Oli and I ventured out for the first time this year, and were very pleased with the result. I had close to 40 codling to 4lb, plus various smaller pollock, coalies and a pout, while Oli had slightly fewer codling, but oddly, more pout, and a wrasse, considering he was using lures and I was mixing bait and lures, The water is very clear at the moment, down to about 10 feet and water temp is just over 9C, which is warmer than usual for the time of year.
We sailed south from Amble. More correctly, we slugged our way down to Cresswell through choppy seas at 8-9 knots, but once down there we found smoother water, being in the lee of the land. For the first hour, it was a fish per drop, and lovely clean fish they were too. It looks like the Spring run of fish fresh from the sea has begun. For bait, I chose frozen prawn and found they were the best choice. The fishing was dictated by the tides. The drift was initially 0.7 knots, climbing to 1 knot, but 8-10 oz leads were more than adequate. Slackwater however caused the fishing to tail off, and it wasn't until the tide picked up again late afternoon that the fish came back on the feed. By then, we were back up at Wainway Bush, but had a busy hour or so. All the fish went back on this trip.
We sailed south from Amble. More correctly, we slugged our way down to Cresswell through choppy seas at 8-9 knots, but once down there we found smoother water, being in the lee of the land. For the first hour, it was a fish per drop, and lovely clean fish they were too. It looks like the Spring run of fish fresh from the sea has begun. For bait, I chose frozen prawn and found they were the best choice. The fishing was dictated by the tides. The drift was initially 0.7 knots, climbing to 1 knot, but 8-10 oz leads were more than adequate. Slackwater however caused the fishing to tail off, and it wasn't until the tide picked up again late afternoon that the fish came back on the feed. By then, we were back up at Wainway Bush, but had a busy hour or so. All the fish went back on this trip.
Hope the weekend is kind weather wise and I might get out myself.
