Catch Report - Ilfracombe - 20th June 2021 (29)

Date From: 20/06/2021 15:45:56

Date To: 20/06/2021 20:43:56

Time of day: Afternoon - evening

Location: Ilfracombe

Mark: The Pier

Tide Times:

Moon Phase:

Weather: A strong wind in my face but dying down a little bit later on, overcast

Sunrise/Sunset:

Sea: Very clear and fairly flat with a swell of around 2 feet.

Method: Float | LRF

Bait: Live King Ragworm | Live King Ragworm Pieces

Caught:

Session and Lifetime Statistics:

The Session:

I had bought some ragworm to use this week and because I wne smoothhound fishing yesterday I felt I needed to go out and use it today so I opted for my local pier to float fish and to try to catch some small fish on very light tackle.

Once I arrived I set up the LRF rod first and thought I'd give it a go for an hour or so before setting up the float rod aswell. I dropped the tiny piece of ragworm down the side of the pier a few times and soon felt the rod tremble as a small fish attacked the bait. Within a couple more casts I was able to time the strike well and hook a fish, which was a small Sand Smelt. This could be the sign that the summer species are moving back around the pier, I thought.

There were no more bites for a while though and I moved along the pier after being there just over an hour and I set the float rod up and put that down the edge with it set at around 14 feet deep.

When I tried the LRF rod here too I had no immediate bites and only had two gobies in 20 minutes so I took to trying the inside pool where I could see the Blennies rushing out from under the rocks to take the bait. In almost an hour I had several of them from this inside pool and I was joined by a man and his daughter who found the prescence of so many fish and being able to see them take the bait very amusing and eye-opening to what life is where they didn't expect to see any. At one point I checked my float rod to see the tip bending a bit and found that a small Pollock had taken the whatever was left of the ragworm after other small fish had been taking bits of it.

I started fishing on the seaward side of the pier and had 3 more gobies in 20 minutes and I expected the next bite to be the same but when I fought a lot harder than the gobies did I felt I could be reeling in the first Wrasse of the year on LRF for me, and it turned out to be true! A small reddish coloured fish had taken the tiny piece of ragworm and gave me a bit of hope that more could be around.

I tried then between two different struts and after a few moments of the bait hitting the bottom and me reeling in the slack line just enough to feel the weight standing on end, I could feel very gently vibrations through the rod. I was sure it was another Wrasse because I had bites like this last year and the gentlest ones were mostly Wrasse and some good ones for the light tackle and tiny bait I was using too. I struggled to time the lift of the rod correctly and missed it a few times but then I felt the fish take the bait and was sure it was holding on to it and when I lifted the rod this time the fish was hooked. A similar sized fish to the last one but different colouration. I also manbaged to follow this fish with 3 more over half an hour by switching between fishing either side of a wooden strut, 2 of which were Corkwing Wrasse.

The bites seemed to stop after that and I spent 10 minutes longer swithcing the side of the wooden strut before I remembered about the float rod and I found there to be a Pollock hooked when I checked the bait. I put that back out, although it could have been hooked for a while which would have meant I could have had plenty of fish if I'd been watching it, I was still more concerned with catching on the light gear. I wanted to see if the Wrasse had just gone and hidden themselves away for the night so I kept with the LRF for a bit longer. Something kept trying to take the bait again, but it was causing single quick 'plucks' that I could not respond quick enough to, and I reeled in twice to see the fish had been unsuccessful so dropped it straight back down and the thrid time I timed the strike perfectly, thought I might have the last Wrasse, but it turned out oto be a Pollock. I then had over a 10 minute wait for the next bite which turned out to be another Rock Goby.

Pleased with calling that the last fish of the day, I packed up and went home. I almost put the remaining ragworm in the sea further inside the harbour when I was going home but I forgot.

Tackle used (price) [ time since first used ]: