Poole Harbour - 13th Jan - Evening Hill Launch

[speciman]

(posted this report up elsewhere on the Monday when the weather had been bad ).

What a morning.

I had some ragworm left over from yesterdays (Saturdays Holes Bay) fishing and decided to pop down to the harbour to a grab a few hours fishing.

Met Richi (a member at AnglersAfloat.co.uk) at Evening Hill carpark and after a chat set off to our mark. Richi's sail went well, there was no way I could keep up in my kayak. The conditions worsened and the force 8 gusts increased.

Richi took the sail to its limit and turned turtle in the worse of it. I caught up with him by which time he'd got back on.

I shouted to him (we had to shout the wind was too loud!) that perhaps we should fish elsewhere in the sheltered lagoon nearby. I turned my kayak putting it side on to the conditions and paddled. Soon after the nasty side chop and a strong gust of wind had me over too.

The Dorado was easy enough to flip back over but my paddle leash had got wrapped around the cockpit. I hoisted myself onto the deck and was about to unclip the paddle but decided to hang on for a moment in case Richi was nearby. He was and he steadied the kayak whilst I sorted out the tangle and reentered. It would have been much harder to reenter if I had been on my own so big thanks for Richi.

After getting back on we went mostly with the wind and tide and headed to Royal Parkstone Marina. The wind and waves were battering the thick wooden fence on the top of the breakwater - the wood was flexing!

We fished in the marina for a short time whilst the wind screamed through the rigging of the boats moored there. Only caught crabs (again!).

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(better mention that we fished (a poor excuse to just head out!) in testing conditions as we wanted to try things out in the relative safety of Poole Harbour - flounder fishing with a float in a force 8 is nigh on impossible - kayak fishing is not normally like this ;D)

[upfalls]

Ok, you want to hear it, you are mad. The weather forcast was quite clear from all media, nuf said.

[speciman]

Worst case scenario - we're dressed for immersion -conditions push us back to shore. Good place to practice.

You're entitled to your opinion.

[squideyebarnes]

10 out of 10 for effort must be cold do you where a dry suit? Also what tackle are you using?
Andy

[speciman]

Yes this time of year you can't mess around given the water temps. A drysuit is pretty much essential and thats what I wear. The dry suit keeps the water off but doesn't insulate so we wear mainly synthetic underlayers which provide warmth and wick moisture away from the skin. Some paddlers may wear dry trousers and a cag (paddling top) but its not as effective keeping the water out - if you are in the water for any length of time the seal between the waist and trousers may leak a little!

Tacklewise I tend to keep it simple. Given the conditions I took out a small shimano telescopic spinning rod for my token effort rigged for float with a fixed spool reel. This stays in my fish hatch until I'm ready to use it.

But for general fishing I guess the tackle I use is the same as for boat fishing with an emphasis on going as light as possible for better sport. Rods tend to be in the 10-20lb class with a length around 7foot 6" give or take a foot which allows us to get the rod tip around the bow of the kayak should tide or fish change direction.

[squideyebarnes]

I would suggest a simple rig in estuary for flatties barrel lead bead swivel 3 ft 10lb line size 1 hook for rag.Cast out and reel in 10 ft every 15 Min's till you find the fish.Another rod blinged right up and do a similar thing.Rods I used to use as my fishing was born from tidal river fishing was a 10 ft ledger rod 8lb line And a closed face abu reel great sport.
Andy

[speciman]

I like keeping it simple for flatties too. There are still quite a few crabs around in the harbour - instead of using popups to keep the bait off the bottom I tend to use a float - this helps cover a bit more ground too. Drifting or trolling a baited spoon from the kayak can also bring success.

[Pete B]

Really enjoying your reports. Well done...just for surviving!
How much storage have you got in the average kayak? & is there a back rest/support ?
Cheers
Pete

[speciman]

Hi Pete

Storage depends on the model but most will have a front hatch you can fit some camping gear or a collapsed trolley in. On the popular fishing models there is also a tankwell behind the seat which will fit a medium to large crate (depending on model) for your bits and pieces. Some kayaks may have a round hatch in the center console area between your legs where you can put some tackle/bait/etc in too.

Given we can spend long hours on the water and may paddle some distance, a decent back support is a must. Some kayaks come with padded seats as standard although the buyer often fits s an aftermarket one at some point which has more features and extra comfort.

Kayak seats start around £30 and can go over £100. On my kayak the seating position is low and there is back support built into the kayak. However I use a thermarest inflatable seat pad to give exta support to my lower back.

Simon