We launched and headed for our first spot. The forecast gave S-SE winds but we were met with a brisk westerly that got me worried I chose the wrong spot...
We started fishing and soon enough we found the fish holding near the bottom in a 25m bowl.
The old-timers Mick and Keith started hauling some fish in and it took a few tries for Chris and Rob to follow suit.
The fish were showing a strong preference to soft plastics and this continued for the rest of the day.
After a couple hours and with the westerly not dying down, we decided to move to a more sheltered area.
The crossing was fun in the chop but we soon came to shelter.
I could see fish higher up in the water column and there seemed to be plenty of fry around.
We started casting and soon all the guys were in!
We had a steady stream of 4-6 lbs fish with the better ones going 7-8lbs. We came close but no double graced our net on the day.
At some point Chris got something heavy on, that kept close to the bottom without making the usual runs and dives of Pollock. We were all surprised to see a decent cod coming up from the depths! And it wasn't alone as Chris managed another one a few casts later, on his homemade cheburaska jigs!
The obvious jokes of the East Coasters bringing these fish over were made, although it definitely seems like cod catches are becoming more frequent...
I get codling on the deeper parts of this mark around October and then in Spring, but this was very shallow and unusually out of season.
Nevertheless they were a lovely addition to the species count and Chris generously gave them to me for my dinner.
Later on we encountered the first mackerel on this side of the island and we had some nice sized ones on the metals. By then the wind had gone right down and the sun was out. A perfect ending to another fishing adventure with these legends!
It was great having the guys back for another year and I'm glad that I managed to put them on the fish after the hard days they had.
The fish we had seemed in excellent condition. We tried to get them up on the topwaters but I believe that the combination of big tides and sunny sky kept them low.
I had a quick session the other day after work and I managed a pollock on the fly and a coalie on the Autowalker 115s. The visibility was unreal at 18m!
With the proper arrival of the mackerel now, the sea feels alive and though I suspect fish will be a bit finicky, the golden time is near...
Will be going back to Greece for holidays next week and I'm hoping to get some fishing done there. Been a while...
Tight Lines
