Shorething
New member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2021
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 28
- Points
- 13
- Location
- Tenterden, Kent
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
Hello all. New to the forum so be gentle!
I fished Princes Parade last night in my first beach excursion for over 2 years. Armed with some very ropey lug (supplied by a local tackle shop that will remain nameless but should know better). I also had rag and squid to the bait bucket.
Plan was my usual method, one rod at range scratching for anything willing to bite and one rod very close with a simple large bait or live bait for bass.
I arrived about 3 hours before high tide to give myself plenty of time to find my rhythm and iron out any kinks. Just as well as the second cast resulted in a snag which ultimately resulted in my tying a new leader knot. 3 attempts in the deepening gloom later and we are back in action.
Crabs were doing their thing from the start with bare hooks coming in after just a short soak, this was confirmed by the bottom hook of my three hook flapper rig coming back neatly snipped off.
High tide came and went with nothing but frustration to show for my efforts and I’m starting to remember why it’s been 2 years or more since I did this! Final straw was when I again lost the bottom hook to crabs and the though if re-rigging has just about tipped the scales in favour of calling it a night.
C’mon, one more try and we get going. I thought.
A change of tactics then, looking through my assortment of tangled rigs I find a pulley rig, mount a whole squid and launch it towards France. The short range rod gets loaded with another whole squid and lobbed about 30 yards where previously I’d had it at about 10.
5 minutes later and the short range rod goes ape in that typical juddering bend that screams bass. A short fight and a gleaming silver beauty of 2.5 lbs is safely on the shingle.
There then followed a crazy hour fishing whole squid at the same range. No more bass I’m afraid but I found a run of silver eels which kept me busy.
I finally called it a night when I ran out of squid, retreated to the car full of adrenaline and caffeine and remembering exactly why I love this. It was only then that I realised it had been steadily raining for the last hour or so and I was soaking wet!
I fished Princes Parade last night in my first beach excursion for over 2 years. Armed with some very ropey lug (supplied by a local tackle shop that will remain nameless but should know better). I also had rag and squid to the bait bucket.
Plan was my usual method, one rod at range scratching for anything willing to bite and one rod very close with a simple large bait or live bait for bass.
I arrived about 3 hours before high tide to give myself plenty of time to find my rhythm and iron out any kinks. Just as well as the second cast resulted in a snag which ultimately resulted in my tying a new leader knot. 3 attempts in the deepening gloom later and we are back in action.
Crabs were doing their thing from the start with bare hooks coming in after just a short soak, this was confirmed by the bottom hook of my three hook flapper rig coming back neatly snipped off.
High tide came and went with nothing but frustration to show for my efforts and I’m starting to remember why it’s been 2 years or more since I did this! Final straw was when I again lost the bottom hook to crabs and the though if re-rigging has just about tipped the scales in favour of calling it a night.
C’mon, one more try and we get going. I thought.
A change of tactics then, looking through my assortment of tangled rigs I find a pulley rig, mount a whole squid and launch it towards France. The short range rod gets loaded with another whole squid and lobbed about 30 yards where previously I’d had it at about 10.
5 minutes later and the short range rod goes ape in that typical juddering bend that screams bass. A short fight and a gleaming silver beauty of 2.5 lbs is safely on the shingle.
There then followed a crazy hour fishing whole squid at the same range. No more bass I’m afraid but I found a run of silver eels which kept me busy.
I finally called it a night when I ran out of squid, retreated to the car full of adrenaline and caffeine and remembering exactly why I love this. It was only then that I realised it had been steadily raining for the last hour or so and I was soaking wet!
