Post by richi on Dec 31, 2009 0:55:46 GMT
I have been trying for ages to make a last trip for this year to the Needles and couldn't believe my luck when xc weather had predicted a suitable window for today,the tide being a bit bigger than ideal but do-able.
Arrived at Keyhaven to rain but by the time I'd drank a cup of tea and had a look at the extraordinary high tide at the road barrier towards milford :nerd: Keyhaven marshes were no more,never seen it that high(must get out more ;D )
At my launch point the flood gates were closed but a quick manhandle of the yak over the wall and I was good to go.The tide being so high allowed me a short cut straight over the marshes to Hurst spit to join the Solent conveyor belt.
At Hurst there was a small race forming close inshore,great fun,hit 7.5mph here :win:
The tide was pumping through and I had to paddle hard to keep on course,if I'd allowed the tide to take me I'd have probably ended up in Swanage
:ahhh:
After a couple of hours I ended up anchored up just uptide and about 100 yards away from a large fishing boat.Not as far offshore as I usually venture but still in 89ft of water and as there were a few more boats also reasonably close I thought it worth a go.
Was fishing both rods with Squid and Lug on 8/0 pennels and the first hour or so was really slow going with only doggies harrassing the bait.Too slow for the guys on the larger boat as they up anchored and headed further offshore.
This left me thinking maybe I'd made the wrong decision ::)anyway I wasn't going to move now as by the time I would have got a further mile offshore it would almost be time to head home.
Sat there listening to the radio and the boats were starting to get plagued by Conger,made me think,why is it that I never seem to catch Conger here and everyone else is plagued by them :confused:
A short while later and a hefty bite,struck in and fish on and Conger for definate :win: I was dead worried that it would bite straight through my 80lb mono trace but managed to get it to the yak where it spat the hook and although I was glad that it saved me a job,it left me thinking,great! that'll probably be it for today and I'll have no pic to show for it
A short while later and I had another Conger on the lighter rod and after a short tussle towards the yak it came :catch:
luckily lip hooked with the top hook of the pennel allowed for a quick and easy release
Loaded up with bait and down again,it was great doing battle with my old adversary and I for one was happily plagued by Congers
Soon after another bite and fish on,thought,here we go again another Conger but it seemed to be coming up a lot easier :confused: that's because it wasn't a Conger at all but a Cod of at least 8lb making it a PB for me :win:
I gave it another hour without action and time to head back approached,it picked me right up listening to the other boats on the way back and their cliched tales of "I got beaten up by something that felt like a Cod" or "I thought I was into a Cod and it felt like it right until I got it to the boat until I saw it was another b£**dy Eel"
Approaching the Needles you could hear the waves(now I knew why the boats were all saying that they wanted to negotiate the bridge before dark ) :ahhh:
It was turbulent the pics don't really do it justice
There were some nice turbulent bits coming into the Solent and as I approached Hurst a charter kindly slowed and asked if I needed any help to get in through Hurst(the trap was kicking up a bit ).I replied"No thanks mate I'm fine,I do this all the time and Hurst is one of the best bits." :crazy: I thanked him for his kind offer and made my way back to Keyhaven arriving at around 6.30pm to zero degrees..
Fished my favourite spot,16.6 miles covered,3 fish caught totalling nearly 100lb and a PB
Priceless!
Arrived at Keyhaven to rain but by the time I'd drank a cup of tea and had a look at the extraordinary high tide at the road barrier towards milford :nerd: Keyhaven marshes were no more,never seen it that high(must get out more ;D )
At my launch point the flood gates were closed but a quick manhandle of the yak over the wall and I was good to go.The tide being so high allowed me a short cut straight over the marshes to Hurst spit to join the Solent conveyor belt.
At Hurst there was a small race forming close inshore,great fun,hit 7.5mph here :win:
The tide was pumping through and I had to paddle hard to keep on course,if I'd allowed the tide to take me I'd have probably ended up in Swanage
:ahhh:
After a couple of hours I ended up anchored up just uptide and about 100 yards away from a large fishing boat.Not as far offshore as I usually venture but still in 89ft of water and as there were a few more boats also reasonably close I thought it worth a go.
Was fishing both rods with Squid and Lug on 8/0 pennels and the first hour or so was really slow going with only doggies harrassing the bait.Too slow for the guys on the larger boat as they up anchored and headed further offshore.
This left me thinking maybe I'd made the wrong decision ::)anyway I wasn't going to move now as by the time I would have got a further mile offshore it would almost be time to head home.
Sat there listening to the radio and the boats were starting to get plagued by Conger,made me think,why is it that I never seem to catch Conger here and everyone else is plagued by them :confused:
A short while later and a hefty bite,struck in and fish on and Conger for definate :win: I was dead worried that it would bite straight through my 80lb mono trace but managed to get it to the yak where it spat the hook and although I was glad that it saved me a job,it left me thinking,great! that'll probably be it for today and I'll have no pic to show for it
A short while later and I had another Conger on the lighter rod and after a short tussle towards the yak it came :catch:
luckily lip hooked with the top hook of the pennel allowed for a quick and easy release
Loaded up with bait and down again,it was great doing battle with my old adversary and I for one was happily plagued by Congers
Soon after another bite and fish on,thought,here we go again another Conger but it seemed to be coming up a lot easier :confused: that's because it wasn't a Conger at all but a Cod of at least 8lb making it a PB for me :win:
I gave it another hour without action and time to head back approached,it picked me right up listening to the other boats on the way back and their cliched tales of "I got beaten up by something that felt like a Cod" or "I thought I was into a Cod and it felt like it right until I got it to the boat until I saw it was another b£**dy Eel"
Approaching the Needles you could hear the waves(now I knew why the boats were all saying that they wanted to negotiate the bridge before dark ) :ahhh:
It was turbulent the pics don't really do it justice
There were some nice turbulent bits coming into the Solent and as I approached Hurst a charter kindly slowed and asked if I needed any help to get in through Hurst(the trap was kicking up a bit ).I replied"No thanks mate I'm fine,I do this all the time and Hurst is one of the best bits." :crazy: I thanked him for his kind offer and made my way back to Keyhaven arriving at around 6.30pm to zero degrees..
Fished my favourite spot,16.6 miles covered,3 fish caught totalling nearly 100lb and a PB
Priceless!
