Mr Fish
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2020
- Messages
- 19,227
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- Location
- North Devon
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
It was my club’s 48 hour comp this weekend. Was going to go out Friday but the tide times were all wrong and the weather pretty dire.
I had planned to go up channel but with the winds we had I decided to stay local and return to my mackerel mark, which would be sheltered from the worst of it.
There was still rain on and off, but what can you do? I was actually amazed no one was down there, but it is a fair walk.
On arriving I put two cut down sabikis on - comp rules, max of two rods, three hooks - to see if the mackerel were still about.
They were. A joey or two first cast and every cast. I kept three or four for bait, then set up a live bait rod for over the side, instantly feathered up a live joey and put him back with extra iron mongery.
I was a bit like a dog with two dicks, didn’t quite know what to try for first!
I wanted to float fish for bigger mackerel and possibly garfish, I wanted to put fresh mackerel bait or sandeel out for the rays that often show here, I wanted to live bait for bass and I wanted to put crab out for a possible hound.
Also wanted to put small strip baits out for some of the other species that can show up, such as gurnards, bream, flatties, etc etc. (I never did actually find time for this one).
Sometimes, too much choice and no direct plan isn’t always the best scenario.
I dithered a bit with the float for an hour or more, changing the live baits occasionally, but all I was getting was more joeys with the odd medium mackerel, but nothing even near the minimum 1lb qualifying size.
The sea was pretty lumpy further out, even this bugger had decided to sit in close and wait out whatever was happening further down channel…
Then I was more than a bit surprised to see these idiots heading towards the rougher water. Sit on kayak and no life jackets either
I debated whether to alert the coastguard then thought well they’re not actually in danger and will soon be out of sight.
‘Meh, Darwin…’ I decided.
Anyway, I had more important things to worry about, like catching fish!
Tried the sabikis again. I was now picking up chunkier mackerel at range, but again, nothing that would qualify.
In between hiding under a rock from the periodic monsoons, I set up a beachcaster with spider peeler and whacked that out.
Tat mentioned in a message that fresh mackerel was killer for rays and I thought, shit yes, need to get on to that! Timely reminder @Tatunka joe thanks!
Gave up on live baiting, which surprisingly hadn’t had a single hit. All the bass were probably laying on the bottom groaning over bulging stomachs
Out went a fresh half a fillet of mackerel, brought the crab in to discover a well soaked dogfish on there.
Played with the float some more. I was getting SO many bites but not connecting with many, and most were joeys.
Also, haven’t said just how utterly NUTS it was! The mackerel were just there, pretty much under my feet, the whole time.
Occasionally bubbling, attacking my actual float, literally. Several times I retrieved a mangled bit of bait and dozens of them chased it in.
I’ve seen similar in the past but never to that extent that you can watch them swimming around in the water.
The bottom rod gave one buzz of the ratchet then didn’t do much else, so after five or 10 minutes I picked it up to discover a decent weight on.
Fully expected a dog tbh but it was this chap. With a dog on the other hook of the pennell…
Again, way too small but welcome to see.
I had been wondering if the kayakers had drowned or been shipwrecked somewhere, but eventually they returned, looking absolutely knackered and I’d imagine, pretty cold, but they (very slowly) made their way back to shore.
I had another spotted ray, a female, a little bigger and again after that another male, also small.
Several dogs in between, plus I couldn’t even tell you how many mackerel.
I kept the odd chunky one for bait and the odd badly hooked one, but 80 or 90% I just shook them off the hook without touching them.
By 8.30 I was feeling pretty tired. The tide was three hours into the ebb and usually for this mark that’s when the better fish disappear.
I had no intention of staying until early hours, though that would probably have seen fishing pick up again.
I messaged a mate to say scad might begin to show and lo and behold, they started plunging my float under, right in tight against the rock…
Unfortunately not very big, 8oz maybe. I had three, all about the same size.
If I’d been staying longer I would have tried some for bait or live bait, but have frozen them before and didn’t find it very effective after the freezer, so put them all back.
Perhaps I should have kept some to try for beach bass bait? Never mind.
It was now nearly 10, I couldn’t really see the float any more but slowly drawing it through the water was still picking up mackerel.
But I really was knackered. I decided to put both beachcasters out with mackerel, pack the float up and gut a few of the freshest ones for someone, but it really was home time.
This produced two dogs on one pennell and one on the other. Darkness had clearly let the dogs out, so if I hadn’t needed a nudge to pack up…
Finally at 11.05 I set off home. The walk back was a killer! I didn’t feel it so much the other day but this time, my legs had already gone after a day of climbing up and down the rock, swapping methods, catching fish, etc etc.
Made it in the end, with many many stops!
A very enjoyable afternoon and evening. Nothing to weigh in unfortunately and I can’t help but feel I didn’t quite make the best of the bounty on offer.
Perhaps should have fished bait sooner while I had the tide, perhaps I should have stuck with the live baiting longer, but you can’t do everything in one session and with only two rods at once.
But three of the many targets - mackerel, ray and scad - were caught. No hounds or bass but we can’t have everything!
I had planned to go up channel but with the winds we had I decided to stay local and return to my mackerel mark, which would be sheltered from the worst of it.
There was still rain on and off, but what can you do? I was actually amazed no one was down there, but it is a fair walk.
On arriving I put two cut down sabikis on - comp rules, max of two rods, three hooks - to see if the mackerel were still about.
They were. A joey or two first cast and every cast. I kept three or four for bait, then set up a live bait rod for over the side, instantly feathered up a live joey and put him back with extra iron mongery.
I was a bit like a dog with two dicks, didn’t quite know what to try for first!
I wanted to float fish for bigger mackerel and possibly garfish, I wanted to put fresh mackerel bait or sandeel out for the rays that often show here, I wanted to live bait for bass and I wanted to put crab out for a possible hound.
Also wanted to put small strip baits out for some of the other species that can show up, such as gurnards, bream, flatties, etc etc. (I never did actually find time for this one).
Sometimes, too much choice and no direct plan isn’t always the best scenario.
I dithered a bit with the float for an hour or more, changing the live baits occasionally, but all I was getting was more joeys with the odd medium mackerel, but nothing even near the minimum 1lb qualifying size.
The sea was pretty lumpy further out, even this bugger had decided to sit in close and wait out whatever was happening further down channel…
Then I was more than a bit surprised to see these idiots heading towards the rougher water. Sit on kayak and no life jackets either
I debated whether to alert the coastguard then thought well they’re not actually in danger and will soon be out of sight.
‘Meh, Darwin…’ I decided.
Anyway, I had more important things to worry about, like catching fish!
Tried the sabikis again. I was now picking up chunkier mackerel at range, but again, nothing that would qualify.
In between hiding under a rock from the periodic monsoons, I set up a beachcaster with spider peeler and whacked that out.
Tat mentioned in a message that fresh mackerel was killer for rays and I thought, shit yes, need to get on to that! Timely reminder @Tatunka joe thanks!
Gave up on live baiting, which surprisingly hadn’t had a single hit. All the bass were probably laying on the bottom groaning over bulging stomachs
Out went a fresh half a fillet of mackerel, brought the crab in to discover a well soaked dogfish on there.
Played with the float some more. I was getting SO many bites but not connecting with many, and most were joeys.
Also, haven’t said just how utterly NUTS it was! The mackerel were just there, pretty much under my feet, the whole time.
Occasionally bubbling, attacking my actual float, literally. Several times I retrieved a mangled bit of bait and dozens of them chased it in.
I’ve seen similar in the past but never to that extent that you can watch them swimming around in the water.
The bottom rod gave one buzz of the ratchet then didn’t do much else, so after five or 10 minutes I picked it up to discover a decent weight on.
Fully expected a dog tbh but it was this chap. With a dog on the other hook of the pennell…
Again, way too small but welcome to see.
I had been wondering if the kayakers had drowned or been shipwrecked somewhere, but eventually they returned, looking absolutely knackered and I’d imagine, pretty cold, but they (very slowly) made their way back to shore.
I had another spotted ray, a female, a little bigger and again after that another male, also small.
Several dogs in between, plus I couldn’t even tell you how many mackerel.
I kept the odd chunky one for bait and the odd badly hooked one, but 80 or 90% I just shook them off the hook without touching them.
By 8.30 I was feeling pretty tired. The tide was three hours into the ebb and usually for this mark that’s when the better fish disappear.
I had no intention of staying until early hours, though that would probably have seen fishing pick up again.
I messaged a mate to say scad might begin to show and lo and behold, they started plunging my float under, right in tight against the rock…
Unfortunately not very big, 8oz maybe. I had three, all about the same size.
If I’d been staying longer I would have tried some for bait or live bait, but have frozen them before and didn’t find it very effective after the freezer, so put them all back.
Perhaps I should have kept some to try for beach bass bait? Never mind.
It was now nearly 10, I couldn’t really see the float any more but slowly drawing it through the water was still picking up mackerel.
But I really was knackered. I decided to put both beachcasters out with mackerel, pack the float up and gut a few of the freshest ones for someone, but it really was home time.
This produced two dogs on one pennell and one on the other. Darkness had clearly let the dogs out, so if I hadn’t needed a nudge to pack up…
Finally at 11.05 I set off home. The walk back was a killer! I didn’t feel it so much the other day but this time, my legs had already gone after a day of climbing up and down the rock, swapping methods, catching fish, etc etc.
Made it in the end, with many many stops!
A very enjoyable afternoon and evening. Nothing to weigh in unfortunately and I can’t help but feel I didn’t quite make the best of the bounty on offer.
Perhaps should have fished bait sooner while I had the tide, perhaps I should have stuck with the live baiting longer, but you can’t do everything in one session and with only two rods at once.
But three of the many targets - mackerel, ray and scad - were caught. No hounds or bass but we can’t have everything!
