Duration: 4.30 - 8.00
Tide: HW at 6.30 pm
Weather: Light westerly breeze, dry, mild
Bait: Rag, mackerel, razor
Rigs: 3/0 pennel pulley, 3 hook flapper (size 2 and 6 hooks), single hook flowing traces (size 2 and 6)
Results: 5 flounder
Report: As there was a very low tide in the afternoon I got out to a rag worm bed that is normally submerged even at low tide and collected a good supply of rag. There was a strong tide in the evening (4.4 m) with a full moon so I was hopeful of a good session. Arrived at the beach at about 4.30 pm but there was only a fairly weak surf rolling in. Set up two rods with 3/0 pennels, one baited with 5 or 6 rag and a few mackerel strips, the other with mackerel, filleted and turned inside out and then bound on to the pennel with bait elastic - I thought that should provide a good scent trail. They were then cast out different distances. I set up the third rod with the three hook flapper, baited with rag, mackerel and razor and cast it close in.
There was not a bite for ages - the rod tips stayed motionless. Not even small fish nibbling on the bait
I tried various other rigs, hook sizes and bait combinations on the rod in close but still nothing.It was only after dark that I began to get some bites. About 7.30 pm I got the first bite, a small flounder of 25 cm taken on the rod in close on the three hook flapper baited with rag. Shortly after that I got a knock on the rod out furthest with the 3/0 pennel baited with rag - a 31 cm flounder caught on the smaller upper hook of the pennel. Another three flounder followed in quick succession, all caught on the three hook flapper in close. The first of these was 26 cm taken on rag tipped with mackerel, the second was 24 cm caught with razor and the final flounder was the smallest at about 22 cm, again taken on rag.
I packed up at that stage as the tide was dropping fast - I had been hoping that a few bass might show up but the surf was probably too weak - if any had been about I think I would at least have had a bite on the pennels as both had big baits which should have given off enough scent to attract any passing bass.
