This is my first season as a 'Boat Owner' and my learning curve as to where, when and how to fish has been very steep over the last few weeks. I was quite worried reading the reports on the forum that the fishing was dire and wondered if I had made the right decision to take the plunge with the boat.
I shouldnt have worried as the last month has seen me catch more fish than I have over the last 10 years and when I recall all of the blank days from beaches and jetties the fortune that the boat cost me has been worth every penny so far.
Thursday was strange day with broken sunshine and a brisk westerley when the forcast was for very light winds. I learnt that the forecast does not take precedence over having a look and making a judgement on what you see and not what you read.
The two of us left Amble Marina at about 10:00 hrs and headed south as usual and 20 mins later we were wetting the lines but got nothing on the first drift. We were going north easterly at a fair pace and on subsequent drifts we began catching codling at a steady rate with a fair number of smaller fish being returned. We had a good range of species, cod, scotchies, pouting, wrasse, whiting and flatties (over rough ground ?). And then.............
Not being used to anything big I laid into something that was obviously different from the norm and the result was as seen in the attached photo. What a great looking fish and what a great highlight to my first months in my own boat. A Pollock that weighed in at just over 6.5 lb and was taken over rough ground on daylights baited with squid and ragworm. This was followed immediately by 2 cod at just over 5lb to go with the other 15 keepers throughout the rest of the day between us
I have currently only ventured as far as Cresswell Skeers but I have not been dissapointed as yet and maybe it's because I am new but catching a boxfull of 3-5 lb codling is currently sport enough for me. Perhaps as my confidence grows I will want to travel further in search of something bigger, but not as yet.
I hope that the standard of fishing I have found so far is an indicator of whats to come and if so I will be a happy man this summer. My memories of chucking lead seaward from a freezing cold beach seem a million miles away at the moment.
Any advice good or bad as to my fishing exploits will be welcome. Off to buy a new freezer for the garage as the catch rate may not last and it can be a long winter !!!
I shouldnt have worried as the last month has seen me catch more fish than I have over the last 10 years and when I recall all of the blank days from beaches and jetties the fortune that the boat cost me has been worth every penny so far.
Thursday was strange day with broken sunshine and a brisk westerley when the forcast was for very light winds. I learnt that the forecast does not take precedence over having a look and making a judgement on what you see and not what you read.
The two of us left Amble Marina at about 10:00 hrs and headed south as usual and 20 mins later we were wetting the lines but got nothing on the first drift. We were going north easterly at a fair pace and on subsequent drifts we began catching codling at a steady rate with a fair number of smaller fish being returned. We had a good range of species, cod, scotchies, pouting, wrasse, whiting and flatties (over rough ground ?). And then.............
Not being used to anything big I laid into something that was obviously different from the norm and the result was as seen in the attached photo. What a great looking fish and what a great highlight to my first months in my own boat. A Pollock that weighed in at just over 6.5 lb and was taken over rough ground on daylights baited with squid and ragworm. This was followed immediately by 2 cod at just over 5lb to go with the other 15 keepers throughout the rest of the day between us
I have currently only ventured as far as Cresswell Skeers but I have not been dissapointed as yet and maybe it's because I am new but catching a boxfull of 3-5 lb codling is currently sport enough for me. Perhaps as my confidence grows I will want to travel further in search of something bigger, but not as yet.
I hope that the standard of fishing I have found so far is an indicator of whats to come and if so I will be a happy man this summer. My memories of chucking lead seaward from a freezing cold beach seem a million miles away at the moment.
Any advice good or bad as to my fishing exploits will be welcome. Off to buy a new freezer for the garage as the catch rate may not last and it can be a long winter !!!
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