2007 DIARY

08/04/07 - Gilkicker Point

Me and peterpan3494 (Pete) fished Gilkicker point from 18.00 to 02.30. We were joined later my mate Chris.
LW was at 20.42. Tide – 4.2m. Calm night with a light westerly breeze.
Baits – sand eel, mackerel, frozen peeler, rag and lug.
While daylight was still with us I put one of my rods out at distance with a clipped down wishbone rig with ‘bling’, loaded with rag and lug – searching for a plaice, but to no avail.
As darkness fell switched to clipped down 3/0 pennels on 2 rods variously baited with sand eel/rag, mackerel/rag, peeler/rag etc. fished at long (ish) and medium range. Later I added my Shakespeare flattie (‘bass’) rod with a running ledger on the bottom with large mackerel and rag bait and a top dropper with rag or sand eel. This was fished closer in.
Bites were slow to come with knocks from small stuff. Then around midnight noticed a steady knocking on one of the ‘distance’ rods, then the tip pulled down. A good little tussle resulted in a lovely spotted ray of exactly 5 lb – a PB for me :


After pictures and weighing it was returned safely and I re-baited and re- cast.
With this the other distance rod started nodding – this time the culprit was a small smoothound.
Just as I finished re-baiting from that the tip of the ‘bass’ rod, which was fishing at about 40 yards began a rhythmic tapping and the bait runner click steadily away. I picked it up and answered a strong pull with one of my own. Another spotted ray was soon on the beach having given a good account of itself on the little rod. This one was slightly smaller at 4 lb.


Both rays took the sand eel/rag combination and were caught within a half hour period at roughly half flood.
Other fish were a whiting of about a pound and a few pout.
Chris caught a number of pout. Sadly – and unusually – Pete blanked despite having a thumping bite that lifted his rod but off the shingle on almost his last cast !