Comments (4)

By Vic, 12 July, 2010 10:58

I was thinking the other day that I haven’t fished Seaford Beach since January, so decided to have a go there last night to see what’s about. Not being able to rely on catching mackerel there, I decided to continue my launce (sandeel) for bass experiment. I had some left over lugworm as well and thought I’d use that up on a scratching rig.

When I got to the beach, it was about two hours into the flood tide and I saw that there was some weed present but didn’t look too bad and was certainly fishable. The sea was pretty calm with just a small swell and a bit of movement surf-wise. There was no wind to speak of and the sky was cloudy with sun breaking through at times.

I set up the scratching rig first, a size 4, two hook flapper baited with the lugworm which I cast out about fifty yards. I then set about the bass rod which I would use later on and used a long link running ledger combined with an eight foot trace and a 4/0 pennel to be baited with the launce. These were frozen ‘Ammo’ and were a pretty good size, being about six inches in length and thick bodied. Since I started using these, I have found that the larger sized launce seem to work better than the smaller ones which have caught significantly less fish.

First fish to be landed came in about three hours after low water and it was a double shot of a school bass and a small weever. Next in was a small thornback ray, shortly followed by a small Tub gurnard – all these came in before full darkness and fell to the lugworm. Once dark, I had another hit which turned out to be another school bass.

By about 10pm and four hours into the tide, the weed started to become a problem – long strands of the ‘Spaghetti’ weed got caught up on the hook, sinker and leader knot. The best way to deal with this was to abandon the scratching rod and concentrate on the bass gear which I had by now deployed. While packing the other rod up, I heard the ratchet on the bass reel scream off as a fish took line. I picked up the rod and felt the fish pulling strongly and struck into it. A short while later, a bass of around 2½lbs was on the beach but before I could reach it, the hook fell free and the next wave took the fish back. Ah well, at least I knew there were fish  there.

I re-baited with a fresh launce and cast out again just beyond the breaking waves. Almost immediately I saw the rod lurch over and the reel sing again, I lifted into the fish which was on for a brief moment before going free – arse! Another fresh launce was cast out but nothing touched it – or so I thought. The rod was moving in a wave-weed like manner but when I retrieved it, I found a spider crab firmly attached. Unfortunately it wasn’t peeling, so went back.

By now, it was about an hour before high water and the weed was getting to be a real problem; at least on this rig, there was no leader knot to worry about as it was a straight through line. I saw the rod moving and was about to bring it in, when it dramatically arched over and the reel screamed’ I picked it up and felt a reasonable fish on the other end. As it got nearer the beach, I let the waves carry the fish closer to land and soon a nice fish was on the beach – success! It measured 52cm  and weighed in at a shade over 3lbs – not huge but very satisfying for my first session there in six months.

The weed become intolerable around high water and the place was just unfishable – huge rafts of it could be seen in the waves and after a minute in the water, line and terminal tackle were smothered and being dragged along by the weight of weed in the current. I was down to my last launce anyway, so chucked it to give the fish a free meal on me before packing up for the night.

Given that there was a nice variety of fish (although on the small side), I may give the marina a rest for a while and concentrate on Seaford a bit more along with Newhaven for the sole.

Comments (2)

By Vic, 7 July, 2010 17:00

After a crap night on Monday when a blank was saved by two eels, I again had session on the east arm of Brighton Marina, this time with another WSF member, Phil. I got there at about 8pm and walked out to bay 58 to find that the whole end was devoid of people apart from some lone soul at the very end bay. Weather-wise, it was sunny but with a brisk West South Westerly wind which was forecast to drop later. The sea was a bit lumpy but had cleared substantially since Monday, still with weed visible but nowhere near as bad.

The plan was to fish mackerel heads on the bottom for bass and use a second outfit for anything else around that would take a worm bait. I’d been unable to get any lugworm but had a quantity of good sized king ragworm. While waiting for Phil, I had a go for some fresh mackerel but this transpired to wasted energy as someone had forgotten to invite the mackerel. That being the case, we would have to settle for frozen.

Once Phil arrived and serious fishing got underway, I used a long link running ledger with 8′ trace ending in a 5/0 hook and mackerel head for the bass and a size 4 two hook sole rig for scratching.

As the evening wore on, the wind increased, the temperature dropped, the sea got lumpier and filled up with weed; the really ‘orrible slimy shit like weed we’ve been plagued with. By around 3am, the sea was starting to spout up the wall and the weed was getting worse – things were not looking good and it was time to call it a night. The results? Phil had the one and only fish of the night, a pretty little thornback ray (pictured right). As for me? … the first blank of the year…blox.

Comments (1)

By Vic,

Monday evening / night was session at Brighton Marina out on the East arm in the company of Mike and Danny. bass were the target again and mackerel heads the preferred bait. Got there about 8pm, four hours before the midnight low water and walked out onto the arm.

Once we got to our spot, Mike and I set about trying to get some some fresh mackerel to supplement the frozen stuff we already had but er some time time trying, we gave that idea up as none seemed to be about. Time to set up the main tackle of the night. One bass rod with a long link running ledger, 8′ trace with a 5/0 hook and mackerel head and another rod out as a ‘scratcher’, using a size 4 two hook flapper baited with some stinking old lugworm left over from the last trip out on Saturday, to be used for any sole (or anything remotely fishy) that might happen to be about.

The water was very coloured with silt and the amount of weed was shocking. The bigger weed had big root balls encrusted with mussels while the other was something that resembled wet cotton wool mixed with mud and clogged up the terminal tackle within minutes of it being in the water. My biggest ‘weed fish’ was too big to handlined up the wall and actually broke my 20lbs test line.

As it happens, apart from the weed situation, the fishing was dire and I think Danny and Mike had the right idea packing up early and having the time better spent at home. I decided to stick it out and being the optimist I am, was convinced I’d hit the jackpot. In the end, I was saved from a blank by two snotty eels that knackered two of my rigs and that was it, no other interest shown. It was indeed a pants session but to get that big result, you have to put the hours in.

Comments (0)

By Vic, 4 July, 2010 11:06

Yesterday was competition day and the annual Paddle Round the Pier fishing contest was held on the East arm of Brighton Marina. Numbers were down from last year with only 21 competitors turning out which was a shame as it is a good, fun event. This year it raised £820 for the three charities Whoopsadaisy, RNLI and Surfaid International.

After booking in, it was raffle time and this year, it was the first ticket out that would win the kyak – luckily this year it wasn’t me. Well done to Alan for winning the ‘boat’ and hope you enjoy it and get to those marks you were talking about. For myself, I won a surf rod and a decent spinning rod but the surf rod went back into the raffle as unfortunately it was rung for a fixed spool reel (which I don’t use) and not a multiplier.

As far as the fishing went, it was crap, one fish landed for the whole day for me, a small 23cm bass that I didn’t even realise I had on until I retrieved to re-bait. I did have  mackerel though, that took a stringy bit of lugworm on the retrieve but even that dropped off at the wall.

Well done to Ally for the win, a good result considering it wasn’t even a ‘Home’ venue for him.

Full results here Post no. 68

Finally, well done to Sea and Mike for your organisational skills and thanks to all sponsors . It was a great day out and good to put more faces to names from the fishing forums.

Photos of the day

Comments (2)

By Vic, 2 July, 2010 14:16

I had a session down on the east arm of Brighton Marina (yeah I know, same old habits) last night from about 9 pm through until daybreak in bay 45. Considering what a still day we’d had, I was surprised that there was a bit of South Easterly breeze blowing along the wall; not bad, just unexpected. This was enough just to put a bit of a surface chop on an otherwise flat sea. Had pretty much the place to myself too, along that stretch, just a few to my left in the 20’s and what looked a few in the spot I really wanted, up by the rocks on bay 60.

Set up one rod with a long link running ledger, ending in a size 5/0 hook baited with frozen joey mackerel head and chucked that out a few yards. Rod number two had a size 4 two hook sole rig baited with lugworm. I then set about trying to get some fresh mackerel and had a few chucks until it was too dark, before giving it up with zilch results.

It wasn’t until about an hour and half  after the 9.20pm low water that I had the first hit on the bass rod while I was re-baiting the other one. The rod pulled down hard and the reel screamed as line peeled off it but just as I got to it, the reel stopped; I picked it up and then felt another savage pull before all went dead – bugger! I left it a couple of minutes – just in case – before retrieving, only to find the head just hanging on by the skin of it’s teeth (literally).

I put on another head, lobbed it out a few yards and stood by the rod for a while before leaving it to have a coffee. The next run was just as savage and came at nearly three hours after low water. I was ready this time and took hold of the rod as the line was stripping off, followed by the lull before the fish took off again. I struck and lifted into what  felt like a good fish, only for it to go right and run tight up beside the wall. It was only a matter of seconds and then the inevitable twang as the line parted, being no match against concrete and barnacles. I was gutted – two lost fish in the session, disastrous. It was the hook length that had parted, although I had to strip a few yards of main line off too, as it was so badly chaffed.

I carried on fishing but knew deep down that there wasn’t going to be another chance. Anyway, the other rod produced a schoolie bass, a small thornback ray, few Pout and one slip sole. I stayed on until daybreak and tried for some mackerel for bait, ahead of the ‘Paddle round the Pier’ charity fishing competition in aid of the charities: Oopsadaisy, RNLI and Surfaid International being held on Saturday. Even those normally obliging buggers wouldn’t play and so eventually left empty handed.

As an angler there is nothing more disappointing than losing a decent fish, it just makes you wonder where you went wrong and what could have been.