Tweet
Well, since nobody else has been posting, I figured I ought to start the ball rolling. My first trip of the year took place yesterday, and it was not quite the session I had in mind. For a start, the forecast was that the "mist" would quickly burn back. Wrong! If anything, the fog got thicker as the day progressed, and then the SE breeze picked up, and brought about a nasty chop. To cap it all the fish were not having any of it.
My son Oli and I left the marina at 09.30 and headed up to Seaton Point at a sedate 6-7 knots because visibility was so bad, and I didn't trust the radar to give an accurate picture ahead. We spent about 2 hours without a single bite between us, so plodded on up to Craster. At least there were fish around. Oli had the best of the day, a pollock of around 4lb (the picture doesn't do it justice). I managed 3 codling to about 3.5lb, and a further dozen coleys of about a pound, and loads of tiddlers, all in the kelp. Oli did better and had about a dozen codling and a similar number of coleys, with one or two up to 1.5lb on lures. It was hard work though. I stuck with a mixture of frozen prawns, hokkis and jelly eels, while Oli used his own lures. We stopped off again at Boulmer and Seaton on the way back in and we managed a few more, but after a while just said enough was enough and we were back at the marina by 18.00.
The sounders showed the water temp as 9.8 degrees, which is about 2 degrees lower than normal, so mackies are unlikely to show for a while. The water was badly discoloured too, and needs to settle if we are to have a chance of the fish returning. That said, there was plenty of bird activity, and plenty of baitfish on the screens. We also saw 2 small pods of dolphins heading south against the ebb, which was perhaps the highlight of the day.
We had hoped to get out again today, but the thick fog persisted on the coast, and the strengthening winds from the SE may discourage us from going tomorrow. Roll on summer!
My son Oli and I left the marina at 09.30 and headed up to Seaton Point at a sedate 6-7 knots because visibility was so bad, and I didn't trust the radar to give an accurate picture ahead. We spent about 2 hours without a single bite between us, so plodded on up to Craster. At least there were fish around. Oli had the best of the day, a pollock of around 4lb (the picture doesn't do it justice). I managed 3 codling to about 3.5lb, and a further dozen coleys of about a pound, and loads of tiddlers, all in the kelp. Oli did better and had about a dozen codling and a similar number of coleys, with one or two up to 1.5lb on lures. It was hard work though. I stuck with a mixture of frozen prawns, hokkis and jelly eels, while Oli used his own lures. We stopped off again at Boulmer and Seaton on the way back in and we managed a few more, but after a while just said enough was enough and we were back at the marina by 18.00.
The sounders showed the water temp as 9.8 degrees, which is about 2 degrees lower than normal, so mackies are unlikely to show for a while. The water was badly discoloured too, and needs to settle if we are to have a chance of the fish returning. That said, there was plenty of bird activity, and plenty of baitfish on the screens. We also saw 2 small pods of dolphins heading south against the ebb, which was perhaps the highlight of the day.
We had hoped to get out again today, but the thick fog persisted on the coast, and the strengthening winds from the SE may discourage us from going tomorrow. Roll on summer!
Comment