24/08/2025 - A game of two halves

Didn't get out again in July or the early part of August for various reasons (work, weather, club fishing bans, general apathy, blah, blah, blah....). Then had two weeks very relaxing weeks in France with the family and friends in the middle of the European heatwave. 

Temperatures topped out at 41 degrees Centigrade, which meant we were up early every day and out and about before it got stupidly hot and then chilling back at the house for the rest of the day in the shade with a glass of wine or a cold beer (or several!). Also meant that it was too hot to contemplate the two hour journey each way to St Palais sur Mer on the "Wild Coast", so although I'd packed some LRF bits in anticipation they went un-used. Once back from France I had a couple of days at work before we headed down to Pembrokeshire for the Bank Holiday weekend. With potentially four days to play with I had hedged my bets and taken enough kit to cover all eventualities. However, in the end, I'd not reckoned with the weather or my own physical capability, but more of that later. 

Having eyed up the tide tables and keen to get on the bass again I was out bright and early on Sunday morning for high  tide. Headed to the same area where I'd had a couple of decent bass out in May with a view to fishing the ebbing tide as it exposed the beds of bladder wrack, flushing out any potential prey items of interest to a foraging predator. It was a big tide, over 7 metres, so the level was well up the shore when I arrived and partially submerging the clumps of grass and reeds at the high tide line. Rather than blast my lure to the horizon I therefore flicked it parallel to the shore. 

Two turns on the reel handle and the shad was taken with a bang, the rod tip hooped over and the clutch briefly sang as an angry fish tried to make its escape. Unfortunately for me it was successful and after a few seconds the line fell agonisingly slack. Disappointed and encouraged at the same time I carried on, but three hours later and with the tide whizzing out like an express train I was fishless. Better still I'd managed to gash the knee of my waders and fill both legs  with water, so I had to strip off and drive home in my pants! Had planned to return to the estuary later in the week for a low tide session, so on Monday I headed to Hobbs Point in Pembroke Dock. Popped into the local Tesco for some bait, but had forgotten it was Bank Holiday and that they wouldn't be open for over an hour - doh! 

Headed down to the point anyway and spent an hour or so fishing off the pontoon with isome on a dropshot rig. Quickly racked up several rock gobies, black gobies and poor cod before I was able to nip back to the supermarket and get a pack of raw king prawns. Moved onto the old slipway, setting up a two-hook flapper that was baited up with chunks of prawn and dropped down the side, hopefully for a trigger fish or a decent ballan. Swapped the drop shot rig on the LRF rod for a mini-two hook flapper, baiting the bottom size 16 hook with a sliver of prawn and the top hook with a section of isome. The corkwing wrasse and the pollack loved the isome, often intercepting it as it dropped past the weed growing on the wall, whilst the prawn continued to pick up the gobies, along with the biggest tompot blenny I think I've ever seen. 

Kept an eye on the other rod, reeling it in after 30 minutes or so to find both hooks completely stripped, so re-baited it and dropped it down again. With another big Spring tide that morning, there was only about 40 minutes of slack water before the tide started to ebb and rip along the wall. At this point the prawn rod hooped over and I struck into some firm resistance. Hope of a trigger or big ballan were dashed when I saw a snake-like shape emerge from the depths and I began to think I'd hooked a strap conger instead. However, once safely landed I saw that I'd actually caught a decent silver eel, not the first I've had out of the Haven either. Thankfully he was neatly hooked in the bottom lip so after a quick shake with the forceps he was quickly off back down the slipway under his own steam. 

Went back to the pontoon at this stage as it was impossible to hold bottom with my relatively light gear. Another angler had arrived by now and stationed himself on the end, but he graciously let me slot in next to him. Turned out he was from the Black Country not too far from where I grew up in Birmingham, but had retired down to Pembrokeshire with his wife. Had a good old natter, gaining some decent local intelligence in the process, whilst picking off a few more gobies, pollack and corkwing wrasse with the LRF rod in the process, interrupted briefly by one of the Haven's tugs testing its fire-fighting  jets. Had an eye on the time and was just about to pack up when I finally had a ballan wrasse to make it an eight species session comprising 17 corkwings, 13 rock gobies, 7 pollack, 5 black gobies, 4 poor cod, 1 tompot, 1 silver eel and that ballan. 

Headed home pretty satisfied but thinking I was going to get a wigging off the wife, who instead told me that I could have stayed longer if I'd wanted to! Unfortunately that was it for the fishing for the rest of our stay. I'd been feeling a bit dizzy and "out of it" over the previous couple of days and when my hearing started to suffer it became apparent that I'd got a problem with my ears. Taking a strong decongestent knocked me for six, but helped things a bit and I felt bright enough to contemplate a bass session on our final morning. However, by then the tail end of Hurricaine Erin had blessed us with high winds and heavy rain that knocked things on the head anyway. Not what I had planned, but at least I'd had a decent session at Hobbs Point for a change. 

With temperatures cooling down and a bit of rain forecast it's time to see how the rivers are faring now. 

07/10/2024 - Portishead pitstop

Another enjoyable weekend in North Devon shot by and no sooner than we had arrived it was time to head back up the M5 to the Midlands again. 

My friend Ken needed dropping off in Taunton for 1100 hrs so after a quick tidy up we were away a bit earlier than usual. This meant it was still before mid-day when I got to Junction 19 near Bristol. As the weather didn't look too bad I therefore decided to come off the motorway and hang a left to Portishead and ten minutes later I was pulling up in the car park at the marina. I'd left one of my rods made up on the off chance, so grabbed a few prawns and a bit of squid and walked round to the basin, stopping at Costa to grab a coffee on the way. 

Close to the lock gates it was looking a bit brown and murky, but as I walked further along the clarity improved and the water took on a greeny hue. Stopped where I'd had a few gobies in May, baited up with a bit of prawn on the bottom hook and a strip of squid on the top, and then dropped the rig down the side. Could feel the dropshot lead sticking in the silt but by walking slowly backwards and hopping it along the base of the metal pilings I found a couple of harder patches. Had a few rattles on the rod tip straight away but couldn't connect with anything, so carried on a bit further towards the slipway. After a few more nibbles the tip finally bent over properly and a rock goby came reluctantly to the surface. 

Had two more of these, followed by a black goby before the little spot appeared to dry up. As time was ticking (I'd given myself and hour and a half maximum and wanted to get onto the little pier at the top of the marina) I got moving once more, stopping briefly to chat to a chap who was float fishing for mullet. There was nobody up at the top end of the marina, so had the pier to myself. Baited up again and dropped the rig down the side of the wall. Here the holes in the brickwork looked as if they would provide a bit more cover for things like gobies and blennies, but the lead didn't even hit the deck as the squid on the top hook was taken on the drop. Unfortunately, whatever it was soon came off. 

However, next drop in the same spot resulted in a pin whiting. Had a few more rattles and knocks before connecting with the smallest bass I'd ever seen, sporting his juvenile black spots. A silver bar in miniature. Quickly had three more of the greedy little buggers, all on the squid strip. Had seen a large shoal of small fish in the shallows on my last visit and had guessed them to be small bass. The marina probably acts as a nursery area, providing a relatively safe haven for them away from most predators and the strong tides of the Severn estuary. At this point another angler turned up. He was on his way back home to Malmesbury from Cardiff and had also decided on a quick stop. 

Edgar, as it turned out, had fished the marina on a regular basis in the past and had caught a range of species including gilthead bream (another one on my wish list). He'd also fished a lot of the same venues as me in Pembrokeshire, such as St Brides Bay, so we were able to swap advice and share experiences. Had one more little bass before reluctantly heading back to the car as I'd now gone well over my self-alloted time, leaving Edgar with the remains of my prawns and squid. The car park at the marina is "pay as you leave" and when I went to pay for my ticket I found that I'd tipped over into the next price band by just one minute. Not that I was complaining as I'd got a bit more local knowledge in the bank that would hopefully stand me in good stead, including where to park for free next time!

04/08/2024 - Bass blanks and back to basics

Headed down to Pembrokeshire for a few days last week for the father in law's birthday - 83, increasingly cantankerous, deaf and with dodgy legs but otherwise still going strong. As usual I took my bass and LRF gear, although the priority was to try get another bass on the lures. 

Unfortunately the tides were a bit neither here nor there and I had to wait until the Friday morning before I could head off to the estuary at a reasonable time. Usually I fish the flood, but this time high tide was early doors so I would be fishing the ebb instead. Therefore had a look on the map at a couple of spots higher up the esturary, eventually settling on Picton Point where the Eastern and Western branches of the River Cleddau join together - on paper at least an ideal ambush point for fish travelling back down river on the outgoing tide. Got there an hour after high water and got togged up, trying not to disturb the inhabitants of a couple of vans that had been parked up for the night, and made my way along the shore to the point.

Didn't have the need to use the open air toilet facilities and took stock of my surroundings instead. In contrast to the warm, sunny conditions of the previous day, it was overcast, cool and quite breezy and the resulting wave action had muddied up the margins. I also had to wade out well over waist depth as well to clear the band of floating debris that was being dragged out to sea by the tide and I was beginning to regret my choice of venue.The next two and a half hours was spent punching various lures out into the flow. However, my efforts proved to be for nothing with not even a bump or a knock. 

Undaunted I returned to the estuary the following day, but this time I'd played it safe and headed to Lawrenny instead. The conditions had improved and the wind had dropped enough to try for one off the top. Unfortunately after a couple of casts with the Patchinko I found that there was far too much floating weed about, so it was back to bumping soft plastics around on the bottom the instead. Went through the lure box over the next couple of hours trying various different sizes and colours, but again I ended up fishless. Even the mullet seemed to be taking the mick - launching themselves out of the water without any warning and boshing back on the surface, scaring me witless in the process. 

The only saving grace was that Poseidon hadn't claimed any of my tackle, but it was still a tired and disappointed angler that went home that morning. Gave the bass a miss then next day as it obviously wasn't happening on that front and instead headed to Milford Haven with the LRF gear. Had intended to fish off the pier at Hakin, but as I dropped down the hill towards the marina I could see that there were some people already there. Pulled up a couple of minutes later to find three anglers with six rods spread out between them. Bugger! Contemplated fishing next to the marina entrance, but there was already a stiff breeze blowing straight across the Haven that would have made fishing down the high wall a bit tricky. 

Instead I jumped back in the car and made the 15 minute journey back out of Milford, over the Cleddau Bridge and down into Pembroke Dock to Hobb's Point just in time for high water. Made my way down the ramp to the water level and rigged up my usual mini-two hook flapper with size 16 Drennan widegapes. I hadn't had time to get any fresh bait, so was making do with the last of my salted rag and what I had stashed in the mother-in-law's freezer. Went with a sliver of squid on the top hook and alternated bits of worm and tiny cubes of mackerel belly on the bottom. Had a couple of small pollack and the inevitable rock goby but it was slow going and it wasn't long before the ebb tide started picking up. 

At that point I decided to move and made my way down the gang plank and onto the floating pontoon at the base of the wall. A change of spot, possibly combined with the increase in flow, seemed to make a difference straight away as I was immediately into the fish, a succession of pollack coming on the squid strip and the mackerel (I'd dispensed with the worm as it was just getting stripped off the hook) picking up corkwing and ballan wrasse, black gobies and yet more rock gobies. 

Even managed a little bass, which was a nice surprise. Was fishing away quite happily when a string of mackerel feathers came flying over my head. The culprit, a chap about the same age as me, then came stomping down the gangplank, winding furiously. Whether it was due to the look on my face but rather than apologise when he spotted me he immediately got a bit arsy saying "What's the matter? You in a mood 'cus I pinched your spot?". Decided not to get into it and said "No, carry on", but it just re-inforced the fact that there a lot of twats in this world. Carried on for a bit longer, but had to get back as we were heading off back to Nottingham at mid-day. Despite a slow start I'd had over 50 fish, half of which had been pollack. 

Hadn't been hampered by the lack of fresh bait and it was good to know that squid and mackerel are a decent standby. Doubt if we'll be back to Wales this summer, so that'll leave our October trip to Saunton for one last chance for a bass. 

12/05/2024 - A new species and a new venue

Haven't a clue where April went but at least some planned trips in May promised a few fishing opportunities. The first of these was the regular lads' weekend in Saunton Sands in North Devon and whilst the tides weren't ideal I threw some bits and bobs of tackle in the car to try and cover a few different eventualities. 

Early Saturday morning saw me heading to Ilfracombe pier in search of some mini-species. I arrived as the sun was rising above the headland, bathing Verity in golden morning light. The flood tide had already breached the lower part of the pier, so I started fishing from the steps to the upper deck. I'd brought two rods with me and started by throwing out a small metal jig in the hope of a pollack or an early mackerel. Half an hour later and fishless I switched to the other rod and dropped a mini two hook flapper baited with bits of salted rag down the side of one of the wooden pilings. Had to wait a few minutes for my first proper bite, resulting in a scrappy little ballan wrasse. 

Added a small rock goby before I was pushed onto the upper deck. However, bites continued to be slow in coming and I was on the verge of giving up when the tip jagged over and I lifted into what I thought was a snag, but with a bit of pressure the culprit came free and was brought up to the surface with little resistance. Was stunned when I swung it to hand to see it was a topknot, a real prize in LRF circles. Fairly common, but rarely caught, they are a proper little ambush predator. Perfectly camouflaged they are able to cling to vertical surfaces and even upside down on overhanging rocks and on the inside of caves, waiting to suck in any passing small fish and crustaceans with their exendable mouths. Took a quick photo and popped him back into his lair, allowing myself a quick fist pump in celebration. Carried on for a bit longer but didn't catch anything else. Not that I really cared as that ugly, but wacky little fish had made my morning! 

Got back in time to join the others in our coustomary walk over to Georgeham for a drink at The Rock. When we got back there was still a couple of hours to kill before dinner, so I hopped into the car and headed into Braunton for a quick session after the prolific, wild brownies that frequent the River Caen thaat runs throught the town. Fishing with just a small worm on a size 14, 0.5 gram jighead I dropped in at the fish ladder and made my way slowly upstream, flicking the baited hook into any likely spots whilst trying to avoiding the various bits of urban "furniture" as I went. As usual I had plenty of interest from the off, mostly from tiny little trout that pursued and nipped at the worm as it drifted downstream, causing me to curse as I missed bite after bite. 

However, every so often one of their bigger brethren managed to get a look in and by the time allotted time was up I'd managed to land a dozen, colourful spotties. Would have liked to have stayed longer, but the day was roundly off nicely with a huge fish supper at Squires instead. No fishing the following morning. Instead we got the paddleboards out and paddled from Crow Point, up the estuary and then all the way up the tidal part of the Caen to Velator Quay. Unfortunately, when we turned round to go back we found that the breeze had strengthened significantly and we had to battle against a headwind for most of the return journey. Was therefore a bit knackered when we eventually got back to the chalet, so after lunch most of us retired to our beds for a nap! 

Weather took a turn for the worst on Monday, coming in wet and windy, so we didn't hang about and were soon packed up and on our way home. However, after dropping my friend off in Bridgwater I decided to go and have a look at Portishead Marina, which is only about ten minutes from junction 19 of the M5. The venue had cropped up in a few videos on YouTube and there was definitely potential for a couple of different species I'd not had before, such as grey gurnard. 

When I arrived it was still very grey and gloomy, but at least the rain had eased of, so I grabbed the dropshot rod and some salted rag and went for a wander. Was surprised to see that the water quality wasn't that bad seeing as the marina is fed directly by the muddy Bristol Channel. The crabbing platform at the deep end of the marina looked to be a popular spot in the vidoes but it was locked off, so I carried on walking round until I spotted a chap sat float fishing with bread for mullet. Had a quick chat (always after local knowledge!) and it seemed that there was potential for basically anything to swim through the lock gates from the Channel, including bass, pollack, flounders and even gilthead bream. 

Walked on a bit further, eventually stopping near the main slipway. Dropping my rig down the side of the wall I soon started to get little rattles on the rod tip and after a couple of minutes I had my first fish, a fat rock goby. Added a couple more before landing a male black goby with his extravagant, sail-like dorsal fin. After catching half a dozen of each I upped sticks and headed down to the shallow end. There were plenty of small fish about in the margins, possibly bass fry or sand smelt, but rather than try for them I opted to try the small, stone pier on the far side of the marina. However, I couldn't tempt anything else and I was getting a bit twitchy about being stuck on the motorway at rush hour, so headed back to the car. 

An interesting venue and one I would definitely try again, although preferably when the sun is shining! Exmouth next weekend so more mini-species potential, tides permitting.

01/04/2024 - Bank Holiday bits and bobs

Managed to get down to Pembrokeshire for Easter despite the weather throwing everything at us on the way down, including a hail storm near Merthyr. Had an inkling that something was about to happen when the low temperature alert starting pinging as we came over the highest point on the A465. 

Luckily for us the worst of the shower had already gone through, but half a mile down the road we came across the aftermath - banks of hailstones big as marbles in the gutters and a dozen vehicles, including an ambulance, strewn across the carriageway and up on the verge. Thankfully everybody was out their cars and seemed okay, so we inched our way through and cautiously carried on. Once down at the in-laws it seemed as if it hadn't stopped raining since the last time were there at Christmas. The local River Cleddau was the colour of a builder's brew and tonking through, so I left it a day for some of that extra freshwater to flush out the esturary before heading to Pembroke Dock on Saturday morning for high tide. 

Had a bit of salted rag with me, so started off by fishing small sections down the wall on my scaled down, two hook flapper. Second or third  cast I felt a bump as the rig dropped past the kelp, so changed the rag on the top hook for a small strip of squid. Did the trick as next drop down it was taken with a bang by a fat, hand-sized pollack that gave me a good scrap on the light gear. Had seven more of these, all on the squid, whereas the bait on the bottom failed to attract any attention. When the tide starting running along the wall I moved around the corner and had a rock goby, then a black goby in successive casts. However, I failed to buy another bite over the next half an hour and with the tidal flow increasing and making it hard to hold bottom I called it a day. 

Popped in to see Roddy for some fresh rag but found that he'd stopped doing live bait and was winding down and selling off his stock. Therefore headed up to the town to J & M's Tackle instead. With Anglers' Corner over in Milford recently shutting, this is the only local shop to sell live worm now - a bit of a sad state of affairs for the visiting angler. Back home the laddo asked if he could come with me next time, so the following morning we took a bit of a gamble and headed to Hakin on the opposite side of the estuary. 

I knew that the wind had changed direction and was blowing from the South-East. However, I hadn't bargained on it being so strong. When we got to Hakin Point there was a brave soul already there with two bait rods out. However, the pier was being battered not only by a stiff breeze sweeping down the Haven but also by the resulting wind chop, which had churned up the water in the bay. Therefore didn't take much of a decision to jump back in the car and make the 15 minute journey over the bridge to Pembroke Dock. Was still a bit breezy stood out on the ramp, so we tucked ourselves around the corner on the pontoon instead. Tactics were same as before, but with fresh rag on the hook this time. Thought perhaps this would have made a difference, but it was again very slow. 

After a couple of hours we'd only had a few pollack and gobies between us and were getting a bit cold, so we packed up and headed off for a much-needed coffee. I suppose it is still early in the year and the sea hasn't had long to warm up, but equally fellow bloggers on the south coast are already catching what you would consider "summer species", e..g mackerel, garfish and black bream! Anyway, I wasn't going to keep flogging a dead horse, so this morning I headed off to Haverfordwest with a tub of worms and a box of jig heads to try for some brownies. 

Once again it was a bit parky first thing and there was a dense mist shrouding the Cleddau Valley as I dropped onto the A40. Police cars were blocking off Freemans Way due to an accident, so I had to take a quick detour through the town before parking up at the bottom of the section. Whilst it had rained in the night resulting in a slight touch of colour the level had been unaffected, so I got togged up and slid down the bank. Flicking a worm up to the head of the pool I had a rattle straight away as it drfited back towards me and a couple of casts later I had my first fin-perect little brownie. Carried on in the same vein, missing far more than I hooked and landed, possibly because I had to tie on a larger jig to keep the worm down on the deck. The brook was also "hungrier" than usual as I kept snagging up on the urban debris littering the bottom. 

This inevitably resulted in a bent or blunted hook and a new jig, so at the end of the session I had a handfull of scrap and a very short leader! Had to keep an eye on the time as laddo wanted to use the car to meet a friend later, but after a couple of hours I'd had eleven little brownies and a proper little "silver tourist", presumably about to start her perilous journey down to the estuary and out to sea (the vast majority of sea trout are females, their male partners remaining behind as resident brown trout). With a bit of colour in the water it was difficult to see the bottom at times and I had been sliding about on the rocks even with my studded boots. Crossing the brook to get to a spot on the other side I was just thinking to myself "I could have really done with my wading staff" when I slipped and fell forwards, ending up on all fours in the water and cracking my shin in the process! 

Luckily my waders and my rod survived, but it had knocked the wind out of me and when the next cast ended up in yet another snag I called it a day. Headed home to find that the lad had cancelled his plans, scuppered by another closure on the A40 at St Clears and cancellation of all trains from Cardiff, which meant that his friend was now stuck in Swansea. Happy days!

26/08/23 - A windy morning at Hobbs

Was up early yet again this morning. However, on this occasion I headed off to Hobbs Point in the hope of replicating last year's success and catching myself another trigger fish. 

Didn't actually know whether they were about yet and was aware they'd been late turning up at places like Chesil, but as I had caught one exactly 12 months ago to the day I thought it would be worth a shot. There was always a chance that a wrasse, or even a bass, would show up as well. Had planned as before to fish over low water and had chosen this morning because it was the smallest neap of the week, which would give me maximum depth at low tide. Called in at Tesco at Pembroke Dock and got a packet of raw king prawns for bait before driving down to the point as the sun was just clearing the land opposite. Apart from a taxi driver taking a break I was the only person there, so carefully made my way as far down the ramp as I dared without slipping and falling on my arse. 

Set up a two hook flapper with size 4 Sakuma mini mantas, whipped on a couple of prawns and dropped the rig down the side of the wall. On previous, successful occassions the fish had been straight onto the bait, so I sat down on the quayside holding the rod and waited for the tell-tale "tap, tap, tap" of a trigger. However, 30 minutes later I'd not seen any indication of any interest, so decided to hedge my bets and set up the LRF rod. Left the other rod to fish by itself, keeping an eye open for any movement on the tip, whilst I baited up a mini two hook flapper with bits of last summer's salted ragworm and sent it down to the bottom. Didn't have to wait long for the first determined enquiry, but was surprised when a black goby appeared on the surface. 

These usually play second fiddle at Hobbs to their more aggressive cousins, the rock gobies. However, I added three more on successive casts before a small ballan wrasse broke the monopoly. Was kept busy over the next half an hour re-baiting the LRF rod, adding more black gobies, a couple of corkwing wrasse (Mr and Mrs) and (eventually) a rock goby to the tally. However, the prawns to my right remained un-touched. A couple of other anglers had arrived by now, including another chap with LRF gear. Saw him catch a couple of fish on the dropshot before he came down to ask me whether I'd had a scorpion, as he was after one for a species hunt. However, when I responded in the negative he went straight back to his fishing. 

Carried on a bit longer, but the bites had slowed down and my nose was dripping due to the stiff, cool breeze that had been blowing straight into my face all morning. Gave myself one final cast with the LRF rod and had an opportunistic pollock shoot out from the kelp to intercept the bait on the drop. Wound in the untouched prawns before packing up and making my way back up the ramp. Stopped and asked my fellow angler if he'd had his scorpion, but he was also now packing up after catching a few ballans. Took the opportunity to have a quick chat about the local fishing. He was interested that I'd been after the triggers and that I'd caught them from Hobbs in the past. Turned out that he had held the Welsh record for a boat caught trigger at one time. 

Before he left he gave me details of another spot on the other side of the haven to try for them and introduced himself as Nev. Thought his face was vaguely familiar, later realising that he was a member of the Tenby and District Angling Club whose Facebook page here is a valuable source of information for a travelling angler like myself and one I often refer to. Was therefore pleased to receive a message from him later offering his knowledge and assistance whenever I was down in Pembrokeshire - the power of social media! 

Had just left the car park when I spotted a sign for bait by the side of the road. Therefore stopped for a quick look and was pleasantly surprised to find a well stocked tackle shop at JMB Marine (details here), even more so when the guy behind the counter said that he'd got plenty of fresh rag in at £5 a quarter. Getting bait in Pembrokeshire has always been a problem as decent tackle shops are few and far between, so I duly parted with my money and got a pack of nice fat worms in return. Again I took the opportunity to glean any local knowledge before I left, promising the chap I'd be seeing him again. Will hopefully get to use the rag over the next couple of days, but at the very least I can salt them down for future use. Onwards and upwards! 

20/08/2022 - Trigger hunt

First and foremost I have to thank Dave Burr for the "hot tip" that resulted in this post. I had successfully targeted trigger fish at Hobbs Point in Pembroke Dock several years ago, but I had subsequently been told in one of the tackle shops that after the local crab fisherman had moved their holding pens to a different area of the Haven the triggers had stopped visiting the mark (apparently they liked to nip the legs off any crabs unfortunate to leave them sticking through the mesh!). 

So when Dave mentioned in a comment on my blog that he had recently seen one at Hobbs my interest was well and truly piqued and a session was planned for the first available opportunity, which happened to be slack water at low tide at first light this morning. Arrived just as the sun was peeking over the hill to find a stiff breeze blowing straight up the Haven and a bit of a chop on, but that the water clarity was still good. Used exactly the same tackle and tactics as when I targeted them before - my bass rod and reel loaded with 30lb braid down to a two hook flapper made up with size 4, heavy gauge Aberdeens baited with raw king prawn. A few beads were also added not only to provide some attraction, but also a bit of protection for the nylon trace from their teeth. 

Dropped the rig straight down the side of the wall and it wasn't too long before I started getting the typical "pecks" on the rod tip. First time I was far too eager and struck way too soon. Second time I let the bite develop and after a couple of proper knocks I struck into a heavy fish. Lifted it up to the surface to see that it was a trigger about the size of a dinner plate! However, as soon as it saw me it dived powerfully back down to the bottom. This went on for a bit, but after I'd got it back to the surface for the third time it looked ready for the net. Unfortunately, looks were deceiving and it again crash dived - this time the hook pulled out! I surprised myself with how calmly I took this as I re-baited and dropped the rig down once more in the hope that I'd not blown my chances. 

All this time I had also been fishing with my LRF rod and had been pulling rock gobies up one after the other on a mini two hook flapper baited with scraps of rag when I struck into something completely different that charged about all over the place. Eventually got it up to the surface to see that it was a sizeable mackerel. However, thoughts of fresh fish for breakfast were quickly dashed when that too fell off before I could net it! Didn't think that it was going to be my morning when the other rod tip started tapping again. This time I left it for as long as I dared before lifting into another powerful fish. Raised it from the depths to see that it was another decent trigger, before it dived back down taking line off the reel against the clutch and pulling my lure rod round into an alarming curve.

After several surging runs I managed to get it under control and was mightily relieved to bundle it into the net on the first attempt. It was every bit as weird as I remembered them, the bizarre body shape and relatively small mouth containing a formidable set of gnashers, but with flashes of azure blue on the dorsal fin and the same highlights around the eye to give it a touch of the exotic. 

Got a fellow angler to take a quick photo before returning it and watching it swim away strongly. Re-baited and cast out again, but the shoal must have moved on as I had no further interest on this rod. However, continued to catch on the LRF rod, adding a couple of corkwings, a few black gobies and several pollack to the procession of rock gobies. Ended up with well over fifty fish in total after about an hour and a half, but the star was definitely the trigger fish! 

16/08/2022 - On holiday again!

Haven't been out on the rivers lately - didn't seem right with them down to their bare bones. Even the mighty River Trent has been showing the strain with a fraction of the normal flow passing over the weir at Beeston. Therefore didn't come as a surprise when the Environment Agency announced drought status across 8 of its 14 areas, with only far the north-west being classed as under "normal" conditions.

This state of affairs happened to coincide with the start of our two week holiday in Wales where hosepipe bans had already been announced in Permbrokeshire and Camarthenshire due to reservoirs falling to critical levels - not that you would have known from the relatively lush, green grass in the fields on our way through to the in-laws. However, the most important job upon arrival was to get some bait so, after unloading the car, I headed off to J & M Tackle in Pembroke Dock for some rag and crab, although I had to wait patiently while the customer in front of me had a five minute rant about the current state of Man United - effing and jeffing away in front of his two young kids! 

As usual the rag were top drawer and as thick as my little finger. Seemed a shame to miss an opportunity while I there, so headed over to Hobbs Point. I'd accidentally on purpose timed my visit to coincide with low water. On the back of the recent springs, the day's tides was still big enough to expose the end of the old car ramp, not only allowing access to the weed-lined fringes but also to the siltier ground beyond. Chopped a couple of the smaller rag into bits and used them to bait up a mini two hook flapper made up with size 10 Sabpolo wormer hooks. 

Dropped straight down the side past the kelp the bait was immediately snaffled by the inevitable rock goby or small pollack. However, swinging the rig slightly further out over the silt allowed the black gobies to get a look in. 

Stood at the end of the ramp with the sun baking the backs of my legs for the next hour or so until the tide started properly flooding. Ended up with forty-odd gobies, a few pollack and a couple of corkwings. The following morning I had planned to go wrassing or bassing. However, disaster had struck overnight  - the mother-in-law's spare fridge that I'd been allowed to put my bait in had been turned up to max, so by morning my quality rag had frozen solid! Therefore hastily decided on another mini-species session, this time heading to Milford Haven in order to get some shelter from the brisk northerly wind. In contrast to the bright, sunny day at Hobbs it was dull and overcast and despite having the hill to my back it was still quite breezy out on the pier. 

The rag had thawed out by the time I got there with some of them miraculously showing signs of life. However, the mini-species don't seem to care whether they are alive or dead and it makes no difference when they're chopped into bits anyway! Dropped my baited rig down the side and started getting rattles straight away, which were soon converted into a procession of corkwings, small ballans and pollack. 

As soon as the tide started ebbing along the wall I moved to the area of slack water off the end of the pier. The corkwings must have been stacked in this small area like sardines as they were coming up two at a time, with only a solitary shanny to break their monopoly.  The northerly wind had really got to me by now to the extent that I was actually shivering so when a big group of kids turned up and started tombstoning off the steps it seemed a convenient time to call a halt, having had over 30 corkwings, 9 pollack, 4 ballans and that solitary blenny. Whilst I obviously enjoy catching fish whatever the variety I really need to find some new marks now as the old ones are becoming very predictable!