1st December - Dungeness with Gary and Si

Bruce with the better brace of a four fish catch

A repeat of the previous session to Dungie, with the objective of putting the demons of the previous trip to rest. No wind, glorious sunshine as Gary picked me up. No traffic. An excellent breakfast, and I recieved word from my mate Bruce who was already fihsing there, that he had caught four to 8lb over the morning tide. All very encouraging. I persuaded him to pose for the piccy above on arrival, although they had already been gutted!!

Gary with 6lb cod

We began fishing alongside, and Si, who had been fishing on the point, came and joined us. It was all looking good, apart from some horrendous weed on the ebb. Bruce and pugs had now left, but he advised me as he left that the fish all came when the weed was bad, so we kept at it. Whilst reeling in a huge string of fine fibrous weed, Gary had the nice suprise of this 6lb fish hanging on the end!!

Do Cod ends count?

I was stubbornly fishing a livebait rig on a single rod (Its hard enough fishing Dungie in weed, without twice the work!!) going all or nothing for the double figure coddie which is the target I have set myself this season. And boy, did I ever think I had got it. A gentle tap from a whiting, and then a huge breakout, and a handsome weight that was seemingly showing resistance every now and then. But it wasnt a cod, but an entire cod-end from a lost trawl that appeared through the surf. Probably the longest thing I have ever caught from the shore.....!

The face of a cod angler in action

With the new flood, so the weed and the tide both eased of a little. I took advantage to go and have a chat with Si about fly fishing next year. As I was standing there, his left hand rod showed the classic drop back of a coddie on the bait. Which also gave me the opportunity to shoot of an action shot. Note the intense concentration.....................

5lb+ prime coddie

As the fish came to the shingle, I grabbed it and tossed it out of the waves. A lovely proportioned cod sat shimmering in the moonlight. Excellent!! I returned to my rods. Half an hour later, with the weed starting to show again, I had a brilliant pull down, then break out. I wound down furiously, expecting the rod to bounce to the tune of a double figure coddie. But instead it was a miss, and just a toothed up raked off whiting came to the beach. All day waiting for that opportunity, and I cocked it up......!!

Si with the last fish of the session

The wind had now swung to the South, and picked up to the 20mph category. Not too uncomfortable fo rthe fishing, but it had driven floating nasty weed to join its fibrous cousin, and once again things were becoming tough. Batoned down in my shelter, I heard Si clearly shouting "Robin" in such a way that it could only mean he was in again. I ran straight into the surf, to find another fine codling ready for extraction. And that was the last cod of the session. .With the weahter detiriorating, and tiredness descending, we left Si to it and packed away. Good timing, as we got as far as Camber before the heavens opened.