Catch Report - Undisclosed mark - 19th June 2020 (5)

Date From: 19/06/2020 21:35:00

Date To: 19/06/2020 00:30:00

Time of day: Night

Location: Undisclosed mark

Mark: Beach

Low Tide:

Moon Phase:

Weather: A small breeze from the sea cloudy but sunny.

Sunrise/Sunset:

Sea: Clear with waves up to 3 feet high and rolling for up to 60 yards

Method: Ledger (shop bought up and over rig) | Ledger (shop bought pulley rig)

Bait: Frozen Large Sandeel | Frozen Peeler Crab

Caught:

The Session:

I had agreed to a meet-up with Chris at a mark we both fished last year and had personal bests from. Conditions weren't looking too bad but if the forcast was wrong it could have been a difficult session. I had stated I would give it a go and if it got too difficult for me to cast far I would wait until the incoming tide and leave my baits out as long as I could, or just sit and watch Chris. I brought with me 10 frozen peeler crabs which I bought a year ago and 7 large sandeels which I bought over a year ago and were from a pack that I had opened and refrozen, maybe even twice. The Sandeel was going to go mushy once it began defrosting but I was only taking it as a backup because I was expecting to get more on the peeler crab.

I arrived at 9pm and Chris was already there. The wind was barely noticeable and the sea looked a little bit too rough for my liking but I felt I could manage it. I set up to the left of Chris and chucked out a sandeel on the first rod as far as I could. It went somewhere in the waves. The next bait did too. I had no idea where and I couldn't work it out after I put the rods in the rest because the line was dragged to my side by the tow.

Chris had already pulled in green weed when he checked his baits and so I expected to get a lot too. When I checked my baits for the first time they were both covered in weed and my leader know wouldn't go through the end eye. I recast them both and was sure I waded a little further out and did better casts so my bait was around 60 yards out, but still not behind the furthest breakers.

The tips on my rods were moving around a bit in the tripod, a typical movement that implied weed was caught on the line, or worse, spider crabs were around. The thinner rod was moving more than the rough ground rod so it all looked typically like that. But then something didn't look right. A couple of the forwards pulls looked too deliberate and so I wondered if it was a dogfish having a go. I decided to strike and immediately felt something was on and when I saw a small Bull Huss at the edge I was more than happy especially after not being there that long.

It wasn't as small as I thought though as I discovered when I weighed it and it went 6lb 12oz with the sling. I took photos and put it back and had to reposition it as it swam back to me a couple of times before it got the direction right.

I sent the rig back out after reeling in the other rod because I couldn't be sure I was not going to cross my lines with them bowing so much in the surf. I had to wait longer for another bite and when it came the rod tip did the same movements. Again I struck and brought in another Bull Huss. At first I thought it was a Dogfish as the spots on top were small and tighly together but the nostrils and underside revealed what it was. Chris had begun to get bites and fish now too. It was looking like it was going to be a fairly nice night after all.

Again I reeled in the other rod and recast the sandeel first before putting on more peeler crab on the other rod and sending that out off to the side a bit.

It didn't seem like long had passed before the rod tip began doing the same again, this time more gently. I thought I'd chance leaving this longer and I chose the moment to strike when the tip bent down far and stayed still. The next fish was truly hooked. If felt like a good fish but didn't seem to fight much. I kept managing to get it closer to the shore bit by bit by timing it with the waves but I couldn't really see it. I noticed despite me casting the other rod off to my side I had crossed the lines and as the fish emerged from the sea it became difficult to reel in so I called for Chris' help. As he got near I asked if he could grab it and I couldn't even see what it was. I could barely hear what he said over the volume of the waves crashing but I saw him pick the fish up and it was bigger than I thought. It was a Bass. I asked Chris how much he thought it weighed and he said 10 and after weighing it, which went 10lb 8oz with the sling, he encouraged me to have photos taken with me holding the fish. I don't normally do this because I like to keep it about the experience and the fish and not myself but he took a few and then in the hurry to get it back in the sea I forgot to take a shot of it on the ground, which I like to do to get the full profile of the fish.

But back it went and after holding it in the shallower water for a minute it hung around for a moment or two then swam off quickly. So that was a new personal best for me, and the second pb from this mark. I must say I hoped to get another one before we packed up.

Chris returned to his rods and continued getting bites and more Bull Huss like I did. He popped back over to give me some of his remaining Sandeel and it was then when I remembered the Sandeel I was using was old refrozen Sandeel from an opened pack which I had had for over a year.

The bites continued and the next one I hooked made me think it was bigger as it appeared to kick hard as I hooked it and then I was snagged. I tried to pull free by moving to each side but I couldn't free it. I just left the rod in the tripod for a bit and the tip began moving so I picked the rod up again and this time the fish came in. I was surprised when it was a smaller Bull Huss of around 2lb. Then I missed several bites, all doing the same movement of the rod tip before I hooked another of 4lb and I went and spoke to Chris to tell him I would be packing up soon due to my back hurting and feeling exhausted. Chris said he would be too and I went back to my rods, recast the one with new sandeel on and began packing up the other one. Oddly I had no bite on that cast and so packed up extremely happy nonetheless. When we began walking back Chris told me he had an 8lb Bull Huss which was a personal best for him. A great session all round and certainly so many Bull Huss were unexpected I think by both of us.

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