I haven’t been out for a few days, so thought I’d have a go down at Brighton Marina after work yesterday. Arrived on the East arm at about 8.15pm with a predicted high tide at 10pm – not ideal, as I prefer to fish from low tide up. Anyway, beggars can’t be choosers, so got myself sorted in bay 28 and had a look at the water. The mayrot had disappeared but the water was choked with masses of floating weed, moving in the West to East current (this did thin out over high tide and the ebb). The sea was flat calm with virtually no breeze in the clear sky.

One rod was set up with a size 4 two hook sole rig baited with lugworm on one hook and ragworm on the other and cast out about 30 yards. Tried for some fresh mackerel and only managed three by the time darkness fell.

First fish was a very small smooth Hound pup which took the ragworm and was quickly followed by another. Then had a surprise mackerel which took the remains of the lugworm that was being retrieved for re-baiting. A schoolie bass then took a fancy to the lugwom a few casts later.

I packed away the mackerel gear as darkness came and swapped it for a long link running ledger rig which I alternately baited with either mackerel head on a single 6/0 or fillet on a 4/0 pennel in the hope of a decent bass. To be honest, I would have been better saving the mackerel for taking home for all the good they did. The baits were either clogged with weed or savage by crabs, with no interest shown by Billy bass at all.

My painstakingly built sole rig was utterly destroyed by a snotty eel which had taken the ragworm and then spun itself into a sort of cocoon of tangled line and slime. I managed to cut away the line and release the bloody thing which would no doubt make someone else’s life a misery later on.

The only other fish of the night were a brace of Pout and another small smooth Hound pup followed by nothing. By about midnight, my enthusiasm was flagging, a brisk easterly breeze got up and the bait ran low, so gave it another hour before calling it a night.