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By Vic, 14 October, 2010 10:30

Someone once said “There’s a fine line between fishing and just standing on a beach looking like an idiot”. Well after last night, I think I could fall into that latter category.

I went for a late session last night after work and fished at Seaford from about 9.30 pm through until around 2 am. Fished from low water up until before high. Conditions were calm and overcast with no wind, the water was flat and gin clear. It looked like I had the beach to myself as there didn’t seem  to be another soul there, none of the usual lights along the shore. After setting up, I cast out the first set which was a size 4, two hook flapper baited with lugworm to try and get a couple of live-baits and in the meantime, the other set was cast out – a long link running ledger with a 5/0 pennel and whole squid.

It was long before the obligatory whiting hit the worm bait and I had the first of many, many double-shots on the beach but too big for bait and too small for the table. Worms sent seaward again and before I could put the rod in the rest, it was off with another double-shot – wrong size. This was to be the theme for the night, along with the big squid bait constantly being shredded by the needle teeth of whiting. Long, short, middle distance casting – it mattered not, the whiting were again everywhere. Bait up, cast, retrieve, take whiting off hooks, bait up, cast, retrieve, etc etc, I think you get the picture. I must have looked like the village idiot, scuttling around, waving a large stick at the sea and swearing at fish.

Giving up on the idea of getting a bait sized fish and in an attempt at trying to get something a bit bigger, I swapped the flapper for a size 2/0 single hook paternoster with a big worm and squid bait tucked into a DVice. This however just gave the whiting more of a challenge and it wasn’t long before the rod was rattling away as another one hit the bait.

By around 2 am, I’d had enough and although I didn’t stay for high water, I’m pretty sure that all I would have had would been more whiting. No wonder there hadn’t been anyone else out there; they obviously knew something I didn’t!

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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.