3rd August - a.m. More Mulleting on the Ouse

Thick lips, almost everyone about 3lb

Back on the river with Bruno, to teach him the lesson of how two days can differ!! It wasnt my intention, but it was the lesson of the day. The mullet I find most receptive to my tactics are those that are travelling. My theory is that these fish are on their way to some feeding ground unknown, but if they pick up the bread trail, they are happy to divert. We hardly saw any fish moving up the river this day. We did spot a big group tight to a structure, but they must have slipped upstream. I guess somewhere up river there is some very good mulleting to be had at the moment. Just got to find it!! Because it was far from exciting where we were, and a blank was the recorded catch.

P.M. Newhaven - Sole searching again....!

A pin whiting. First signs of seasonal change on our patch

Set off with some good fishy friends to the comforts (yeah, right, it was blowing a hooly and freezing!!) off the Newhaven arm. The intention had been to take along a selction of our favourite sole rigs, and test them head to head. You could have knocked me down with a feather when George pulled his Eastbourne Sole Open rig out of the bag. Virtually identical to my own assembly, including, most importantly, the same weight on the anchor. No coincidence George went on to take the most sole of the night, with a bag of six.

George with the first of his six sole

But the night was not all sole. Where I was fishing, I was bringing in Pouting at an alarming rate, as well as the first whiting of the year. Whereas my friend Steve, fishing with a weighted wishbone, was pulling out flounders in a fashion I havent seen for a while.

Sole and flounder double shot for Steve

It was very rare to reel in without a fish on. Up until the top of the tide I dont think it happened to me once. Both the MK1 and the MKII sole rigs were fishing very well indeed. We didnt bother counting how many fish we were catching, but it was plenty. I even had a double shot of Horse mackerel, not expected on the rig and baits we were using.

My first sole of the evening

As much as we were really there for the sole, we were very much enjoying the success of the rigs for other species. Bass, pouting, whiting, flounders, Rays. George even managed to reel in a big tangle of line with a lobster firmly secured in the middle of it. Luckily for the lobster, it was a fraction below the MLS, and was returned. Arent they always??

Pollock for George

Biggest sole of the night for Steve 1lb 5oz

Biggest Ray of the night for George

My biggest sole of three caught on the night

Steve and maid

MKII rig and ray

Tub for Steve

Schoolie for Steve

The fishing definately died with the first of the ebb tide. George said goodnight, and set off back to Worthing. Steve and I had plans to fish through to daybreak, but we didnt make it quite that far. As the tide dropped away, the schoolies came on strongly, and with thoughts of sole diminishing with impending daylight, we too packed it in. A fantastic night of hectic action, in excellent company. Plus some sole, including the very credible 1lb 5oz fish by Steve. A real cracker!!