MY FISHING DIARY
Nine-year-old Tyneside angler Harley Thompson gives an account of his latest shore fishing trip…
Junior rod Harley Thompson’s fishing adventures.
C N East has been patchy recently but with a nice south-easterly blow predicted, sea conditions would be perfect for one of my local rock marks. I chatted with my dad about various venues to try and we both reckoned Whitburn, a tiny village on the outskirts of Sunderland, would be a good choice, especially as it had produced some nice cod during the last stir up.
ere was drizzle in the air with a moderate south-easterly wind blowing when we arrived at the rock mark. We planned to fish two hours of the ebb tide and one hour of the flood. I selected a short pulley rig carrying a sharp size 5/0 Gamakatsu hook and a rotten-bottom attachment. I added a pungent edible peeler crab and lobbed it 40 yards into a deep gully.
is venue is full of kelp, so I decided to hold my fishing rod and wait for the unmistakable pull from a cod. After 15 minutes I felt a strong pull through my mainline that was positioned between my thumb and forefinger. I quickly went into the crouch position and waited to feel another pull. My rod tip started to arch over slowly, and I lifted the rod and leaned into a heavy weight. e fish was nodding as I pumped and reeled at a steady pace. Eventually I bullied it through the kelp tangles and managed to bring it on to a flat rock in front of me. It was a nice plump codling that was slapping its tail on the rock. I unhooked it and put it straight on the scales that registered 4lb 8oz. I was really happy with that one.
e tide was now ebbing quickly, so I was on the move trying different holes and looking for pockets of fish. Eventually I got to my final rock of the session and with only a 30-yard lob, it was my last cast. e drizzle had stopped and the wind had eased making the conditions perfect. Again, my rod tip lunged forward really hard and didn’t stop. I leaned into it, but this fish continued to pull back. is felt like a big fish. After a few pumps on the rod everything suddenly went light as the cod spat out the hook. I felt totally gutted, but that’s fishing.
I knew there were decent fish feeding in the area and decided to cast out another bait, but the tide was ebbing quickly and the mark eventually emptied. I had no more bites. Even though I lost a good fish, I was still happy to catch a cod.