the last day

geejayy · #1 01-01-2012, 09:28 PM

31st dec 2011,
finished work and home by 1am , websites , weather and recent catch reports perused, tide times checked.
car loaded, coffee drunk and headed for chesil at 5am .
returned at 5.30 as had sorted box out the prevoius night for estuary hunting in the spring hence no grip leads ,

definately needed with a 2m swell on chesil & strong headwind. still forgot my hat though.

got to chesil cove by sunrise and took a look over the wall, surf didn't look too bad and the wind was ok but i knew it was due to deteriorate later.
drove to the ferrybridge carpark and headed along then over the bank,
it didn't look too bad, yet, and i was the first/only one on the beach . though i saw 3 more arrive to my right and a group down at the checkpoint area

with the beach buddie and rods set up bait was squid & lug, and rigs were pennel pulleys, first casts were a bit of a disapointment as the headwind was strong and i'm out of practice.
either way i sat back to watch the rod tops. that were nodding in the waves/wind,

i had set up on the storm ridge back out of the way as i hadn't slept for a while and i didn't want that rude wet swamped wakeup call if i nodded off

the first cast was a success and yealded a nice little pollock, of about a pound an a half maybee

this i thought boded well and i was looking forward to a fish filled session, however the wind increased & the surf got bigger

but still not half as big as it was when i was last here with Hartley & Jason,in darkness when it was throwing 2 foot of water over the 1st ridge with every other wave, and left Hartley decidedly jittery. easyer casting with the wind at our backs though.

i managed to hook a poor cod or two as the morning progressed but the conditions were severely hampering the casts and i felt i really should be out another 30-40 yard to stand any real chance, i tried 150 gram wacked low and hard, 170gram wacked hard hopeing that more momentum would prevail, even upped it to 210's but it all seemed to make little difference, i even trimmed the baits down small tight and streamlined but the weather had me stuffed and i had trouble hitting the 50 yard mark towards the end,

with just the occasional poor cod and conditions worsening i quit about 1.30pm,

time to chase flounder and rockling in the new year if i get time,

project daiwa 3h comming along nicely for the light bass/flounder/spinning sessions, 1st of 2 sorted, number 2 will be a ct frame if i can find the bits i need.