Making Hay.....

Three really enjoyable sessions this week,  each producing similar results. Sunday and Wednesday, I was joined by Butler, always good company and a total noddy to boot.
On Sunday evening I had three skate, two codling to 4lb plus, doggies and a few whiting, whilst Butler had a small skate and loads of whiting. That'll do nicely.

Wednesday was a beautiful bright moonlit night, an absolutely great night to be out. I started off with a clonking codling, followed up by a mini roker, a big pout, doggies and eight or nine keeper whiting. Butler filled his boots ( and his fish bucket ), with two nice codling, lots of decent whiting, a small roker, doggies and a pan sized dab. Good work son. We fished until 1 in the morning, begrudgingly packing up as the tide started to ebb.
Friday evening, a 2 am high tide and this time I was joined by The Whittler. Again it was lovely evening, the gusty wind of the last two days having died off. Whittler drew first blood with a nice codling, followed by a brace of big doggies. From then on it was lots of decent whiting, loads of dogs and a nice codling for me. It was very mild, with a glowing moon, another fantastic night to be out. We packed up in the dead of night with a bucket load of fish and started the long walk along the shingle back to the car. A great night to be a alive.

One of Those Days

I stopped off to grab a sandwich, parked up and went to the bakers. Back at my car a woman comes up to me, "You've reversed into my car" ! I looked round and sure enough my rear bumber and her front bumper were touching. I told her I I wasn't aware of having touched her car. She was not exactly raging, but was very rude and bolshy. I should have said it was just as likely she drove into the back of me, but was so taken aback I was on the back foot.
Anyway, no real damage done, so I got on my way for a bit of roach fishing.
I catapulted some maggots out as loose feed. Or I would have, if the elastic hadn't broken and twatted me in the face.
Neve mind, I had a spare. I catapulted more maggots out and, feck me, the same thing happened.
Don't worry, two elastics broken, but I had another spare. I fitted the new elastic on and, yes, it happened again. Unbelievable.
I sat down and thought, forget the fishing for a minute, let's have a cup of tea. I turned the gas burner on, lit it, only to see it orange flames pour out, threatening to burn the brolly to the ground. After messing about trying to get it going, I decided there was only one thing to do.
Pack up and go home.

Fill Yer Boots, Part 36

Lord Conc of Weeley was sulking. He'd missed out on some "proper" fishing. Whilst fishing a match on Sunday, receiving texts from me as I caught codling and he sat there catching a couple of small whiting.
He said he was off to the local beach for a couple of hours this evening, "just to use up a bit of bait". I was tempted to join him, but with tides getting smaller and the wind having completely dropped off I thought we might struggle. At the last minute I jumped in the car and less than half hour later was set up and fishing,
Conc quickly landed a nice codling, things were looking good.

Conc was banging the bait out a long, long way. So bloody far that it always makes me grin like a gumby, as I see the lead land way out in the distance. I hoped they weren't outside of my range, but a few minutes later I had a gentle drop back on the tip and I was into my first of the evening, Lovely.

It then went a bit mad, with bites most casts, no small whiting, pouting or any other pests, just codling. Good ones too. Seven for me, all 3lb plus, up to 5lb 10 oz. Conc had five to just under 5lb, plus a 2lb+ bass on the last cast, somehow hooked on someone elses broken off gear ! Jammy git.

We only fished three hours of the ebb, what a great session.

The Road To Nowhere

Felt groggy this week, had a cold and the Screaming Abdabs, etc, so I struggled to get up Sunday morning. Especially when I had an hour drive to Aldeburgh,  then a special forces style forty five minute yomp across the shingle onto the wilds of Orfordness. Well, forty five minutes to me, probably an hour plus to a mere mortal like you.

By 9 ish I had cast out two big squid and lug baits into a highly coloured north sea. There was a massive tidal pull which made it difficult to hold bottom.

After an hour or so, the tip sprang back and I was in to the first cod of the day, a nice fish of around 4lb. The next few casts resulted in whiting and doggies, then I hit in to something much better, and after a bit of thrashing around in the suf, a codling of 5lb ish hit the shingle. Next few casts, more codling. I ended with four between 3 and 5lb.

As the tide eased I packed up and started the long hike back to civilisation. Well, Aldeburgh town anyway.

It really is a remote place and feels like it on a bleak November night with the wind howling and the nearest human being more than two miles away.

Looking forward to getting back down there already.

The Fat of the Land

Yes, yet another fantastic sunny day. I thought I'd dig a few ragworm and have a quick hour to see if the bass were still about.

The ragworm were monsters....

Conditions looked good, a nice breeze, just a hint of colour in the water. I'd been fishing ten minutes when a bass crashed into the bait with real venom, the clutch screaming before I'd a chance to strike. Good start.

A few minutes later and I was in again, another very angry bass thrashing violently on the surface in the shallow water. The action continued and I ended up with five in ninety minutes, all between 2.5lb and 3.5lb.

With the bucket filled with the three bass I'd kept and a few left over ragworm, I walked across the marsh, the sun setting on a perfect autumn day. As I said to Mak Baines, mellow fruitfulness indeed.

Shining Times

Short session on a golden autumn afternoon in pursuit of roach.
I sat in the sun watching a motionless float for ninety minutes until the sun set.
From then on it was a bite a chuck.

As it got darker the size of the fish increased ( no, not literally ), until , right on dark I hooked a real clonker. The very last of the light caught the silver sheen on the fishes flank, what a sight. It probably went a pound and a half. A magnificent creature, in pristine condition, having somehow avoided pike, cormorants and other hazards over the years. Praise the lord, I'm a born again coarse angler !

Halcyon Days

Where were we ? Oh yeah, I was fishing lots and digging a bit of a bait. Similar this week too. Sh(anus) Morris is over from Canada for a couple of weeks, so I took him perching on Thursday. A nice day in the sun not catching perch, although a few carp obliged.
On Saturday Sh(anus), Mak Baines and myself went piking on a rather large stillwater down the road. It was a beautiful morning with mist covering the flat calm water, the mirror like surface broken only by the roach and bream rising.
We arrived a few minutes before Mak Baines. I made a study of the behavior of the British male when greeting a long lost friend. Mak and Shane had not seen each other for six years, this is how the conversation went.
Shane ; Mak
Mak : Alright
Shane ; Yeah. You putting a bait in the bay....?

Note, at no time was any hand shaken or back slapped. An observer would assume that they last fished with each other a week ago, not in November 2009. I cannot decide if this is admirable or sad. Probably admirable.
Anyway Mak was more concerned that I'd put a bait in "his" area and got into a bit of a flap, ordering us where we should position their rods, etc. Out of character and all the more amusing for it. The Himmler of the trio is usually me.
Within half hour my close in rod was away and an angry pike tailwalked and lept clear of the water before Sh(anus) swept it up in the net. A great start.

Shane usually unhooks all pike he sees captured and did so on this trip, although he was clearly rusty and missed wearing his slime resistant bib and brace.

This one went 13lb. That'll do nicely. Shortly afterwards the same rod was away and another of around 10lb hit the net. I then lost a fish on the same rod, before Mak Baines got in on the action with one around 11lb. The last fish of the day was a jack for me before it went quiet. Well, apart from a beagle getting tangled up in my line and running off.....

The all important tea was drunk, the sun shone and the usual shite was spouted. In now traditional fashion, here is a list of topics covered....
The Chinese and Japanese. According to Mak Baines, "they're all the same". This from a right on leftie, too.
Tactics for roach fishing at Alton.
Winter in Canada ( not for me thanks ).
Strictly Come Dancing ( I'm sure we covered this last time ).
If someones dies when they're old, do you always remember them as old ?
Jeremy Corbyn
Tony Blair
Bruce Forsyth
Crossloks, really handy bit of kit or recipe for tangles ?
Conan The Whittler - Throwing breakaway leads from trains into greenhouses, slapping school friends in the face with smelly mackeral, etc ( mandatory discussion when we get together ).
Mak's Derriboots ( ditto )
Chris Binyon...."Shining Times", very appropriate on a day like this.
Yes, you're right, same old guff. And very enjoyable too

Plans were made for me and Mak to have a go for the roach soon. Too good an opportunity too miss.

Early Sunday morning and I was out in the boat with Hungry Boy John Sait again. Another lovely autumn day, beautifully calm and sunny. We had about a dozen cod between 3-6lb and two skate, plus the usual whiting and doggies.
I have to admit Hungry Boy comprehensively out fished me today and did not waste the chance to rub it in. Well, I'd have done the same.
As we were heading in, with the sun setting over Mersea he poured us both a whisky and said "A millionaire can't enjoy this anymore than a pauper". Amen, Johnny Boy.