08/04/2023 - Pins and doggies at Fishguard

Was out early again to take advantage of the tides and the weather, but headed up north to Fishguard with the bait rods this time with the plan to fish the two hours up to high water. 

Stopped off at the local Spar and raided their bait freezer for some mackerel and squid then made the long walk to the end of the inner breakwater, spotting an early summer visitor in the form of a male wheatear in the process. The sun was just starting to come over the headland, but it was still quite gloomy as I got comfortable on the concrete apron to the right of the beacon. Set up my bass rod with a one up, one down rig with size 2 hooks baited with mackerel strip and tipped with a bit of squid and lobbed it out into the bay. 

Started getting fast, jabbing rattles as soon as the lead hit bottom and before I'd even put the rod in the rest! I knew that trying to strike would be futile, so sat on my hands and waited for the culprits to eventually hang themselves. It soon looked as if the pin whiting were still about in numbers as I had half a dozen in quick succession. 

Spent the first half an hour constantly re-baiting in order to keep up with the voracious little buggers before I eventually got round to setting up the other rod. This one was lobbed out with a couple of mackerel fillets whipped onto a dongle on a size 4/0 circle hook on a pulley rig in the hope of something bigger. As the sun came up and it got brighter it seemed to put the whiting off and things calmed down a bit. 

Wound in the big bait after 20 minutes to find that it had been completely stripped, so re-baited and sent it out to soak again. In the meantime I'd been getting slow pull downs on the other rod. 

Wound down to momentarily feel a dead weight before the rig apparently pulled free, coming back with bare hooks. Happened again a few minutes later but this time the weight stayed on. Turned out ot be a spider crab hooked through a leg joint - no wonder my baits weren't lasting, what with the attention from the whiting and the crabs. Was therefore pleased when I eventually had a couple of doggies (or cat sharks to use the correct nomenclature) - like peas in a pod and both on the flapper rig rather than the big bait. High water came and passed and with it went the bites. To be honest I'd had enough of standing out in the freshening south-easterly breeze and the breakwater was getting busy with jogger and dog walkers, their various mutts intent on snaffling the bait off my cutting board. 

Packed up just as the Stena Line ferry nosed into the bay and headed back home over the Prescelli Hills - no doubt I'll be back in the summer for the wrasse!

13/04/2019 - Time for reflection and a bit of fishing

This week we had a family gathering down in Pembrokeshire to coincide with what would have been my dad's 80th birthday and to re-visit a place that held many happy memories for us - Bosherston Lily Ponds. 

Fishing of some description was always going to be on the agenda while we were here, so early on Monday morning I dragged my lad out of bed to catch slack water at Hobbs Point, stopping off at Tesco at Pembroke Dock to grab some raw prawns for bait. Dropping a mini-two hook flapper down the side of the wall he had a small pollack before I'd tackled up the second rod. Our fishing window was only short due to the tides, but when it started to ebb less than an hour later, we'd had a couple more pollack and several greedy rock gobies between us. 

The following day the family all headed down to the "grassy bridge" at Bosherston, the scene of many autumn pike fishing expeditions during the late 70's and 80's, when a small part of Pembrokeshire would be temporarily annexed by a load of Brummies!

Despite our initial ineptitude and crude tackle, we always caught lots of pike up to mid-doubles, together with the occasional big eel that ended up in the frying pan (different times). There were bigger specimens there without doubt, including a high twenty that went home with it's captor in a black bin bag after he'd come and scabbed some roach off us for livebaits. However, they managed to elude us despite our tackle and methods becoming more refined over the years. 

As I've mentioned before in a previous post, I don't remember dad actually doing much fishing himself. Instead he'd be tackling and baiting everybody else up, dealing with the inevitable tangles, brewing tea, making bacon butties and then packing and tidying up. However, that was him all over - as happy helping as doing.

Bosherston nowadays is probably better known for the photogenic qualities of its resident population of otters than its fishing, but it was a fitting place to pause, reflect and remember. 

The next morning my brother, my lad and I headed up to the North coast to Fishguard for a boys' fishing trip. Set up at the end of the inner breakwater to fish the two hours up to high tide. Had taken a variety of kit, including the LRF rods but, as it was quite windy and very weedy close in, we settled on taking turns with the bait rods. Choice of bait at the local garage had been limited to frozen squid or mackerel, so a pulley pennel rig was baited up with a squid/mackerel wrap and a two hook flapper baited with squid and mackerel strips. 

The rod with the pennel rig on had only been out a couple of minutes when there was good pull down and a slack line bite, resulting in a small dogfish for the lad. Before I'd had chance to re-bait, the other rod started nodding away and was eagerly jumped on by my brother. Unfortunately for him, this turned out to be a small whiting instead! Luckily there were a few more fish about, so I was kept busy re-baiting for my "clients". By the time it got to slack water, we'd all had a couple of doggies each, with a few whiting thrown in for good measure. 

Main thing was that we'd spent some quality time together and had a few laughs. Hopefully there'll be many more to come.

28/12/2018 - Festive fishy fun and frustration!

Christmas this year was spent with the in-laws in Pembrokeshire. Knowing that the car would be packed to the gunnels I'd taken the precaution of leaving some tackle when we were down at the end of November. With Christmas Day festivities and Boxing Day recovery out of the way, I made plans to fit a couple of sessions into an early morning window between sunrise and high tide while everybody else was still in bed. 

Took advantage of the hour difference in tide times to travel up to the north coast first of all, knowing that I could fish the same state of the tide the following morning down on the Haven. Left bright and early and was in Goodwick before sunrise. Popped into the local garage to stock up with some more mackerel and mini-squid from their freezer, before heading along to the end of the breakwater. 

The large number of crab and lobster pots placed close to the breakwater meant that I was limited to fishing off the rock apron to the right of the beacon again, but I wasn't too concerned given my success there last time. Set up a one up, one down two hook flapper baited with mackerel strip tipped with squid on my first rod. Lobbed this out before setting up a pennel rig with a more substantial offering of a mackerel fillet and squid "sausage" on the other. 

However, the tip of the scratching rod had already started rattling and I wound in to find a double shot of small whiting on the end. Got them unhooked and popped them into my new Tronixpro "dry feet" bucket (a Christmas present from the kids) to recover.

This proved to be a real boon over the session and meant that the seagulls were deprived of any easy pickings! I'd had a few more "pins" when I noticed three positive pull downs on the pennel rod and wound down into a fish. Not the codling I was wishing for, but a feisty little doggy instead.

Had two more of these, one on the pennel and one on the flapper, and a few more small whiting in the couple of hours up to high tide, when everything went a bit quiet. The only further action was when I had a pull down on the flapper rod and wound down to feel a passive weight on the end. As I pumped the lead up and over the weed fringe a big edible crab appeared hanging onto the bottom hook......and then promptly dropped off! Packed up and headed back for breakfast against the tide of dog walkers.

The following morning I was off again before first light down to Milford Haven. I had been in two minds whether to go back to Goodwick, but I'd seen a couple of reports online from before Christmas that suggested there might be a few fish about. Set up out the back of the car about halfway along the sea wall. Tactics and baits were the same as the previous day - the scratching rig close in and the pennel lobbed out as far as I could. Over the next couple of hours I was kept busy re-baiting, but for the wrong reason - flippin' crabs! The little buggers absolutely demolished the fish baits, stripping the hooks on the flapper rig and whittling the bigger bait on the pennel rig down in minutes. Stuck it out for the two hours up to high tide, but with little confidence and the grim realisation that I should have indeed gone to Goodwick! Yet another blank at Milford - the Haven hoodoo continues........