First trip out this year!!

[mithrandir]

Been a long time since I have posted a catch report, not because I keep blanking, but because I have not been fishing!

I had booked Monday off as leave ( using up my last days holiday before the end of the leave year), so had a nice long weekend, I decided that the weather looked reasonable enough to maybe get a fishing trip in.
So Sunday arrives and the weather is looking really good, sunny, low winds and calm, a bit of a change from Saturday. 11-00 it is off to the tackle shop to buy some rag, I was planning on just hitting Branksome Beach ( in Poole bay ), but Laura ( the girlfriends 8 year old daughter ) wanted to come to the tackle shop with me, she has seen all the fishing stuff I have and thinks that the bags of muppets are " really cool ". Well we leave the tackle shop with £10 worth of rag, a crab line and bucket, with a decision that we will try Evening Hill in the afternoon for a couple of hours so she can go crabbing and I can dabble for some flatties, then I will drop her home and go off for an evening on the beach.

Got to Evening Hill a venue renowned for its ease of access, flatties and crabs, to find there were already 3 guys there fishing. I asked how it was going and the reply was "10 worms will last you all day, nothing is biting, not even the crabs"

Well they were right, not a nibble, not a bait touched and not a crab in sight, so after a couple of hours a bored little girl was dropped home and I set off for the beach.

I arrived at a bit before 6 so had an hour of light to set up, the tide was not far off low and was rising to be full at 11-30. The beach was empty, not a rod in sight and just a few people walking on the beach in coats as it was not actually that warm.

Set up at the high water mark, just so I do not have to keep moving my gear, and had the short walk to the surf to cast



I had my lines in the water and the first ciggie and coffee on the go as the sun was going down



I had no action for the first couple of hours then shortly after 8-30 I started to get little rattles on the rod tip, and on checking noticed the worms were getting nibbled, this was like the little rattles from pouting or wrasse.
Within half an hour the blank was saved as I connected with one of thes little rattles and landed my fish fish of the year.

I decided to have a carp fishing moment and name this one " Moby Dick"



I am not sure exactly what species it is, might be a rockling of sorts, or one of the goby family, but it is very light in colour as the venue is very plain sand, not really any weed or rocks ( except the artifical stone groynes they have added in the last couple of years).

The little taps continued, and my other rod soon had some activity, a sharp but harder tap, then nothing, then a gentle nodding, I was not sure what was going on, so watched the rod tip to see if it was wave action, a passing bit of rubbish in the water or a fish, so as I smoked a ciggie, I watched this gentle nodding, I decided lets just pull it in and see. I reeled in and they was a bit of resitance, and I definitely had something there, and out popped a small Flounder ( I think, no spots so not a dab or a plaice)



This one had been really deeply hooked, so unfortunately did not go back, I made a real mess of trying to disgorge the hook as I could not even see the shank when I landed it.
A lesson for me, do not wait so long to check next time.

Then it was quiet as the tide reached full, a few tip rattles and robbed bait, a superb shooting star, it lit a line across the whole sky and exploded in a red flash but nothing else until an hour after full tide I connected with one of the rattlers, this time a bit bigger.



As the tide retreated, I was getting sleepy and at 2 I decided a warm bed was calling, so left happy not to have blanked and just glad to be behind the rods again.

For those interested, I was fishing a 2 down flattie rig on size 1 hooks and a running leger on the rod that caught the 2 rattlers, and a pulley rig with a 1/0 aberdeen on the rig that caught me the flattie.

[scottish_and_mental]

Good effort mate ! shame the young un wasn't there to see a fish or two ..

[bassmanrob]

Good report mate, i enjoyed reading that.

Definately a flounder and yes the other fish are rockling, probably 5 bearded but difficult to tell from the photos.

I keep meaning to photograph a method I have for unhooking flatties step by step, just need to catch one! It's a great method using forceps and involves reversing the hook (through the gill covers) and pushing out the fishes mouth backwards. Easier to explain with pics, I saw it in a magazine years ago demonstrated by Ian Golds. Never had a problem with a deep hooked flatty since, they always go back strong.

Now if I could just catch one.....

[fishypaul]

good to see you back wetting a line mike,

[pingu]

nice to see you out again mike
deep hooked flatties is a regular problem as they just hoover along the bait

dave

[geffski]

arr well nice little session ther! deep hooking a fish never feels good jst one of them things mate!

[cuckoo]

Great report mike , good to see you out fishing the briny a result id say as well considering all the blank reports of late

[paul p]

A small flounder you say, i disagree thats a cracking size flounder, nice one. If ever not sure between flounder and dab, if you run your finger along the middle of the back of the fish, if it is ruff its a flounder if smooth a dab, a plaice the eyes. Some flounder can be mistaken for a plaice with some small orange spots. Well done for this time of year, as lee says its great seen a few fish caught. Well done. I do the same see a tap tap light up a smoke and if its still there when my rolly is rolled fish on. Great pics

[Davey]

Nice post mate well done on the fish.

[BaggieRich]

Nice one mate. As good a session as we've had all winter, you really haven't missed much!

That's looks like a decent flounder to me too.