Duration: 7.45 - 10.30 pm
Tide: HW at 10.30 pm
Weather: Mild, light westerly breeze, clear
Bait: Lugworm, king ragworm, squid
Rigs: Single hook flapper (4/0), pennel pulley (3/0), two hook flapper (3/0)
Results: 2 bass, 1 coalfish
Report: It was nice sunny evening so I had a quick dinner and headed out for some beach fishing and the first try on my new Penn Affinity rod that I had just purchased at a bargain price from a UK online store. There was a good surf and it looked like there could be a possibility of a bass so I set up both rods with size 3/0 or 4/0 hooks.
At dusk I looked for my lamp - disaster
I had left it at home 
Fortunately I had a back up - I had a small torch in my coat pocket. It was a clear night with a half moon so there was enough moonlight to work with. I just needed light to bait up the hooks. I did that while holding the torch in my mouth 
I had a couple of tugs on the line at dusk but nothing hooked - then there was a good pull on the rod tip - I started to retrieve and it felt heavier and was putting up more of a fight than the average 1 lb coalfish that are prevalent on the beaches at this time of year. As I hauled it through the foam I could see that distinctive raised dorsal fin in the moonlight - my first bass of 2008
The bass was 43 cm and just under 2 lb. I caught it with the 3/0 pennel pully, baited with lug worm and with the new rod too.
About 10 minutes later there was another tug on the line - this time it was a coalfish - 32 cm, just under 1 lb, again caught on lug worm on the pennel pulley 3/0 rig.
20-25 minutes after that there was a strong pull on the second rod - this time the fish was putting up a strong fight - I reckoned it had to be another bass. Sure enough it was - bigger than the first, 47 cm and 2.75 lb.
This was caught on the two hook 3/0 flapper with a lugworm-squid cocktail.
I fished for a little longer, until high tide, but there were no more bites.
So what had initially looked to be a diaster when I discovered I had not brought my lamp turned out to be a great night, and a good start with my new rod.
. Fish have been scarce on the beaches for the last few months (for me anyway) - and it great to get something other than coalfish.