Catch report - Ilfracombe - 22nd March 2016 (7)

Date: 22-03-2016

Time of day: Evening - Night

Location: Ilfracombe

Mark: The Pier

Low Tide: 11:29(1.24m) 23:39(1.13m)

High Tide: 05:27(8.78m) 17:47(8.82m)

Time fished from: 18:50

Time fished to: 00:45

Weather: Overcast with a gentle breeze, dying down for most of the session but increasing again after 22:00. Feeling cold later on.

Sea: Virtually flat. Murky. A strong tow for a while after 9pm

Method: Pulley Rig with rotten bottom | Running Ledger | prawn trap

Bait: Frozen mackerel segments, frozen dirty squid | frozen black lug, frozen lug | mackerel head, squid, crab, lugworm

Caught (weight): 1 Dogfish (1lbs 8oz, Guessed) | 2 Pouting (0lbs 3oz, Guessed), 1 Whiting (0lbs 3oz, Guessed) | 2 Shore Rockling (0lbs 3oz, Guessed), 1 3 Bearded Rockling (0lbs 2oz, Guessed)

The Session: I arrived at around 18:50 and set up one rod with a pulley rig and a squid bait then cast it 15-20 yards. I set up the other rod with a running ledger and baited it with black lugworm and cast it around the same distance. I had no bites here and once another angler left I moved down to the middle of the steps. After casting both rods around 40-50 yards out it wasn't long before a bold bite produced a whiting to the black lugworm. I had a small bite on the other rod after putting a bigger piece of squid on but I missed it because I was getting my prawn trap ready. I moved along the pier again once it became clear and again, and as I went to fetch the last rod I noticed the tip bouncing around and I struck into a dogfish which shook the hook just as I went to lift it out of the water. Along the pier I cast both rods 40-50 yards, then threw out the prawn trap. I experienced the running ledger not holding bottom due to a strong tow. I recast it back towards the inner part of the harbour so it held better. It wasn't long before I had a bite on this rod. It was so gentle I just took a chance at striking and came back with nothing. This happened a few times and also on the other rod, until at around 9pm things got more lively. One bold bite produced a pouting which I photographed and then noticed the other rod tip shaking. I hooked into another dogfish but again lost it as I went to lift it out. This happened two more times in succession and I was about to change my hook when the next dogfish bit and I successfully landed it. It was hooked well, just in the top lip. I put the losses down to just badly hooked fish rather than a blunt hook as I first thought. It wasn;t long before the other rod, now baited with both types of lugworm produced another bite and I caught another pouting, smaller than the first but keen to get more worm in its mouth. I then gave the prawn trap its first lift. It contained a shore rockling. Once it was back in the water it seemed both rods took it in turns to produce small infrequent rattles on the rod tip. I couldn't hook anything else though despite changing the bait or size of it. The only consisteny for the rest of the night was the pulley rig producing bites on a mackerel segment but nothing on squid. The last fish all came in the prawn trap, with lifts producing two more rockling and a small edible crab. I packed up because I had work the next morning.

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

Set up 1: Rod: Daiwa Seahunter X 14ft (£66.00) [ 1 year > 9 months ] Reel: Daiwa Crosscast S 5000 fixed spool (£48.95) [ > 11 months ] Mainline: Maxima High-viz 20lb (£14.00 per 550m) Hooklength: Maxima Clear 15lb (£4.00 per 100m) Hooks: Sakuma 440 size 2/0 circle hooks ( £7.30 for 30 ) Rig: homemade pulley rig

Set up 2: Rod: Ron Thompson Evo Surf 15ft 3 Fixed Spool ( £30.00 ) [ > 2 Year 6 months ] Reel: Mitchell 667FG Fixed spool ( £18.00 ) [ > 2 year 6 months ] Mainline: Maxima Chameleon 20lbs ( £18.00 per 600m ) Hooklength: Maxima Clear 15lb ( £4.00 per 100m ) Hooks: Sakuma 440 Size 2 circle hooks ( £5.55 for 30 ) Rig: running ledger

Set up 3: Prawn trap 50m cord