Friday Bassing

[Sinbad]

Took Alun J up on his offer of a seat on Friday..

 

After a long evening at the club meet, followed by a 0545 hrs start, I greeted Alun with a somewhat bleary cheeriness - pleased of the day off work, but thinking that 'office hours' at the Jones are a bit extreme.

 

Anyway, Alun is a few minutes drive from the slipway so were soon wadered up and in the water. Wind was already a freshening westerly, forecast rain with bigger winds later, so we wasted no time getting stuck into a few drifts for bait.

 

Water on the last of the ebb was like Bristol Channel (so Alun says) - full of silt from the river. We struggled for a pollack or anything, but as soon as we had something wriggly, we headed off for a proper drift using mackerel as a substitute on the other rods, whilst still bait gathering. AJ gets a bass on feathers, just to keep his hand in....

 

First proper fish to AJ, but a small Bass of a about a pound that hammered the Pollack bait, but missed swallowing it, so Alun rebaited with the same fish, and sent him out to do his work!

 

Next fish to me, of 5lb 12 - which was remarkable due to me being tangled up in my other line, so I couldnt wind in for a few minutes. Luckily it stayed on.

 

next Drift or two, water was fining down a bit on the flood so a good fish to AJ - expertly played out, almost identical when laid in the box. 5lb 8oz.

 

Then our livebaits were struggling with life in general at the 'office', so no more takes, and no takes on the mackerel substitutes either.. obviously the coloured water needed somthing more lifelike and enticing than dead frozen defrosted fish.

 

Alun got another small bass on the inshore drift, but we had been forced inshore by the rapidly rising breeze and swell, so we called it a day by lunchtime.

 

All in all, target achieved, and a nice day afloat, but boy it did feel like winter fishing had arrived. Note to self - more layers required!!

 

Thanks Alun for putting me onto the fish and for a great trip- pity conditions werent kinder.

 

Paul

[Paul D]

Saw Gastronaught heading back home through the traffic around the peanut roundabout in Christchurch. Looked pretty blowy by the time you got back and the traffic was awful was it not.