Life On The Ocean Wave

A glorious day, put the Yak on the roof rack and off to the river I went.
The tide was well out and I dragged it across the mud, jumped in and looked forward to catching a few bass.
Some facts and figures for you...
Date puchased - May 2013
Total number of launches - 3
Fish caught from the Yak - 0
So far, it works out to 200 quid a trip.
Advice for people who want to get a yak for fishing. Don't, it's bloody uncomfortable,  very difficult to handle the yak and fish and requires alot of dicking about to get the thing to and from the water.
On the other hand, if you leave the rods at home it's good fun.
Today I landed the yak on a beach and fished from there, catching plenty of schoolie bass. A lovely day in the sun.

The Curse Is Broken

The sole curse that is. Not caught one since 1978, when I was 14, on Clacton Pier. Me and Turdy went to Aldeburgh last week on a muggy, windless evening hoping to change that.
First cast and I'd got one, not very big, but a sole nevertheless. Next cast a hideous eel that had garroted itself on the main line and came in dead.
We ended up with whiting, pout and a couple of soles and lots of mozzie bites. Not a bad night.

Early Friday morning I had a quick hour down the river and in very windy conditions managed five bass to 2,5lb. The first bass for a while and very welcome.

A very early start Saturday and me and Lord Conc hit the shingle in North Norfolk, hoping for mackeral. A blank two hours and things weren't looking good. We eventually started to catch a few and ended up with just over a dozen plus a good number of launce.
Interesting day in the sun, topped off by a pig out in "Picnic Fayre" in Cley. We admired their impressive fruit and veg display and walked inside and ordered pies and cakes.

Where is The Whittler ? He's not been seen for a few months and we are concerned for the welfare of this simpleton.. If you see him please ring social services.

Missing : The Whittler

High Summer

Back from a good week in south Devon, East Prawle to be precise. Sunny and windy pretty much all week, so can't complain.

A few houses, a good cafe, a general store and a great pub. That's it. That'll do for me.

There's no place finer than Blighty when the sun shines. Watched a pair of peregrines on and off all week, whilst fishing from the rocks.

Great time of year, Tour De France and the Ashes at the same time. Sporting heaven. Especially when we win. The mighty Chameleons' album, "Script of the Bridge" in the CD player all week. A forgotton classic.

 

Photos a bit watery, taken on the phone with sea spray over the lens. Not an artistic decision, just lack of care.

Toodle pip.

Street Art.....?

Inspired by John at thetwoterriers.blogspot.co.uk and his sign for "Cockbush Avenue", I thought I'd share my own favourite piece of wall art.

Taken in a Harwich beachfront shelter, this graffiti artist ( I use the term loosely ), manages to produce an accidentally hilarious piece of moronic genius.

Somehow managing to spell "Julie" as "July" and not daring to attempt to spell "you", he gives up on the writing and thinks to himself, "Fuck it, let's just draw a picture of a cock". Brilliant.

Glorious June

Just as January is the bleakest month, June is the opposiite. In June, can you imagine that once upon a time it got dark at four in the afternoon ? No, me neither. So get out there and whatever you're doing, greedily take it all in.

Well done Bong, great photo

Meadow by the Suffolk Stour

No fishing for a couple of weeks, but I've been out walking, biking and generally loafing about. As well as working a bit of course.

Me and Lord Conc had a recce of a very bassy (  I've had plenty there before, a few years ago ), remote mark not far from one of our other favourite places. It will require an undercover operation as it's out of bounds to us mere anglers. We plan to give it a go very soon.

Glad to see Mr Mak Baines, ( http://bureboyblog.blogspot.co.uk/  ) has become a fully fledged bream angler, a fish he once despised and said he'd " rather catch gudgeon ".
I would recommend a read of Patrick Chalmers classic 1932 book, " At The Tail Of The Weir ". A brilliant book, worth reading for the bream chapter alone.

"Set the alarm for 2 am and curse it not too much when, at 2 am, it alarms you". He goes on," At 2.15 you may get up and make tea upon the waiting spirit stove, whistling, under your breath Harry Lauder's Its Nice To Get Up In The Morning. Shaving you can postpone until tomorrow".

And finally, "But always for the bream fisher in the quiet water, the quiet green bank and another summer day just coming. There is also the bream angler's breakfast, when the summer day has come. Fresh eggs there will be for the bream angler, fried bacon, a kidney or so, toast and butter, honey, the hottest coffee, and strawberries, innumerable strawberries. And then a cigar among the roses and possibly a tankard of cool, brown ale about eleven o'clock ".

Proper writing, eh ?

The Wild West

It's summer, so I was due another hike along the south west coast path, starting from Penzance and finishing near St Ives, this time accompanied by Lady Bong. First day and it's 45 mph winds and heavy rain. We did nine miles before reverting to Plan B, which involved a taxi. Purely for Lady Bong's convenience you understand.

Next day, still windy, but the sun came out. The gale force wind had whipped up a wild, incredibly rough sea. What a sight. The sound was deafening. I can't adequately explain what is was like. Just look at the photos.

The bit around Lands End and Cape Cornwall was especially stuning. So was Zennor....it's impossible, they're all fantastic ( apart from Penzance and Par of course )

Lots of remnants of an industrial past, when Cornwall was the biggest producer of tin in the world ( your historical fact of the day) . Near Cape Cornwall Bong spotted a pair of choughs in amongst loads of jackdaw sightings. Also saw a pair of peregrines chasing each other in a high speed chase.

Stayed in some great places, particularly Rockridge in Porthcurno, The Tinners Arms in Zennor ( great pub, superb food and beer ) and Channings in St Ives.

Cannot believe the amount of German hikers we met, as many Germans as Brits I'd say.

Apart from the first day we basked in sunshine all week. I  know you can't change the weather, but when the sun's out, it makes things so much more enjoyable.
All along the coast we saw seals ( yeah, they're big, but boring ) and gannets, diving like bullets from huge heights into the heaving sea.

Took far too many photos, but how can you resist ?

The beaches weren't too bad either. Can't wait get back soon. Might take a rod next time.

Sleepless in Skeggy

Finally, I've called time on the spring roker, after a poor, nay shite, session last week resulting in a herring gull and a whiting hooked up the arse . Lord Conc of Weeley sent a text to me on Thursday, telling of an invite from Lucky Bob for a trip up to Lincolnshire after the hounds. Despite the three and a half hour journey, an opportunity like that can't be turned down, so on Saturday me, Conc and Phil piled in to the legendary Volvo and headed north.
The beach was pretty packed ( for me, if there's another angler it's busy ) and we squeezed in where we could. After four hours it didn't look good, with only flatties caught. "Don't worry, they'll show around ten ish " said Bob.

Lucky Bob with 14lb hound

The dinner gong sounded pretty much at ten, as predicted, and everyone was into fish. A mad two and bit hours later  and I'd had eleven hounds, mostly small, but three reasonable fish to 7/8lb. Conc and Phil had fish, but only litluns. 
Unsuprisingly, Lucky Bob had  plenty of fish including two doubles to 14lb, his mates Chris and Charlie had loads of hounds and a near 5lb bass and two other big hounds of 16lb and 21lb were also caught further up the beach. 
Great fun and good company, despite being given a thrashing Norfolk Stylee ( the bastards ). 
Arrived home very knackered at 5 am in the morning.