Goateeblank
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- Oct 4, 2020
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I need rays for my species hunt. Armed with bluey, squid, mackerel and sand eels, no worm, as I know I will end up concentrating on smaller stuff. I decided on a late night (12:30) tide at Milford on Sea, trying for a spottie or a small eye. I had a spotted and a thornie there last year and I can see my van in the car park just 40ft away.
Unlike Hurst shingle bank where you generally have to fish the tide off. The beach is more manageable over the tides or so I thought!
I was set up and fishing by 7. You have to pay in the car park till 10, but you can also park on the single yellows in the road after 6. Pulleys with 3 O hooks, one with sand eel and the other with bluey or mackerel or with a squid wrap. Met a nice guy who is getting into luring. Said to him to try and flick the lure off the end of the rod rather than cast
it. He got the knack and rewarded himself with his first lure caught bass. He was well chuffed.
From the first cast it was obvious this was not going to be easy! I tried uptiding as best I could, but the lines just picked up the weed and the whole lot just went East. I suppose it allows the bait to cover more ground, but it only took 10 mins at times before the gear would be washed past the next wooden groyne. Bringing in to recast meant a good lift to get it moving, then smooth pump (incase it had a fish on) to get it up in the water. So heavy, then it would go easy as it lost weed, then heavy again as it picked up more. Big heavy clumps of weed then had to be stripped off, check/rebait then chuck it out again, but fishing closer and closer until I was fishing in the lee of the stone groyne which helped a bit, but it's not where I wanted the bait. Dropped to one rod as the back and shoulders were aching. Set up a lighter rod with a 3 hook flapper and fished that tight into the groyne to see what was there, can't resist! No worm, so squid strips used as bait. First bite was a pout followed by a doggie. Whilst unhooking the dog, the big bait which I was tempted to chuck a bit further out was now well past the wooden groyne. Luckily I was able to vault the wooden groyne (like a yearling antelope) and get it back ok. Just after that I lost a leader and tackle to the groyne which was a bugger!
This went on and I was able to introduce the other big bait rod again and increase the distance and steadily turn my bit of beach green! I was mindful of something I think @chesilpete wrote once about fishing through it to find the fish. I had been at it now for 4 1/2 hours and it was all wearing very thin. I had another doggie and managed to cut through the hook length, so put on a new 2 O hook and a decent and whole (I normally remove the head and tail) sand eel. Punched it out and it held in front of me. At last! At bloody last!
Re-baited the other with straight bluey and put it out again, put it on the rest and noticed that the sand eel rod had gone East and in danger of a wrap around the groyne. Lifted and it was heavy, no change there I though. Winding and pumping and the "weed" kicked! Keep the line tight, ease it past the wooden groyne and it is definitely fish on. As it broke the surf line and my lamp caught it, I though at first it was an eel, then I can see its a ray. Beached it and its my target small eye. Yeeeessssss!!! Pictures taken with my species card and I tried to get a posey picture with it and failed miserably sorry, so put it back in to swim smartly away.
It is now 11:40 so do I fish on? There may be a spottie so give it a bit longer. The weed quickly returned and the tide was pushing East to West so putting me past the stone groyne. Enough is enough. I packed up and put my gear in the van and thought about the 3 O hook, grip lead and leader on the groyne and someone finding it and slagging off the anglers. Decided to risk sleeping in the van, in the council car park till low tide. 3 1/2 hours later I was up and able to retrieve the gear. Beautiful morning so quick picture (thats the moon) and back to the van for a cup of tea, before driving home to take the wife up a cup of tea in bed before 7.
Tough session, but it gave me one of the species I was targeting (and a workout l didn't want), so I cant complain. I see on a local forum that a guy in the Needles Eye car park just East of me had a spottie, so I was right that they are there.
Unlike Hurst shingle bank where you generally have to fish the tide off. The beach is more manageable over the tides or so I thought!
I was set up and fishing by 7. You have to pay in the car park till 10, but you can also park on the single yellows in the road after 6. Pulleys with 3 O hooks, one with sand eel and the other with bluey or mackerel or with a squid wrap. Met a nice guy who is getting into luring. Said to him to try and flick the lure off the end of the rod rather than cast
it. He got the knack and rewarded himself with his first lure caught bass. He was well chuffed.
From the first cast it was obvious this was not going to be easy! I tried uptiding as best I could, but the lines just picked up the weed and the whole lot just went East. I suppose it allows the bait to cover more ground, but it only took 10 mins at times before the gear would be washed past the next wooden groyne. Bringing in to recast meant a good lift to get it moving, then smooth pump (incase it had a fish on) to get it up in the water. So heavy, then it would go easy as it lost weed, then heavy again as it picked up more. Big heavy clumps of weed then had to be stripped off, check/rebait then chuck it out again, but fishing closer and closer until I was fishing in the lee of the stone groyne which helped a bit, but it's not where I wanted the bait. Dropped to one rod as the back and shoulders were aching. Set up a lighter rod with a 3 hook flapper and fished that tight into the groyne to see what was there, can't resist! No worm, so squid strips used as bait. First bite was a pout followed by a doggie. Whilst unhooking the dog, the big bait which I was tempted to chuck a bit further out was now well past the wooden groyne. Luckily I was able to vault the wooden groyne (like a yearling antelope) and get it back ok. Just after that I lost a leader and tackle to the groyne which was a bugger!
This went on and I was able to introduce the other big bait rod again and increase the distance and steadily turn my bit of beach green! I was mindful of something I think @chesilpete wrote once about fishing through it to find the fish. I had been at it now for 4 1/2 hours and it was all wearing very thin. I had another doggie and managed to cut through the hook length, so put on a new 2 O hook and a decent and whole (I normally remove the head and tail) sand eel. Punched it out and it held in front of me. At last! At bloody last!
Re-baited the other with straight bluey and put it out again, put it on the rest and noticed that the sand eel rod had gone East and in danger of a wrap around the groyne. Lifted and it was heavy, no change there I though. Winding and pumping and the "weed" kicked! Keep the line tight, ease it past the wooden groyne and it is definitely fish on. As it broke the surf line and my lamp caught it, I though at first it was an eel, then I can see its a ray. Beached it and its my target small eye. Yeeeessssss!!! Pictures taken with my species card and I tried to get a posey picture with it and failed miserably sorry, so put it back in to swim smartly away.
It is now 11:40 so do I fish on? There may be a spottie so give it a bit longer. The weed quickly returned and the tide was pushing East to West so putting me past the stone groyne. Enough is enough. I packed up and put my gear in the van and thought about the 3 O hook, grip lead and leader on the groyne and someone finding it and slagging off the anglers. Decided to risk sleeping in the van, in the council car park till low tide. 3 1/2 hours later I was up and able to retrieve the gear. Beautiful morning so quick picture (thats the moon) and back to the van for a cup of tea, before driving home to take the wife up a cup of tea in bed before 7.
Tough session, but it gave me one of the species I was targeting (and a workout l didn't want), so I cant complain. I see on a local forum that a guy in the Needles Eye car park just East of me had a spottie, so I was right that they are there.
