helped bring him luck.
On one trip fishing on a bank, Richard
Smith hooked into something big,
which in the end turned out to be a
very large ray. After a hard-fought
battle of fifteen minutes it broke the
surface approximately 20 yards from
the back of the boat before throwing
the hook. We all felt gutted for him it
just could’ve been that memorable
monster we all want to catch.
Father’s Day fun
On a recent Fathers’ day weekend we
ventured out on a good tide. The
weather was, unusually, steaming hot
and the sea was like a mill pond for
miles around. In fact, it got so hot I
went for a swim to cool down. It was,
shall we say, bracing. (NB Editor’s note:
- we wouldn’t recommend doing this
either when the boat is at anchor or at
the drift – tides everywhere around our
coast can be very powerful and even the
strongest swimmer could get swept
away before they had a chance to do
much about it –in this case Ashley dived
in at slack water and stayed close to the
boat.) After this little interlude, we got
back to the fishing and amongst many
other fish Keith caught a nice
thornback, right at the end of the day.
He was so over the moon he was
dancing on the deck with it before
returning the it to the
42 Saltwater Boat Angling
water. I’m relieved to say that at least
he didn’t kiss it!
As a group of anglers in a new club
we have built up a great camaraderie
with lots of the usual banter. We’re
always willing to help each other
catch more, sharing tips and
experiences, it’s always one of the
best parts of starting a group like this.
Club members often take their kids,
boys and girls, out whenever they
can, to introduce them to catching
some lovely cod, ling, thornback and
mackerel.
Time to move
The Bristol Channel is great fishing
but the water is very murky so, after a
few trips from Penarth, we decided to
find some clearer water and a
different experience on the east coast.
We then found a mooring at
Hartlepool (or rather Phil did). It has
a gorgeous Marina, which nestles
on the Tees Valley in the North East
of England. The marina is ideally
placed for access to the open sea and
for fishing in the sheltered waters of
Tees Bay, offering picturesque
seascapes with the pretty back drop
of the Hartlepool Headland.
Bucket list
It wasn't long before we were on our
first trip, clear of the lock and out into
the open water of the North Sea. This
time, we were planning to use lures to
catch cod. This was something that I
had always wanted to do, it was on
my bucket list. My poor sea legs have
always prevented me from trying
wreck fishing, I just can’t cope with
that long on the water, but, this time,
it turned out well because firstly I
wasn't sick and, secondly, I caught a
number of cod, coalfish, and my very
first ling. (The ling was caught on a
mackerel flapper drifting over a wreck
rather than on a lure.)
Second time lucky!
What an amazing take and fight! I am
still on a high thinking about it. The
rest of the guys were really happy
"Captain" Philip
Hickling with a
nice Cod.
Ashley’s all
smiles
Ady Jukowski Nice Cod for the
Youngster
Ashley with a Spurdog John Roberts
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