Catch Report - Chesil-Beach - 18th September 2019 (13)

Date From: 18/09/2019 14:00:00

Date To: 18/09/2019 22:00:00

Time of day: Afternoon - evening

Location: Chesil-Beach

Mark: Cogden

Low Tide:

Moon Phase:

Weather: Sunny and warm with occasional breeze from left to right

Sunrise/Sunset:

Sea: Mostly clear with just small waves.

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

Bait: Frozen whole peeler crab, frozen whole sandeel | Frozen whole loligo squid, Ragworm | 5 hook purple hokkai heads, 4 hook flasher rig

Caught:

The Session:

This was my first session at Cogden. I arrived after managing to get some ragworm from the tackle shop in West Bay, after the one in Abbotsbury never had any. There were just a couple of people fishing when I arrived and one of those, who was lure fishing, soon decided to have some sleep by the time I had set up.

Not knowing what to expect here, except that there were Plaice around I bought a few different baits with me and intended to try them all. First I tried a whole peeler crab at around 70 yards and on the second rod, ragworm on both hooks of a 2 hook flapper rig fished around 60 yards. I then set up a rod to try and get some mackerel for bait and to freeze.

The man who had gone to sleep was still asleep when I had the first Mackerel and I think still asleep after I had a couple more. He had another quick go fishing but then packed up I believe fishless.

It was an enjoyable day for me as I love being out in the warm, so the lack of fish didn't bother me. I sporadically had 14 Mackerel in total up until 19:20 when I stopped fishing for them.

As I was getting each one I was burying them under the shingle by my tackle to keep them cool and at one time when doing so I could hear a clicking which I eventually realised was one of my reels. The spool was turning steadily and although I knew there was a tow here I assumed it was a fish rather than me setting my drag too loose. By the time I tightened it up and wound down I could see that the line of this rod, which was on my left, was now pointing in the direction of where I was just stood Mackerel feathering, to my right. I decided to strike hard and I could feel some weight pulling back and it felt like something big was moving mack to my left. I walked down the shingle to the shoreline as I reeled in and just as I went to put on more pressure it seemed to stop dead. I waited for a moment before deciding to give a bigger pull, although nothing that would risk snapping my line.

And then the weight or hook came free. It seemed to come free so smoothly that I then wondered if it was just the tow and my loose drag, or weed. Where the line was going at this point was about the same direction I cast in, just slightly to me left. Maybe the amount of line that had bowed around caused so much drag when I was reeling in that it felt heavy like a fish. In any case I just rebaited with another crab and recast in the same spot.

I checked the other rod too and the ragworm were still on the hooks. I added some more and put that back out where it was too. Then did some more feathering and kept popping back to my ledger rods to check them. The baits showed signs of being taken by something but it could have been crabs. I began trying squid and mackerel as well as lugworm but I couldn't get any bites.

Some other anglers arrived and set up over to my left a couple of hundred yards away and as I was feathering I saw them catch two small Plaice, so fish were out there somewhere, although I didn't see them catch any more after.

Eventually, after trying Ragworm again I had one cast where I reeled in and felt something on the end which turned out to be a Plaice, only small, but my first of the year and it gave me a bit of hope for more of them. I had no more bites though and after getting the last few Mackerel I settled down to fish into dark a bit before packing up after missing just a few small bites which I put down to Conger Eels due to my rigs coming back a bit twisted.

I know this mark is a bit of a walk down a hill but I found it to be easier than some places I fish and I will likely go back again instead of Abbotsbury if I go back this year.

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