26th September - Seaford

Stuart, casting the float for mackerel.

Met up with Stuart, and based on the previous days result, headed back to Seaford. The plan this afternoon was to send a live joey mackerel out just behind the waves, where bass bought to the beach by the presence of huge shoals of mackerel whitebait feeding on the back of the breakers would not suspect our cunning trap. A cunning plan, ruined only by the complete absence of mackerel which only arrived as the sun touched the sea. Sending out two slightly too big mackerel livebaits, I must admit I almost begged Stuart to stay for the next flood tide, when I suspected that the night shift of pouting and whiting would be enough to attract some decent bass to the margins.

Sun sets over Seaford Bay

Stuart checked in with his wife, and she agreed that there was no problem if Stuart wanted to extend the session. So, we fished on!! I popped back to Brighton to secure warm clothes, seats and most importantly Pizzas, and then, fed and watered, we went about securing our pouting livebaits. All the time the mackerel were still swimming well. We also groundbaited with mackerel chunks, often a very succesful way of getting a bass to consider a mackerel head bait, such as we had deployed on our second rods. We fished on, and initially I was full of confidence. But by 06:00, and the top of the tide, dawn threatening and us both freezing, I must admit I was concerned. Maybe the fish the previous day had been a complete fluke. Maybe the fish werent pouting feeding at night. Maybe the fish the previous night were the last two bass on the Sussex coastline. So many thoughts rush through your mind. But then, Stuarts rod behaved in such a way that I can only liken the bite to that of a Fenland Zander. The rod was pulling just a bit too much for it to be the bait, but not enough to think that it was a bass. Stuart wound down, as I guessed that a cuttlefish might be the responsible party.

Stuart and new PB bass - 4lb 2oz

Thankfully, it wasnt a cuttle that came to the waters edge, but a lovely bass of 4lb 2oz. Stuart was over the moon, and I was hugely relieved. How could I have apologised to someone for insisting they do a 15 hour session on the promise that they almost certainly will get a good spikey. A big gamble I now realise, but it came good, and thankyou Stuart for keeping the faith.....!!

Early morning mackerel and scad

At the first sign of dawn, the mackerel and horse mackerel shoals were thick. We changed a pouting for a small scad livebait, but it was a half hearted effort, as we were both exhausted. I knocked up a few strings of mackerel for Stuart to drive back to London with, as such fresh fish is not a normal event so far inland. One very happy but very tired couple of anglers trudged back to the car that morning. Detination -Mcdonalds for coffee.........

A daylight shot of Stuart's fish