It’s a funny thing, almost like being drunk but your clearly not just get that funny sort of lets be stupid kind of feel. I quite enjoy it actually but it’s clearly not a good thing. Only so long can I then last before the eye lids start to drop.

So I got to sleep at 22.45 and I woke at 00.45 to start the night/morning raid. I was planning on going to sleep earlier but you know how it is with thoughts of double’s flying around left right and centre to jump on your lure. I always envision the session before it’s happened. Kind of like when I used to ride BMX and before you do or learn a new trick the key was to be able to visualise it before you do it. You then can get a feel and know what you should do but mostly it gives you the CONFIDENCE before you do it… As everyone knows confidence is key in most things in life and to have confidence in your fishing definitely helps…

Anyway I wasn’t tired when I woke, well kind of but the excitement soon overrun it! I picked Neil and Kory up and off we went. We where fishing by 2.30ish and casting our lures into the dark in hope of Bass. Neil and I where trying out some new lures while Kory stuck to the old faithful but with a twist. It was all very quiet but it took about an hour and Kory was in.

Bass Fashion and Pink Power

A nice plump fish of 51cm and probably 3lbish. Taken on a Pink Savage gear sandeel 12.5cm on a straight retrieve and normal speed.

We carried on and I changed to the old faithful to see If I could snag one but nothing doing. Eventually the dark sky started to lighten. Daybreak was coming and too soon!! Me and Neil hadn’t even had a hit yet…

The wind had dropped though and the conditions where starting to look good for the topwaters… I was getting excited but also a little anxious as we had only seen the one fish so far. We still had the tide on our side though even if it was going to be light and early mornings can be pretty special…

I flogged away with all sorts, shallow runners, big and small, topwater, softies… the lot at different stages of daybreak but I could not get a sniff. As it was nearly fully light Kory was doing the lazy boy… sat down and fishing… He had switched to a Real Pearl Sandeel and hooked another smaller Bass.

Once again the spirit of me and Neil was lifted ever so slightly… It might still  happen… Or not… as the case was…

Soon though the place started to come to life, I could see a little turbulence on the water that didn’t quite look right and it was definitely moving. A shoal of Mackeral graced us as they came in close and around us but I couldn’t even hook one of those. I got bumped on the softies but that was all. I was amazed there wasn’t any Bass following or getting in on the action! As soon as they appeared they where gone and without the sniff of Bass in sight.

I put the rod down and had a rest, got the camera out and started talking some pics, as soon as I started clicking away Kory got nailed. Line flying off his reel and it was gone.

I picked up the rod and carried on fishing this time with a 6inch Spindleworm in 500G. Going for something natural coloured and changing the size of the bait as it was know fully light. It wasn’t long before I saw the shape of a rather chunky Wrasse follow my lure right to my feet. Love watching the fish come in it’s always an exciting moment. Next cast and I got a hit but definitely not a Bass but the more strong sharp tug of a Wrasse. The chances where it was probably a Wrasse that nailed Kory and went flying off and so it began… We moved around the rocks and started to target the Wrasse as it was pretty clear the Bass where playing hard to get or just not here…

I carried on with my 6 inch Spindleworm anyway for the time being and was amazed when I paused the lure under my feet and a small Wrasse inhaled the LOT!

Fair play to the little guy you could only see the jighead coming out of his mouth!

Neil went on one and was nailing Wrasse after Wrasse, I was kind of still fishing for Bass but trying to pick up Wrasse in the process. Kory Also switched attention to the Wrasse and took this nice fish which I managed to grab a photo of…

All the Wrasse where coming to Paddletail’s this morning and weren’t really interested in straight tails the way I would normally fish for them. Kory went one way along the rocks and me Neil went the other.

Neil just didn’t stop catching Wrasse… I then tried properly and failed! My excuse was the tiredness was kicking in…

Kory finally caught up with us after his exploration and proceeded to knod off on the rocks, the sun was properly out know and our eyes started to burn… My eyelids where sore… A combination of being tired the Salt in the air and the baking sun was hurting… I really felt like a Vampire just burning in the Sun. Where was the darkness… the cool refreshing Bass infested darkness i’ve started to long for…

Kory well and truly ZONKED and snoring to top it off…

I think i’m slowly starting to see the light… even though that’s completely backward logic… but i’m just really starting to feel more confident in the dark. Well it definitely seems to be working at the moment.

I had another session with Neil recently too that was nothing to shout home about but we did see some encouraging signs. Bass actually hitting stuff on the surface and plenty of baitfish. We fished softie’s and managed to save a blank with a few small fish.

I’m slowly starting to like the Fiiish Minnow more know too but I have started to fish it on fixed jigheads rather than the articulated version they come with. It first came about because I didn’t like the way it swam and put that down to why It wasn’t working for me. I then started to mess about with using the body on different jigheads and came up with a few ideas that I liked. I still a haven’t been fishing them much but I do love the rolling action and the paddle does work very well. Also the natural Kaki colour does it for me in some areas I fish. Have to say though that seeing Dean loose a fish I would put money on being a double was kind of the selling point for me last year. We’ll see how 2014 pans out for the Fiiish Minnow and I. If and when I catch on it i’ll express more on the different ways I have come up with rigging them.