Catch report - Ilfracombe - 24th June 2017 (13)

Date: 24-06-2017

Time of day: Night

Location: Ilfracombe

Mark: The pier

Low Tide: 00:24(0.77m) 12:48(0.63m) 01:16(0.58m) 13:37(0.55m)

High Tide: 06:45(9.41m) 19:07(9.55m) 07:36(9.53m) 19:56(9.65m)

Time fished from: 22:15

Time fished to: 02:30

Weather: Cloudy with a wind from behind but dying down a bit later in the session

Sea: Clear with a swell of around 3 feet.

Method: Ledger (homemade pulley rig) | Ledger (Homemade 2 hook flapper) | Float

Bait: Large frozen sandeel | Frozen dirty squid pieces, Frozen black lugworm | Frozen mackerel strips

Caught (weight): 3 Dogfish (1lbs 8oz, Guessed) | 3 Spotted Ray (3lbs 0oz, Guessed) | 1 Pollack (0lbs 8oz, Guessed), 1 Pollack (0lbs 4oz, Guessed), 4 Dogfish (1lbs 12oz, Guessed), 1 Conger Eel (1lbs 0oz, Guessed)

The Session: I began by casting the pulley rig around 80 yards and the flapper around 60 yards. After half an hour I set up the float rod and quickly had a pollock almost as soon as the float had touched the water. Another pollock took the bait shortly after and pulled so hard my rod slid along the railings. As I returned this fish I saw my rod tip of my pulley rig shaking and I hooked and landed the first of 7 dogfish which came steadily over the night as well as another 5 falling off as I went to lift them out of the water. I had 3 ray which all took the squid bait this time and one of them had no spots and just feint brown circles. I have recorded it as a spotted ray, regardless. Later in the session the rod of the flapper rig went again and I was surprised to land a small conger eel which only had one eye. After returning it I had two more dogfish before I packed up. This session I also put a prwawn trap out and caught several Vvelvet swimming crab, a small lobster and a tadpole fish which is the first I've seen of the species. I was very pleased with this session and it was hectic from start to finish

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

Set up 1: Rod: Daiwa Seahunter X 14ft 3 piece Fixed spool £64.07 [ > 3 years 1 months ] Reel: Daiwa Crosscast S 5000 Fixed spool £48.99 [ > 2 years 3 months ] Line: Maxima Chameleon 20lb 600m £17.99 Hook: Sakuma Manta 2/0 10 £2.35 Hooklength: Maxima Clear 15lb 100m £4.00

Set up 2: Rod: Shakespeare Omni Beachcaster 14ft 3 piece Fixed Spool £26.95 [ > 0 years 11 months ] Reel: Mitchell 667FG Fixed spool £23.90 [ > 3 years 10 months ] Line: Maxima Chameleon 20lb 600m £17.99 Hook: Sakuma Circle 440 4 30 £5.05 Hook: Sakuma Manta 1/0 10 £1.99 Hooklength: Maxima Clear 15lb 100m £4.00

Set up 3: Rod: Shakespeare Omni Mackerel 10ft 2 piece Fixed spool £16.95 Reel: Lineaffe Carp 60 Baitrunner Fixed Spool £12.00 Line: Maxima Chameleon 20lb 600m £17.99 Hook: Mustad Aberdeen 4 8 £1.99 Hooklength: Maxima Clear 15lb 100m £4.00

Set up 4: Tackle: Prawn trap £5.95 Tackle: cord 50m £3.99