The Great Wallsendo
Well-known member
Expectations of this weekend were immense…sun shining, wind in the west, mirror calm seas according to the forecast – what was not to be positive about?
So it was an 0400 (Slinky Summer Time) meet up at RQ…except some of us were having a lie in…
…so it was an 0430 meet up at RQ (Norman still in holiday mode I think) and after fuel it was away up the Tyne!
Met the usual suspects off the piers and exchanged breakfast…Les by all accounts has had a break from the boat for a while (something about it being pointless…
) Good to see a full house on Shady!
We stopped about for a bit but our sights were set on the horizon as conditions were awesome…so at full tilt (as usual) off we went!
So we stopped here and there picking up fish more or less everywhere we stopped…but one spot in particular was producing the goods so we spent most of our fishing time here.
A call from Bert saying “don’t bother over here it’s rubbish”….”Err OK Bert…we’re digging in over here like”
You could hear the guttural roar of Shady at max speed from 5 miles away!!
In fact it was at this point Norman and I both dug in to fish at the same time...it’s funny but two blokes who clearly spend a lot of time together every available Saturday must develop a kind of psychic connection…we both started reeling in really really slowly…
We wanted to lift both fish out of the water just as Bert and the boys coasted up…it wasn’t long in truth as the white dot of Shady coming at us head on got bigger and bigger…all the while me and Norm giggling like kids
Accusatory calls of “They’re deed!!” but honest they weren’t!
We pottered about in the same spot for a while until slack water killed things off…this is when the mind wanders as the quiet still of the doldrums kick in
“You bought a gas barby a while ago din’t you Norm?”
“Yup – never used it yet tho…”
Alrighty then!
So we had ourselves a fresh macky fillet BBQ 7 miles at sea with the sun on our heeds and a stella in our hands…it really does NOT get any better…it was truly the best tasting mackerel I’ve ever had. Completely unfettered washed in sea water and cooked in foil with no seasoning – LUSH!!!
Fully sated we got back to the fishing…I was by now feeling a bit weary and when it gets like that I personally start using what I call “trash rigs” IE rigs that I ultimately want to lose just so I can have a slightly tidier box :red:
The rig in question was a twice re-tied hokkai/RoyD mash up with slightly rusty 4/0 hooks and scabby sundried mackerel as bait
Lobbed over the side and dragged hard on the bottom I was going to have no qualms at all if I lost it...*SNAG* (get in, it’s a goner
)
Woopyafooka snags don’t thrash about like this!!
5 mins later (on video apparently) after a feisty scrap and a fairly messy boat landing via the back door (apologies to the location cameraman :red
a nice 14lb Ling is boated!
New PB Ling for me (previous 9.5lb) and at time of writing leading the HF at RQ – beating the previous by a massive 3oz!
So a complete surprise in truth – I certainly wasn’t targeting big ling. To be fair I was kind of lazy fishing coz I was tired!
HeHe sometimes life is like that
Wasn’t long before the wind got up and the sea got bouncy…not surprisingly the fishing died too. We persevered for another couple of hours but for nothing else, so we came home with a good couple of boxes full of fish. All “proper fish” as some would say and not one below 5-6lb with a few ling thrown in for good measure.
My filleting training has moved on to the point where I now think I’ll be more and more actively involved…I tell you what though, I HATE LING!
Now I’ve ticked the Ling double box I’m not chucking any more bits of fish over the side!
Was a great day and full of laughs as usual – good to sea familiar faces out there (even met the lads on Stingray who cracked a smile…looked like one anyway, might have been wind)
Cheers as ever Norman – I’ve got a two Saturday break now as I’m orf to sunny (?) Wales for a week under canvas from next Friday…may the sea be flat and the fishing bountiful to you all!!
Pics of the day:
Until next time - cheers for reading
Tony
So it was an 0400 (Slinky Summer Time) meet up at RQ…except some of us were having a lie in…
…so it was an 0430 meet up at RQ (Norman still in holiday mode I think) and after fuel it was away up the Tyne!
Met the usual suspects off the piers and exchanged breakfast…Les by all accounts has had a break from the boat for a while (something about it being pointless…
) Good to see a full house on Shady!We stopped about for a bit but our sights were set on the horizon as conditions were awesome…so at full tilt (as usual) off we went!
So we stopped here and there picking up fish more or less everywhere we stopped…but one spot in particular was producing the goods so we spent most of our fishing time here.
A call from Bert saying “don’t bother over here it’s rubbish”….”Err OK Bert…we’re digging in over here like
”You could hear the guttural roar of Shady at max speed from 5 miles away!!
In fact it was at this point Norman and I both dug in to fish at the same time...it’s funny but two blokes who clearly spend a lot of time together every available Saturday must develop a kind of psychic connection…we both started reeling in really really slowly…
We wanted to lift both fish out of the water just as Bert and the boys coasted up…it wasn’t long in truth as the white dot of Shady coming at us head on got bigger and bigger…all the while me and Norm giggling like kids
Accusatory calls of “They’re deed!!” but honest they weren’t!
We pottered about in the same spot for a while until slack water killed things off…this is when the mind wanders as the quiet still of the doldrums kick in
“You bought a gas barby a while ago din’t you Norm?”
“Yup – never used it yet tho…”
Alrighty then!
So we had ourselves a fresh macky fillet BBQ 7 miles at sea with the sun on our heeds and a stella in our hands…it really does NOT get any better…it was truly the best tasting mackerel I’ve ever had. Completely unfettered washed in sea water and cooked in foil with no seasoning – LUSH!!!
Fully sated we got back to the fishing…I was by now feeling a bit weary and when it gets like that I personally start using what I call “trash rigs” IE rigs that I ultimately want to lose just so I can have a slightly tidier box :red:
The rig in question was a twice re-tied hokkai/RoyD mash up with slightly rusty 4/0 hooks and scabby sundried mackerel as bait
Lobbed over the side and dragged hard on the bottom I was going to have no qualms at all if I lost it...*SNAG* (get in, it’s a goner
) Woopyafooka snags don’t thrash about like this!!
5 mins later (on video apparently) after a feisty scrap and a fairly messy boat landing via the back door (apologies to the location cameraman :red
a nice 14lb Ling is boated!New PB Ling for me (previous 9.5lb) and at time of writing leading the HF at RQ – beating the previous by a massive 3oz!
So a complete surprise in truth – I certainly wasn’t targeting big ling. To be fair I was kind of lazy fishing coz I was tired!
HeHe sometimes life is like that
Wasn’t long before the wind got up and the sea got bouncy…not surprisingly the fishing died too. We persevered for another couple of hours but for nothing else, so we came home with a good couple of boxes full of fish. All “proper fish” as some would say and not one below 5-6lb with a few ling thrown in for good measure.
My filleting training has moved on to the point where I now think I’ll be more and more actively involved…I tell you what though, I HATE LING!
Now I’ve ticked the Ling double box I’m not chucking any more bits of fish over the side!
Was a great day and full of laughs as usual – good to sea familiar faces out there (even met the lads on Stingray who cracked a smile…looked like one anyway, might have been wind
)Cheers as ever Norman – I’ve got a two Saturday break now as I’m orf to sunny (?) Wales for a week under canvas from next Friday…may the sea be flat and the fishing bountiful to you all!!
Pics of the day:
Until next time - cheers for reading
Tony
