Benllech 7th October
Oct 7, 2007 20:43:29 GMT -1
Post by moniar on Oct 7, 2007 20:43:29 GMT -1
I was up at 6am this morning to watch the grand prix (just dont go there!) and planned to get out kayak fishing somewhere. Hughesey had got out early at 8am for a few hours and I was torn between joining him at Moel Y Don for some plugging, or going to Rhosneigr, Treaddur Bay, Rhoscolyn or Benllech. By the time I had got over my disapointment watching the grand prix and had a second breakfast (!) it was 0930, so I opted to go solo at Benllech - as I didnt fancy fishing the straights on my own after Hughesey finished early; I didnt want to fish somewhere on my own I hadnt fished before; I wanted somewhere were I could get an easy solo launch and be relatively safe paddling alone for the first time.
I arrived at benllech around 10am just after the start of the ebb, and after unloading the kayak and double checking all of the safety gear (flares, radio, mobile, gps, compass, anchor etc) I geared the yak up with my usual 12lb boat rod and shrimp rig, plus my 9ft bass spinning rod with a surface plug. I towed the loaded kayak down the slipway, much to the amusement of the early morning walkers, and over the short distance accross the sand to the waters edge. The sea still had a bit of a mist on it about half a mile out but was lovely and calm - ideal for my first solo kayak.
I paddled out 50 yds and then put a call in to Holyhead coastguard on my vhf handheld, and advised them of my paddle plan after moving to a working channel. Always a good idea, but especially when paddling alone.
My fishing plan was to try plugging over a gulley that I had had some good catches from last year fishing from the shore - with the water crystal clear and a pair of decent poloroid sunglasses on I hoped to be able to spot the target fish below me and try to learn a bit more about their habits on the ebb tide (I already knew which way they came in on the flood and when they arrived at the gulley on the flood). After a quick paddle I was soon over the spot and paddled along the gulley to another channel, just watching rather than fishing. Just a bit further and I heard the first splash behind me - then I saw the whitebait fish below, streaming past - game on! I trolled around with a shrimp rig trolling behind, and then stoped in about 4 foot of water and started pluggin with the bass rod and a surface lure.
After about another ten minutes of trolling and pluggin I decided to move and paddled to the far end of the bay right below the caravan site at Hewits. Some rock fishermen had been pulling in the odd mackeral according to another kayaker I met there, who was handlining for mackeral from a small surf kayak. After a brief chat I continued on towards Moelfre on the ebb, trolling the shrimp rig and a surface lure behind, looking for mackeral and pollack.
Nothing doing so I paddled back uptide to the sewer pipe and paddled along its length. I then decided to troll back over towards Red Warf Bay - further than I had shore fished previously. As I was on the way to Red Warf I saw loads more whitebait under the kayak, and heard the odd splash again. I stopped paddling and left the shrimp rig in the water to bottom, whilst I got working on the other rod with surface lure. I was casting towards the shore in about 5 ft of water, very slowly drifting back down with the ebb tide - on my next cast the lure hit the water around 30 yds in front of me and BANG! a large fish lept out of the water right by where my lure landed around a second after it landed - my heart jumped and I waited for the thump of the take of what was hopefully going to be my first fish on a surface lure - alas no, the fish didnt come back for the kill. I plugged away for another ten minutes into the same spot, then I heard a commotion behind me and turned to see several large fish hitting bait fish on the surface. A quick swivel around and I was casting into the zone, watching one or two more splashes and swirls. I was drifting ashore so I quickly paddled out again, trolling over the zone with both rigs behind me. ON the gentle paddle back out I saw several big fish dart past below me chasing bait fish. Another slow drift and yet another fish jumped stright behind where my surface lure had landed. Frustrated I changed to a sub surface J13 rapala, and plugged away for another half an hour in the same area. Then I lost the rapala very close in, so I took the opportunity to go ashore and stretch my legs whilst I rigged up a surface chug bug lure on the bass rod. I stood back to admire the new crate I had made with the collapsable asda £1.60 special and the three rod holder I had bought in the states earlier this summer:
I paddled further along towards Red Warf Bay to explore a new area and was gobsmacked as to how shallow it was around the corner - nothing doing on the way there or way back with the troll, but it was an enjoyable paddle in the mid day sun. There was now a little breeze and a bit of cloud cover, so I tried the same zone as earlier on the way back (having taken a note of the shore features earlier) - nothing doing, so I tolled both rigs back over to the sewer pipe and then beyond back around Hewits for a last go close in to the rocks. On the way there I tried another gulley I had fished before, and was rewarded with the sight of a very large fish swirl on the surface and then dart off into deeper water.
I fished below Hewitts but got nothing there either and then trolled back over the sewer pipe. I phoned the wife to say I was ok and that I'd be paddling ashore in the next half an hour. I was resigning myself to another blanking session but headed back to the first gulley for one last go - about 25 yds from the gulley Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz the ratchet on my bass rod reel started screaming and my hope of a first bass from the yak were raised. I reached behind me and grabbed the rod out of the inset holder and struck - after five minutes of zig zagging braid over the back of the kayak I saw two mackeral on the shrimp rig, one large one and one good sized joey. They were soon in the kayak,unhooked and bagged - I then had the idea of live baiting the joey in the hope of a hit from one of the larger fish I had seen earlier. I paddled quickly into shore and swapped the surface lure for a tope trace and hooked the joey up for freelining. Back in the water I freelined the joey behind the kayak and trolled the shrimp rig on the other rod hoping for more mackies for the bait freezer and tea. I paddled around a bit further out and then paddled into the middle of the bay. At 3pm I decided it was time to head home, so a quick radio check in with Holyhead coastguard to say I was finishing the trip and I was ashore to take the trolley out of the front hatch for the long haul back up the beach to the slipway and car.
Met up with another local kayaker, Dave (bassnasty), on the promenade and after a chat about future planned trips I headed home. Managed to avoid the blank, and ticked off my first solo paddle/fishing trip, on a glorious October day - marvelous. Rest assured I will be back with the kayak (and a spade next time so I can dig up some nice big blo lug to tempt those lost fish ) - having done some good exploring on the ebb, I will be back to try from low water up.
[glow=red,2,300]This review is also on the main website north wales kayak fishing [/glow]
northwaleskayakfishing.co.uk/id76.html
I arrived at benllech around 10am just after the start of the ebb, and after unloading the kayak and double checking all of the safety gear (flares, radio, mobile, gps, compass, anchor etc) I geared the yak up with my usual 12lb boat rod and shrimp rig, plus my 9ft bass spinning rod with a surface plug. I towed the loaded kayak down the slipway, much to the amusement of the early morning walkers, and over the short distance accross the sand to the waters edge. The sea still had a bit of a mist on it about half a mile out but was lovely and calm - ideal for my first solo kayak.
I paddled out 50 yds and then put a call in to Holyhead coastguard on my vhf handheld, and advised them of my paddle plan after moving to a working channel. Always a good idea, but especially when paddling alone.
My fishing plan was to try plugging over a gulley that I had had some good catches from last year fishing from the shore - with the water crystal clear and a pair of decent poloroid sunglasses on I hoped to be able to spot the target fish below me and try to learn a bit more about their habits on the ebb tide (I already knew which way they came in on the flood and when they arrived at the gulley on the flood). After a quick paddle I was soon over the spot and paddled along the gulley to another channel, just watching rather than fishing. Just a bit further and I heard the first splash behind me - then I saw the whitebait fish below, streaming past - game on! I trolled around with a shrimp rig trolling behind, and then stoped in about 4 foot of water and started pluggin with the bass rod and a surface lure.
After about another ten minutes of trolling and pluggin I decided to move and paddled to the far end of the bay right below the caravan site at Hewits. Some rock fishermen had been pulling in the odd mackeral according to another kayaker I met there, who was handlining for mackeral from a small surf kayak. After a brief chat I continued on towards Moelfre on the ebb, trolling the shrimp rig and a surface lure behind, looking for mackeral and pollack.
Nothing doing so I paddled back uptide to the sewer pipe and paddled along its length. I then decided to troll back over towards Red Warf Bay - further than I had shore fished previously. As I was on the way to Red Warf I saw loads more whitebait under the kayak, and heard the odd splash again. I stopped paddling and left the shrimp rig in the water to bottom, whilst I got working on the other rod with surface lure. I was casting towards the shore in about 5 ft of water, very slowly drifting back down with the ebb tide - on my next cast the lure hit the water around 30 yds in front of me and BANG! a large fish lept out of the water right by where my lure landed around a second after it landed - my heart jumped and I waited for the thump of the take of what was hopefully going to be my first fish on a surface lure - alas no, the fish didnt come back for the kill. I plugged away for another ten minutes into the same spot, then I heard a commotion behind me and turned to see several large fish hitting bait fish on the surface. A quick swivel around and I was casting into the zone, watching one or two more splashes and swirls. I was drifting ashore so I quickly paddled out again, trolling over the zone with both rigs behind me. ON the gentle paddle back out I saw several big fish dart past below me chasing bait fish. Another slow drift and yet another fish jumped stright behind where my surface lure had landed. Frustrated I changed to a sub surface J13 rapala, and plugged away for another half an hour in the same area. Then I lost the rapala very close in, so I took the opportunity to go ashore and stretch my legs whilst I rigged up a surface chug bug lure on the bass rod. I stood back to admire the new crate I had made with the collapsable asda £1.60 special and the three rod holder I had bought in the states earlier this summer:
I paddled further along towards Red Warf Bay to explore a new area and was gobsmacked as to how shallow it was around the corner - nothing doing on the way there or way back with the troll, but it was an enjoyable paddle in the mid day sun. There was now a little breeze and a bit of cloud cover, so I tried the same zone as earlier on the way back (having taken a note of the shore features earlier) - nothing doing, so I tolled both rigs back over to the sewer pipe and then beyond back around Hewits for a last go close in to the rocks. On the way there I tried another gulley I had fished before, and was rewarded with the sight of a very large fish swirl on the surface and then dart off into deeper water.
I fished below Hewitts but got nothing there either and then trolled back over the sewer pipe. I phoned the wife to say I was ok and that I'd be paddling ashore in the next half an hour. I was resigning myself to another blanking session but headed back to the first gulley for one last go - about 25 yds from the gulley Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz the ratchet on my bass rod reel started screaming and my hope of a first bass from the yak were raised. I reached behind me and grabbed the rod out of the inset holder and struck - after five minutes of zig zagging braid over the back of the kayak I saw two mackeral on the shrimp rig, one large one and one good sized joey. They were soon in the kayak,unhooked and bagged - I then had the idea of live baiting the joey in the hope of a hit from one of the larger fish I had seen earlier. I paddled quickly into shore and swapped the surface lure for a tope trace and hooked the joey up for freelining. Back in the water I freelined the joey behind the kayak and trolled the shrimp rig on the other rod hoping for more mackies for the bait freezer and tea. I paddled around a bit further out and then paddled into the middle of the bay. At 3pm I decided it was time to head home, so a quick radio check in with Holyhead coastguard to say I was finishing the trip and I was ashore to take the trolley out of the front hatch for the long haul back up the beach to the slipway and car.
Met up with another local kayaker, Dave (bassnasty), on the promenade and after a chat about future planned trips I headed home. Managed to avoid the blank, and ticked off my first solo paddle/fishing trip, on a glorious October day - marvelous. Rest assured I will be back with the kayak (and a spade next time so I can dig up some nice big blo lug to tempt those lost fish ) - having done some good exploring on the ebb, I will be back to try from low water up.
[glow=red,2,300]This review is also on the main website north wales kayak fishing [/glow]
northwaleskayakfishing.co.uk/id76.html