September has been a real season transition. We’ve enjoyed a brilliant summer but almost over night the season changed and autumn came with a bang. There was a brief window of warm weather at the start of the month that was borderline boat weather. But with the forecast for an freshening southerly breeze, it felt like one of those days when it could be ok, but in reality, it would probably a rough old afternoon. I opted instead for an afternoon of surface fishing for carp. The weather for this was in fact ideal so it made sense to do this rather than getting bashed about in the boat.
I went to a little lake where I’ve enjoyed some excellent surface fishing in the last couple of years. It’s a place where I was told, “they don’t feed off the top here”. In fairness, they were slow to switch on to the floating food but having persisted for several sessions and fed in several sacks of dog biscuits, eventually the big old girls looked up and then there was no stopping them. From then I could go with confidence that even if on arrival there were no signs of fish on the surface, a load of biscuits dished out on the top, drifted along the lake in a good breeze would eventually see them come for the feast. This day was a perfect example of that. Eventually though, one of the biggest in the lake, a fish I’ve caught a couple of times off the surface turned up. As soon as this fish arrived, I knew it would switch on. It starts with one biscuit disappearing. After a couple of hours of feeding, watching and photographing the fish at close quarters, it was a case of picking the fish I fancied and dropping a biscuit in it’s path. It wasn’t the biggest fish feeding but a beautiful mirror carp was the perfect target in the group.
From casting (dropping) the bait in the water to the fish going in the net was honestly not more than one minute. Even though I watched the fish take the bait there was a moment when I doubted the fish I’d hooked, it was fighting like a small roach, not a big carp. It would have gone in the net even quicker had I been more ready. That though is the power of being able to watch the fish feeding and getting the feed just right to the point at which you’ve got them in a frenzy. You just can’t do that when you can’t actually see the fish feeding. It doesn’t matter what species of fish it is, I just love catching fish when you can see them feeding and taking the bait. For me it just makes the whole experience more exciting. Of course, in many situations, it’s simply never possible, but any where I can “sight fish”, I will. Even if that means potentially catching less fish, it’s just so exciting.
The month had got off to a good start with a decent surface caught carp, but then came the wind. I checked the forecast everyday but any chances of getting the boat out to try for a tuna were simply blown away. It wasn’t just a bit choppy, the big Rodman boats in the tuna fleet were either going for short rough days or staying tied up on the mooring, it was really rough! Not to worry, there’s loads of other fish to target so on a Friday afternoon after work, I opted to go back to a spot I haven’t fished for years. I fished it then for mullet and wasn’t successful but wanted another try. On arrival the wind was blowing, even at this sheltered spot which was going to make things tricky but it was certainly possible. It’s an interesting creek with a number of features within the creek itself and at it’s mouth where it joins the main tidal river. I started on the edge of the tide, where I’d fished on my last visit but, despite the clear water and feeding bread for an hour, I simply didn’t see a fish.
At low tide when the creek revealed some more of it’s features, I went looking for a Plan B. I found a good depth of water close in with some good cover close by, it was worth a try. In went the bread again and out went the float. I didn’t see any fish but out of the blue, I had some registrations on the float; something was in the area. At the same time, the wind freshened again and heavy squalls were passing through. I was glad I packed my coat! This made the float fishing really difficult as it was getting dragged out of position really quickly and so the chances of catching a wary Mullet were slim. So I needed Plan C, a method I very very rarely use, ledgering for Mullet. Mullet fishing for me means float fishing with bread, they just go hand in hand so well. But, it’s not always the best way. A bit like my love of surface fishing, I love float fishing but it can come at a price, i.e. no fish caught because I’m too stubborn to change. However, I’d bothered to drive to this tricky to access little spot so it felt like the perfect time to do something different as float fishing was going no where. I put together a simple link ledger (old skool) with a couple of swan shot to hold bottom. This was enough to cast the distance but the wind meant it was all still getting dragged out of position. A third swan shot made the difference and with the rod resting on the bait bucket at enough of an angle to make seeing bites possible, I waited. I didn’t feel very optimistic but poured a coffee and waited some more.
I didn’t have to wait very long for what was a pretty solid bite came very quickly. It caught me off guard and so the strike was far too late. I cursed my concentration and wondered if I’d get another chance. The clock was ticking and I needed to be getting away soonish so re-baited and flicked it out again. And again I sipped the coffee and let my concentration wonder around the creek and to the birds I could see. Next thing I knew the rod banged into my leg as a fish had hooked itself and was heading for the main river. You jammy so and so! Mullet have a reputation for fighting hard but in truth not all of them do. Some just do cartwheels on the surface and none of the drama that you read about. This one however had read the script and was the classic, “torpedo” of a fish. A proper good scrapper of a fish and one that I was dead chuffed to slide into the net. Not a big fish but in the circumstances I was really happy. Immediately I got excited about ledgering for mullet and my head raced through the venues I fish and how this might in fact be a much better way of doing it. Fishing since I was four years old, and learning every time I go. Love it!
Then it was back to watching the forecast looking for an opportunity to get the boat out and look for a bluefin. The weather at the end of the month did finally settle but it seemed everything else required my time and I started to think I was never going to get out there. The reports coming from my mate Mike weren’t great. They were finding fish but they were a long way off, 20 plus miles. I’ll happily push it when the weather is good but going 20 odd miles in a 16 foot boat, it is of course possible but I’m not happy pushing it that far. I’ve got a responsibility to myself and those that might have to rescue me should it go wrong. I did finally get out on the last day of the month. I towed the boat to work, did a few hours in the factory to keep on top of things and then I headed off. I caught bait fairly quickly and was steaming over the drop-off into deeper water by one o’clock. I had until 5pm to get hooked up as I’d need a couple of hours to land a fish and steam home from my position. When the fish are there, four hours is plenty of time. Other than a pod of dolphins on the way out, which looked really promising, the fish just weren’t there. They were still offshore. There was an algal bloom in the bay which isn’t unusual for the time of year. There was loads of bait though so it’s odd the big fish weren’t around. Never mind, big game fishing is not easy. And it’s flippin’ difficult when you’re doing it from a small boat. But that’s what makes the reward so much greater when you do get it right.
As I type, Storm Amy is blowing through. It’s nothing more than a windy day this far south in the country whereas friends up north have got it pretty rough. The forecast does look like it’ll settle again next week and once again I’ll be plotting my time and trying to get out there for another dance with a giant! Oh, and it’s definitely time to get on the beaches for a Bass or a Ray. And there’s the ledgering for mullet I want to go and try. It doesn’t stop, and I love it!
