Back on the beach

Well, I hit the beach today with my lure rod for the first time in five months. Having renewed my permit my wallet was considerably lighter and despite this and as well as the rain there wasn’t much going to stop me enjoying my day out.

The spot I had chosen to start at is usually consistent but was strangely quite today so I went for a walk with the tide as it flooded a nearby bay. I had arrived later than expected and wondered if the fish had gone past me.

Half a dozen casts later the first Sea Trout of the year was in the net.

 

 

This was followed by another two in the next 30 minutes. I was pleased with the start I'd made so decided to make it more difficult by setting up my fly rod and head to a HT mark that’s usually a banker for a fish or two.

 

 

When I started out it wasn’t too bad as the wind had dropped to maybe 15mph and as I made some casts with my new outfit I was feeling confident. This lasted about 5 minutes as the awkward angle of the wind and a sudden change in strength sent my back to the car beaten not long after I started, must try harder. I need to get some practice before attempting those conditions again.

 

I had worked my way along the beach and was on the return journey and decided to have a break and change my lure. Shortly after that I had solid take which resulted in a nice fish which despite not being in A1 condition punched well above its weight and made several jumps before it was slipped back. Next cast another fish but a little smaller this time. I decided I’d had enough of the wind and rain and made my way back to the car and looked to tuck in out of the weather at a spot I had not tried before.

 

 

On arrival it looked OK, a few hundred yards away I could see about a dozen gulls swooping down and dipping continually without landing so made my way along for a look. I was surprised by the strength of the tide running past the rocks I was stood on and also the direction it was running which was the opposite from what I expected.  The gulls were still there feeding so I attempted to put my lure in the same area but fell short by about ten yards. Not much happened for the first 20 minutes but then I felt a fish bump the lure a few times before feeling the hook then coming off. This happened another three times so I decided to change my lure and show them something different trying a smaller pattern. A few casts later I had my last fish of the day.

 

So, despite the wind and rain an enjoyable and successful day, it was just great to be on the beach again.