Goateeblank
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2020
- Messages
- 1,591
- Reaction score
- 5,400
- Points
- 115
- Location
- South Coast
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
Haddock let me know that there was an opportunity to fish a gap in the weather at West Bay. His hundreds of years of experience, also told him that a wind shifting to the NW would flatten off the sea, even if the swells continued, which they did. This would mean fishing with the wind off our back and having fished there before, we knew the wind usually hits the West side of the pier and pushes it up over our heads. His predictions were absolutely spot on!
My drive there is around 1 1\2 hours and it was a good run through. I was going to treat myself to burger and chips, but on arriving, it being Monday and early January, all the kiosks were closed. Booooo. I have plenty of Christmas fat to sustain me and I had made a cheese and tomato sarnie ready for toasting in the morning after a night in the van to keep me going.
Set up with my 10ft flattie rods, 3 hook flappers, small hooks and rag worm left from fishing Cardiff Barrage. Flicked them out or straight down. Haddock did similar, but used squid and fish baits. Plenty of species can be had there and being a new year and a new species hunt, we should be able to increase our respective tallies.
Haddock was first in with a chunky pout and also started with the, when are you going to catch one, banter. I quickly did so and in my mind accorded myself the dignity of not saying much. My recollection may be clouded somewhat!
Haddock had a decent sized whiting around 14 - 15 inches, I knocked it on the head for eating. We had a steady succession of chunky and spirited pout and whiting with the odd big ones coming in.
The waves were now hitting the rocks behind us and sending spray up, to land just short of us each time. Every time we heard it, you lifted your shoulders, waiting for a wet deluge of cold water down the neck, but we stayed dry.
You may already know that I lost a decent conger at Weymouth on the previous Monday and another one in Cardiff on the Friday. I had that funny tentative bite they give and readied myself. Lifted the rod (this one is a shakey 10 ft pier rod with 2 x 2 0 hooks on a clip down cascade type rig) and know straight away its not a spirited pout, nor is it too big for my gear to land! I shout to Haddock and start getting the thing in. Rod pointed down to the water, get as much line on the reel as I can and lift. It did not make it over the top rail. Shit not again! Tried again and its going mental on the floor of the pier. Nowhere near as big as the previous two lost, but not bothered about size for my hunt. It was lip hooked and the second hook was in its side and the whole set up was a mess of tangled tackle and angry conger. Got my pictures and back it goes. That's species number 8.
I had another 3 after that and all smaller, but still destructive on rigs.
Haddock had a dog fish which gave him to 11 species and more of the big whiting, which were gutted and bagged to come home.
Its around 8pm and I was bringing in another chunky pout when a bright light in the sky caught my attention. It was a bright light with a long orange tail and moving relatively slowly, fairly low, inland and from right to left directly in front of us. I shout to Haddock and he has already seen it. What an amazing sight. Really chuffed to have been there to see it. I posted on my family whats app group and my girls are telling me is been seen by lots of people. Once in a lifetime meteor sighting made the news locally and nationally today. We were lucky considering the weather of late, and that it was so clear.
Not my picture. Lots of pictures and video on line.
The trajectory was roughly Southampton to Hull. Seen from Belgium, Netherlands and Guernsey.
After that it was more whiting and pout and I got my own "big" whiting.
It is now forecasting 50 mph winds, so my night in the van and a fish on Poole Quay in the morning looks like a bad idea so we packed up and left for home around 10.
Lots of chunky pout and whiting to keep us busy, (brought 4 home) a new species each for the hunts and an awesome meteor sighting. Not a bad evening!
The whiting were nice. Battered and deep fried.
My drive there is around 1 1\2 hours and it was a good run through. I was going to treat myself to burger and chips, but on arriving, it being Monday and early January, all the kiosks were closed. Booooo. I have plenty of Christmas fat to sustain me and I had made a cheese and tomato sarnie ready for toasting in the morning after a night in the van to keep me going.
Set up with my 10ft flattie rods, 3 hook flappers, small hooks and rag worm left from fishing Cardiff Barrage. Flicked them out or straight down. Haddock did similar, but used squid and fish baits. Plenty of species can be had there and being a new year and a new species hunt, we should be able to increase our respective tallies.
Haddock was first in with a chunky pout and also started with the, when are you going to catch one, banter. I quickly did so and in my mind accorded myself the dignity of not saying much. My recollection may be clouded somewhat!
Haddock had a decent sized whiting around 14 - 15 inches, I knocked it on the head for eating. We had a steady succession of chunky and spirited pout and whiting with the odd big ones coming in.
The waves were now hitting the rocks behind us and sending spray up, to land just short of us each time. Every time we heard it, you lifted your shoulders, waiting for a wet deluge of cold water down the neck, but we stayed dry.
You may already know that I lost a decent conger at Weymouth on the previous Monday and another one in Cardiff on the Friday. I had that funny tentative bite they give and readied myself. Lifted the rod (this one is a shakey 10 ft pier rod with 2 x 2 0 hooks on a clip down cascade type rig) and know straight away its not a spirited pout, nor is it too big for my gear to land! I shout to Haddock and start getting the thing in. Rod pointed down to the water, get as much line on the reel as I can and lift. It did not make it over the top rail. Shit not again! Tried again and its going mental on the floor of the pier. Nowhere near as big as the previous two lost, but not bothered about size for my hunt. It was lip hooked and the second hook was in its side and the whole set up was a mess of tangled tackle and angry conger. Got my pictures and back it goes. That's species number 8.
I had another 3 after that and all smaller, but still destructive on rigs.
Haddock had a dog fish which gave him to 11 species and more of the big whiting, which were gutted and bagged to come home.
Its around 8pm and I was bringing in another chunky pout when a bright light in the sky caught my attention. It was a bright light with a long orange tail and moving relatively slowly, fairly low, inland and from right to left directly in front of us. I shout to Haddock and he has already seen it. What an amazing sight. Really chuffed to have been there to see it. I posted on my family whats app group and my girls are telling me is been seen by lots of people. Once in a lifetime meteor sighting made the news locally and nationally today. We were lucky considering the weather of late, and that it was so clear.
Not my picture. Lots of pictures and video on line.
The trajectory was roughly Southampton to Hull. Seen from Belgium, Netherlands and Guernsey.
After that it was more whiting and pout and I got my own "big" whiting.
It is now forecasting 50 mph winds, so my night in the van and a fish on Poole Quay in the morning looks like a bad idea so we packed up and left for home around 10.
Lots of chunky pout and whiting to keep us busy, (brought 4 home) a new species each for the hunts and an awesome meteor sighting. Not a bad evening!
The whiting were nice. Battered and deep fried.
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