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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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By Vic, 30 June, 2010 17:04

Today’s challenge was to gather some mackerel for a sort of ‘Parent’s help out day’ our son’s school, whereby Anna would show the kids how the fish was cooked and then let them taste it. So with rod and feathers in hand, I headed off to Brighton Marina for sunrise this morning to bag a dozen. Hmm – ever wished you’d never volunteered for something?

I got to the West arm at about 4am and started chucking the feathers out and got one almost immediately – looked like this was going to be an easy task, I thought. I had spoken to soon and obviously put the mockers on the morning. Over the next two hours, I only connected with two more mackerel, which to my dismay, dropped off at the wall. By 6am, the water was dropping fast, was starting to colour up and was choking in weed, so I decided on a move over to the East arm to try there. A short dash later saw me over on the other wall and chucking feathers there.

The water there was also choked, with large rafts of that ‘orrible ‘spaghetti’ weed we had for so long last year. Anyhow, I carried on and after a few casts, had another two mackerel on, only to drop at the wall again. I changed over to some slightly larger lures and started with them, thinking that the slightly larger hooks wouldn’t pull out as easily.

A few casts later and there was a fish on but felt different, very un-mackerel like, I got it up the wall and saw that there was a quantity of weed with a small fish buried in it all. As I pulled the weed off, I saw that the fish was a small Lesser weever which had been foul hooked. I know most would recognise this poisonous little bugger but some may not, so thought I’d get a picture just to act as a reminder for everyone to be aware. DO NOT HANDLE THEM, the black dorsal fin and gill covers have spines that will inject venom when picked up. They are often mistaken for small Pout when caught in low light situations or when covered in weed. Please make sure you know what a fish is before handling, unhooking etc. I very carefully unhooked the creature with pliers and lobbed it back before continuing with my efforts.

By 8am, I had only had one more fish which managed to get off the hook soon after it had taken the lure. With the water dropping ever faster, this looked like being a fruitless activity and decided to call it a day, so walked back to the car with the one solitary fish looking lost in a rather large and optimistic bucket. A total contrast to a week ago when the place was alive with mackerel.

The one benefit of my failure was that I would get to sit at home with a coffee, instead of standing in the school looking like a muppet, while Anna cooked fish for the little darlings who would in all probability not eat it anyway – result!