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By Vic, 11 October, 2010 10:55

I hit Seaford Beach again on Saturday night to fish the big 7 metre plus high tide predicted for about 1am in the hope of improving my recent results. Got to Edinburgh Road at around 7.30pm to find a number of people already there, so walked over a way to the West out of the way. A North Westerly breeze was keeping the water flat as a flat thing, with not much movement at all.

The plan was to fish one big bait out at distance and a big bait in close. I rigged one rod with lugworm and squid cocktail in a ledgered DVice and cast that one out as far as I could and a whole squid on a long link running ledger ending in a 5/0 pennel sent out close in.

From the off, the distant bait was hit by whiting, so I varied the distances to try and find a whiting free zone; unfortunately, they were everywhere and were hitting the bait as soon as it got settled. None were of a table size which was a shame, as I like a bit of whiting, either as fish cakes or just fried.

The close in rig was also hit by whiting, stripping and shredding the big squids. It seemed as though nothing else was going to get a look in that night.

I may not have been on the fish but at least I was luckier than the group who looked like they were down by the buckle end. A large dredger type vessel came in close and started pumping large volumes of water and shingle up onto the beach in the annual sea defence work. I don’t know if anyone down there got hit by it but it would certainly have buggered the fishing down there.

Just after high water, I have had a massive hit on the close in squid which had the rod hooped over in spectacular fashion and me lifting into what at first felt like a half reasonable fish. I was gutted to find that it was a bloody whiting along with a someone’s lost gear – a two hook paternoster, weight and two dead whiting!

With nothing else appearing, I gave up an hour or so after high water with an empty fish bag but some new gear.

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By Vic, 7 October, 2010 14:26

Haven’t written much recently and with good reason. I’ve only had a few trips in the last number of weeks and I have to say, I’ve been a bit disheartened with the results. Two trips to the East arm at Brighton Marina produced only whiting. Likewise, two outings to Seaford only produced whiting. Now I wouldn’t mind if they were of a decent table size but so far they haven’t been anywhere near it.

The weather yesterday promised better things, but work hindered me a bit as I couldn’t get to Seaford until around 9.30pm. Only took one rod and some squid. Setup at the Martello with a long link running ledger and 5/0 pennel with whole squid as bait. Sea was nice and lumpy top start off, with a bit of a Westerly blowing some decent waves up the beach. The breeze later swung South West but also dropped dramatically to leave only a swell as the sea flattened out. Only stayed until about 1am and all that time, I had no hits at all; not even any whiting to pester the baits.

I really need some decent results to spark me up again but as I work evenings and I can’t guarantee what time I get off, it’s difficult to plan anything. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get something sorted for the weekend.

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By Vic, 17 September, 2010 15:25

I had a session planned for Seaford beach last night after work, fishing down to the 1am low water and a few hours up. I popped into the Tackle Box before work to collect some lugworm and squid and listen to the ‘Tales from Eddy’. While I was there, Fishyrob turned up to collect bait and asked if I wanted to join him for a sole bash on Brighton  beach. I was sorely tempted but as my plan was to fish Seaford, all my kit was at sitting at home in the garage waiting to be loaded into the car when I got home. I didn’t really want to drive home and then turn around and go back into Brighton again. I apologetically declined Rob’s kind offer but said I might pop down there if the conditions weren’t right at Seaford. Now having read some of his recent reports, it could have been an interesting evening. Rob also managed to locate a secret stash of large launce which was buried beneath an avalanche of frozen cuttle.

Anyway, after work, I shot home and loaded my gear into the car and set off. I’d originally planned top fish the Martello but at the last minute, changed my mind and went to a spot I haven’t fished for a while – a little patch opposite West View. I was toying with the idea of live-baiting, so set up one rod with a simple size 4 two hook flapper baited with the lugworm and cast it out while I set up the bass rod. On this, I rigged a long link running ledger which would have a 5/0 pennel rig baited with squid or launce. On standby, I had a made up live baiting trace with a single 5/0 on one end and a snap swivel on the other. The idea being that when wanted to live-bait, I could retrieve, unclip the pennel and cast out the weight only, before clipping the trace and bait onto the main line and letting it slide out into the water.

It wasn’t long before I had enough small whiting and pout in the bucket to last the time I would be there. I swapped the flapper for a sliding live-bait rig as above and sent the first of the pout out into the oggin to do its work. I continued to use the squid and launce on the bass rod.

It wasn’t until about half an hour after the 1am low water that I had the one and only take of the night and that was on the bass rod, falling to whole squid. I started as a whiting-like rattle and then a dramatic pull down and line peeling off the reel. I lifted into the fish which then came inshore before hanging in the breakers. A short while later, a nice bass was on the beach. It had taken the bottom hook right down and the top hook was caught up in the gills causing massive bleeding. There was no way of removing both hooks without causing untold damage, so it was quickly dispatched and put to one side while I clipped on a new trace, baited it up with a new squid and sent it out.

The fish measured in at 62cm and just under the 6lbs mark. I would normally take a picture on the beach but the camera refused to co-operate (turns out the card wasn’t seated correctly) so the kitchen picture is the only one I have of it.

The rest of the session was dead, no interest at all on the live-baits and none on the remainder of the squid and launce. Packed up at about 3.30 after cleaning and scaling the fish – the gut was absolutely empty, not even the usual small crabs etc.

Part of it was eaten at lunch time today, gently fried off with ginger, soy and spring onions…… drool. I’m sure Anna will be updating her recipes pretty soon.

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By Vic, 12 September, 2010 19:49

It was off to Seaford beach again last night, this time in company with some time fishing pal, Phil. We arranged to meet at Edinburgh Road at about 8pm to fish from low water up to an probably over high water. I got there a bit early, so wandered over to have a quick look. Conditions looked good with a fair bit of movement in the water being agitated by a brisk Westerly breeze. The forecast said the wind would die down at about 10pm, so we had to make the most of it.

I kitted up and set up at a spot just East of the parking area. Bass was the main quarry  of the night but, as usual, I can’t resist having another scratching rod out. Bass rod was a running ledger ending in a 5/0 pennel which would be baited with whole squid. Although conditions at the same weren’t suitable for live-baiting, the rig had provision for this should the conditions change later. The scratcher had a size 4 two hook flapper baited with lugworm.

By the time Phil arrived, after his ahemm… detour, both my rigs were in the water. From the off, it was obvious that whiting were going to be a pest for the whole night. Although not there in the numbers they were on my last visits, they were still there in their thousands. They hit the worm baits quickly and had a go at the big baits close in too. Didn’t matter how far or in what the direction you cast, the robbing barstwards had the bait every time.

Apart from a small ray caught by Phil and the odd pout, it was whiting all night with not a sniff from anything else. Gluttons for punishment, we stuck it out and tried all sorts but the main target was not going co-operate with us on this. Phil stuck it out just after high water at about 2.30 and and I, like the fool that I am, stayed for another hour before saying bollocks to it and packing up.

So, another disappointing night on Costa Del Seaford.  I am thinking about going somewhere different next time, maybe. So if you see a strange bloke wandering around your neck of the woods carrying rods and far too much kit, mumbling that he’s frightened and lost, take pity on him and either show him where the fish are or point him in the direction of Seaford and give him a bloody hard push.

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By Vic, 10 September, 2010 10:52

I wish I’d gone to Edinburgh Road at Seaford beach but didn’t and went to the Martello (also known as the canon) instead in search of bass and maybe a lucky  codling. Arrived on the beach by about 9.30 having shot home first after work to load up the car (should have done it before I went to work). Sea was lumpy with a fresh Westerly breeze helping to push some largish waves up the beach. The plan was to fish up to the 1.30am high water and down and hour or so.

The bass rod was set up with a running ledger and 5/0 pennel baited with squid but with the option of live baiting. This was done by just adding a free running swivel above a bead which was above the weight. A hook length with a 5/0 on one end and a snap swivel on the other was made ready. If a suitable live bait was caught, the procedure would be to retrieve the squid and unclip the hook length, cast the weight out, let it settle and then clip the snap swivel onto the main line, stick the live bait on the 5/0 and let it slide out into the water.

A scratching rod was set up with a two hook flapper – one size 1/0 hook and one size 4, both baited with lugworm and sent out beyond the waves which were crashing up the beach. It wasn’t long before the scratching rod was bouncing around and two whiting were brought in – too big for a bait and too small for table, so back they went. This was pretty much the theme for the next hour or so and while I was busy with the whiting, the squid was busy doing absolutely nothing just sitting out there being ignored.

By about 11.30, the breeze died right down until there was nothing. The sea started to flatten out, leaving just the swell running the occasional larger wave up the beach. This was just what the doctor ordered, as the next two fish were an ideal sized pout and whiting.  The pout was sent out on the slider reasonably close in just outside the main waves. While the whiting stayed in the bucket (with water in it, I might add), I quickly rigged up a DVice on a running ledger, stuck the whiting in it with a 5/0 and chucked it out at distance.

The incoming tide had pushed me back up the beach to an area where there was loads of washed up and rotting seaweed (nice) which was covered in clouds of small flies. They were annoying enough anyway but each time I used my headlight, it was like being in a bloody sand blasting booth! They were an absolute bloody nightmare, ended up moving my gear further back up the beach and out of the way.

I then sat back, smugly, drinking coffee and thinking I was in with a chance. This was not to be the case, as although I imagine the baits were having a lovely swim around, they remained untouched. Once the tell tale signs of movement ceased, it was time to bring them in – both expired. Ah well, back to the squid and the worm it is then.

The squid remained apparently unattractive, while the worm worms did well with more whiting, until the rig was trashed by a ‘snotty’ eel which managed to turn my nicely made rig into a tight ball of line and snot that was only good for being cut up and the components retrieved. The eel was successfully removed from its own mess and sent back to where it came from. A new rig was clipped on, baited and re-cast.

Another bite, another ‘snotty’ and another wrecked rig. Yet another rig clipped on, baited and re-cast. A few more whiting and then a bass, yeah, a bass only trouble it was, it probably weighed less than the lead I was using. That was it then, high water came and went and no more fish brought in, it just died completely.

I stuck it out until about 3am before calling it a night. It really was quite a disappointment, I had had high hopes of a reasonable fish but I guess that’s fishing for you – sometimes you strike gold and some times you don’t.