East Neuk - 19/09/2011

Bait - Spoots and Lugworm
Rigs - Simple Paternoster, float
Tide - Over Low Tide
Place - Kimming Rocks


With thoughts of wrasse in mind I set off for Fife to some nice jaggy rocks near Crail to get there about 45 mins before low tide to get out to the deeper water at the end of the rocks. Weather ok, overcast with some blue patches and nothing more than a gentle rolling swell on the sea but as I got out to where I wanted to fish the water was murky brown, not what I wanted.

Still in for a penny and all that, wee rod out with lug tipped with a limpet and the bass rod with a sliding float with a spoot on it, close into the rocks. A couple of casts to get the depth set right and I let it bobble about in the tide keeping a close eye on it.

After an hour with nothing to show on either rod I was getting a bit restless, when my float started to take we dips. Nothing spectacular but a bit of interest at least. Slack taken and at the next dip a wee strike and some weight on the line but no sign of a fish. Weed I thought, till I got the hook up and landed an edible crab. A fair size but still undersized for eating unfortunately. I reckon it must have been on its tip toes just reaching for the bait to make the float dip. If only it had been a bit bigger and I'd have been happy as it was back it went to grow till it was dinner sized.

Shortly after I got a couple of good knocks on my mini rod and landed my only fish on the day a nice ugly blank busting bullhead.

Retreating back over the rocks as the tide came in I never got another sniff of a fish and when I lost my float to a snag I decided to pack up. Only a short 2-3 hour session in the end.

On the way home I stopped off at Wormit bay thinking about some flounders but the water was even more dirty here and seeing the water coupled with a massive downpour I decided to get some brownie points and go home early.

Hoping for an other couple of trips this week though :)

Watching Sharpie catch fash Part 3

Sunday

4 a.m. came and went with a brief return to consciousnesses only to find the rain pouring down again and no signs of life from the other two so turned over for some extra kip.

Come 7 a.m. the weather was nice again but the tide was ripping through once again. We all decided to call it quits so unfortunately a triple Wind Sock blank was the result!

With Big-Al homeward bound Sharpie and I were off north again to Loch Linnhe or Leven for more fashing. Stopping first at the brilliant Onish Post office for brekkie.

Now at this point and wary of a whole weekend long blank I suggested the picnic area on Loch Linnhe to try to get a doggie for me at least! When we arrived there was one guy spinning who only had a single small pollock to show for his efforts.

Still expecting a load of doggies we just fished one rod each. And lots of doggies it was, well for Mr Sharpe! I had plenty of sharp knocks on the rod but nothing was hooking up. Then finally something on the line is it just a huge clump of weed or actually a fish. Clump of weed it is, but hey ho want is that a tiny wee doggie as well surfing in amongst the weed. Closer, closer, then to fall off the hook just before I grab the trace to let it go. A few choice words later and with Sharpie getting a bit bored of hauling in doggies and a foul hooked dab to boot. Off we moved to another mark for possibility of thornies.

Of we went and 20 mins later we were unpacking the gear again. With only about three hours left of the weekend fishing two rods it was as the thought of going home with not a bloody sausage caught for so many hours put in was too much to contemplate.

The previous form started again with Sharpie landing doggies whilst I got bites and reeled in clean hooks. Still with loads of bait left there was plenty of fresh(ish) stuff so no need to scrimp. And the persistance payed off with a wee doggies finally coming in. Plenty times doggies have saved my blank but not in a spectactular weekend long blank like this!

Shortly after sharpie got the call he was dreading, back to work, so it was rods way. Thinking he had a large lump of weed on reeling in his last rod shapie was pleased to find a reasonable sized thornie.

And that was that as they say for the weekend, 1 spurrie, 1 thornie and 100's of doggies to sharpie and 1 single solitary doggie for me. An enjoyable weekend oot and aboot but probably the most miserable fishing I've had since starting up again last year. Sharpie used to joke I was his jinx, I think this weekend proves it is the other way around lol.

Watching Sharpie catch fash Part 2

Saturday 3 September 2011

Up at 5 a.m. to find the rain still on but definitely less forceful. Baits quickly out and kettle on the boil, keeping an eye out for a break in the weather so we could break camp as dryly as possible. We eventually fished till about 9 a.m. before the rain stopped and in all that time neither of us had the fainest rattle. So it was tents and gear into the van and off to Oban for a fry up (not the cheapest but good quality).

After a few stops to recce some possible new (for us) marks we went to Taynuilt pier meet Big-Al to see if we could get any mackies. None to be had but thankfully Al had caught a few on the way up. So of it was to the Wind Sock.

New mark for me, but again not one that turned out to be fruitful on the day. Weed and tide getting the better of us. A few tangles and retrieved crack offs later the lack of any action had us combing the lowtide mark. A few goby's and butterfish under rocks and millions of crabs were an interesting aside. Sharpie retrieved around a dozen sinkers and rigs.

When the tidal rip got really bad the fishing was knocked on the head temporarily and we retired to the camp and planned to start again early morning over the next low tide. So a couple of beers, food and chat it was to be for now. Al's face was a picture when he found out just how hot the sauce in his donner pot noodle was! And sharpie must have a mouth and stomach of iron as he went on to finish the lot.

As the moths etc started to gather round the lights we noticed bats flitting about us. It was pretty cool watching them as they swooped round and between us only inches away at times. After a while though we all felt the need for some shut eye and turned in with the intention of getting up at 4 a.m. to hit the low tide. On turning in I found out that I seemed to have pitched my tent on a cobbled street as there seemed to be more rocks than grass under my tent. Despite the discomfort I was quickly out for the count.

Watching Sharpie catch fash Part 1

Friday 2 September 2011

The plan for last weekend was to head to somewhere on Etive and meet up with Sharpie and Big-Al, hopefully for a decent spurrie session.

Sharpie was going to pick me up as he is working nearby currently and as luck would have it he finished early so we were off to Etive on the Friday night as well as the Saturday. With Big-Al wanting to fish the Windsock on Saturday we opted for the priory. Partially as it has been a productive mark for Sharpie but mostly as it is easy access to the van and ground we knew so we could pitch our camp easily enough in the dark.

It was just starting to rain as we arrived so first priority was to get the tents up and the gear inside without getting wet, which we both managed just before the heavens opened. Still it was only about 9ish and we were determined to get some fishing in despite the weather's determined effort to deter us. And it was quickly so two rods out each and waiting on the bites. As we had not actually planned to get out that night the tides was not best placed and almost at high tide as we started to fish and being a large tide we were quickly fishing on the grass by the time high tide was reached.. But we noticed that there were 100's of crabs, big and small, right round our feet and we were actaually accidentally standing on them quite often due to the sheer amount. Due to the poor fishing I actually resorted to dropping in wee bits of washed out bait and watching them scuttle about. I'm usually cursing crabs for stripping out but they actually were quite amusing to watch for a while.

By the back of midnight Sharpie had a one spur (round the 3lb mark) and a LSD and all I had was one decent feeling/fighting fish lost in a snag so we decided to get some shut eye and get up around low tide.