Mr Fish
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2020
- Messages
- 21,360
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- Location
- North Devon
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
Had a daytime comp today and although I knew many club members would be heading to North Cornwall for wrasse or chasing mullet (bloody things), I decided on a local mark that can chuck up some big wrasse, or possibly a decent rockling.
As far as the comp went I wasn’t particularly confident I’d get anything worth weighing as the wrasse specimen is 5lb and although it’s not impossible, it’s bloody hard to get one that size on our coast.
But I’ve had a stressful week worrying about the sick cat and although we don’t know what will happen long term, he’s a lot better so I thought I could take a few hours out.
After hiking down to the mark a little later than planned and climbing various rocks, I settled on a higher spot rather than the lower spot I’d planned.
That one needed a jump across a gully, stepping on a sloping wet rock in the middle and although nothing too terrible, with gear and being on my own, I decided it probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to do.
So the high rock it was.
Out went half a spider crab on one and I scratched around with mackerel strip on the other, thinking maybe rockling.
This mark is as snaggy as feck and I just hoped the 10 weights I could scrounge up would be be enough.
The crab rod was soon off with a bite, but I had a nasty feeling and when the trace came back twisted to hell, I suspected the worst.
Indeed, a jet black strap soon found the mackerel, bloody things, followed by another on the crab rod.
I hate the damn things. Not because I don’t like handling them, I’ve been catching eels of all sizes for years, just that the damn things wreck traces and take decent bait intended for other fish.
Nonetheless, they are treated kindly, unhooked and returned to pester some other poor sod.
As the tide turned, even those bites slowed down but I had one more small strap that managed to lasso its nose and not even take the hook ? Another trace to cut up, wahoo.
There was an easterly wind ripping through and although this mark is good for wrasse, I wasn’t getting any bites, so maybe that was why.
I gave up on mackerel and squid baits and went all out on crab on both rods to use it up, although I only took five.
Returning from a quick check to see how long before my escape route was cut off, I noticed a few knocks but nothing else happened.
Sometime later I reeled in a heavy weight that turned out to be the target at last.
Only 2lb 3 and not big enough to weigh in, but better than an eel!
Unfortunately it was deep hooked and rather than try and remove it I cut the line close, carried it down to the waters edge but sadly it went belly up ?
Probably because it had been out there hooked for so long and I hadn’t been aware.
Usually find wrasse are neatly hooked but not so on this occasion
Very frustrating but what can you do? Sometimes that’s fishing.
The cut off point was getting close and I fed the last of the crab and leads (?) to the snags with one eye on the low area behind me.
I made one last quick trip down to judge how long I had - about 15 minutes I figured - and bloody typical, as I walked back I saw one rod screaming off.
Hurried over, grabbed it, couple of nods, whack! And nothing…
That had to be it as it was very close to wading time and I only had wellies on.
Packed up quickly and had to do a very circuitous route back over slimy boulders (thank feck for spikes) because the usual route back was already underwater.
A young lady sunbathing topless on the beach helped to keep my heart rate up as I climbed the cliff back towards the car ???
Oh, the comp was won by a 5lb plus wrasse (almost certainly Cornwall) and a 4lb plus mullet. ???
As far as the comp went I wasn’t particularly confident I’d get anything worth weighing as the wrasse specimen is 5lb and although it’s not impossible, it’s bloody hard to get one that size on our coast.
But I’ve had a stressful week worrying about the sick cat and although we don’t know what will happen long term, he’s a lot better so I thought I could take a few hours out.
After hiking down to the mark a little later than planned and climbing various rocks, I settled on a higher spot rather than the lower spot I’d planned.
That one needed a jump across a gully, stepping on a sloping wet rock in the middle and although nothing too terrible, with gear and being on my own, I decided it probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to do.
So the high rock it was.
Out went half a spider crab on one and I scratched around with mackerel strip on the other, thinking maybe rockling.
This mark is as snaggy as feck and I just hoped the 10 weights I could scrounge up would be be enough.
The crab rod was soon off with a bite, but I had a nasty feeling and when the trace came back twisted to hell, I suspected the worst.
Indeed, a jet black strap soon found the mackerel, bloody things, followed by another on the crab rod.
I hate the damn things. Not because I don’t like handling them, I’ve been catching eels of all sizes for years, just that the damn things wreck traces and take decent bait intended for other fish.
Nonetheless, they are treated kindly, unhooked and returned to pester some other poor sod.
As the tide turned, even those bites slowed down but I had one more small strap that managed to lasso its nose and not even take the hook ? Another trace to cut up, wahoo.
There was an easterly wind ripping through and although this mark is good for wrasse, I wasn’t getting any bites, so maybe that was why.
I gave up on mackerel and squid baits and went all out on crab on both rods to use it up, although I only took five.
Returning from a quick check to see how long before my escape route was cut off, I noticed a few knocks but nothing else happened.
Sometime later I reeled in a heavy weight that turned out to be the target at last.
Only 2lb 3 and not big enough to weigh in, but better than an eel!
Unfortunately it was deep hooked and rather than try and remove it I cut the line close, carried it down to the waters edge but sadly it went belly up ?
Probably because it had been out there hooked for so long and I hadn’t been aware.
Usually find wrasse are neatly hooked but not so on this occasion
Very frustrating but what can you do? Sometimes that’s fishing.
The cut off point was getting close and I fed the last of the crab and leads (?) to the snags with one eye on the low area behind me.
I made one last quick trip down to judge how long I had - about 15 minutes I figured - and bloody typical, as I walked back I saw one rod screaming off.
Hurried over, grabbed it, couple of nods, whack! And nothing…
That had to be it as it was very close to wading time and I only had wellies on.
Packed up quickly and had to do a very circuitous route back over slimy boulders (thank feck for spikes) because the usual route back was already underwater.
A young lady sunbathing topless on the beach helped to keep my heart rate up as I climbed the cliff back towards the car ???
Oh, the comp was won by a 5lb plus wrasse (almost certainly Cornwall) and a 4lb plus mullet. ???
