CLEAR WATER REVIVAL
Battles with huge spider crabs and fish ripping up the rule book prove there is always something to learn during any session
There is plenty to learn when fishing.
Under normal circumstances I would be full of enthusiasm and bubbling with excitement at the mere thought of locking horns with wrasse and bull huss in the rough stuff. But calm conditions had left the sea like a crystal-clear mill pond, not really ideal conditions for a bagging session.
As a result, there was more than a little apprehension running through the veins as I drove with my pal Steve Lawrence from Poole to Seaton in Devon, where we would be meeting up with some local rods at Seaton Angling Centre before hitting the beach.
As we pulled up outside the angling centre, Chris Chappell, who owns both the shop and adjoining café, had a brew waiting on our arrival, which was very welcome after a long drive. Unfortunately, two of the local rods
who were joining us for the session had lastminute commitments, but former England junior team member Connor Hallett stepped in and was anxious to get on the beach.
PREHISTORIC MONSTERS
After chatting to Chris and the gang for 20 minutes, it was soon time to grab the gear, which seemed to weigh a ton, and start trudging along the shingle. The plan was to fish from around 5pm to high water at 11.30pm. Our target section is known locally as the Seaton Slabs, which is only a 15-minute walk from the tackle shop.
As expected, the water was flat as a mill pond and crystal clear – you could see all the rough patches for a considerable distance. This had all the makings of a real struggle until darkness fell. Connor had a brace of Black Rock rods, both with Penn Surfcaster fixed-spool reels, one loaded with 18lb mono plus leader and the other with 30lb braid.
I opted for my old Fox Horizon rods, along with Shimano Bull’s Eye fixed-spool reels loaded with 30lb line straight through. Steve would be using one multiplier rod and one fixed-spool reel.
Initially, we were not expecting a great deal of action, maybe a few wrasse if we were lucky, but when the traces started coming back stripped clean or minus the hooks, we knew we were in for a tough time.
The local spider crab population was out in force. After a couple of casts retrieving hookless traces, despite using 20lb hooklengths, I managed to heave one of these prehistoric monsters from the depths. These were not the normal little chaps, but massive, some of the biggest I have ever seen.
Eventually, we managed to land a few small corkwing wrasse, but even some of these were being attacked and mauled by the monster spider crabs. A change of species came when Connor guided a fish through the rocks and gullies like a pro and soon a small bull huss, which was as black as pitch, lay on the beach, having taken a ragworm bait. After a few quick pictures, it was returned and shot off like a rocket.
While only small, this really gave my confidence a boost. If huss were around in these bright, clear conditions, then at night I had a sneaky feeling we could be in for a bagging session. Connor’s second huss, which was slightly bigger, came some 20 minutes later and was just the confirmation I needed.
While I was busy taking pictures of this huss, I had almost forgotten about Steve, who was fishing 50 yards further along the beach, until he gave a shout. He was into the evening’s first ballan wrasse. Again, it was not huge, but certainly a welcome sight. It had been a slow start, but with the light starting to fade I had a sneaky feeling that it was suddenly about to explode into action, which soon would become reality.
ACTION AT DUSK
As the final shafts of light disappeared, all the rod tips simultaneously sprang into action. My first cast produced a nice shore rockling, followed by eight huss in as many casts, with a few better fish mixed in for good measure and giving a very good account of themselves.
Both Steve and Connor were sampling some non-stop action, but the one big surprise was that all the fish were taking ragworm baits, leaving the mackerel and squid untouched to feed the spider crab population. I have witnessed this type of behaviour during previous visits to this stretch of shoreline. After favouring rag baits, the fish suddenly switch back to fish baits a couple of hours after sunset and leave the ragworms untouched,
with the exception of some chunky pouting that gobble up anything.
As high water approached the bites eased, with just the occasional huss and pout being taken, but there was one final twist in the story. We were just considering calling it a day when Connor had a real rod-bender.
As the lad leaned into the fish, it was obvious that this was not a huss, and a couple of minutes later, with our headlights trained on the water, we could see the shape of a strap conger fighting for its freedom in the crystalclear water. While it was no monster, it was a personal best for Connor. What a cracking way to finish any session.
As we ambled back along the shingle towards the cars, I was left pondering what had been a somewhat strange and, at times, frustrating day. The prehistoric-looking spider crabs were absolute monsters, and the huss did not follow the normal rules, with a liking for ragworms rather than the more traditional fish baits.
It really highlighted that however experienced we may be, sea angling is always a learning curve. It’s the thrill of the unknown that attracts me back to the beach time after time. I guess it’s the same for you too. ■