Dunwich Dabfest

Early Sunday morning five of us set out for Dunwich for another crack at the dabs that have started to show along the Suffolk shingle. Krakov picked me and Goozgog up in the Land Rover and shortly after dawn broke we arrived in the car park and met up with Conan The Whittler and The Turdster.

Considering all the wet weather we've been having we again managed to hit it right, with clear blue skies and a strong south westerly wind, blowing right to left along the beach and slight off our backs. We started fishing at about 8.30, with high tide being about 11.30.

A no-rules competition for the biggest dab ensured, with Krakov making the most of  the non-rules with a five hook paternoster, which he thankfully lost after an hour or so.

Krakov Longlining

 
The Mighty Turdster was first to catch with a small dab and soon everyone was catching regularly, with two and three shots of dabs and whiting commonplace. Most were just undersized, but plenty of decent whiting and a few dabs were kept for the pot.

At high tide Goozgog donned the chef hat and prepared sausage and bacon baps for everyone, which were greedily consumed at the Krakov shelter (apart from the grumpy Turdster, who elected to eat his by himself).

Conan The Whittler, blasting one rod out at maximum range, managed to catch a nice codling around the 3lb which was the biggest fish of the day.

As the tide turned the fish seemed to feed even harder and again double and treble shots were the norm. Last week, most fish were caught at close range and today proved to be no different, with a 50-60 yard lob being ample. All baits worked, but I probably had most dabs on a small black lug/ herring cocktail.

Fishing tailed off about three hours after the top of the tide and as a bank of rain approached in the distance we called it a day. A dispute between myself and The Turdster as to who had caught the biggest dab  was resolved when Krakov produced some dodgy scales and announced that I had narrowly beaten Turdy.

I had a total of 20 dabs, 20 whiting and a pout and the rest of the lads had similar catches, unusual on the east coast to catch that many fish in daylight.

Another really enjoyable day. Sunshine, good company, hot food and plenty of fish. It doesn't get much better than that.

Wattsy Dog Victorious At Dunwich

With the forecast of a rare dry day, I set off to fish Dunwich with Turdster and Wattsy Dog, the legendary Wrabness based wildfowler. Due to his propensity for travel sickness, he kicked me out the drivers seat and insisted on driving. After picking up Turdster we were soon hurtling down the tiny lanes leading to Dunwich, with Wattsy taking the paint off both sides of my car as he ignored the usual protocol of slowing down and pulling over when meeting oncoming traffic.

 From left - Turdster, me and Wattsy (modelling his wife's culottes)

It was a very mild, sunny day with a brisk offshore wind, making for a calm sea. It started very slowly, with nothing for the first half hour over low water. Turdster started his usual "it's crap, we're going blank" moaning, but as soon as the tide started to run the bites started. Many were missed, but we started to catch whiting and dabs regularly.

Most of the fish were caught fairly close in, maybe 50-70 yards out, just the other side of a sand bar that was partially exposed at low water.

First blood to The Watts Dog

Turdster in extremely unusual sitting pose (and what's he got in his hand )?

We continued to catch regularly, all the way up to the top of the tide. Somehow, we were missing the majority of the bites, despite many of them being real rod rattlers. Wattsy Dog's tactics of pretty much ignoring the bites and winding in every quarter of hour seemed work the best and he ended up winner with over a dozen fish to his single rod.

As an aside, Turdster passed on a beaten and battered, but still functioning, Daiwa 9000C fixed spool reel to Wattsy today.

This reel was originally my Dad's in the late 70's. He passed it to me, I gave it to Big Shane, who gave it to his son Elliott. Then it was given back to me when they emigrated to Canada. The Turdster then used it for a couple of years and now Wattsy Dog is the proud owner.

Not bad, over thirty years service and still going.

After dropping the lads off, I caught the end of a Joe Strummer tribute show on 6Music and ended up singing along to "White Man In Hammersmith Palais" with car radio volume cranked up to 11. A fitting way to end an enjoyable day

Huge Tide at Wivenhoe

A beautiful sunny, calm day last Sunday, so I took a walk down to the quay at Wivenhoe. When I got there, about half hour before high tide the water was already well over the road and still rising, which was surprising as although the tide tables indicated a large tide, they did not predict one of this size.

Half Hour Before High Tide at Wivenhoe

I could understand it if there was a big northerly wind blowing and an area of  low pressure, but Sunday was the opposite of this. I spoke to a local fisherman and asked him what was going on and all he said was "I'm buggered if I know". Anyway, it was a good chance to get a few unusual photos.

 Top of the Tide

Up to the door at the Rose and Crown

John Peel's Festive 50

I miss the Christmas Peel shows. Being a bit of a saddo, I used to religiously tape John Peel's Festive 50 each year. Somewhere in the loft are cassettes and mini discs (I'll explain later kids....) going back to 1979, through to 2004, a good twenty years worth. I'm sure there must be a few years missing but not many. 

I seldom listen to them now though, it just seems to remind me that poor old Peel is no longer with us. Anyway, in the spirit of the Festive 50 and in memory of Peel, here's a few of my favourites of 2012.

And in no particular order.......

Albums

1000 Pictures - Pete and the Pirates - Great band, but split up after only a couple of years

Toy - Toy - Krautrock British styleeeeeeee

The Lion's Roar - First Aid Kit - Country music can be groovy, pop pickers

Standing At The Sky's Edge - Richard Hawley - Plenty of wailing guitars and feedback, limited crooning

Let England Shake - P.J.Harvey - A corking album, not a single duff track

 Tracks

If you have a pulse, you'll enjoy these.

Motoring - Toy

 Best of Friends - Palma Violets - 

Reformation - The Fall

London Can Take It - Public Service Broadcasting

Home - Edward Sharpe and the magnetic Zeros

Deep In The Essex Marshes

Last Sunday the day started with several degrees of frost and a deep blue sky. After a quick breakfast I drove over to Tollesbury, the village where, to me, it will forever be the 1970s. As a kid I used to go over every week with my Mum to see my grandparents on the old Osbourne bus. It seemed to take ages,and you prayed that the bus wouldn't take a diversion into Salcott, which extended the jouney time still further.

I parked in the square near the Kings Arms and walked down Station Road to "Woodrope". A really bitterly cold, but beautiful day. Mooched about the creeks a took a few photos.

 Sail Lofts at "Woodrope" Tollesbury

Ghosts of times past

Houseboat in the creek

Tollesbury Light Ship

Ended up walking past the legendary 96 Mell Road. The old walnut tress have gone and a large extention has changed what was once a simple council house, but I could distinctley smell, hear and see traces of the long gone1970s.

"That Was The Year That Was"

The dark days down to Christmas creep
As wolves around a pen of sheep
When people turn their collars up and sigh
A convalescent crescent moon
Comes drifting out mid-afternoon
To bid an old arthritic year goodbye

Martin Newell  "The Dark Days Down To Christmas

A few photos from 2012.

February - A freezing afternoon at Brightlingsea

February - Wreck at Alresford Creek

April - Wood Anemones in Stour Wood, Wrabness

April/May - Beach fishing for roker

After several blank trips throughout April, the roker fishing in May suddenly took off. For perhaps six or seven weeks the fishing was excellent, with short sessions resulting in catches of up to five fish in three hours.

Nice simple fishing.Pick a small-medium evening or early morning tide, ideally not too rough. Chuck out a chunk of herring or whole squid 50-100 yards. Sit on your hands and wait until the rod is just about to be pulled out the rod rest and then tighten up.

May - Old gun emplacements at Walton On The Naze

June - Yellow horned poppies at Salthouse, North Norfolk. .

.

Thorrington Creek

June - Thistles at Alresford Grange

  

August - On holiday at Prawle Point, Devon. A fantastic place.

August - Summer storm, Prawle Point.

July/August - Hound fishing on the south coast

Had a couple of smoothound sessions in July / August on the South Coast with Fishy Rob. First trip at Hayling Island, a windy, cool evening at Rob's "secret spot". Had four hounds to just over 10lb, missed several others. It was a strange spot, with massive, snag encrusted gravel bars that ruined even 80lb shock leaders and cost us several fish.

A few weeks later Rob called. "You must get down here this Sunday. The tides are building, forecast is good and more and more hounds are showing on every tide. I'm sure we'll have a big hit". Trouble was I was booked up to go to a barby.

Sunday came and by early afternoon it was pouring with rain. Barby called off. On the phone to Rob and half hour later I'm in the car heading towards West Sussex.

Met Rob and three friends at another sneaky spot. He was right, fishing was manic from the off. The first two hours it was a bite a cast, despite us fishing in daylight in three or four feet of water.

It then went completely dead for a couple of hours and I thought, that's it, we've had our lot.

By this time it was totally dark and just as suddenly as they'd disappeared they came on the feed again. This time it was truly ridiculous, with Rob unable to keep up with landing the fish for everyone. For the next three hours it was mayhem, until we packed up at 4 a.m, having caught 52 hounds between four of us.

I had fourteen, mostly doubles, with the biggest two, 16lb and 16lb 8oz. A fantastic night's fishing.

September - Fishing In Canada - 

Off to Canada to see Shane. Highlight was the fly-in by boat plane to a remote lake in Ontario. Nobody else on the entire lake. Bloody beautiful and the fishing for small mouth bass and muskie was good too.

 

September/October - Autumn bassing on the river.

Great fishing for some reasonable sized (2-3lb) fish on very light gear. Floatfished ragworm resulted in 2-4 fish in a couple of hours throughout September and October. Some of the most enjoyable fishing of the year in beautiful surroundings. I love it.