18/5/17 - Persistence Pays

So if you read, or have been reading my recent posts you'll be fully aware that I've covered so serious miles recently chucking bits of plastic at the sea in the hope that a fish will mistake it for food. Everything came together eventually last night and made it all the hours spent worthwhile.

It started as I was plugging a hole in my waders about 15 minutes before I planned to leave. Not sure of the quality of fix I packed spare socks just in case. Arrived at my chosen mark with a little bit of day light left to check the water visibility and have a rummage for some crab as a back up. With a couple in the bag I set up and started working the lures from a bank that stuck out into a bit of a channel. I thought I had the tides right but the current was already running. Being stood out in the water I had a better sense of the tide, and was relieved that the water didn't come any higher up my waders, meaning I had timed it right.

Previous trips here suggested that the fish should be showing on the surface now, but as the light faded there was no signs. I thought it might be due to the limited visibility so made a move to another point further along the shore, picking up a couple more crab on the way. 

I started fanning casts out covering as much water as possible, but with the current now increasing beyond comfortable my optimism was fading away. I was thinking about changing to a crab bait as I cast out a little wayward. Expecting to have a wind knot in the line I retrieved slowly waiting for the knot to appear at the rod tip, when the line suddenly went right. Something was pulling back, there was a fish on and it was taking line! I shone the headtorch out and could see a big splash on the surface, followed by several short sharp runs. I could see it was clearly a bass and as it tired I was able to ease it into the shallows and slide it safely up the seaweed. Success! Biggest bass of the year and biggest on the lures was at my feet. A couple of photos and a self shot and it was gently ushered back out to sea.

Without hesitation I raced back down to my fishing platform casting the same lure out. Third cast I decided to let the lure just drift again and almost exactly the same place I had another take. After an identical fight, and almost identical fish was landed. This one I measured at 53cm which according to the BASS website is nearly 4lb. 

Back down to the water again I thrashed the lures around even more but unfortunately the fish seemed to have moved on. The flood must have pushed water over the top of the bank, losing the nice eddy the fish had to sit and wait to ambush prey in. A hat trick would have been a very nice bonus, but I was well chuffed at finally getting a big success on the lures! Till next time.