Tommy Devorty
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2021
- Messages
- 66
- Reaction score
- 322
- Points
- 54
- Location
- Brighton
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
But bare with me, it's a long one, I was going to just write a report but found myself getting into the back story, so here it goes ...
Don't you just love fishing ?
I have, for years, apart from the odd trip with my Dad when I was a boy I've probably fished for not far off 18 years or so now, starting off like most of us just pleasure fishing, getting some mackeral or dreaming of that monster Bass with your mates, it was with one of those mates, an old friend Joe Wales who was dating my wife's (then girlfriend) cousin at the time, we were all close, they are more like sisters than cousins and myself and Joe struck up a good friendship that resulted in us fishing a lot together ...
We lived close by and used to fish the beaches of Southwick a lot, as we got more experienced we had a lot of road trips, the old classics like Dungeness and Ferrybridge to some risky nights like sleeping on the rocks off Worbarrow Tout in Dorset, I used to write reports on an old forum where I also got to know a few of you that are now on here ...
As the years went on myself and Joe became pretty serious anglers, going as much as we could, travelling all over the place trying new marks, he split from his mrs, everyone moved on but we still remained pals, I used to do his nut because he thought I was always over thinking, spending hours reading about marks and trying to learn as much as I could, we'd leave to go somewhere and I'd change my mind 3 times on the way there depending on what the wind was doing or any other detail I thought would make a difference ...
About 4 years ago I had a big change in my business, my old business partner left the company so I was running it alone, this meant fishing for me took a back seat, I even stopped thinking about it to be honest because work was so stressful, which is mad because its the stressful times where fishing could have helped! ...
I'd probably fished about 4 times in 2 or 3 years, still keeping in occasional contact with Joe, txting him on his birthday or something, he had started fishing matches, this wasn't for me, I would always say "I need to get back out" but then more months would go by where work or home life would be keeping me so busy ...
And then Covid hit, so much was changing, it was a chance for some of us to press the reset button, randomly I had a call off some mates asking if I'd go fishing with them to show them the ropes, the 4 pals had never really fished properly before, the pubs were shut and they wanted to have a go ... they had fished a few easy spots over the previous weeks, catching some whiting and been really happy ... so I took them to Shoreham to fish the Burrels one night in February 2021, it was the back end of a blow, the high tide was about 8pm and from past experience I knew the ebb can fish really well there so we could have a decent amount of time ... we spent a bit of time talking basics then set up to fish for the evening ... I had a 12lb Conger and a couple of half decent Thornbacks, one of them had a small Thornback of a few lb and they all had a mix of straps and dogs ... they were ecstatic!
This was the night everything changed for me, I'd got so much enjoyment out of seeing my mates happy with just a few fish, I felt that bug come back, they couldn't wait to go again and neither could I ... throughout the rest of the year I took them to loads of old marks around Sussex that I used to fish, catching their first Plaice, Hounds and Undulates etc, sometimes it would be only 1 or 2 as the others were busy, there were plenty of blanks or nightmares with weed along the way but all part of the learning curve right?!
As the beginning of the 2022 season started I made a pact with myself that this year I'd get back into properly, specimen fishing, whether it be Plaice from Brighton beach, Undulates from Shoreham or Bream from Selsey I always loved just targeting certain species and had some decent fish over the years, one fish I really wanted was a big stingray, I'd had stingers before but only small to just under 11lb, measly really in terns of Stingray but I was determined to get that biggun this year ...
Meanwhile whilst all this was going on my old fishing pal Joe had got himself knee deep in the match scene, the efforts travelling to various matches, digging baits, picking up little tips from some excellent anglers along the way had all come to the fore, now a very good match angler in his own right, recently leading top spot in the Penn League, we had started meeting up again for a fish every so often ... it's funny really as one of the only things that's changed is our hook size, I'll be holding out for a ray on the 2/0 and Joe is targeting anything infront of him on a size 2!
In just under 3 weeks I've had 8 sessions hunting that big stingray, over 50 hours on the beach, 12lb of rag and about 18 hours on the road ...for a few dogs and pout, it's been tough but that's what makes it so rewarding when things pay off right?
I had planned an early morning session Tuesday just gone as the tides and weather looked good for them, I was going to leave at 4am for the hours drive to fish over the 7am high tide, I was well up for it, but then on the Sunday before I get a txt from Joe, a photograph of him holding a 40lb Tope along with Phil Lee who also had a Tope of 40lb! ... these pics were followed by a phone conversation where all of a sudden we were going back Monday night, the night before I was going to leave early for a Stinger ... sod it I thought, if there's a good chance of a Tope I've just got to take it ...
So my plans had changed, I spent Sunday evening tying Tope rigs ... 90lb wire, 8/0 Cox & Rawle Pennels with a Meat Hook on the bottom and a Mutsu Circle on the top, a bit different from the 2/0 50lb running up and overs I'd been using for the past 3 weeks! ... Monday came and whilst I was working Joe managed to get a free couple of hours at lunchtime so bagged us a few fresh mackeral off Shoreham Arm, this was perfect so confidence was high ...
We left about 4.30pm with an hour and a half drive to get to the mark as early as possible, grabbing some fish and chips on the way we arrived to be the first ones on the beach, result, we were pretty early based on tide times so wasn't surprised nobody else was around and just chilled for a bit, ate our food, had a chat, set up and had a few casts to check out the weed situation ...
All using one rod each I had paired my Century Super Match Graphex with a Fathom Casting Special loaded with 18lb Sakuma Nite Cystal and Asso tapered leader ... after a while on the beach Joe decided to stick his first bait out, half a fresh mackerel that had only been out the sea a few hours! ... I thought I'd hold tight to see how he got on with the weed first so just sat on my box getting a bait ready ... about 15 minutes after his bait was in the water he had his first run, taking him around two groynes and a scrap lasting a good 10 minutes, this was an epic battle, you could hear the strain on the line at one point as he tried to stop it taking him all the way around that second groyne, I thought he might lose it if I'm honest ... before we could see it we thought it was going to be absolutely huge based on the fight compared to previous Tope but when I tailed it to land it for him we could see why the scrap was so tough, it was foul hooked in the side, a lot of you will know how heavy a foul hooked doggy feels so imagine what a 27lb Tope feels like!!!
Once his fish was released I had my first cast, I was hoping we'd called this right and it was going to be a night of some good fish, especially after my few weeks of chasing stingers with no joy I was getting desperate for something decent! ... about 10 minutes after my cast the tip bent down, the ratchet went clliiccckkkkkk I lifted the rod and it was FISH ONNN!!!
This is what I'd been waiting for, this was a proper scrap, being as patient as possible, that feeling when you know you have a good fish on, desperate not to lose it but just as desperate to get it on the beach ... using your thumb over the spool to slow the line, slowly tightening the drag and then easing it off a notch when it wanted to run, it was coming in, I could feel it, every twist, turn and run pulsating through the blank into my hands, my adrenaline was sky high, my heart was pumping out my chest ... Joe "don't go mad" Me "I'm not going f***ing mad mate" ... I felt the leader knot come through the tip, it was close, then Joe saw it on the surface "it's a good fish mate" ... another few feet and Joe went to grab it's tail, he missed, "please don't lose it" I hollered in desperation as he went for it a second time and grabbed its tail with 2 hands ... that was it, it was on the shingle, after all these years the biggest fish I'd caught and with my oldest fishing pal there to land it!
The top hook of the pennel, the 8/0 Mutsu Circle was perfectly in the lip ... hook removed and carefully weighed in the sling there it was, my new PB Tope of 46lb!!! ... what a first cast!
It took a couple of minutes standing waist deep holding the fish for it to recover before it gracefully swam away ... what a moment!
I was buzzing, adrenaline still high when I heard Phil shout from the next beach he was in, that was my cue, I jumped over to tail his fish and get it on the beach, then ran back to grab the sling and scales, I can't remember exactly but it was mid thirties I think so another good fish, one Tope each between the three of us and we'd only had a few casts! ... by the time I got back to my box I was absolutely battered, the fight of my fishing and all the running around I was happy enough just to relax for a bit!
Joe and Phil both went on to have another decent Tope each whilst it was just the one for me, but a very memorable one I'll never forget ...
So there you have it, a long winded story I hope didn't drag on or bore you to much, if you made it this far then thankyou for reading ...
What next? ... sitting second in the current Penn League Joe takes the 4 hour drive up to the Bass Festival match in Norfolk whilst I start thinking about Stingrays again, still eager but just not as obsessed, that itch has been scratched and atlast I really feel like I'm back in the game!
Don't you just love fishing ?
I have, for years, apart from the odd trip with my Dad when I was a boy I've probably fished for not far off 18 years or so now, starting off like most of us just pleasure fishing, getting some mackeral or dreaming of that monster Bass with your mates, it was with one of those mates, an old friend Joe Wales who was dating my wife's (then girlfriend) cousin at the time, we were all close, they are more like sisters than cousins and myself and Joe struck up a good friendship that resulted in us fishing a lot together ...
We lived close by and used to fish the beaches of Southwick a lot, as we got more experienced we had a lot of road trips, the old classics like Dungeness and Ferrybridge to some risky nights like sleeping on the rocks off Worbarrow Tout in Dorset, I used to write reports on an old forum where I also got to know a few of you that are now on here ...
As the years went on myself and Joe became pretty serious anglers, going as much as we could, travelling all over the place trying new marks, he split from his mrs, everyone moved on but we still remained pals, I used to do his nut because he thought I was always over thinking, spending hours reading about marks and trying to learn as much as I could, we'd leave to go somewhere and I'd change my mind 3 times on the way there depending on what the wind was doing or any other detail I thought would make a difference ...
About 4 years ago I had a big change in my business, my old business partner left the company so I was running it alone, this meant fishing for me took a back seat, I even stopped thinking about it to be honest because work was so stressful, which is mad because its the stressful times where fishing could have helped! ...
I'd probably fished about 4 times in 2 or 3 years, still keeping in occasional contact with Joe, txting him on his birthday or something, he had started fishing matches, this wasn't for me, I would always say "I need to get back out" but then more months would go by where work or home life would be keeping me so busy ...
And then Covid hit, so much was changing, it was a chance for some of us to press the reset button, randomly I had a call off some mates asking if I'd go fishing with them to show them the ropes, the 4 pals had never really fished properly before, the pubs were shut and they wanted to have a go ... they had fished a few easy spots over the previous weeks, catching some whiting and been really happy ... so I took them to Shoreham to fish the Burrels one night in February 2021, it was the back end of a blow, the high tide was about 8pm and from past experience I knew the ebb can fish really well there so we could have a decent amount of time ... we spent a bit of time talking basics then set up to fish for the evening ... I had a 12lb Conger and a couple of half decent Thornbacks, one of them had a small Thornback of a few lb and they all had a mix of straps and dogs ... they were ecstatic!
This was the night everything changed for me, I'd got so much enjoyment out of seeing my mates happy with just a few fish, I felt that bug come back, they couldn't wait to go again and neither could I ... throughout the rest of the year I took them to loads of old marks around Sussex that I used to fish, catching their first Plaice, Hounds and Undulates etc, sometimes it would be only 1 or 2 as the others were busy, there were plenty of blanks or nightmares with weed along the way but all part of the learning curve right?!
As the beginning of the 2022 season started I made a pact with myself that this year I'd get back into properly, specimen fishing, whether it be Plaice from Brighton beach, Undulates from Shoreham or Bream from Selsey I always loved just targeting certain species and had some decent fish over the years, one fish I really wanted was a big stingray, I'd had stingers before but only small to just under 11lb, measly really in terns of Stingray but I was determined to get that biggun this year ...
Meanwhile whilst all this was going on my old fishing pal Joe had got himself knee deep in the match scene, the efforts travelling to various matches, digging baits, picking up little tips from some excellent anglers along the way had all come to the fore, now a very good match angler in his own right, recently leading top spot in the Penn League, we had started meeting up again for a fish every so often ... it's funny really as one of the only things that's changed is our hook size, I'll be holding out for a ray on the 2/0 and Joe is targeting anything infront of him on a size 2!
In just under 3 weeks I've had 8 sessions hunting that big stingray, over 50 hours on the beach, 12lb of rag and about 18 hours on the road ...for a few dogs and pout, it's been tough but that's what makes it so rewarding when things pay off right?
I had planned an early morning session Tuesday just gone as the tides and weather looked good for them, I was going to leave at 4am for the hours drive to fish over the 7am high tide, I was well up for it, but then on the Sunday before I get a txt from Joe, a photograph of him holding a 40lb Tope along with Phil Lee who also had a Tope of 40lb! ... these pics were followed by a phone conversation where all of a sudden we were going back Monday night, the night before I was going to leave early for a Stinger ... sod it I thought, if there's a good chance of a Tope I've just got to take it ...
So my plans had changed, I spent Sunday evening tying Tope rigs ... 90lb wire, 8/0 Cox & Rawle Pennels with a Meat Hook on the bottom and a Mutsu Circle on the top, a bit different from the 2/0 50lb running up and overs I'd been using for the past 3 weeks! ... Monday came and whilst I was working Joe managed to get a free couple of hours at lunchtime so bagged us a few fresh mackeral off Shoreham Arm, this was perfect so confidence was high ...
We left about 4.30pm with an hour and a half drive to get to the mark as early as possible, grabbing some fish and chips on the way we arrived to be the first ones on the beach, result, we were pretty early based on tide times so wasn't surprised nobody else was around and just chilled for a bit, ate our food, had a chat, set up and had a few casts to check out the weed situation ...
All using one rod each I had paired my Century Super Match Graphex with a Fathom Casting Special loaded with 18lb Sakuma Nite Cystal and Asso tapered leader ... after a while on the beach Joe decided to stick his first bait out, half a fresh mackerel that had only been out the sea a few hours! ... I thought I'd hold tight to see how he got on with the weed first so just sat on my box getting a bait ready ... about 15 minutes after his bait was in the water he had his first run, taking him around two groynes and a scrap lasting a good 10 minutes, this was an epic battle, you could hear the strain on the line at one point as he tried to stop it taking him all the way around that second groyne, I thought he might lose it if I'm honest ... before we could see it we thought it was going to be absolutely huge based on the fight compared to previous Tope but when I tailed it to land it for him we could see why the scrap was so tough, it was foul hooked in the side, a lot of you will know how heavy a foul hooked doggy feels so imagine what a 27lb Tope feels like!!!
Once his fish was released I had my first cast, I was hoping we'd called this right and it was going to be a night of some good fish, especially after my few weeks of chasing stingers with no joy I was getting desperate for something decent! ... about 10 minutes after my cast the tip bent down, the ratchet went clliiccckkkkkk I lifted the rod and it was FISH ONNN!!!
This is what I'd been waiting for, this was a proper scrap, being as patient as possible, that feeling when you know you have a good fish on, desperate not to lose it but just as desperate to get it on the beach ... using your thumb over the spool to slow the line, slowly tightening the drag and then easing it off a notch when it wanted to run, it was coming in, I could feel it, every twist, turn and run pulsating through the blank into my hands, my adrenaline was sky high, my heart was pumping out my chest ... Joe "don't go mad" Me "I'm not going f***ing mad mate" ... I felt the leader knot come through the tip, it was close, then Joe saw it on the surface "it's a good fish mate" ... another few feet and Joe went to grab it's tail, he missed, "please don't lose it" I hollered in desperation as he went for it a second time and grabbed its tail with 2 hands ... that was it, it was on the shingle, after all these years the biggest fish I'd caught and with my oldest fishing pal there to land it!
The top hook of the pennel, the 8/0 Mutsu Circle was perfectly in the lip ... hook removed and carefully weighed in the sling there it was, my new PB Tope of 46lb!!! ... what a first cast!
It took a couple of minutes standing waist deep holding the fish for it to recover before it gracefully swam away ... what a moment!
I was buzzing, adrenaline still high when I heard Phil shout from the next beach he was in, that was my cue, I jumped over to tail his fish and get it on the beach, then ran back to grab the sling and scales, I can't remember exactly but it was mid thirties I think so another good fish, one Tope each between the three of us and we'd only had a few casts! ... by the time I got back to my box I was absolutely battered, the fight of my fishing and all the running around I was happy enough just to relax for a bit!
Joe and Phil both went on to have another decent Tope each whilst it was just the one for me, but a very memorable one I'll never forget ...
So there you have it, a long winded story I hope didn't drag on or bore you to much, if you made it this far then thankyou for reading ...
What next? ... sitting second in the current Penn League Joe takes the 4 hour drive up to the Bass Festival match in Norfolk whilst I start thinking about Stingrays again, still eager but just not as obsessed, that itch has been scratched and atlast I really feel like I'm back in the game!
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