Swinging 60

Scott’s been closing in on his Jan-Dec stretch target of 60 Scottish saltwater species for a few weeks now. I’ve had a few texts from him in the evenings telling me where he is and what he’s been targeting to hit this number. I’ve been watching the TV with the rain bouncing off the windows. He’s been creeping about rocks and docks, at some points questioning his sanity no doubt.

We got together on Sunday to hit the SW in search of two species, Conger and Three Bearded Rockling. The forecast was good considering the weather we’ve been experiencing and on the drive down we had a catch up and talked fishing till we arrived at our untested mark. We negotiated electric fences and fields with Bulls eventually arriving at a decent spot as the tide was on the flood. Scott didn’t waste any time in getting a bait in the water while I put a plain lead on and made a few casts to suss out what the bottom was like around the spot I had chosen. Two rods were deployed by both of us, one for Conger and another for TBR. We picked up some small Coalfish and Pollack waiting for darkness to fall. These kept my rod tip nodding and held my interest till the main event got underway in darkness.

Expectations are always high as the sun dips over the horizon

Scott picked up an odd double shot of a Mackerel and a Shore Rockling. He commented at the time that fresh bait might just be what was required. This is always a boost to confidence when using frozen bait and it was to prove crucial. Scott had a bite which sounded very Eel like to me. I probably shouldn’t have told him as I’m sure it added a little bit of pressure as he excitedly picked the rod up and hit it. We could both see there wasn’t much weight to it but with two headlights focused on the water a small Conger appeared. I made ready to hand line it up the rocks but Scott decided he would just swing it  up due to its size. My fingers were crossed for him as when you need a fish the most errors can sometimes be forced.

A very happy chap and I was delighted I was there with him when he caught it. Well done mate, fantastic effort you’ve put in to get there.

Having done the same challenge a few years back I know how it can get. I won’t be doing it again, Scott probably won’t. He does however have a short Scottish hit list remaining. I’m sure I’ll get a few more texts when the rains bouncing off the windows and I’m watching TV.

Scott's species hunting madness can be found here Here