Out tonight with
@Christurner to try for unicorns in the Taw estuary here in North Devon.
This spot used to be a banker mark for codling and although usually nothing much over 3.5/4lb, a couple of keepers a session was pretty standard.
But the last two autumns/winters we’ve not had a single codling here.
Maybe they’re just not coming in the river as much, I don’t know.
Anyway, we were fishing about 2hr 45 before high tide and the flood was boiling through.
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It’s like uptiding or fishing the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel - and neither of those rods pictured bend for the fun of it, takes a lot of force to bend that much. The one on the left is a Carbon Metal Mk 1, as an example.
It was quiet to start. I had a smallish bite, that was it. After an hour or more, Chris started bringing one of my rods in (lol) and as we sorted the modest tangle we realised both his rods were right up in that direction, more than the tide had been pulling.
We freed mine but his lines were still mixed together and it appeared he had a fish on!
I put down the dropnet, which was being pulled upriver by the strong tide and meantime what should surface?
A big hound!
Bearing in mind we’re about two miles up an estuary and at the end of October
Landing it was a right faff because the tide was taking the dropnet and the tangle meant Chris couldn’t steer the fish to the net as you normally would.
Trying to guide his line with my free hand, I got the fish over the net twice but it slid out, then finally it was dead centre and I was able to heave it up.
(Btw that net had 3lb of boat leads hanging from it, which shows how strong the tide is there).
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We guesstimated about 11lb. We both had scales but no weighing sling.
My sling usually goes everywhere with me but who takes a weighing sling to an estuary mark where normally you’d expect a codling of up to 4lb at best?
Because we were fairly high up, the plan was to lower the fish back in the dropnet, so it wasn’t injured by hitting the water from such a height.
This proceeded well, until, as Chris lowered it and a few feet above the water, the dropnet rope snapped with no warning.
It was one of those fluffy coated type ropes that came with the net, fairly thick and no visible sign there was anything wrong with it.
I had already replaced the corner cords because they were snapping like cotton last year and it seems the rope was in the same vein!
And bizarre it hasn’t snapped when hoisting the hound up!
We had seen where it went down so Chris went fishing with his gear to try and hook it.
How hard could it be to hook a metre long net that was festooned with cords?
Any other time that would be an instant snag magnet but no, the thing refused to be caught!
I had a set of mackerel feathers in my rig wallet, so added an 8oz gripper to it and Chris tried with those! Success!
He began drawing it up hand over hand, then his 60lb shockleader snapped! Argh!!!
I had a few more drags with my own gear but couldn’t seem to hook it at all, so gave up.
The net was quite old and I wasn’t too distraught at losing it, just frustrated that if we had another good fish, all we could do was handline it up and pray…
Anyway, back to fishing and I was in soon after, but I could tell that although it was a hound it was nowhere near as big as his had been.
And so it proved…
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Messaged a mate and he said he’d heard the lower river was full of them still.
I knew they’d been getting a fair few near the estuary mouth up to September or so but we were surprised they were still around and that far up.
Not to be outdone, Chris had another about the same size as mine.
Then I had a whiting.
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It took frozen black lug and squid, wouldn’t waste crab on them, but just for scale…
Deep hooked otherwise it could have gone back.
Then Chris had another hound on, but it came off.
Then it all went a bit quiet. When the ebb was underway (once upon a time the best time for the codling here), Chris had yet another hound run and this time I handlined up a better fish we guessed at around 9lb.
The water was higher now and these hounds were going back okay when dropped in head first.
I had another, smaller, whiting. That actually went back okay for once!
Just as we thought things had gone quiet for good, Chris had yet another hound run and was bringing in what looked like quite a good fish, when it all went solid.
We weren’t too sure whether it had simply snagged on rocks and a mussel bed, or an earlier set of gear he lost, but either way it wouldn’t budge.
He reported that after a while the fish didn’t seem to be on there any more and he pulled for a break.
Whether it was or not, there wasn’t anything else to be done - he spent a good half hour trying to shift it from the snag.
With the tide at ebb plus two hours, it was seriously ripping back and we knew that was more or less it. I’d had two traces baited up ready to go but said I didn’t think I’d bother. And Chris already had one rod in minus gear, so we packed up.
So STILL no codling at that mark. Just so odd because it really did used to be a banker mark, when you wanted to put the effort in to fish it.
Whether we’ve just been the victim of unlucky coincidence, or they just haven’t been in the river, I really don’t know.
The hounds were a welcome diversion and made the trip worthwhile, although it’s not the sort of mark you really want to catch hounds from, being so high up and with such a tide, but we managed.
Have to think of another local spot for the next unicorn hunt, I think…
.... I fished up there Thursday, first time in 30years On the spot!... (rarely go up channel).
.... So only using 1 rod.
..... But there was still something there, just Much smaller?......
