Folkestone

[Newboy]

Up at 3:30, picked up my friend from Woolwich at 6:00, spent the double 666 (06:06:06am of the 06:06:06) filling the car with fishing gear. Arrived at Folkestone at 7:30. Had brekkie, stocked up on 8 and 10 oz lead. Boarded Fathfinder ay 8:30.

 

The boat is a little old, but very spacious, especially there's only CK and I fishing it . The plan was first to stock up on lance/giant saneels on the Varne and once the tide had turned, we start with Mr and Mrs bass a bit closer inshore on a patch of rough ground where the bass comes in every year June to Aug to spawn (more of the spawning bit later )

 

The ground isn't that rough, certainly nothing on Southbourne or the bass ground around Weymouth. No pinnacles or underwater structures, just some rocks.

 

We used shrimps rigs with a bass wedge as the flashy silver of the wedge attracts the sandeels. I have never caught so many sandeels before, it was quite fun . I also caught lots of weevers, it's the lesser weever apparently, much lighter in colour than the Weymouth one.

 

We started on the bass at around 12:30, and it was action from the off. Sandeels on a 8' trace on a Portland rig. We managed on average a fish a drift. We had in total more than 40 fish (I caught twice as many fish as my mate which makes a change) with the largest 7 1/2lb, tremandes fun on light spinning rod with a shimano aero fixed spool. Did lose what I believe to be a double figure fish, as it nearly spooled me on its 2 initial searing runs. Lost it within sight of the boat I was well gutted.

 

The fish was definitely spawning, as one fish was so excited cuming over the gunnels, it incorrectly mistaking the boat for a bukkeke party and covered me with the white stuff.......