Dodgy June

 

Everything looked good for a trip to the shallow beach, an off shore breeze and a late evening high tide and as I hadn’t been there for a while, I couldn’t resist.  My target fish tonight would be Rays, for some reason I don’t catch many Hounds here but I always hope.  Whilst setting up I noticed someone in a gin palace had got it wrong on the way into the estuary, they were stuck on a sand bar for hours.  I didn’t notice them leave, just looked over and saw the boat had gone but by then it was almost dark.

I had a proper bite on my first cast and had a hell of a job hauling the fish back towards me, obviously a Ray but a much smaller fish than I expected appeared in the edge.  I hoped for more Rays but had a quiet couple of hours before the Dogfish started banging the rod tip.  I had three in no time then it went quiet and after a couple of retrieves brought back untouched baits I called it a night.

On a Saturday evening I had just enough time for my first trip on a river since the season had opened.  I was well into my journey before I realised I’d left the landing net in the shed.  I’ve been in this predicament before and knew one spot I could get in the river, should I hook a fish.  If this spot was taken…

Thankfully this was not the case and I settled into the ‘squirrel bridge’ around 1840.  This had been a consistent spot in the past two summers but the nature of the swim has changed lately.  I didn’t have much choice but fish here so didn’t pay it much attention; there was still a slightly deeper pool below me, screened by nettles.  I fed a few grains of corn every now and then as I got set up then swung a feeder rig baited with corn downstream and the tip started knocking from the off.  I missed two decent bites before I connected and a nice Chub plodded around in front of me.  I slid down the bank and into the water then took my time, letting the fish go upstream and eventually guided the fish onto the mat which I’d half submerged just in case.  It actually worked quite well.  I needed forceps to remove the hook, I wasn’t going to miss that bite!  Then slipped a fish of three pounds or so back into the river.  I didn’t get anymore bites after that but carried on for another hour, with nowhere else I could feel safe fishing without the net I decided to call it a day.

It might just be me but I’ve found late June has always been dodgy on the beaches, inconsistent at best and at worst a waste of time.  My motivation to give it a go are the Smoothounds, just one bite from one of these would make it worthwhile.

Two weeks had passed since my last try so I went back to the beach I’d caught from then, by now we were at the beginning of the roasting, record breaking heatwave but I knew it would be more tolerable by the sea.  I fished the usual methods; crab or squid cast varying distances which has been good for a few bites all spring.  But not on this occasion.  My one nibble of the evening came an hour after high tide and I thought I had a small Hound hanging on the end but on closer inspection this was different.  It wasn’t quite a foot long but was much more plump towards the head and the mouth was more forward, as opposed to underneath like a hound.  Also the mouth was lined with tiny needle teeth so I think it must have been a tiny Tope, my first ever.     

I’d hoped the ebb tide would be productive but this was not the case and the England match on the radio didn’t enliven anything so I got away earlier than planned.  I tried once more a week later but fished five hours and didn’t get a rattle.  I’ll probably do better fishing for Bass for a few weeks but before that the rivers are calling.