Stewart 1971
Well-known member
With some bait left over from my weekend on the south coast (those Solent ragworm are lively buggers, bought Saturday, endured a 6hr 340 mile drive Monday and still very much alive and kicking today) and the weather easing I decided to make the most of the rest of my week off and try a session this afternoon.
HT was 16:47 and with a lovely surf running I decided to try Shields big beach in the hopes of landing a silver spikey for the species hunt. Got to my mark for 2pm and the sea looked very Bassy, got set up with two rods one cast a bit fuirther into what looked like a hole and the other dropped right into the surf.
Unfortunately though the sea was spot on the kelp in the water wasn't - though I was holding bottom OK my mainline was very quickly becoming a washing line of kelp strands, pulling the rod tips right over and dragging the mainline into the backwash. After an hour and three casts I'd had enough of hauling in kelp and decided discretion was the better part of valour and relocated to The Slab on the pier.
Not much to report form here - managed three just undersized codling and a Dab all at range to the ragworm. Nothing touched the scratching rod down the side but at least the blank was saved and it was a lovely afternoon to be out in the sunshine.
A few lads braved the trek to the end of the pier but came back reporting nothing but snags; if the sea drops a little and the weed clears the beach could fish very well in the next day or so but today was probably still a bit big and definitely too weedy (and as a Solent veteren I'm no stranger to hauling in lumps of weed).
Sorry no piccs from today, the camera was in my box but to be honest after being weeded off the beach I couldn't be arsed :red:
HT was 16:47 and with a lovely surf running I decided to try Shields big beach in the hopes of landing a silver spikey for the species hunt. Got to my mark for 2pm and the sea looked very Bassy, got set up with two rods one cast a bit fuirther into what looked like a hole and the other dropped right into the surf.
Unfortunately though the sea was spot on the kelp in the water wasn't - though I was holding bottom OK my mainline was very quickly becoming a washing line of kelp strands, pulling the rod tips right over and dragging the mainline into the backwash. After an hour and three casts I'd had enough of hauling in kelp and decided discretion was the better part of valour and relocated to The Slab on the pier.
Not much to report form here - managed three just undersized codling and a Dab all at range to the ragworm. Nothing touched the scratching rod down the side but at least the blank was saved and it was a lovely afternoon to be out in the sunshine.
A few lads braved the trek to the end of the pier but came back reporting nothing but snags; if the sea drops a little and the weed clears the beach could fish very well in the next day or so but today was probably still a bit big and definitely too weedy (and as a Solent veteren I'm no stranger to hauling in lumps of weed).
Sorry no piccs from today, the camera was in my box but to be honest after being weeded off the beach I couldn't be arsed :red:
