Catch Report - Branscombe - 16th July 2021 (2)

Date From: 16/07/2021 17:30:00

Date To: 17/07/2021 00:30:00

Time of day: Afternoon - night

Location: Branscombe

Mark: Left hand beach

Tide Times:

Moon Phase:

Weather: Sunny and very warm with a gentle wind from behind.

Sunrise/Sunset:

Sea: Clear and flat with barely any swell or waves

Method: Ledger (shop bought 2 hook flapper) | Ledger (shop bought pulley rig) | Ledger (Shop bought up and over rig) | Lure

Bait: Live King Ragworm | Frozen Whole Large Sandeel | Frozen Peeler Crab, Frozen Crab Cart

Caught:

Session and Lifetime Statistics:

The Session:

Branscombe is a mark I fished several years ago and didn't do any good. When I looked at going back I read bad reports about how the parking was run and so never bothered. The original plan for tonight was to fish Seaton but the mark was changed to Branscombe in the afternoon due to the potential numbers of people on the beach at Seaton.

I was first to arrive and I walked left until there was a large enough space for the others to set up near me but before I was set up other anglers arrived and set up either side of me.

For the first few hours I set up two ledger rods, one with a flapper rig and the other with an up and over rig I cast the flapper rig around 70 yards and the up and over rig around 80 yards then just waited for the others to arrive hoping I'd have a couple of fish before they did.

I checked the baits after the first cast around 15 minutes after and saw they were untouched and I wasn't surprised because of the number of people around in the sea and on kayaks. It would likely be in the last few hours when I catch today.

Bob arrived and decided to set up the other side on one of the other anglers and then later Paul turned up and set up next to me. Neither of them caught for a while either but Bob was the first to catch by getting some Gurnards. Paul eventually had bites and caught but I hadn't even had a bite after a few hours. I'd even tried feathering for a bit to see if I could get some Mackerel for fresh bait.

By the time darkness fell I was still fishless but had a couple of bites. I ended up setting up the rod I was using for feathering with a running ledger and casting a sandeel around 30 yards out and it was on this rod that I got some decent bites. The first one Paul saw and alerted me but by the time I got to the rod which I had put in a sand spike a few yards from my tripod the fish had gone. I reeled in to find the bait didn't look like much had taken it, it was like one of the bites you get where the fish seems to sense something isn't right as it gives a pull and they just drops the bait and swims away. I recast the same bait and kept a bit of a closer eye on that rod. I went to check my flapper rig baits and found I was snagged and walking along the beach each direction wouldn't free it. I had to go for the break and ended up losing the rig and shockleader so I had to set that rod up again. Paul gave me a different flapper rig to try, it was one where both hooks clipped down. I got some extra distance with it when I cast out but I wasn't sure if it was enough to warrant more bits and bobs needed to make it and the extra time it began taking me to clip down both hooks before casting.

Bob continued to get a few and so did Paul. The sea was still quite calm although very small waves were breaking now. I noticed the tip of the extra rod was shaking and the whole rod bending forward a bit. I got reacy, too the rod from the spike and held it to my side, wound down the slack line and waited. I could feel the fish giving small pulls and shakes, or rolling itself around and I waited until it felt like it had a firm grip on the bait and was going to swim off with it and struk back as hard as I could. The fish was hooked and so now came the time of reeling in quickly and praying it didn't come off. It didn;t pull back hard, and it didn;t seem to be twistung around. When it broke the water I thought it was a Dogfish but as Paul when to pick the fish up he saw it was a Bull Huss, not big but at least it was something after all this time.

I put that rod back out around the same distance now thinking maybe I was casting over the fish all this time. I did get another bite on it which I missed but the next and last fish came on the ragworm. It was a small Conger Eel that thankfully didn't twist the rig up and I thought maybe it was prevented by the type of flapper rig it was so I should perhaps look out for some more like it and give them another go sometime.

With my parking time running out and it being after midnight after one more cast of each rod I decided to pack up. Bob had too and so Paul also decided to. It wasn't a great session in catching terms but it was great to fish with others again. I think the highlight was really Bobs ability to try something that I wouldn't think to try and end up catching as he had some of his fish by bumping his feathers along the bottom.

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