Cormorant 0 - Squid Ink 1

Another day on the Tay on Friday.

I'd arranged to meet Jason (Sultzer) to square up for next weekend's Skate trip (please weather gods be good to us!) so a wee session together seemed appropriate. Plan was 3 hours up and one down. There wasn't much wind but what there was was bitter. Mid April and still wrapped up. Jason arrived shortly after me and Brian appeared a bit later, but as there were little or no bites most of the session was spent chatting about last years skate trip and whether the weather was going to be kind next weekend. By half five only Brian had had a fish, a flounder of about an ounce.

Being freezing and with little fishy interest I decided on two casts then home. Shortly after casting out a new bait my rod started nodding furiously. As I took the rod up I felt bump bump bump, fish on. Then as I looked up I turned to Jay and said I think I've got that bloody cormorant. But just as I said that it popped back to the surface. Phew no just a fish on until we watched the cormorant duck dive again and my rod go mental. Up to the surface it came again but this time with the fish I'd hooked into in its beak. Bloody hell! I was determined not to leave with a blanker because of a sea bird. A short tug of war later and the cormorant gave up and flew off and I could see a flash of silver coming in to the wall. Not a biggie only about half a pound. And that was it for the afternoon, we all packed up with only the two fish between us. Very slow for the time of year.

Sunny but slow day at Elliot beach

Elliot Beach, Arbroath

With the weather being lovely and sunny and dare I say it a tad warmer than normal I decided to take the opportunity to get out and flex the rods for the first time in a month. I decided to try for a flounder or two over low but just couldn't decide where to head, East Neuk, St Andrews pier, the Tay, Arbroath or St Cyrus. In the end I plumped for Elliot Beach as I hadn't been in a while. Low tide was just after six and I planned to fish two down two up but my impatience to head off turned it into three down one up.

I parked at the back of the golf course and when I crossed the railway crossing found a wooden walk walkway has been put over the back of the  dunes similar to the one at St Cyrus. Good quality and ends right at the top of the dunes, all good. A nice calm sea greeted me and after scanning the beach I decided to go down right and fish what looked to be a wee sand gully. I was pretty hopeful of some fish, but decided to fish one rod close in and fire the other one out (more as casting practice than any hope but you never know).

A wee flounder

The first few baits came back untouched but I was un-surprised as the sea was more coloured than I had hoped and still bloody freezing. At least the air temp was nice, the sun was shining and the dog walkers all had good control of their animals and let me be a good day to be outside all told. After about an hour things started to look better as some bites started showing through and I landed a wee 19cm flounder. Perfectly lip hooked, a quick photo and he was put back to grow up. But rather than being the start of things it was the end. That wee guy must've been responsible for all the bites as once he was caught they stopped. An other three hours of no bites. Still I got some good casting practice in between staring at a stationary rod tip.

Beady Eye

I would have liked to stay and fish the whole tide up but when the sun set the temp plummeted and I realised I had made the error of not bringing warmer gear to fish the darkness so off home it was with the single flounder. No blank and a nice day out at least.

Product Review - Gemini Splashdown Solo’s

I first tried these about a year ago after they were suggested to me by a friend who used the integrated splashdown sinker.  I had a problem with pulley rigs unclipping just as I cast causing the bait to helicopter, losing distance and harming bait presentation. 

Like many good products these are well engineered and well manufactured. Put the hook into the slot, pull down at the bottom and the hook is firmly locked in place. Once cast the pressure from hitting the water pushes the bottom back up releasing the hook. I have used this clip many many times over the last year and have never had a single cast unclip inappropriately or fail to unclip correctly.  And whilst I am a modest caster at the best of times using the Gemini Splashdown Solo immediately put 10-15 yards on my cast due to the extra confidence my rig wasn’t going to unhook. They now go onto every single snood clipped rig I make intended for light or medium ground; bombers; pulleys; up and over.  I tend not to use them over the rough stuff as I like my rigs to have minimal snag points and, though reasonably priced at £2ish for five, when reusing over and over again they could prove pricey if going through 5-10 a session fishing heavy ground for cod or the like.

If I had one suggestion it would be to make an additional bigger size as occasionally it would be nice use them on a rig with 5/0+ hooks which are a bit big to fit.

My opinion is that for any single snood clipped rig they are the business.

 

A wee while in Wormit

All week I'd been starting out the window at work at the lovely sunny blues skies and wishing I was off fishing. With things not to busy I decided to take a half day and pop over the rail bridge for an afternoon on the Fife side of the Tay. My plan was to fish most of the tide up and was soon as the chosen spot about 2 hours after low. The usual set up one big rod out far and the bass rod in close.

Soon after I had the first to two casts out and was busy chopping some baits up I heard a funny noise behind me and turned to find a fairly big swan had come up to give me the once over. A fairly comical 30 mins ensued as I tried to shoo it off and it kept coming round the back off me and nicking bluey I'd cut up to re-bait. Beautiful thing to see up close but made me a bit nervy when spreading it's wings and hissing at you. I finally got it to go away by chucking a few bits of bait as far as I could to my left. It was a photogenic beggar but I was happy to see it head off as I knew the first hour or so I was there was probably the best chance of catching and I'd been missing bites left right and whilst doing the swan dance.

A quick re-bait and the bites were still coming fast and often on the close in rod. I missed a couple of rod folders as I was still keeping too close an eye on swany who was still hanging around just not up close and personal. I was starting to think it was going to be one of those days. Next cast I put into the votex behind a boulder that was just about to be covered over by the rising tide. No sooner was the rod back in the tripod when bang bang fish on, finally! Quite fun on light braid and a bass rod, but this one was coming in and after a wee struggle a lovely bar o silver came in. Happy days no blank. A quick photo and back to the murky Tay it went.

I was there another 2.5 hours and moved to a few different spots but not so much as another nibble. Still it was a really cracking day to be out and not at work, but  still no smelt, so will be back soon.

Etive afloat

I'd been looking forward to this trip for a while as I'd not had a trip to Etive in several months. Everyone had to bring a beer, rig and chocolate bar for the sweepys; heaviest spurdog, heaviest thornie and most species

I arrived at the car park at Taynuilt pier to find everyone else just arrived ahead of me and the Ceagallan just tying up. Floaty on, kit oot the boot and onto the boat. Colin the skipper was soon steaming to up the Loch towards the Glen Etive end. First stop was a good 3/4 of the way up the loch and into 40m. Wee knocks quite  quickly round the boat but initially no hook ups. First blood eventually fell to me with a thornback ray (about 2.5lbs)  and a whiting. A few very small and small spurdogs started being landed round the boat and I had species three fairly quickly, a small lesser spotted dogfish. Just as the skipper was considering a move after the bites died a bit Jason (sultzer) then landed a nice 8lb Spurdog so we stayed a tad longer. A few more whiting and another LSD for me before we moved.

Next stop was deeper about 100m pretty close to my depth limit as I was only using light gear and had a small okuma multi. A bit slow to start with then loads of tiny spurs started to come aboard, pretty much to everyone bar me who could not even buy a nibble. Fair few fish coming aboard but this was a slow spot for me and it was looking like no fish on mark two. Then as one last drop before a move was called I got my first bite here and landed a small spur, species four.

Next stop was the shallowest of the day with everyone else hoping to bag a thornie. To get my species tally up I persisted with the wee hooks and was quickly bringing in a procession of whiting but no sign of the gurnard I was hoping for. Whiting and a couple of spurs round the boat but no sign of any other thornies, which was a bit of a surprise. Time again for another move for the last couple of hours.

A pin whiting's pins

Back to the whiting and small spurs round the boat and one cod as well. First up I had my second spur, then whiting and a poor Cod that looked like something had eaten it's eyes out. Gross but species five for me :)

Soon it was lines up and heading home. Starting to get chilly and everyone was ready to finish up. I won the choc bars and rigs for most species and biggest thornie (only one caught) and Jason had the beers for biggest spur.

I (and I'm sure everyone else) had a great time thanks to Jay for the organisational duties, Colin for skippering and coffees and everyone on board for a good laugh, plenty of banter and smiles.

Shore trip West  next weekend weather being kind.