So I was really getting the LRF bug now and although it was just a few days to wait I spent them mentally planning how to attack picking up more species.
So the weekend finally came. My other half had a weekend planned with her friends leaving me and Owen with a stamped leave pass to hang out with the fishes all weekend.
I drove to Devon after work from Ash Vale on the Friday evening and amazingly the weather was improving all of the way. I was staying at my mum’s place on a sofabed so I dumped my bags said hi to everyone and put Owen to bed who was already there waiting for me.
“Mum, you mind if I pop out for a few hours?😀”.
The tide was right out but I wanted to get some action and fast so headed for the Barbican. I re-traced our previous route from Wednesday night but didn’t get a nibble until I found myself out the back of Captain Jaspers. There were plenty of fish swimming around the steps but they just weren’t taking the hook, they followed, nipped, pulled and then turned and laughed at me. Might have lost the next hour getting myself very frustrated… oops. I decided to move back around to the edge of the harbour near the giant prawn sculpture. I fished both sets of steps and both were providing me rock goby after rock goby. Must have had at least 10 by the end of the night. I couldn’t possibly move on with the action so hot so I instead upped my hook size and changed from Isome to Gulp sandworm.
Instant results.
The rod bent over and line was being taken. I may have had the drag set too loosely but being new to 4lb breaking strain fluro-carbon I wasn’t confident in when it would snap yet. None-the-less the fish quickly tired and I lifted in this stunningly coloured ballen wrasse.
5-2 to me!
Now in my experience, wrasse have always been a disappointing fish due to the sheer number I have caught over the years whilst float fishing for mackerel, bass, pollock etc. But since targeting fish on lures my opinion has been flipped in its head. Who would have thought that those little rock dwellers could be such a ferocious hunter. They will smash and grab just about anything you add some movement too, then run with it like they are leaving a bank job with the loot in hand.
I felt sorry for Owen as he loves his wrasse fishing and was missing out by being in bed (it sucks being 10). But It didn’t stop me grinning like a Cheshire cat as I took a few beauty snaps before putting her back.
It was time for another move.
I walked all the way round the main drag of bars across and past the 3 crowns around boston tea party and the diving shop and into the first alley where I was fortunate enough to see half a dozen lads hosing the street down if you catch my drift.
I waited untill they were gone and then made my way around the railings and back to the little bit of structure I had caught my Pouting on previously. I changed from a jig head and tied a dropshot with the smallest hook I have and dropped it in right between the verticals of the structure. Must have been half a second after the weight hit the deck and before I even had chance to get the slack in. Tap tap tap tap tap. Gentle lift and fish on. I reeled in another fish I used to consider a nuisance. The mighty Micro-Pollock.
6-2, not really fair with Owen unable to fish but I couldn’t resist.
I continued fishing around this structure and along the wall for about half hour resulting in having to tell about 20 pissheads what I was doing and taking some much needed verbal abuse from a few but continued to land more rock gobies and another tompot. My 3rd since the start of the comp. I could see something distinctly bigger and darker showing some interest but it just didn’t take the bait.
I landed a small crab (my first on lure haha) and that to me was a sign to give up (no-one wants to catch crabs on a night out), so packed up and headed back to my mum’s place (after a late night/early morning Macdonalds).
Saturday’s plan was to be up and out early and travel further afield. But that was before I stayed up stupidly late catching gobies and eating fast food. So the morning brought a little lie in and I was very easily convinced to join two of my friends at Rocksalt for a bit of breakfast and coffee and had no complaints from Owen.
If you haven’t been there, go! Now, I mean it, stop reading and go. The food is excellent. I have been lucky enough to have evening meals and breakfast here and the quality is up there with the best. Owen had his trademark Pancakes with mae syrup, and although I had my heart set on a full english heart attack when he added ‘with bacon’ to the waitress I was completely thrown and jumped in with ‘make that 2 please 🤔.
So after breakfast, banter and feeling a lot more alive we decided to go rockpool rambling at Devils Point.
This has always been a favourite hunting ground for me. As a teenager I landed my first bass here as well as a number of big Pollock and wrasse and a few dogfish. But when we got there the tide was right out leaving us plenty of pools to explore. It became evident that the dropshot and jig heads were a little too big so we exchanged for split shot and size 12 hooks and small pieces of gulp/isome.
We could see some new species straight away showing interest and even though we had them hooked on a number of occasions. Lifting them clear of the water to watch the let go and escape back to the pool never to be seen again. Talk about frustrating fun.
I was first to get a fish. Owen wanted to swap pools as I kept getting bites, and just as irony dictates as soon as I dropped into his, bite, hooked lifted and I was laughing once again.
I didn’t know what species it was at the time but predicted it to be a common blenny. I was later told Shanny, then common goby, then informed they are the same species.
Either way the fish made it 7 for me with poor Owen stuck on 2.
We continued to try different pools but just didnt have the knack for it. once again I saw some dark coloured blenny looking fish similar to the night before but the just were inquisitive but not brave enough to take the bait.
We moved to our favourite spot at the end of the rocks where we often float fish or dropshot live rag for wrasse. Strangely as this is usually a very productive spot for wrasse species and Pollock we just couldn’t find any so decided to move again after about 30 minutes.
We then decided to brave the lower platforms. With the tide rushing through we could only really dropshot in right against the wall.. I might as well have just watched. Owen was getting all of the bites and started to pull in fish after fish.
7-3 with Owen starting to make a comeback!
This was the first of 6 corkwing wrasse Owen was to catch between 2 marks. 6 more than I managed as no matter where I tried that day I couldn’t get one. ARGH!!!
After a few more fish for Owen as stated above we jumped in the car and drove down to Mountwise/Mutton Cove. It was still Owen on form with a few more Corkwings.
I almost took his rod off him as punishment, but it was great to see him catching and having fun. Meanwhile I managed a couple more rock gobys and pollock before Owen hooked into his next new species.
At 7 – 4 with Owen picking up his own common blenny it was about time for me to set the record straight and put our own little competition to bed once and for all.
But I may have had some help. Just as the light was fading we bumped into Adam Davey who was kind enough to give us hints and tips.
He showed us a method using a small jig head and longer piece of Isome worm of fishing across the surface a lot faster than we had been fishing and I immediately started getting bites on the surface. It only took a few casts to hook into my very first ever smelt.
So many thanks to Adam for all the help!!!!!! Was great, meeting you and we hope to fish with you again soon!
It was now Owen’s turn to try for one, I let him use my setup and we tutored him on the cast and retrieve. He did start to get bites and even hooked up, but unfortunately the smelt came off and splashed back to the sea as he lifted it out of the water. I can only imagine how gutted he was as I was devastated for him. As soon as that happened the action just switched off. No more bites,
We decided to call it a day as I needed to get Owen home for some dinner.
And that ladies and gents brings me to the end of chapter 2.
I hope you enjoyed reading it.
If you want to find out more about catching UK fish on lures, I strongly recommend you try this great book here which provides info on everything you might want to know about lure fishing in the UK and how to catch a huge variety of species
How To Trick A Fish 