With far more space and time on my hands I decided to take up Sea Fishing, something which I had not done for some 20 years. At this time my we were still only engaged and were planning our wedding, so fishing was a great excuse to disappear for long periods of time.
My early trips took me to the East Neuk of Fife where I grew up. Knowing the area, but not really having a clue what I was doing (still don’t but getting there), these trips were fruitless in terms of catches but were a welcome nostalgic trip down memory lane. For a beginner there is a huge amount to absorb hook types and sizes; baits; rigs etc etc etc. The list is endless and it took me a wee while to get my head round the basics as at that point I had no fishing buddies to get pointers from.
Finding fishing forums was a huge bonus to me, and I may even have given up without them. Lots of helpful posts to search, other newcomers to meet up with and make mistakes and learn with as well as loads of helpful folks who don’t mind pointing someone in the right direction.
I think I must have blanked the first 8 or so trips I went on, looking back naivety played a huge part in that, but when I finally caught my first fish at Eliot beach, a flounder half the size of my palm, I felt like I had landed a vast leviathan from the deep. Modest I know but I genuinely think I will never forget that feeling.
After this success my next few trips were to back to Eliot where by the end of June I had amassed a vast 4 species, still after seeing species hunting was a popular sub section of fishing, I set my self and challenge to try to get 15 species in my first year. I set this very randomly and at this point and I did not really know if this was too hard/easy. I also started to plan some trips further afield on different types of marks.
At the beginning of July I went on my first trip west to Loch Linnie with the promise of several species I had never caught. Now I am constrained through work and family commitments to fish when I can and seldom have the benefit of getting out when conditions and tides are at their best, this trip was a great example. Lashing rain and a biting wind it was hellish and freezing, but after driving 130 miles to get there I was determined to have a reasonable session. Persistence paid off and I left after a 4 hour session with two new species under my belt.
Due to work and preparations for our wedding it was almost a month before I managed to get out fishing again, I had set my mind to catching my first thornie and went back to Loch Linnie. It took me three trips, thankfully in glorious weather to catch one. I had had a frustrating time of it as I had seen dozens of thornies landed by fellow anglers before managing to get my own. I love this place I don’t think there are any specimen fish to be had here but the range of species to be had is great.
I had one trip left before our wedding. A meet had been arranged on another forum at Kirkton beach just north of Peterhead, which had been throwing up some nice sized Turbots. This trip can be summed up quite simply, disaster.
Half a dozen of us camping plus a couple of guys staying locally popping in to say hello. A few beers and some homemade cider later and the craic was good. Fishy tall tales and suddenly its dark and the evening fishing session is off for some more booze and bonding. The evening and night were lovely, little cloud and wind.
Things changed and the rain started around midnight. I went off to my pit around half one only to be woken by the screaming wind a couple of hours later. After not getting any more meaningful sleep and only a few prolonged dozes I realised that my face was getting wet!
Two seconds flat and I was wide awake, the bloody fly sheet had pulled the tent pegs out on two sides and the wind (still horrendous) had blown it over the top. Now feeling like I was inside a washing machine on a cold spin cycle, and only in my undies to boot (not a sight for sore eyes) thankfully it was very dark, I fought with the wind to bring the fly sheet back over and cover the tent again. My skin was so numb I wasn't even cold. A damp couple of hours and another two trips out to re-set pegs, I decided to get into the car and put on all of my fishing gear and get toasty.
By about 7 a.m. the rest of the happy campers, not!, were starting to appear. The tent next to me had been having similar problems and whilst I was helping to peg it again a particularly bad gust took the tent, along with a teenager who went for a loop-de-loop. One guy rope held thankfully otherwise it would not have stopped before Aberdeen!
My homing instinct kicked in big time, knackered damn and cold fishing was not on my mind.
On 18th September Alison and I tied the knot at a lovely hotel in Edinburgh.
Our honeymoon was in Orkney but any thoughts of taking the fishing gear were well and truly blown out of the water. Still I did recce some places and the mix of rock/beach, deep/shallow water marks is impressive over a small area. I am also led to believe that there is not much shore angling undertaken as most is done by boat. 100% marked down for a future excursion.
Late September saw me being shown a few marks round Loch Etive, which is an amazing place, though not a happy hunting ground for me so far. In three trips I have never blanked, but I’ve only pulled out doggies and a solitary poor cod of about 2oz foul hooked on a 5/0 Manta Extra. I’m sure I’ll go back many times but so far it had got the better of me.
October saw me start to prepare for the winter cod season and I made a few preparatory trips to see marks in good weather at low tide. On one such trip I struck lucky at Arbroath cages catching my first (5lb 8oz) and second (3lb 8oz) cod. Very unexpected but none the less appreciated. I was a bit of a grinning idiot that evening and annoying my fishing buddies that they were blanking. Still those are still the only two cod I’ve caught despite a few trips since.
During December I had another couple of trips left before the end of the year and spent both of them going to Loch Etive to try and add one last species to my list for the year. I picked up Jamie from the Jedi (Scotland) S.A.C. at Taynuilt and we went to fish a new mark for me on the south shore of the Loch. Fishing was slow to begin with and picked up as the sun set. Quite quickly thereafter I caught my first and second Spur Dogs.
So by the years end I have caught 11 species so far in my rookie year; 1.Coalie, 2.Dab, 3.Flounder, 4.Grey Gurnard, 5.LSD, 6.Turbot, 7.Poor Cod, 8.Whiting, 9.Thornback Ray, 10. Cod 11. Spur Dog, not the 15 I had set myself, but believe it or not I never went Mackie bashing once and as such have missed an obvious species for the year. Next year I hope to add a few species of Wrasse, Pollock, Plaice at the very least and also have a couple of sessions targeting micro species with very small rigs.
On reflection taking up Sea Fishing has been one of the best ideas I have had in a while. I’ve met a lot of great folk, been out and seen some wonderful scenery, seen some amazing wild life and caught some fish. I think I’ve come a long way in a few short months and I’m already looking forward to next year.
Tight Lines all in 2011.
Squid Ink
