fish!”. Well, yesterday I had that moment and as I write this I am still sickeningly picturing the nano second when the line went slack as the lure pinged out of the fish’s mouth. My only consolation was I managed to nab it’s younger brother a bit later.

I’d been keeping an eye on the weather predictions all the weekend and there looked like there might be an opportunity for a 2 – 3 hour lure session on Sunday late afternoon/early evening – no chance of getting out on the kayak with the incessant windy conditions of late. For once the forecasts held true and I made my way down to Dorset. Conditions from the car park looked good with a bit of a chop and plenty of colour in the water on a rising tide. I trudged off and about half an hour later I was at the start of my favoured length of coast. Here’s a taster of the type of conditions I was going to be fishing in…

For the first hour there was not a lot of response to any of the lures I was sending out there whether it be shallow divers, surface poppers or soft plastics but eventually I settled on the Tackle House Feed Shallow 18g lure I started the session with and after a further 20 minutes as the tide really started to push in I saw a fish follow the lure in … encouraging. I was fanning my casting out to cover as much ground as possible and from the next but one cast, which was more or less parallel to the shoreline I had a really strong take – fish on! With the clutch set line was coming off the reel at a decent rate and I leant gently into the fish as I let it move off into open water – it felt decent and gradually I managed to get it back in towards the net… then I saw it and it was easily the biggest bass I’d hooked on a lure, broad across the back and a visibly big head… it was also the point the fish saw me and with this it made one last desperate bid for freedom – it succeeded – the lure pinged out and fizzed past my ear. I don’t mind admitting I was gutted and the air turned blue for a few seconds as the disappointment dawned on me. There’s a fine line between the adrenalin rush of having a decent fish on and then the agony as in a split second it disappears. I’ll never know how big this bass was but I’d estimate it was double the size of what followed based on the fight, the bend in the rod, the swirls on the surface and not least the visuals I had of it.

It sounds stupid but it took me a few minutes to regroup and put it behind me but it’s what you have to do and it wasn’t long before I picked up my consolation prize from a mark 50 yards further along the shore. Again, it was the Tackle House Feed Shallow that came up trumps with the fish hitting the lure hard, just as I started a slow retrieve, within seconds of hitting the surface. It put up a nice scrap but was nowhere near as strong as the previous take and thankfully I managed to successfully slip the net under it – a fish in perfect condition of 4lb which, as I say, was a nice consolation prize to what had gone on before and a nice way to christen my new rubberised mesh landing net at least!

Time was getting on so I fished my way all the way back to the car but there was no further action and after de-rigging I was left to reflect about the one that got away and also on the lovely fish I did land.

I love this stretch of coast and hopefully it will remain fruitful in the coming months and maybe, just maybe I’ll get to hook that bigger fish again. Fingers crossed.

Until next time…

Catching up but not catching a lot!

This time last week I had just arrived at Tom’s Field campsite in Dorset for a couple of days leisurely fishing and with the primary purpose of catching up with my brother Paul which was long overdue. I say leisurely in the loosest sense as we did manage to get a few miles of coast under our belts… in waders, over rocks and up hills – no mean feat in the sunshine.

Tom’s Field campsite is tucked away in Langton Matravers, not far from Swanage, and is a smashing little site which was quiet for the couple of nights we were there – probably due to our stay being during the week – I imagine things would be different high season. Facilities are spot on though, flat pitches, plenty of reasonable showers and a small shop in great surroundings with the added bonus of a couple of pubs within walking/staggering distance. Yes, there’s lots of bleating sheep in adjoining fields that wake you early but there are also enough rabbits here for many a stew if the fancy took you!

First night we set up camp and had a couple of beers to send us to our beds. The plan was for a fairly early start and to get ourselves down to Chapman’s Pool for a spot of plugging for bass. It wasn’t the preferred venue but we weren’t going to argue with the MOD who were firing along the favoured stretch of coast.

It’s a big hike down to Chapman’s from the car park but nothing compared to the even more strenuous hike back up at the end of the day…… more of that later! We headed west once we were down to sea level towards the rocky marks and little bays that are at the foot of Houns Tout Cliff. The tide was low and we noticed the weed was heavy but the water was a nice colour and there was fair chop on the sea which boded well particularly for later in the day as the tide came in… or so I thought anyway. As it turned out it was very slow and the tides being neaps there was not much of a range between low and high water. Despite similar conditions to those where there had been success in my previous report Bass on the rocks there was nothing happening for either of us on surface lures, poppers or soft plastics. Whatever we tried it was just one of those days. I did get to take some photos though which show the terrain and Paul doing his best to entice a fish…

After a hard days slog along the shore we drew breath for the climb back up the hill to the car park. Now, my brother lives in Evesham so he rarely gets to fish the coast and usually has to settle for plonking himself by the side of a lake trying to tempt a fat carp to his net…… this fishing on the move and the health benefits it can give you may have come as a shock to Paul! I did warn him the climb back up was a bit gruesome but I don’t think he’ll mind admitting he didn’t expect it to be as tough as it was – I saw his spirits fall further when half way up he was overtaken by a spritely pensioner!! In fairness, climbing it normally is no fun but in waders, carrying kit, it’s a beast of a climb. Anyhow, he made it and was only too pleased to removed the cursed waders! When I checked the GPS we’d walked, hiked and scrambled well over 5 miles during the day so not bad going really.

Back at camp we flaked out for a bit, freshened up and then headed to one of the local pubs for food and a pint – The Ship Inn – food was good pub scran and the Purbecks Brewery beer was even better. We had four or five pints and slept well that night in our respective tents!

Unsurprisingly, we didn’t wake quite so early next morning and after a leisurely breakfast decided to have a less strenuous day so headed to Seacombe near Worth Matravers. It’s about a mile’s walk from the village and well worth the effort. It’s a flat rocky outcrop with deep, crystal clear water off the edge.

As the pictures show it was relatively calm when we go there and not a soul in sight. We started with more plugging with some deeper diving lures this time but again not a lot was happening aside from one species… wrasse. Whilst they weren’t taking the lure they would chase it right in to the ledge or come up for it from their rocky haunt below before turning at the last second. With the water being so clear you could see them like you were looking at them through glass. To give you some idea of water clarity here’s a picture I took with the camera submerged in a rock pool which was being filled by the incoming tide…

With the plugs and lures not yielding us a bass or even a small pollack it called for a bit of improvisation. There were plenty of limpets around so we decided to try free lining them off the ledges for a bit of fun with the resident wrasse and it worked! The fish weren’t of any size but good fighters nonetheless on light gear. They were all around this size and of similar markings…

However, most unusual limpet catch of the day went to Paul – a spider crab!

The weather was on the change as the seas became heavier and sooner rather than later it was time to head back the mile or so to the cars and make our separate ways home. A very pleasant couple of days catching up with Paul even though the bass didn’t play ball for us – as the saying goes ‘a bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work’ and that was very true. We mustn’t leave it so long in future.

Until next time…

A slight change of blog emphasis….

Well, it’s been an absolute age since I’ve been able to get out on the kayak and one way or another it has been a bit frustrating – it’s a time and weather thing. In particular having the time available when the weather conditions are right – they just don’t seem to tie in particularly well at the moment.

The knock on effect of that is my kayak blog articles dry up and I end up writing slightly off topic from my original purpose. So, with this in mind I’ve decided to change the blog title so it encompasses any other fishing I get up to such as in the last article ‘Bass on the rocks’. You may find the odd camp site review and general blurb as well but I will of course still be posting kayak fishing reports, etc. …… just they will be more interspersed with other of my articles along the way.

To reflect this new approach I have imaginatively (??) renamed the blog as you may have noticed above! I’ve also given the blog it’s own web address of www.hookslinesandsinkers.co.uk. The old Blogspot address should redirect you here automatically.

Until next time…

Bass on the rocks

After the long weekend in Cornwall, and with the rest of the week off work, I had hoped to get a day out on the kayak but the wind was not very favourable so that was a complete non starter. However, conditions were perfect for a lure fishing session and when my mate Nobby called it was too good an opportunity to pass by so we headed down to Dorset early afternoon ready to fish the rising tide.

There was a bit of a trudge to get to our chosen spot where we’d had a bit of success in years gone by but it turned out to be well, well worth it. The slog to the spot was not without incident though as we had to head down a steep slope which is never the best in waders and it was only when I was almost at the bottom I realised I’d lost my polarised glasses on the way down – a real pain in the backside as they are vital in my book when lure fishing. It was too much of a hike to go and search them out and they were relatively cheap one’s so I made the decision to just get fishing. It may have been the wrong decision as it turned out but you live and learn.

Conditions were near on perfect with a nice amount of movement and a bit of colour in the water with bright conditions overhead. We split up about 100 yards apart along the rocks and began working our lures in the water. It wasn’t long before Nobby was into a decent fish and pulled in a bass of around 6lb – a cracking start. He had managed to spot a decent gully in the rocks and bagged a further two smaller fish around the 3.5-4lb mark from the same location – superb! It shows the benefit of the polarised glasses that he could see the gully and he worked it really well.

That wasn’t the only reason for his success though… he seemed to have the killer lure on and was twitching and retrieving it to good effect. So much so that as we made our way round the mark he picked up a further two fish and I was still not off the mark!! The lure was a Tackle House Feed Shallow and luckily he had a spare one on him and was kind enough to share it with me! It did the trick within a few casts and in fact we were both hooked up at the same time! It was my solitary fish of the day around the 3.5lb mark but a nice fish all the same. Unfortunately, unhooking the fish proved a bit calamitous and deprived me of a photo opportunity as it flipped out of the net, freed itself and left one of the treble hooks to rip into my finger… ouch! After a minor clear up of my claret we fished our way back to base without further success – but what a day – some fantastic daytime fishing with 7 decent bass in total, a few miles of shoreline covered and with the added bonus of seeing a pair of peregrine falcons high up on a cliff ledge to top the day off.

Here’s another one of Nobby’s bass caught on the Tackle House lure…

So, whilst there have been limited opportunities to get out on the kayak of late it doesn’t mean the opportunity to fish is not there and sometimes the results are even more pleasing… it’s certainly a great way to catch bass that’s for sure.

Until next time…

Cornwall reconnaissance….

It’s been a while since I’ve had chance to sit down and update the blog and it’s been even longer since I’ve been out on the kayak. A combination of work, weather (particularly the wind) and family commitments means I haven’t been out on the water for a while but it hasn’t prevented some fishing taking place if only from the shore.

After a hectic previous month at work last Friday I headed down to Mousehole in Cornwall for a much needed long weekend with my good lady. We did plenty of walking with the dogs which as it happened also proved valuable in terms of reconnaissance for a fishing trip planned in September. We walked two sections of the South West coastal path firstly from Penberth Cove to Porthcurno and then closer to our holiday accommodation from Mousehole to Lamorna. It’s a rugged piece of coast and the water clarity is crystal clear in parts. I didn’t have my fishing rod with me for these walks but it would be easy enough to travel light and fish some of the rocky outcrops I reckon if you’re prepared for a bit of hiking up and down. By all accounts there is some good fishing to be had all along this part of the coast so it’s a definitely worth the effort involved to fish some of these marks in my book.

As I say the first of the walks took us from Penberth Cove to Porthcurno and slightly beyond. Penberth Cove itself is a good looking place to launch a kayak from and there are also plenty of rock marks to fish from. Here it is from above on the coastal path towards Porthcurno…

As you head on towards Porthcurno you pass Logan’s Rock which gives way to the sandy Pednvounder beach – it’s a bit of a hike down but looks a good candidate for a classic bass fishing surf beach…

The second walk we did from Mousehole to Lamorna Cove if anything has more fishing opportunities plus you could launch a kayak from Lamorna itself given the right conditions.

Some of the rock marks are fairly easy to access on this stretch and give access to some nice gullies and eddies that look prime fishing spots…

As you approach Lamorna there is a rocky outcrop called Carn Du which gives access to some deep water and is reportedly good for some decent pollack fishing…

… and here is the view towards Lamorna Cove from Carn Du…

So, some nice marks found on two walks which is encouraging.

As for actual fishing I had two lure sessions close to Mousehole from a mark called Port Spaniard. Extremely clear water here…

Access is about halfway up Raginnis Hill down a footpath aptly named Cave Lane. The first session was unsuccessful apart from pulling in a float rig lost by another angler, the second session resulted in a couple of small pollack but annoyingly I’d left the camera back at the cottage so no proof in the pudding so to speak!

There you have it, although no kayak fishing at the moment some decent groundwork put in for possible future fishing trips.

There’s a more productive shore fishing trip closer to home to report on which I’ll post in the next few days.

Until next time……