Duration:12th January: 10 pm - 12.30 am; 16th January: 7.30 - 11.30 pm
Tide: 12th January: HW at 10.35 pm; 16th January: LW at 9.00 pm
Weather: 12th January: moderate southwesterly wind, persistent rain; 16th January: mild, dry, clear
Bait: Razor
Rigs: 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0 pennel pulleys, 2/0 two hook flappers
Results:
12th January: 3 bass, 7 Codling, 1 Coalfish
16th January: 3 bass (to 6 lb), 3 Codling, 2 Coalfish
Report:
12th January: A bit of a southwesterly wind had picked up so I reckoned it would be worth having another shot at bass on a local beach. I got there about 8 pm. When I opened the car door I could hear the roar of the surf - that was a good sign, but couldn't see it as there was quite a dense fog/low cloud shrouding the beach. I got down to the beach and there was a nice surf. I sent up the first rod and cast it out, but as I was getting the second rod set up the first began to gradually bend over - the sure sign of weed. I hauled in a big bunch of kelp. I hoped it might be a isolated clump and cast out again, but the same thing happened. I move further down but again I ended up strugging to retrieve the line after a few minutes.
I was going to have to move elsewhere. I reckoned the other beaches close by might be equally as bad so decided to try a mark I hadn't fished since last winter. It was a bit of a drive and I didn't get there until almost 10 pm, so with high tide at 10.30 pm it didn't give me much prime fishing time. I quickly set up the rods again and as soon as I cast out the first I was into a codling, nothing to get excited over, about 1.5 pounds. Shortly after I had another smaller one. I set up a third rod and cast it in close. About ten minutes later there was a strong tug on the rod in close - I grabbed it and felt a bit of a pull and reeled in a small bass
- only 37 cm, but I was happy with getting another Jauuary bass seeing as I didn't get my first one last year until well into April. It was taken on razor on two hook flapper with short shank 2/0 hooks with short snoods.Another smallish codling followed again on the rod in close. Then I had another strong knock on the same rod. This time it was giving a better fight and turned out to be a 45 cm bass
I had another codling, again small, but not long after there was another good tug on the rod in close - a third bass
this was also quite small barely over 40 cm.All of this happened in the space of about an hour and a half, but the bites died down as the tide began to drop. I had a few more codling, one close to 2 lb and a coalfish. I packed up about 12.30 am.
16th January: After the storm on Friday night and Saturday I reckoned Sunday would be a good night to get out. I arrived at a beach to fish the last few hours of the ebb and early rising tide. There was a great surf, not too big, and it was totally weed free
I set up three rods again, so as to cover a range of distances, with one rod lobbed a short distance out into the surf. I put a two hook flapper (2/0 hooks) baited with razor on this and pennel pulleys on the other two rods. It was quite for about 45 minute then suddenly there was a sharp tug on the rod in close. I grabbed it and struck into a good fish. It was putting up a bit of a struggle. I reckoned it had to be a bass. I eventually hauled a well fed 52 cm bass out of the surf
Less than half an hour later I had an even stronger tug on the same rod. I grabbed the rod, but the fish was running a slackliner, I retrieved as fast as I could and caught up with it. It was pulling hard and putting a severe bend in the rod. It was fighting strongly especially as I got it into the shallows and I could see a good size fish splashing about in the moonlight. It was a 62 cm bass and weighed just under 6 lb.
Again it was a well fed fish so a bit above average weight for its length.The bites died off over low tide. I was now fishing all three rods in close but nothing was biting apart from a rather happy looking coalfish. As the tide began to push in I started to fish at varying distances again and began to pick up a few codling in the 1.5-2 lb range. They were feeding on lug, one had his mouth stuffed with about 4 lug and the stomach of another I kept was full of lug. I was about ready to pack up when I had another good knock on the rod in close - the third bass
This was rather smaller at 43 cm.I was tempted to stay longer but I had a lot of work to do Monday morning so I just had one more cast and caught another coalfish.
I was very happy with those two sessions, better than I had been expecting. I would probably have had an even better session on the 16th if I had the time to dig lug that afternoon.
I'm jealous.
