A GOOD DAY OUT FROM MERSEA ISLAND

[wurzel]

Every year I get invited out on some builder mates christmas works doo, last year it was 10 pin bowling,year before go cart raceing ,you know the sort of thing , a bunch of over 40's trying to be 18 again , always a great day out.

This year they booked a day out on Cris Mole's boat Enterprize, they said I did not have to come , I could meet them after for a meal booked at the local pub, Not bloody likely couse I'm up for it was my reply.

 

On the day the weather was calm, as the tide was a neap we needed to get off a bit so things were looking good. after a about 1 1/2 hour steam of we droped anchor. It was slack water and a little breeze had sprung up from the SW , it took over an hour for the boat to even try to turn in to the wind, eventualy the tide started to pick up, I had been holding my rod as to keep the line tight as the boat was swinging about not makeing it's mind up wich way it wanted to lay, here we go I thought as I felt a gental tap indicating something was interested in my bait of 4or5 small squid on a 2 hook rig, a few seconds later the rod pulled down as a heavy fish moved off, after a few minuets of steady pumping , with the banter that was already good getting better, up comes a thornback of about 11 lb, so my reputation was intact , from then on skate started to come aboared fairly regular, several small maids that were returned and a few larger fish that weren't. eventualy the tide did get a move on and the first codling came aboard about 3lb followed by several smaller fish that were returned, as the tide run peaked a few bigger codling apeared over the rail the best about 6LB, then the tide was gone and the fishing slowed to next to nothing, just as we were thinking of calling it a day a chaps rod hooped over and after a good struggle on light gear he landed the twin sister of the thornback I 'd caught earlier in the day, a perfect end of a good days fishing, considering the crap tide we had had 2 double figure thornback rays several between 6 and 8 LB and 6 or 7 better codling, enough to keep me skinning and filleting all the way back to harbour, all the fish was shared out to those who wanted it and everybody took home a good bag of ready to eat fish.

We finished the day meeting some others who did not fancy a fishing trip for a meal and much to much to drink, a day to remember.

 

This is a true account of a fishing trip on the Thursday before Christmas 05.

Forget the commercial fishing I do.

I've been angling around this part of the UK for around 35 years, in that time I've had several better trips fish wise ( I think the company is just as important as fish) but hundreds that were much worse even in the early days when the sea was suposse to be full of giant fish.

Chris informed me that on the bigger tides his partys were catching around 30 codling a trip with a few doubles amungst them.

So it ain't so bad as some would have you believe.

 

I had better stop know or I 'll be accused of turning the thread political.

[Guest @Winter@]

Nice report. Happy new year to you.

[Steve Coppolo]

Happy new year Peter, nice report.

 

You're a bit of a fish magnet aren't you? You always seem to pull something a bit special out of the bag, whether it be Trout, Mullet, Bass or Chub or whatever. Must be all those positive vibes going down the line!

[sam-cox]

Happy new year Wurzel,

 

A lovely up beat report just what angling needs at this gloomy time of year.

Have you thought about writting for Sea Angler?

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Nice one Wurzle, in fact it was so good we can forgive the little slip at the end

[Snatcher]

Good report

 

Cheers

[five bellies]

Im glad you had a good one mate. Happy new year!