Following a hard day yesterday and a lovely day with the family today I decided to finish the weekend on a night session after the mullet on Lake Lothing again. I'd got some white bread in and had bought a 'new' spade at the car boot sale this morning - two quid for a proper spade made out of thick, heavy metal with a full wooden handle, older than me - none of this garden centre rubbish for me - and used it to good effect by digging a bunch of harbour rag in a few minutes 100 yards from my launch point. I'd brought my match rods, one with feeder and one with a 4bb float both loaded with 4lb line. I was getting serious!

Pushing out the Prowler 15 (my evening boat) I paddled half a mile to a bay near an old wreck and dropped anchor. Mullet (presumably) were topping here and there but in no great numbers.



I baited up with rag on both rods, filled the feeder with dampened crumb and cast out. Within seconds of the float landing it ducked under. Nice feeling that...I brought it in and had the first schoolie of the night. I wasn't certain that it was a Bass at first because of the dark spots on the flank but going by the spines and mouth I think it must have been.



I cast again and a minute or so later another came in. Back went another small ragworm and the float dipped again...this was going to be a fun couple of hours...I was surprised by what came out though...the photograph doesn't do it justice as the flank had a lovely pinkish sheen but I am almost certain I had caught my first Smelt! Normally the only thing smelt is the yak after those bloody dogs have ambushed me before launch ;D



Then in came the feeder rod with yet another schoolie:



I couldn't watch two rods with ragworm effectively with bites coming this fast so I changed over to bread on the feeder and a small crab on the float (found it when digging the worms). No takes on either and after a while I returned to rag on the float, missing some bites but landing most.



It was a lovely, calm, warm evening with a gentle breeze and bags of sport to be had. Nothing large came aboard but hearing that familiar sound of large mullet leaping, tailfin flapping before they crash back into the water brought back fond memories of childhood holidays at my grandparents and it was just a real pleasure to be afloat. I ended up with ten Bass and a Smelt landed and called it a night...bliss.