Just to catch up on recent trips out.
Thursday 23rd April: An evening session on the East arm at Brighton Marina. Nothing inspiring happened on the squid front with none being caught. I did get a few mackerel, so I could at least go home with something for the table.
Sunday 26th April: Decided to have the whole day after squid down at the marina. The forecasts showed that it should have been a good day for it but unfortunately this proved not to be the case. The sea was patchily and coloured – almost like heavy clouds of silt going through with small areas of clear water. It proved enough to put the squid off and despite my best attempts, I couldn’t coax anything out. I tried with some Sabiki lures for some mackerel but only managed to hook a small but still dangerous Lesser weever which took the lower of the hooks.
While thrashing around alternating between the Jigs and Sabikis, I also had a setup baited with worm ( lugworm and ragworm ) which was out there hoping for something to come along. I did have one almighty take which dragged the rod along the wall but I was too late to connect with whatever it was. I did manage two small thornback rays but these were the usual palm sized juveniles which were released.
Although it was a glorious day to be out, it was decidedly disappointing on the fish front.
Tuesday 28th April: An evening session at Edingburgh Road in Seaford. Armed with a selection of worm baits, Peeler crab and squid, I fished through until high water at around 2.30am. Had been hoping for a bass on the squid but I reckon the sea was too calm with no real wave action to entice them in. Total tally for the night was loads of small whiting, Pout and one small thornback ray.
Nice night but in reality, a waste of time and good bait. When will I learn?
Felt the urge for some fishing yesterday evening but being a last minute decision, the local tackle shops were shut, so no fresh bait. Had a dig around in the freezer and found a solid block of tiny squid – otherwise known as ‘Partysquid’. Hastily defrosted them in warm water and was away. As it was really only going to be a short session, I plumped for Seaford but at the deeper end of the bay opposite the Martello Tower and only took one rod.
Got there around8.30 pm, about an hour before low water, set up and used a ledgered Dvice with a 3/0 pennel rig baited with the now fully defrosted squid. Even though the wind was coming in from the East, there was at least some movement in the sea.
First fish was a Lesser Spotted Dogfish, the second was likewise. Another two followed soon after and from then on, it was like a grave – no fish at all. I wished I’d decided earlier on going and had obtained some fresh worm, so I could at least have a variety of baits.
A brief squall at around 10pm broke the monotony when the wind was gusting quite hard and it chucked down with rain. It only went on for about 15 minutes or so and then it was back to a mild night.
I stuck it out until around high water before calling it a night and heading home.
As the weather had been settled for a while and the Easter Sunday looking like a reasonable day weather wise, another squid hunting session on Brighton Marina was called for. Not only did I want more of the creatures for culinary purposes but I wanted plenty of practice before the upcoming ‘All England Cephalopod Championship‘ organised by Fishyrob one of the members on WSF, for later in April. I know it’s only a friendly competition but I would dearly love to improve on my position from last year!
The alarm went off at 6am, I was out of the door by 6.30am and on my way on a very misty and windless morning. Got to the marina at about 7am and walked out onto the East arm and was disappointed to see that the area I was going to go for in the bays from about 30 or so were already taken by people who had obviously camped there overnight. Anyway, I settled for bay 25, sat down, and had a coffee before setting up my stuff. Tackle for the day was float fished jigs for the squid and a ground set up using a DVice ledgered with worm baits for any flatfish about.
It was after about 5 hours of fishing and various thought going through my head such as:Â would I have been better off going my in-laws for lunch, shouldn’t I be doing something more constructive, why the hell am I here – when suddenly the orange top of the float slid slowly under the surface. I wound down and felt the tugging and pulling familiar with a squid. Sure enough, it came to the top and was swiftly swung onto the deck, dispatched and put in the bag. It wasn’t long before the float was going again and another squid was safely in the bag. All the earlier thoughts of having wasted time evaporated and I didn’t care if nothing else was caught, I had landed some lovely meals.
The next capture was a surprise, as I reeled in a worm bait that had been out too long, a flounder followed and took the bait well off the bottom where it normally resides. This is not uncommon as they are a predatory fish but it always amuses me when it happens. It was just under size so went back.
Following this, there was precisely no action at all, almost like someone flipping a switch and turning the fish off. It was a welcome break when my wife Anna, along with son Alex and Mother-in-Law Pat turned up for a visit. Alex insisted on having his photo taken with the days captures and couldn’t resist poking the unfortunate (but dead) animals.
I perservered for as long as I could before having to call it a day. All in all, good day – not brilliant but good.
Last night, I had an ‘old bait in the freezer clear out’ session, so decided to stay local and headed over to Seaford beach to use up some old squid strips and Slipper Limpet that had been in the freezer for way too long.
I got there at about 8pm and set up just West of Edinburgh Road with two rods – one with a 2 hook paternoster using the slippers and one rod close in using a 4/0 pennel with whole small squid.
It was quite a nice night to be out with clear sky, hardly a breeze and what there was came in from the South, there was little swell with largish wave dumps on the beach. There was slight colour to the water but not much.
At about 9.30pm and four hours into the flood tide , I had three Lesser Spotted Dogfish ‘doggies’ in quick succession on the squid. After that it went quiet with no action at all until I had a good take on the squid at about 1am which had the rod hooping over. It took me by surprise so much that I picked up the rod, briefly felt a heavy, ragged resistance and then nothing – arse!!
After that, there was no other indications, so with the rain coming in, the tide dropping and the last of the bait used, I headed for home.
Well, I bagged my first squid of 2009 on the East arm at Brighton Marina on Friday afternoon; not a big one at around a pound and a bit in weight but a squid nonetheless. It was caught on a float fished, baited jig in bay somewhere in the 40′s (couldn’t be more precise as there were no painted numbers on the deck). The bait consisted of a small piece of mackerel tail fillet, lashed to the jig with bait elastic. I dropped another two trying to swing them in and lost another that let go of the jig at the surface.
All the action came after the first two hours of the flood on a neap tide. Not a lot else to say, except that it was supposed to warm and sunny down there for the afternoon whereas it was in fact cloudy, mist and bloody cold. Must remember not to trust the weather forecasts and pack appropriate clothing ‘Just in case’.
Hope to get down there again later in the week if conditions allow, so I can get in some practice before the 2nd ‘All England squid Championship‘, a friendly and unoffical bit of banter and competition between the guys on the WSF Forums.
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Fishing
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brighton marina, jig, seaford, sussex | 
