Duration: 21;00 - 12:30
Tide: dropping
Weather: calm and warm
Bait: crab squid and mack
Rigs: pulleys and 1 hook flappers
Results: smoothies and dogs
Report:
We haven’t had a good go at the smooth hounds yet this year so with a light westerly breeze a plan was hatched to head to a mark that has been good to us in the past.
Myself and Chris had set-up two rods each one at distance with crab and one not so far with a mackerel and squid cocktail.
Soon after casting the rods were hoping away but each time the bait came back mangled as if the crab people were going to destroy our evening on the beach.
A short while later the dogfish came on the feed. Great to save the blank but it was the smooth hounds we were here for. I lost count how many dogs were landed after about 10. We spotted a nice Sea trout jump about 10 yards out from us which kept us optimistic all the same!
The sun had set and just after a cast I realised I needed to tape a glow stick to the rod tip. I ran over to my bag and as I turned around my beach caster was pulled over the tripod with the butt in the air like a see-saw. I grabbed it straight away and felt a good tug on the line. I knew at this point it was no dogfish, it felt like a cinder block swimming up and down the beach. I was screaming Chris! Chris! smoothie! fish on! as he laughed at my stance trying to battle this beast. I was worried after hearing stories of guys losing fish so with a bit of muscle I was delighted to see our first decent smoothie of the year land on the beach about 25 yards to my left. A quick photo and back he went.
I taught i was losing my mind when i kept seeing flashes of light on the pitch black beach but then realised it was phosphorescence.
marine phosphorescence, heatless light generated chemically by marine plants and animals. Bioluminescence is exhibited by a wide variety of oceanic organisms, from bacteria to large squids and fish.
I tried to get a picture of my own but it wasn’t possible with the flash.
Hear are some from the internet i found.
Not too long after Chris pulled in a smoothie pup and with his new holding technique he managed to keep him still for a nice shot.
More of the new holding technique. They seem to chill-out maybe its the way they lie on the seabed???
The Smooth hounds had left us and it was dogs from here on. They still looked cool coming in splashing the phosphorescence all over the place. I had a quick splash around in my wellies too but sorry no pictures of that!
