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- Jul 15, 2021
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All week I had hayling Island as my destination for my Friday nights fishing. Reports were that a few hounds were caught in a match their recently so that was my intended quarry for this trip. Arrived there about 4-30pm and after a visit to the tackle shop I set up where I had been advised to go ,only it's an area I've never had much luck from. I fished for a couple of hours and really not feeling it I packed up and drove to my usual area ready to fish from low up to high which was 3-40am. Now I got out my van and the beach was empty, normally there would be at least 1 angler fishing, irrespective of tide etc but no one which filled me negativity . I decided there and then that I would change venue, so decided to drive to selsey east beach. Chance of hounds, rays , bass , possibly bream and of course dogs and straps and off I went.
Arrived to a relatively busy east beach with the skate park down to the lifeboat being full of anglers. I walked up to the end of the skate park and settled in a groin all to myself and was fishing from bang on low. One rod scratching with 2 hook clipped down with ragworm and squid and the other changing between ray baits and hound baits of squid, crab and sprats.
A doggy on the second cast saved the blank and bites pretty much every cast put fish on the shingle. Dogs and straps were the visitors for a while and I'd had 3 of each in a couple of hours and a few bream rattles or I guessed were bream. So with that I put out a bream rig with pop up beads and caught one straight away around 26cm. Next cast and it slammed over taking line and after a bit of a scrap a hound of 4lb 03oz was on the beach. Always the way with me, the scratching rod produces the better fish. After that I stick to crab on the other rod hoping for more hounds but no more were forthcoming. The bream action continued though with several more all around the 25cm - 27cm size. They became a nuisance in the end as the were smashing up my big baits once they found them. High water came and bites continued but I was feeling shattered now so to keep myself from dropping off I kept refreshing the bait changing the crab on the other rod to a double sprat and squid wrap. It hadn't been out there more than a few minutes when I saw my rod hoop over and reel Start to scream as if I'd hooked an F1 car. I thought big hound as they go like stink but this thing flat rodded me and took line for fun. I had no idea what was on the end but it took me all of 20mins to fight it. It dragged my other rod over, took me over the wooden groin to my right, it was mental is all I can say. God knows how I got it back over the groin especially with my other line attached but sure enough I beached what at first i thought was a huge hound to realise it was infact a Tope and a new species for me. I was blown away, buzzing, floating on cloud 9. What an incredible fish and the best fight from any fish I've had in my life. I've had several carp over 40lb in England, 50lb carp in France but this fish beat me up good and proper and weighed in at 24lb 11oz. The pictures didn't do it justice but I got one half decent snap as i just wanted it back in the water as fast as possible. So with 2 rods in an absolute mess and as I didn't wear waders I got soaked putting it back as I wanted to hold it in a decent depth of water before releasing it I decided to pack up, one very wet but my god one very happy fisherman. Sorry its long winded.
Tight lines all, I'm still buzzing.
Arrived to a relatively busy east beach with the skate park down to the lifeboat being full of anglers. I walked up to the end of the skate park and settled in a groin all to myself and was fishing from bang on low. One rod scratching with 2 hook clipped down with ragworm and squid and the other changing between ray baits and hound baits of squid, crab and sprats.
A doggy on the second cast saved the blank and bites pretty much every cast put fish on the shingle. Dogs and straps were the visitors for a while and I'd had 3 of each in a couple of hours and a few bream rattles or I guessed were bream. So with that I put out a bream rig with pop up beads and caught one straight away around 26cm. Next cast and it slammed over taking line and after a bit of a scrap a hound of 4lb 03oz was on the beach. Always the way with me, the scratching rod produces the better fish. After that I stick to crab on the other rod hoping for more hounds but no more were forthcoming. The bream action continued though with several more all around the 25cm - 27cm size. They became a nuisance in the end as the were smashing up my big baits once they found them. High water came and bites continued but I was feeling shattered now so to keep myself from dropping off I kept refreshing the bait changing the crab on the other rod to a double sprat and squid wrap. It hadn't been out there more than a few minutes when I saw my rod hoop over and reel Start to scream as if I'd hooked an F1 car. I thought big hound as they go like stink but this thing flat rodded me and took line for fun. I had no idea what was on the end but it took me all of 20mins to fight it. It dragged my other rod over, took me over the wooden groin to my right, it was mental is all I can say. God knows how I got it back over the groin especially with my other line attached but sure enough I beached what at first i thought was a huge hound to realise it was infact a Tope and a new species for me. I was blown away, buzzing, floating on cloud 9. What an incredible fish and the best fight from any fish I've had in my life. I've had several carp over 40lb in England, 50lb carp in France but this fish beat me up good and proper and weighed in at 24lb 11oz. The pictures didn't do it justice but I got one half decent snap as i just wanted it back in the water as fast as possible. So with 2 rods in an absolute mess and as I didn't wear waders I got soaked putting it back as I wanted to hold it in a decent depth of water before releasing it I decided to pack up, one very wet but my god one very happy fisherman. Sorry its long winded.
Tight lines all, I'm still buzzing.
