With the weather this month in December it has been near impossible to launch my kayak. If there was an opportunity it would not have been worth it in my opinion with the amount of rainfall that we have had this month. The water inshore is very coloured and the swells that are present are large and make launching a challenge in itself. So with that being the case and safety a number one priority for me I decided to at least go for a cast from the shore and see if I could get a bass or anything else that would be willing to take a bait.
A friend of mine gave me a call to get my gear ready and that we would head down to a local beach
mark to give the Bass a go. When fishing from the shore I like to travel light and take only what I need and will be using. This has the advantage of allowing me to be on the move easily and find the fish rather than waiting. The wind and rain had died off slightly but the swell was very large still and arriving down at the mark this became quickly apparent by large waves smashing on the sand banks which are located a bit out. In front of these banks the water tends to fill deeper holes which the Bass would come into and feed but we encounted another problem caused by the large surf. The amount of water being pushed in by the large surf was causing a very fast cross flowing current in front of us and no matter what weight was used the water power was just to strong and, well, this ultimately meant that not much would be caught in that water. So we made a decision to give a more sheltered spot a try.
I was fishing with my trusted light surf rod coupled with my favorite reel, my Daiwa SL20sh. I have lost count of what age this reel is of mine but it just keeps on bringing in fish. The spot we decided upon consisted of a pier that was out of the water during low tide but the area filled up during the high and fish moved in with the rising tide. On arrival the water was high already so a quick change of trace was in order and I opted for a simple double hook trace with two Cox and Rawle Uptide Extra 1/0 hooks. There was no need for the grip lead here as there was no surge of water to deal with. Three ounces was all that I required and baited both hooks with some razor fish and bound it up with some plain and simple bait elastic as all the scent needed came from the bait. We all casted out and waited for some interest.
My first sign of a fish came in the form of a little Coalfish but to be honest I was happy to be holding a fish in my hands after not being fishing for a while. I quickly slipped it back in while the other guys bought in some Dogfish. We had to deal with a couple of rain showers but it was still very mild for this time of year and was pleasant enough. I decided to have a cat in the shallower water and hopefully pick up a Flatfish.
My rod buckled over and I was into something a little more decent and it even took line. I knew it was a Bass by the way it fought and when getting it up next to the Pier and our headlamps shone down we saw the silver body of an average Bass. I eased it to the shallows where I landed it. I was surprised at the fight this Bass put up for its size but I was not complaining at all. After some photos we carried on fishing for a while longer hoping the Bass was not alone but there were no more to be caught.
It was great to get a cast out and get a bend in the rod in amongst this time of unsettled weather and persistent rainfall. I am hoping that after Christmas that there may be some settled weather so that the Hobie may be put to its paces and start catching some fish. So that was it, Razorfish and a simple double hook trace and a result of a Bass. Simplicity.
Until next time,
Tight Lines.
y Bay Canoes
Fishing With Mack 