Duration:5.30-10.00pm
Tide:Ebb, Low, Flow
Weather:Dry, moderate NE starting off
Bait:Lug, Crab, Mack
Rigs:3 hook flappers
Results:24 counting fish between everyone. Bass, Coalies, Shore Rockling, Codling, Flounder.
Report:
Wasn't overly optimistic of decent fishing given the old East wind theory and the choice of venue. However, on arriving, there was a nice small 2-3 band surf rolling in that raised hopes a little. This was the first pegged comp I have fished with Crosshaven SAC and only the second in their history. However, on saying that, it was well organised and pegged and all were ready to go on the dot of 5.30.
I started off with the first couple of casts dropped in short in hope of a stray flounder in daylight. With an hour gone, 3 blank casts and nothing on the board for the rest of the beach, things were looking bleak. However, cast 4, put out a bit further wasn't long in yielding results. A savage bite had me lifting into something a little better than the expected flounder and on my light outfit put up a spirited scrap. I knew it was a bass from the vigorous headshaking going on and it was with delight I opened the 2008 bass account with a nice fella of around 47-48 cms. Barely hooked in the scissors was my size 6 and tiny lug bait.
Action after that was constant, with 2 codling following on successive casts, a couple of non counting shore rockling, 5 coalies (big fellas between 35 and 40 for the most part) and a fat flounder around 36cms. I had one blank cast after the bass for the rest of the night which was surprising as the rest of the beach had fished poorly.
Why so, even with adjacent pegs failing to produce? I dunno, but the only thing I can put it down to was rigs to be honest. I was using long snooded light 3 hook flappers to size 6 kamasan aberdeens tied on 8lb fluoro tossed out about 50-60 yards max, just behind the bit of surf. Any closer in had not produced at all, I didnt bother trying further out. Small lug baits tipped off with crab legs or a small little bit of mack belly did the business. Scratching tactics at their finest but embarassing to be reaching for the size 6s in Munster all the same...
With cards counted, a few of the lads had been tortured with undersize rockling throughout. 2nd place had 3 fish, rockling, flounder and coalie I think it was with 3rd and 4th on 2 fish. A nice evening to be fishing, good to have all the lads pegged on the beach too instead of the usual ramblers.
As an aside, I used my christmas pressie from the missus for the first time, a ZZiplex powertex Bass rod (cheers Tom..
) teamed with a medium sized FS and 25lb braid straight through. A lovely lovely outfit for that kind of fishing I have to say and a bit more robust than the Grauvell Tektron and Match tip I normally use for scratching around with. Grauvell a great set up but can struggle sometimes for a little distance with the soft tip, no such issues with the zippy and even 20cm rockling were rattling the tip round with 60-70 yards of line out.Well done to Phanover and Steve Ryan on their 3rd and 4th places, 2 more of the new kids on the block with Crosshaven who are finishing consistently well this year and will surely figure somewhere in the MA shake up at the finish.
