Catch Report - Ilfracombe - 22nd March 2019 (8)

Date: 22-03-2019

Time of day: Evening

Location: Ilfracombe

Mark: The pier

Low Tide: 00:32(0.05m) 12:58(0.02m)

High Tide: 06:51(10.07m) 19:14(9.93m)

Time fished from: 17:15

Time fished to: 22:00

Weather: Dry and overcast with wind from my right

Sea: Murky with a swell of a few feet

Method: Ledger (homemade pulley rig) | Ledger (homemade 2 hook flapper) | float | Ledger (running ledger)

Bait: Frozen whole loligo squid, live prawn, frozen mackerel segments | frozen black lugworm, frozen squid pieces | frozen mackerel strips | frozen mackerel, frozen mackerel head

Caught (weight): 1 pollock (0lbs 1oz, Guessed), 1 pollock (0lbs 2oz, Guessed), 1 pouting (0lbs 3oz, Guessed), 1 whiting (0lbs 2oz, guessed), 1 whiting (0lbs 4oz, Guessed), 1 pollock (0lbs 12oz, Guessed), 1 dogfish (1lbs 4oz, Guessed), 1 whiting (0lbs 4oz, Guessed)

The Session: I visited my local pier for a short session over high tide. I hadn''t planned around the tide, it was just because this was the first week for a month that I had been able to get out again.

I set up 4 rods, the first a pulley rig baited with squid to begin with and cast as far as I could, around 70 yards straight out, the next rod was rigged with a 2 hook flapper and baited with lugworm and squid and cast about 20 yards out. Then I put out a float rod with a mackerel strip on, set around 10 feet deep and dropped about 2 yards out. Then finally I set up a rod baited with a whole small mackerel and dropped almost straight down. I also put out a prawn trap with a few pieces of squid, old sandeel and other bits of old bait in.

The float rod showed bites first and they were typical bites from small fish that would pull the float down sharply for an inch to a foot before letting go. I tried striking for a few before just leaving the bait out for a while anbd then finding a fish on the end when I lifted the rod. It was a small pollock.

15 minutes later I hooked another one and then while I was chatting to a tourist my rod with the flapper rig on showed a typical pouting bite. It went a couple of times and then I struck and reeled in one of typical size, and then I was beginning to see small shakes of my rod tip on the next couple of casts and managed to hook a small Whiting. The bites continued but I couldn''t hook another one for about half an hour. I had just checked the prawn trap and found some crabs inside when I saw the rod tip shaking and another whiting had hooked itself.

The bites on the flapper rig then stopped and I changed bait a couple more times and while I was setting the rod down I heard the tell-tale sound of the butt of my float rod springing up and hitting the top bar of my tripod. I grabbed the rod and felt something pull back quite hard. After a short fight a nice sized pollock surfaced and was to be the last fish and bit on the float.

Some more retrieves of the prawn trap produced another crab and a couple of prawns and one bite on my flapper rig made the line go slack. I noticed it while I was retying a trace on to my big bait rod as it had snagged and I had to snap the line. I didn''t rush because I thought the slack line was just because I hadn''t tightened up enough after casting out but when I finally took up the rod I could feel the fish dragging the weight towards me. Dogfish do this regularly here and when I struck I could tell it was one. Once I had put that back the bites stopped almost completely. I eventually packed up after using my last lugworm and having just one squid left.

I was pleased to catch something, especially as it was more than what other anglers had caught while I was there. Certainly the four rod tactic maximised my chances and I was rewarded for the effort setting them all up.

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

Set up 1: Rod: Daiwa Seahunter X 14ft 3 piece Fixed Spool (£60.00) [ > 0 years 10 months ]

Reel: Shakespeare Agility Surf 70FD Fixed Spool (£39.99) [ > 4 years 10 months ]

Line: Maxima Hi-Viz 20lb (£15.42) 550m

Hooks: Sakuma Manta 2/0 (£13.05) 100

Shockleader: Gardner Slinky 60lb (£6.99) 100M

Hooklength: Sunset Amnesia 40lb (£4.50) 100m

Set up 2: Rod: Daiwa Seahunter Z 12ft 2 piece Fixed Spool (£37.99) [ > 0 years 0 months ]

Reel: Daiwa Crosscast S 5000 Fixed spool (£48.99) [ > 4 years 0 months ]

Line: Maxima Chameleon 20lb (£17.99) 600m

Hooks: Sakuma Stinger 2 (£15.00) 100

Shockleader: Gardner Slinky 60lb (£6.99) 100M

Hooklength: Maxima Clear 15lb (£4.00) 100m

Set up 3: Rod: Shakespeare Omni Mackerel 10ft 2 piece Fixed Spool (£17.95) [ > 4 years 8 months ]

Reel: Lineaffe Carp 60 Baitrunner Fixed Spool (£12.00) [ > 2 years 7 months ]

Line: Maxima Chameleon 20lb (£17.99) 600m

Hooks: Sakuma Stinger 2 (£15.00) 100

Hooklength: Maxima Clear 15lb (£4.00) 100m

Set up 4: Rod: Daiwa seahunter Z 13ft 2 piece MFS (£42.99) [ > 1 years 3 months ]

Reel: Leeda Quicksilver Fixed Spool (£19.95) [ > 1 years 10 months ]

Line: Daiwa Sensor 50lb (£6.99) 230m

Hooks: Sakuma Circle Extra 6/0 (£7.29) 10