29th august, ferrybridge.

[geejayy]

someone somewhere mentioned the 'C' word

no, not that one

but the result was i got bit by the bug , emptied the bait freezer and eventually headed for ferrybridge with hartley arriveing half an hour before high tide but that 1/2 hour or so was spent walking northwest along the bank, we're not megafit hence we only got just past the birdnesting area by the 1st building but i was surprised to find ourselves still among a dozen or so anglers spread along this section.
it was disapointing to see that the surf had dropped more than i expected as i was hopeing for it to be rougher with a little colour in the water, the wind had dropped to a light northwesterly and the swell on the ebbing tide wasn't much over 2-3ft.
eitherway anticipation was high & i swiftly rigged my rods with a 6/0 up n over rig and a 3 hook flapper rig with size 2's respectively.
baitwise the selection wern't bad as i'd emptied the freezer of black lug, sandeel, cuttle, squid, and a bit of crab.
though i could see the occasional fish landed by our neighbours, between us first blood went to hartley who landed a small 3/4lb
pollock from between the breakers, my only awnser to this was a string of cod albeit poorcod on my flapper rig equipped with mustad nordic bend pattern hooks, which i'm slowly going back to after favoring them in the 90's.

hartley was in again , and was well pleased with the short battle he had with his first smut that took a likeing to his squid bait.



while i could still only reply with double shots of poorcod and a solitary pouting , the little buggerz were everywhere happily shreading worm and squid & fish baits alike without surcease whiched hacked me off so i live baited one for a couple of hours hopeing for mr bass, a cuttlefish mullered it
but the bass didn't want to play, by 1am even the poorcod had gone off the feed and a wee doze was in order ( with one hopeful eye still 1/2 on the rods )
as low water approached i had the treat of a short run of doggies which caused a lightharted arguement twixt me n hartley as to who was now winning along the lines of 3 doggies more than equals a smut pup
but soon the dogfish stopped biteing,( on other days i might have cheered) and we were back to nothing doing till sun up .
at which point hartley dug a set of feathers out to successfully bag a dozen mackerel for the pot, along with a few scad.

during this i witnessed a wonderful sight, as i sat on the bank watching the surf i became aware of a slate grey bird skimming the waves as it came glideing in towards the beach as if from the cliffs at portland , i knew before it flaired its wings to climb up and over me that it was a perigrine then landing in the morning sun a top the shingle about 70 yards away , amazeing birds, after a five minute break it was up and away again like a little jet fighter cruiseing along the shore line , its the first one i've seen without jesses.
shortly afterward , just before we called it a day and faced the deppressing slog back to the carpark, on the beach i found washed up and quite deceased a little beast that i'd love to claim for the specie hunt, but i dunno where i'd get hooks small enough,
i wonder if vagabond has claimed a capture??



a fitting end to an august cod hunt that became just a pipe dream

[browners]

great report , fishing might of not been that good . but was worth the trip just for the perigrine

[BaggieRich]

Unlucky guys.

I saw the photo of the pipe fish before I read the text and seriously thought to myself "How the hell did you catch that!" Seriously small hooks!

Nice report Gord.

[Greenheart]

Nice report Gord. Not see a pipefish for years. Last time I saw some was in Ireland in a derelict open air swimming pool that was filled by the sea at high tide. perigrine's are amazing birds. Exeter cathereral is a good place to watch them. I've also watched then on the church at my wifes hometown of Nienburg. When they are mating, they lock claws with their partner & just tumble out of the sky. Incredible sight.

[cuckoo]

Bad luck on the spottys gord , but sounded a great night for it

[pingu]

sounded an enjoyable night even if failed on the tar=get

dave