Duration: 2.30-5.30 pm and 11.30 pm-4.20 am
Tide: HW at 3.50 pm and 4.20 am
Weather: Srong SSW breeze, partly cloudy, calm with just light SW breeze later
Bait: Crab
Rigs: 4/0 pennel pulleys
Results: 3 Bass, 3 flounder, 5 codling
Report: With the calm conditions over the last few weeks the fishing has been slow to say the least. Due to the weak surf I had mostly focused on plugging for bass with nothing more than a small foul hooked garfish to show for it. I had a few beach sessions but just had a few small codling (30-38 cm) and coalfish - a waste of good bait
So with the return to southwesterlies at the weekend I was hopeful of a few decent fish showing up.Afternoon session:
I headed to a beach that I have rarely fished but which I hoped would be good on a rising tide in daylight. There were a few other beaches that can produce bass in daylight but I reckoned that all the surfers would be out as they wouldn't have had much action over the last few weeks either. When I arrived there was a very nice surf rolling in - and only two surfers down the far end. The water was nicely coloured so it looked good. However, it was quite for a long time. Then as I was eating a sandwich I spotted a fairly subtle knock on one of the rods. I lept up grabbed it and reeled in - there felt to be a reasonable fish on the end but not a bass - then as I got it in close I could see a good flounder. It was 39 cm and fairly plump
About 20 minutes later I spotted another similar bite - struck and began to retrieve. This time the fish was putting up a little stronger fight - I reckoned it was another flounder - sure enough it was - a 43 cm flounder - my longest of the year,
although not the heaviest as it was quite scrawny.As the tide began to ebb I packed up and saved the bait for a session that night
Night Session:
I planned to fish another beach on the rising tide in darkness. I arrived at dusk, but was disappointed with the surf. The wind had eased off and there was only a weakish surf. Then as I was getting the gear out of the car I discovered I had forgotten to bring the box with my weights
As it was still early and just after low tide I had plenty of time so I headed back home to get the weights. As I was driving back out I reconsidered where to fish and reckoned that there should still be a nice surf on the beach where I fished in the afternoon. When I got to the beach there was indeed still a good surf I set up two rods baited with crab on 4/0 pennel pulleys and lobed them into the surf. Shortly after I had a small knock on one of the rods and reeled in a 35 cm codling. A few minutes later I had another smaller codling. The little feckers where distroying the nice crab baits that took me about 5 minutes to present well on the hooks
At that stage I was not too optimistic - it looked like the coding were going to be all over the bait before a bass had a chance to find it.However, about 20 minutes later, I spotted another subtle knock. I presumed it was another codling, picked up the rod and struck - but then it took off - ran a 20m slacklined before I caught up with it and then put up a fierce struggle - this was the first good fish I had with the Ultima Power Steel line and I could feel every movement of the fish as it dug its tail into the seabed. It made another surge, this time to the left but I kept in contact and then it really began to fight as I got it into the shallow surf. A few minutes later I could see it thrashing about it a few inches of water before a wave surged forward and covered it - allowing the fish to make another run to the left again, but as the surf receded I soon had it out of the water. It was a good bass - 63 cm with a weight of just under 5.5 lb
It was in good condition and looked well fed. I was delighted with that - it had been about 4 weeks since my last bass, whereas as last April I was getting 3 or 4 from most sessions.After that the codling were back with a vengence - I had another three in quick succession and missed a few more. Every time they made sh!t of the bait so I would have to put on a fresh crab. I then decided to cast shorter - I was picking up the codling further out and hoped that bass might be in close. Shortly after making the first cast about 30 m out I spotted subtle knock and picked up the rod - then felt a small tug - another codling I thought as I struck. But the fish was putting up a good struggle - so it was bigger than the little pests that were chewing up my crab. It did a short slack line run but I caught up with it after a few seconds, before eventually hauling it out of the surf. It was a 47 cm bass. Again it was a well conditioned quite plump fish
The bites slowed down after that. I was thinking that the fish had moved on but nevertheless I was going to stick it out to high tide. Then I spotted a sharp strong pull on one of the rods. I grabbed it and struck. I could feel another very strong fish. It was pulling very hard and stripping a little line although the clutch on the reel was quite tight. This fish also surged to the left but I kept in contact with it and managed to turn it back in towards the shore. Again I could feel its tail digging into the sediment as it fought against me. It was putting up a stronger fight than the first bass and putting a severe bend in the rod. Good to feel a decent fish on the line after a winter of tiddlers. It was struggling ferociously in the shallow water but I eventually landed it - another fine bass, slight bigger than the first at 64 cm but stockier with a weight of 6 lb
I fished on - but was running low on crab, just the smaller ones left at this stage. I spotted another small knock - this time it was a flounder, about 35 cm (I lost my ruler - a wave surged in and swept it away after I got the last bass
). As I was photographing the fish there was a strong double tap on the other rod - but by the time I put the camera back in its bag and rested it somewhere secure (bad enough having the ruler washed away 
) it was too late. The line was gone slack - I rapidly reeled in the slack but the fish was gone - I presume it must have been another bass. I fished for about another 20 minutes or so to finish off the last of the bait and then packed up.So I was delighted with that session - the bass are back
after a very slow start this year.
