I'm a sole man - Lyme 22/10/08

BaggieRich · #1 10-24-2008, 04:57 PM

Following a damned good chin scratching session, Dave, TJ, Dave's mate Carl and myself headed over to Lyme Regis Wednesday night to have a crack at a new species for all of us, namely the "I fell out the ugly tree" Dover sole.

Much time had been spent scouring the inter-web for likely looking marks and tactics. I discovered that Google Earth is by far the most detailed map program available for coastal areas and that in order to tempt the frankenstien of fish, you need to nail your bait to the sea bed and use hooks so small as to make even a darkside fisher-person wince. Well, I reckon size 4 hooks are stupid small anyway. Dave tells me that those of you that prefer less salt in their fishing use even smaller hooks sometimes. God knows how.

Anyway, bait nailing rigs made up (Including one Bola type running ledger rig with a weight at each end. Brilliant idea, not quite so good in practice.

) we met up at the top of Lyme and trundled down to the mark.

Despite the continued celebrations for Dave's imminent employment....

....I still wasn't the most confident bloke in the world. The week old lug I had wasn't up to much and it was pretty clear right from the off that the pout were out in huge numbers. Tj had pulled in two before I'd even got my second rod in the water, closely followed by Dave getting a doggie. Hmm, thinks I, new location, same old results.

Sure enough I started to get a steady stream of pout, along with a five bearded rockling, then Dave pulled in a nice double shot of shore rockling and TJ had a flounder. Not the target species, or even that exciting, but a good spread of fish none the less.

Having endured the procession of pout of a while, I had been toying with the idea of ditching the stupid small hooks in favour of a 3/0 penneled whole squid when I got a bite which clearly wasn't just another pout. I wound down into the fish to feel some solid resistance and then nothing. Thinking I'd skillfully lost another fish, I kept winding only to catch up with whatever it was and eventually pulled this, errm, beauty onto the beach.

Experimental fishing photo pose number 3: Pensive.

2lb 12oz of Dover sole, or as my Nan might put it, a fish with a face like a "bag-a-spanners". None the less it was my first sole, my biggest flattie to date, my first ever specimen fish and a new ESAA club record (Sorry Gary!). Slightly chuffed then? I should say so.

Fishing went a little quiet after that, I had a couple more pout, a Flounder and an 'oriible eel before we called it a night, packed up AND FAILED TO FIND A KEBAB. (Dave, you and I need to have a little talk about the rules of fishing mate.

I mean, work huh??)

A cracking night all in all. A shame the others couldn't join in with the ugly fish fun but then TJ has a habit of catching all the fish when he's out with us and Dave's recently had some fairly good news himself, so b*ll*cks to 'em. It's my turn.

Lessons learnt
*****************

1. Do your homework. It don't half pay off sometimes.
2. Rig ideas won't always work. Doesn't mean you shouldn't try them though.
3. Fishing? Without a Kebab? You what?

Greenheart · #2 10-24-2008, 05:44 PM

Well done Baggie. A true Funk Sole Brother.... That's going to make a tasty supper. You did keep it did'nt you?

Definately beats a Kebab...

pingu · #3 10-24-2008, 07:49 PM

mate it was a great night , good banter, cracking starlit eve , good beer and told you that fish was awsome

, hope dawn and kids enjoyed last night

massive well done on club record mate well deserved

but sorry about Kebab but with getting back to exmouth at 1.30 and alarm set for 5.30 even a fat bugger like me had to decline a kebab( the strand would have been open

)

think will def get one tommorrow night as weather looks pants, so may resultin drinking rather than fishin( and we are both stuck in whilst wives out in pub together tonight

)

dave