15th - Herring and a return to competitive fishing

Flounder at last

The plan had originally been for Graham and I to head up the river to once again search for the flounder. But with each tide at the moment, the sea is becoming a little clearer, and Graham didnt have to try too hard to persuade me to have a another crack at the herrings on the east arm of the marina. But as we had some reds, I deployed a flounder rod whilst I worked the Tronix Micro rig (size 12) with two ounces of lead on the carp rod for the herring. Once again, no silver darlings, but the reds did do the trick for a flounder, albeit a little small.

Pumping at Sunset

Pretty soon it was time to move onto phase 2 of the days activities. With a Shoreham Angling Squad competition that I had somehow allowed my mate Steve to talk me into that evening, it was time to meet up with him and top up our bait supplies. With the high pressure, the pumping for blacks was less than succesful, although Steve did manage a dozen or so with his beast of a big bore Alvey. A session in dark digging for reds and whites then ensued, against the clock as the draw time was fast racing towards us.

Result!! A flounder early on

On to the match, where we did just make the draw on time. Graham had left us on the bait beds, as he had a few bits to attend to. I was determined to enjoy the match, and fished very simply. With the first cast out short for a flounder, I may even have been in the lead for a few minutes with the 21cm flounder pictured above.

Steves cod

Then the rumours came along the beach that Jay, fishing peg 1, had caught a 6lb + cod. Was this a rumour inspired to get everyone changing tactics, when the fishing was looking hard? Steve's rod slammed round and stayed round. Fishing reds at fourty yards, the 5lb+ fish pictured above was found to be responsible, and confirmed that the other fish was likely to be fact rather than rumour. I was now having an inferiority complex, and decided that with just the one flounder, to stand any chance it was death or glory time. Dragging my hands out of my gloves, extremely recluctantly in the sub zero temperatures, I then forced them to grab a squid that wouldnt defrost, and work it in my hands, sacrificing my body heat, to persuade it to soften up enough to accomodate a 6/0 viking. Lobbing it out, I quickly thrust my hands back in my gloves, and on a night with few whiting and no crabs to bother the bait, it sat out there for the next two hours.

Predictably, it wasnt bothered by cod or bass either, and the flounder remained my only fish of the night. Kind of wished I had stayed on the small baits now, as Chris, fishing one peg to the left, caught a cracking 34cm sole (approx 1lb) to pick up the heaviest flat prize. Steves cod, his only fish of the match, was enough for third. Jay, the angler on peg one came second, and picked up bonus cash for heaviest round (the 6lb fish actually weighed 8lb 8oz). But Worthing tackle shop proprietor (Prime Angling) Mike Perfect showed why he is possibly one of the most consistent sussex match anglers still active, with a stunning catch of 11 fish (Most fish prize) and the biggest length in total, to win outright! Well done Mick, and I look forward to resuming the winter league in late Jan.