DREAM DAY AFLOAT
On a recent trip out of Hayling Island, everything went according to plan
When a boat trip went according to plan.
Ilove it when a plan comes together. Who doesn’t? It was one of those rare occasions when everything was just right. I was heading down to Hampshire for a spot of summer plaice and bream action. With my good friend Jim Midgley, my destination, situated at the top of Hayling Island, was Northney Marina. Joining us were a couple of old friends, Dave Harper and Derek Norman, who are both seasoned sea dogs. If anyone could catch a few fish, it was these two.
As I saw the sun pop up into the clear blue sky in my rearview mirror as we neared the island I just knew that we were going to be in for a great day afloat, and when we arrived at the marina, greeted with a mirror-like sea, it confirmed my suspicions. All we needed now was for the fish to play ball.
I’d spoken to skipper Bex Florence the night before we travelled down, and she told me that we would be targeting the plaice down Brighton way for the first half of the day, then hitting some bream marks on the way back to Hayling in the afternoon.
It was all about sport and light tackle, so all I had packed were my trusty DB3 and DB4 lure rods. I didn’t foresee needing anything else. I just love this style of fishing, when you can get away with using less than 4oz of lead weight all day.
INSTANT PLAICE
Having a day afloat that begins with a mirrorcalm sea is something of a rarity in UK waters. As we made our way down the river and into the open sea, I was feeling chilled and excited about the day ahead. It was glorious, the sky was blue, the sun was beating down and I was stood there in my shorts and a T-shirt already – it wasn’t even 8am.
As Bex pushed the throttles forward and the turbos on Kelley’s Hero III began to sing, I set about rigging up my 9ft, 10-40g lure rod to carry a 3oz sinker and a plaice rig.
A single-hook flowing trace of about 18 to 24 inches is one of the most effective plaice rigs that I use. Using seven or eight black and green beads directly above the hook works for me, but it’s entirely up to you how many you use, including which colours, and whether you decide to add a shiny spoon into the mix.
I prefer 20lb fluorocarbon for the hooklength, with a size 1/0 Aberdeen hook on the end. There are a couple of good reasons for this. Fluorocarbon tends to be stiffer than regular mono, so it helps keep the hooklength straight while on the drift. The fine wire of an Aberdeen hook will invariably bend out before breaking the 20lb line, should you happen to get snagged.
I don’t bother with two or three-hook rigs, but a lot of people like them. For me, it’s all about minimal gear, very little drag in the water and fewer tangles.
While I was tackling up I could smell the unmistakable aroma of Derek (Del Boy) Norman’s game sausages wafting across the deck. He was in the galley cooking us breakfast, bless him. After a couple of sausage baps, washed down with a mug of tea, the engines slowed as Bex set us up for our first drift of the day.
It wasn’t long before our ragworm and squid baits were being rattled, and in quick succession we had three small plaice on the boat – this is what it’s all about, fantastic weather and instant action. What’s not to like?
A steady stream of plaice came aboard with a couple of nice ones falling to Derek and Bex, the largest just a tad over 2lb. With a dozen keepers in the coolbox and twice as many returned, it was time to head off in search of black bream for some reel-screaming sport.
SWITCH TO BREAM
When fishing over rough ground I keep it simple and cheap. A two or three-hook paternoster made with dropper loop knots or two-way beads can be very effective if you want to catch numbers of fish, but I prefer the more sporting approach of a single-hook running leger rig, tied with 30in of 15lb fluorocarbon.
In my opinion hooks are the most important aspect of any bream rig. They have small mouths and bite fast, so hook size and a quick set are paramount if you want to land fish. Size 4 carp hooks, Chinus and ‘J’ hooks in size 1 will guarantee less missed bites, and I opted for a size 1 Kamasan B940S (short shank), which is perfect for the job.
To this I added the trusty 5mm yellow bead directly above the hook so it butted up to the eye. There’s definitely something about yellow beads that black bream find attractive.
Bex anchored us on a reef where she knew the bream were hiding, but for the first hour all we could muster were a few dogfish and pouting.
As the tide began to back away, the bream came on the feed though, and they were obviously very hungry. Rods were rattling left, right and centre with bream in the 1lb to 1lb 8oz bracket putting in a steady showing. Then Jim latched into a better one, followed by a twopounder for Derek. I was catching plenty, but only small ones, so I decided to up the stakes and go for a bigger bait – the trusty squid head.
I’ve used squid heads to great effect over the years for larger bream, they really like them. A good tip is to pierce both the eyes with the point of your hook before you drop it down, to release
more scent into the water.
Just as I was flicking my bait downtide, Dave Harper latched into something decent next to me. A really dogged fight ensued, and he was rewarded with a magnificent personal best bream that weighed in at exactly 4lb. What a cracker! I was really excited, with my ‘big bream’ bait sitting perfectly in the tide. I felt a couple of rattles through the rod as I stood there eagerly anticipating a reel-screaming battle, then the rod tip lunged over and I lifted into something heavy, really heavy.
I got the fish off the bottom and it began to bang away furiously, but something didn’t feel quite right. There was no blistering run that I would expect from a big black bream, instead this fish just hung in the tide, making powerful lunges. I eventually managed to bring the fish to the boat and it turned out to be a strap conger. I was a bit gutted to say the least, but it had given me a good fight and it had certainly got my adrenaline pumping.
We carried on fishing for another hour or so, with more quality bream being caught, but nothing came close to Dave’s beast. With a couple each in the box for dinner we decided to call it a day and head back to the marina for a quick pint in the sun. Is there any other way to end such a magnificent day? ■