My original intention had been to fish a secret mark that has produced some good Bass in the past but unfortunately the 7 mph winds that the dear old Beeb had forecast turned out to be nearer 20 mph, so the spot I had originally chosen to fish was way too risky. High tides and high winds make this particular spot uncomfortable at the very least but if you get it really wrong, especially in the dark, you could be in severe danger and no fish is worth losing your life over.
I started my session at 11.30pm after deciding to fish a much more sheltered part of the local promenade during the flood with a single rod. Even in the quieter spot it was still hard work fishing and although I had a few small bites, by high tide at 2:45am, the only thing I had to show for all that effort was an Eel of about 3/4lb which took Ragworm. At the top of the tide I was just considering whether to call it a night and head for home when the wind suddenly dropped. My initial choice of venue would now be fishable and not wanting to miss the first 2 hours of the ebb (which often produces a better fish on a large tide here) I grabbed my gear and headed to the spot I had originally planned to fish.
I started my session at 11.30pm after deciding to fish a much more sheltered part of the local promenade during the flood with a single rod. Even in the quieter spot it was still hard work fishing and although I had a few small bites, by high tide at 2:45am, the only thing I had to show for all that effort was an Eel of about 3/4lb which took Ragworm. At the top of the tide I was just considering whether to call it a night and head for home when the wind suddenly dropped. My initial choice of venue would now be fishable and not wanting to miss the first 2 hours of the ebb (which often produces a better fish on a large tide here) I grabbed my gear and headed to the spot I had originally planned to fish.
The move proved to be a very prudent one and an hour later the fishing started. First customer on the ebb was an Eel of about a pound which fell to Black lug and then on the next cast a Bass of about 35 cm to came to a large Ragworm fished at range. Twenty minutes after the first Bass had showed up I managed another to the same bait which (at last) was sizable; nothing fantastic but a nice clean little fish of about 1 1/2lb. Two more Eels of about 1/2lb followed about an hour later and then, just as quickly as it had started, it was all over. Having enjoyed my best nights fishing for a little while I packed up at 6 am and headed home for a couple of hours of well earned kip.
Perhaps this is a sign that the river is finally getting back to normal as this session is pretty much how I would have expected for the Colne at this time of the year - we live in hope!
Perhaps this is a sign that the river is finally getting back to normal as this session is pretty much how I would have expected for the Colne at this time of the year - we live in hope!
