A day out at Eype, Mike's story

[mithrandir]

We met up with Ian at Eype shortly after Noon, when we arrived Ian and his friend Pete were already set up and fishing, the tide was just approaching low, and from our visit last year we knew that this was when the Wrasse liked to feed. So quickly I set up my gear and put small hooked flapper rigs baited with ragworm in the hope of getting my first ever Wrasse.

With the first cast on my second rod, I thought the tip was behaving strangely in the waves after about 15 minutes in the water, so decided to retrieve and recast the bait, As I reeled in I noticed something in the surf on my hook, and there was a small fish I had not seen before.

I first thought it was a bearded rockling because of the upper and lower fins on the tail and the multiple spiny type "beard fins", Ian seemed to think it was a Shanny of some kind because it had small teeth.

I have put up all the pictures I took in the hope someone here will give me an identification please.

Whatever it is, it is a new one to me and definitely 1.5 points for the species hunt. A good start to the day

first fish, id unknown







Within the hour I had a tap-tap-tap bite on one of the rods, this was just after the lowest point of the tide, and I reeled in another new species for me.

A Ballan Wrasse



not bad 2-30pm and I had had 2 fish, two new species for me, and 3 points for the hunt, this was turning out to be a good day for an occasional sea angler ( sea fishing is not my best or favourite type of fishing, being a fan of rivers and lakes ).

Now I had some points I thought it was time I did some background shots as I knew I would have to write a report!

Claudia to my right, re-tying on another rig as she seemed to have found the tackle graveyard, even though she was only fishing 20 yards from me.



Ian waiting for a bite, he was fishing 10 yards to my left, he too had lost a rig in the snags before we had arrived. On one of my retrieves I noticed some line wrapped around my lead, thinking I had fouled Ian's lines I called over to him, but no, his lines were fine, as I pulled it in it turned out to be his lost rig and lead from earlier, so tackle returned to its rightful owner I carried on fishing.



Claudia was fed up with sacrificing tackle to my right, so she had moved all of her kit to Ian's left and here can be seen re tackling ( or is that a small prayer to Neptune to ask him to stop nicking her tackle!)



It was not long before I managed a third fish, I did not notice the bite on this and it was just there as I retrieved, it was rather deeply hooked as it had been on for a while without me noticing. So,with Ian's help it was unhooked and I had another first for me, a Pout.



As it was beginning to get darker I decided to start upping the hook and bait size and try out the Sprats I had picked up earlier in the week.

Sunset



The sprat was put out on a 3/0 pulley pennel rig on one rod and I had changed the other rig over ( because I had lost one rig and leader to the snags out there ) to 1/0 bottom hook and a 1 top hook on a flapper rig ( 1up, 1 down) .

The Sprat baited rod soon started to dance around as dusk fell and I landed a smallish fish, I had never had any of the dogfish family and as walked up beach with it I shouted up to Ian and Claudia that I had my first Doggie, Ian had a look at it and announced that I was wrong and what I had was a small Bull huss. He warned me that they like to have a bite if they can so I carefully photographed it and returned it making sure I was not letting my fingers get near it's mouth.



Fourth fish, fourth species new to me, and 6 points for the hunt.

I managed to find another pout on my small top hook on the rag bait as the sun finally went down.

As the dark set in fully Dave arrived, bearing pies, and set up in Ian's spot, as Ian had to go as he had a date with a chinese meal.

Things went quiet for me as time ticked on and soon Richie turned up and set up in the spot Claudia had first fished, we did warn him of the snags but he set up regardless, we had all moved back up the beach as the tide was coming in quite close now.

Dave had been throwing leads and line into the snags and losing them with alarming regularity and was beginning to run out of rigs and leads, I was still down at the one lost rig and leader, I was not casting out very far so I think I was missing the snags, I had during the day straightened one hook, broken one hook and snapped off a snood, but fishing closer in was seeming to pay dividends.

The baits were moved around, I had a whole squid on the pulley rig, a small sprat on the bottom of the flapper, and some rag on the top hook of the flapper.

Then I got a bite on the flapper rig, Dave spotted it straight away as a doggie bite and I landed my first dog fish, and with a bit of instruction on doggie handling from Dave, and the loan of Richies pliers I had unhooked and photographed this reasonable sized Dogfish



So 6 fish, 5 new species and 7.5 points for the team! This was my best ever sea fishing day.

That was it for me, I could not buy another bite, I did get a heavy tug on my line and started to reel in what felt like a large lump of weed, it was very difficult to drag it through the surf, but by gentle teasing I managed to get the shockleader onto the reel and haul up to Daves waiting hands a big tangle of lines and leads, with a small doggie caught in the middle of it. Dave was at the borrowing leads stage now as he had completely run out, so you can imagine his delight as he cut the doggie free to return in safely, he discovered 5 of his leads caught up in this bundle! I had managed to re-capture most of his lost tackle and the "one that got away" too!

With that the tide had reached full, I was shattered and cold so I started to pack up and call in a day, it was after 11pm so Claudia and I drifted on home leaving Dave and Richie to fish on as the Dogfish seemed to have started to bite and they had everyones bait to use up.

Thanks to all that made it and gave me some help and support in my days fishing.

[Vagabond]

Well done, a few points well earned there - and you've landed your first "heft" too (thats a bundle of seaweed and second-hand tackle)

..and thats the smallest bull huss I have ever seen - but they all count!

That first fish is a Tompot Blenny (aka Gattorugine)

Barred sides, and unlike the Shanny has got little "ear tufts"

[mithrandir]

Thanks for the ID, I struggle with all these little Sea fish ( and some of the big ones!)

[fishypaul]

great report mike,very well done on all the species

[andyn]

What a day you had , fantastic. And what an assortment of fish .
Well done
Andy

[cuckoo]

Cracking report mike , looks like you outfished everyone ...

lee.

[luke6661982]

Nice Report there, nice to see a variety of species in one venue!!

Cute little Bull Huss you have there! Im more than sure your Ballan Wrasse is a Corkwing Wrasse, either way nice haul of points there well done

[mithrandir]

Luke you are probably right, I have looked at some pictures today, but as I had never caught a wrasse before I just went by what I was told, and wrote the report before I checked.

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Great read hard day but at least you got out

[silverfish]

Well done mate. Sounds ike a great days fishing.