Rhoscolyn 21st February 2009

Met up with Kev (Hatter 3) at Rhoscolyn mid morning to try a new venue for me in the kayak.
The launch was easy access :P



I launched with two rods baited up - an old spinning rod and fixed spool reel, with shrimp rig baited with squid and herring and sandeel; and my fladen solid carbon rod and shimano multiplyer with 1 up 1 down rig and 5/0 hooks for the big stuff.



We paddled out past the little islands toward Rhoscolyn beacon and met up with Mal (Boomphat) who was returning on the ebb from a paddle up to the white arch and back.




Kev anchored up whilst I had a paddle around up tide and drifted down on tide and wind with the shrimp rig looking for coalies or whiting.





Nothing doing on the drift, so I joined kev at anchor, left the shrimp rig down and also put down the big fish rig with a jelly worm and squid on the top hook and a large fillet of herring on the bottom hook for ray or huss.




We got bites from the off, and it wasnt long before I got a blank saving whiting jumping onto the jelly worm top hook despite it being a 5/0.

Bites continued until it quietened off - so resorted to pouring a cup of tea and pulling out a mars bar after rebaiting both rods - never fails to secure a bite! - big fish rod started nodding and line started peeling off on the ratchet. I lifted into something heavy and kev got his camera ready as I got it half way up with a good bend in my fladden rod - only to have whatever it was spit the bait, leaving just a well mangled fillet of herring hanging off the hook. Presumed it was a small huss so popped a whole herring down on the bottom hook.

Kev then saw some action and brought up his first doggie of the year





I followed up with a second whiting on the shrimp rig, which went back down as live huss bait on the main rod (having not seen the local seal about!). The whiting disapeared off the hook after 30 mins and as the fishing had slowed down we up anchored and paddled further inshore - with kev trying float fished sandeel and I tried trolling the shrimp rig close in along the rocks and rocky beds.

Nice views towards the beach and south towards Rhosneigr









I paddled further north to admire the hundreds of cormorants and other sea birds on one of the islands





and then we paddled in and out of the little islands through some gullies






before heading down a final shallow gully back to the beach at just after 2pm






It was a nice paddle (third in 7 seven days 8-) ) and another none blanker. Lovely venue - so will be back with the family in warmer weather and I can see some evening paddles there after a couple of other species later on in the season ;)

Cable Bay 16th February 2009

met up with Marc from anglers afloat forum at Cable bay yesterday to try to find him his first ever thornback ray.

We launched around 10am just as the tide had started to flood into a sea which still had a swell but not so much surf as on Saturday.




After a short paddle Marc anchored up whilst I went for a paddle closer in shore with the spinning rod and a baited shrimp rig in search of coalies. After no luck I returned to marc and tied up to him.



It wasnt long before Marc hooked into his first ever thornie of around 3-4lb on the first drop of the day 8-) Mission accomplished!




Marc followed this with another 6 or 7 (I lost count!) ranging from around 2.5lb to 4/5lb. I carried on blanking, but was getting plenty of thumps on the large frozen mackeral baits - think I was using too large hooks and too short snoods.

Finally, about 30 mins before I had to head home at 2pm I had a good thumping bite and pulled up into this beauty of a thornie which took half a mackeral - an estimated 6-7lb and a couple of pounds heavier than my first one last year. So left Marc to carry on for another hour, happy that I had christened my new scupper pro kayak with a personal best thornie:



Happy days 8-)

Cable Bay 14th February 2009

Started the day meeting Alan (Brilltime) off Anglers afloat forum, who came to pick up the malibu2xl I was selling - nice to meet you. We then proceeded to Cable bay to meet up with Hughesey, Curly, Kev and Boomphat. I was keen to put my ocean scupper pro (swapped my prowler 13 kayak for it yesterday) through its paces, and as the swell and surf turned out to be bigger than predicted I mainly paddled up and downtide in the swell getting used to the longer, thinner. faster kayak - great fun, even when I took a big one broadside and got flooded :P After staying out for a couple of hours, and some of the guys picking up small rays, I paddled in for some lunch.


Here's some pics:

My new scupper pro kayak








Curly fishing in a bigger than predicted swell







and Curly with another ray









I think the total was Curly 7 and Kev 3 ranging from around 3lb to 5lb. All returned safe.

I was too busy playing in the tide and swell with my new scupper pro to bother fishing, and only dropped my shrimp rig down on the one short troll.

With the increasing wind around 1330 I went into the beach with Alan Hughesey and Boomphat for some lunch - managed to get in ok in a lull and then laughed as both Kev and Curly came in later on and both got wiped out in the surf which had come back up. Nothing lost thankfully and after stashing the fishing gear etc back in the cars we all had a really great time in the surf for the rest of the afternoon - and performed a number of self rescues / re entrys in the scuppers and some assisted rescues (during one of which my rafting of the two kayaks came appart and I ended up straddling the two yaks :o >:()




Had a great day out in the scupper and learnt a lot about its handling.

Got home in time for the Wales/England rugby - to round off an excellent day

Sunday 8th February 2009

Met up with Boomphat at Menai bridge slipway for a fitness paddle up to Bangor pier and back. After picking up Hughesey and his scupper pro we swapped kayaks so I could have another go at paddling the ocean scupper pro in preparedness for swapping my prowler 13 kayak for one the following week.

The launch at Menai Bridge slipway with 2 deg c outside temperature



We paddled up towards Bangor pier and passed these two seals basking on a concret work platform - after they both jumped into the water my paddling speeded up!





We had a short race between the two scupper pros and the prowler 13 - which confirmed the scuppers are fast kayaks over a sprint. After arriving at Bangor pier and having a tea break with paddled back on the ebb tide against a rising southerly wind.

We then had a play around near to the slip and went with the tide under the suspension bridge towards the swellies, then paddled hard against the tide to get back under the bridge to the launch site.






An enjoyable paddle, with no rods being carried for fishing this time.