02/06/2023 - a bar of Welsh silver

Flashed down to Pembrokeshire with the wife for a few days at the end of half-term. Proved to be a good decision as we left a cold, grey Nottingham on Thursday morning to be greeted by blue skies and bright sunshine a few hours later. 

As usual I'd packed enough tackle to cover a range of eventualities, including a new bass lure rod - a 9', 7 - 35g HTO Nebula - that I was keen to put a bend in (well, new to me anyway - second-hand, but in mint condition and a bargain off eBay at £80). Therefore headed down to my usual estuary mark at Lawrenny just after dawn on Friday morning. Whilst I would normally fish the first couple of hours of the flood, tide times dictated that I would be fishing the ebb instead, so it was a bit of an exploratory trip for that reason.

The water was gin clear and the shallow, flooded margins were as smooth as a millpond, so I started off by working a surface lure - a Fishus Espetit - over the top of the clumps of bladder wrack hoping that a bass was waiting in ambush. However, by the time I had worked my way along the length of the beach I'd not moved or even seen a fish. Standing on the old quay wall I tried a couple of casts out into the main estuary. However, the first flush of the ebbing tide was bringing loads of floating weed downstream, fouling the line and forcing a change over to sub-surface lures. Over the next hour or so I worked through a range of patterns - both hard lures and soft plastics - with absolutely no interest from anything until finally arriving at the old faithful Savage Gear weedless sandeel. 

The estuary had really started to empty out now and there was fair old rip whizzing past. Casting the sandeel upstream I let it hit bottom before bumping it back with the flow. Had done this a few times when I felt the satisfying thump of an aggressive take through the braid. Let it dog around in the clear water testing the rod before drawing it into the shallows. Wasn't huge, but it was nice and plump and in mint condition. Quickly unhooked him and sent him on his way and then carried on with re-newed enthusiasm for a bit longer. However, that proved to be my lot, but at least I'd avoided the blank and christened the new rod. Took the long way home, popping into J & M Tackle in Pembroke Dock for some ragworm before stopping off at Hobbs Point for a bottle of seawater to keep them fresh. Tide was well out by now, but there was a chap fishing off the pontoon so went down for a chat. 

Turns out he was after the mullet, legering breadflake with a string of freebies pinched on above the lead, "washing line" style. He seemed to be getting plenty of interest judging by the rattles on his rod top, but the crafty beggars appeared to be good at avoiding the hookbait. Left him to it, but not before obtaining a few more tips and adding another potential quarry to the list!