Mukiwa
Well-known member
Good evening guys,There is Certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind.
:Washington Irving
Well after a long wait to get to the waters edge, to the place where we find peace, a discussion followed between Merryleggs and myself as to where we would venture forth. In usual fashion, checking marks and weather, deciding on Browndown .......... no no Stokes bay ......... yes but the wind.......... ok Haslar Wall, so with some really good advice on Haslar Wall from @Nottah747, thank you Pete , excitement set in.
So I thought lol. Looking at the wind forecast, it was blowing SW 17mph gusting 24mph. Chill factor of 7 degrees, that's it Merryleggs is not going fishing now. Forget Haslar wall, so the car was loaded and on our way to a mark I have not fished for a while. Lepe deep water!!! as we turned on to the long road to Lepe, the mood changed as we notice that there was not a breath of air. Disappointed Merryleggs and guilty me that I should have pushed harder for her to join me.
Being left in the carpark, and watching the car drive away, my thoughts changed to the fishing and the walk to the dolphins. TIME was 22;00 hrs, LW 00;05 1.98 meter tide. Eyes adjusted , and ears sharped and tuned into the distant hoots of the Wood owls, the shelter of the trees bringing an airy silence, broken by the splash of water from my boots walking though puddles on the path light up by the orange glow of distant city lights, the muffled sound of waves from beyond the trees, finally arriving at the mark. Plan was to set up the rods and get them fishing, then put up the bivy! Wrong again, it started to rain.
The wind on my back, camp sorted. Rigs where up and over with squid and mackerel as bait. The water coloured and the moon peeping out from behind the clouds, I baited up and cast Merryleggs rod first, then mine. Well I did not have to wait long, with the first Dog fish landed. Well Chuffed that the blank was now sorted.
Next was my rod.... yip another Dog fish. Merryleggs would have loved fishing tonight, with Dog fish being one of her favourite fish to catch. Well it was a night of Dog fish so I thought.
As LW approached a nod from the rod tip, signalled a slightly different fish, which proved to be when I tightened up and started to reel in something that made the rod pump a bit, landing my first Thornback ray of the evening. Photo taken and released.
Casting high to catch the wind over head to get maximum distance, the stream of Dog fish continued. It did not take long before I connected with another ray and then another.
What an evening this was turning out to be, Just as I thought the stream of Dog fish couldn't get any worse, it did, with fish on before I could get the rod settled on to the tripod.The clouds cleared to reveal the Milky way in all its glory, with a constant shower of shooting stars, which is Orionids, being the dust and particles left over from Halleys comet. The wind making its presence felt, as the fishing slowed, and a change of species, with straps being landed. The glow on the horizon signalled the end of my fishing as I packed up, and return along the same path with the sounds of dawn, reflecting on the relentless onslaught of dogfish and straps and the pride of landing three Thronback rays, to be greeted at the other end by Merryleggs, with a flask of coffee and a bacon roll, Bless you and thank you.
Thank you for reading and tight lines for the week ahead.
Cheers
Mukiwa
