ouchthathurt
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 15, 2021
- Messages
- 2,910
- Reaction score
- 12,462
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Hastings East Sussex
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
Evening all, so I had been looking at the tides and felt it worth a shot for a bass or two, so I brought a score of lug to get me going with the idea of pumping some fresh as I needed it. Down to Pett Level at 6am to find the sea looking like a mill pond, not ideal but still, I was going to give it a go! The tide was still dropping, so I tackled up both rods with two hook clipped down rigs baited with the shop brought lug and whacked them into the gully that has produced several bass so far this year, albeit with a lot more chop than I had now. 
I immediately started getting little rattles on the tips which I couldn’t connect with, I wasn’t going to go down a hook size or two to try and snare what it was, I had a feeling they were caused by small schoolies, so persevered with my big bunch of lug approach. Soon I had a bite worth hitting and knew instantly it was my nemesis, the eel! 
He was quickly returned and I prepped the gear to cross the rapidly emptying gully to fish off the sand bank. Crossing the gully, I was spooking tiny schoolies left right and centre! They were leaping and boiling out of my path, so I’m glad I didn’t fine down the end tackle, don’t want to risk hooking and possibly damaging these little 6-10” scamps. Both rods chucked out into deeper water, I set about pumping some live lug from the sand bank I was now fishing from. The weed was a pain, but manageable. Despite whatever range I fished at, no bites were forthcoming. A huge birds nest scuppered one rod for 15mins while I stripped and re spooled my multi, why not use the spare?? Because I’d had a birds nest last session out and had swapped the spools… I also managed to forage a clutch of razors, so I went all out, wading out further then I’d been casting then going for the big chuck, I maxed out the line on both multis, still nothing! The local privately ran inshore lifeboat then decided to do figure of 8 runs up and down in front of me, so I thought I’d better pack up. The tide was now flooding so I had to make a move anyway. As I packed the first rod away and propped it up on my tackle box, I went to retrieve the second when I saw a dog trot up to my gear and piss all over it! That sealed a tricky session, at least the eel saved the blank.
When I got home wifey informed me that she was having to work the afternoon, so I decided to grab my carp floater gear and head to a local pond.
Just an 11ft 2lb t/c carp rod, a small fixed spool reel loaded with 7lb line and a size 8 super specialist wide gape hook on the end. That’s it. I got to the pond and pinged out dog biscuits until I got them going (which took a while) but eventually I got them going enough to flick my freelined mixer out, which was soon taken, a quick strike and I missed it! That spooked the few carp that were going for it, so I wandered around until I found a few more. 45mins of feeding mixers and one carp was cautiously taking them from beside the reeds. I flicked my mixer in front of it and it sucked it in, the strike met with strong resistance and a 20min battle followed. Soon I was slipping the net under a gorgeous linear mirror, which went 17lb. The lad who took the pics said it was a new pond record, as they only go to 15lb. Wether that’s the case or not, it doesn’t matter, I’d caught a carp on my first ever visit so I was happy. Time to pack up and go collect wifey from work. 
I immediately started getting little rattles on the tips which I couldn’t connect with, I wasn’t going to go down a hook size or two to try and snare what it was, I had a feeling they were caused by small schoolies, so persevered with my big bunch of lug approach. Soon I had a bite worth hitting and knew instantly it was my nemesis, the eel! He was quickly returned and I prepped the gear to cross the rapidly emptying gully to fish off the sand bank. Crossing the gully, I was spooking tiny schoolies left right and centre! They were leaping and boiling out of my path, so I’m glad I didn’t fine down the end tackle, don’t want to risk hooking and possibly damaging these little 6-10” scamps. Both rods chucked out into deeper water, I set about pumping some live lug from the sand bank I was now fishing from. The weed was a pain, but manageable. Despite whatever range I fished at, no bites were forthcoming. A huge birds nest scuppered one rod for 15mins while I stripped and re spooled my multi, why not use the spare?? Because I’d had a birds nest last session out and had swapped the spools… I also managed to forage a clutch of razors, so I went all out, wading out further then I’d been casting then going for the big chuck, I maxed out the line on both multis, still nothing! The local privately ran inshore lifeboat then decided to do figure of 8 runs up and down in front of me, so I thought I’d better pack up. The tide was now flooding so I had to make a move anyway. As I packed the first rod away and propped it up on my tackle box, I went to retrieve the second when I saw a dog trot up to my gear and piss all over it! That sealed a tricky session, at least the eel saved the blank.When I got home wifey informed me that she was having to work the afternoon, so I decided to grab my carp floater gear and head to a local pond.
Just an 11ft 2lb t/c carp rod, a small fixed spool reel loaded with 7lb line and a size 8 super specialist wide gape hook on the end. That’s it. I got to the pond and pinged out dog biscuits until I got them going (which took a while) but eventually I got them going enough to flick my freelined mixer out, which was soon taken, a quick strike and I missed it! That spooked the few carp that were going for it, so I wandered around until I found a few more. 45mins of feeding mixers and one carp was cautiously taking them from beside the reeds. I flicked my mixer in front of it and it sucked it in, the strike met with strong resistance and a 20min battle followed. Soon I was slipping the net under a gorgeous linear mirror, which went 17lb. The lad who took the pics said it was a new pond record, as they only go to 15lb. Wether that’s the case or not, it doesn’t matter, I’d caught a carp on my first ever visit so I was happy. Time to pack up and go collect wifey from work. 
