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First ever kayak fishing comp


chrisjpainter
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I've never done one of these, as I've never thought my skills were quite there yet. However, there was a nice and low key event in Portland yesterday and in aid of Surfers for Sewage, who are raising awareness and fighting the battle for clean waters, not just sewage but plastics as well. So I thought I'd give it a bash and hope I didn't disgrace myself completely! The weather was stunning, if a little breezy, even in the harbour. The racing cats were fairly flying around. 

It'd been a fair old while since I bait fished, and I'd forgotten how tangle-prone I can be at times - if there's something to wound round, I'd usually find it! So much so that I missed the first bite by about a week. After that though, I started to remember how this bait fishing mullarky works and got more settled in the yak. It was still quiet though, so I thought I'd run a lure through the water as well. Error. I got the lure about half way back when this little starry smoothie hit my bait and charged straight through the lure line! despite only being a little fella, he put up a great fight and made a right royal mess of both the rig he was on and the lure line. 

Capture.JPG.fa3e9ae432e22b063762fbe21fb2ecfa.JPG

I was lucky with this fella, the hook must have been on its last legs because it snapped off as I removed it, but the rig was so ruined anyway that it hardly mattered! I had been hoping to pick up a ray or two, as there are some nice ones in Portland harbour, but suddenly, all I could catch was conger! And they weren't taking my big baits; all of them, including this, the biggest and kayak PB were taking the small squid strips down for bream and ignoring the mackerel fillets

Capture1.JPG.4cdfac74bb776244bb7752613c4cbeb7.JPG

After the run of conger and with time running out, I headed to the breakwater to see if I could pick up the odd pollack and maybe a bass. a few fish were showing on the finder, so i dropped a 40g jig down and was rewarded with this nice little bass. he was 40cm, so 2 cm saved his life and he went back

Capture2.JPG.98fafa2a36d2e326826a0a880b39afd3.JPG

I finished off with a pollack so small it was worth nothing more than the proof photo and won'e bother putting it up here. It was probably smaller and definitely light than the lure on which it was caught!

I had a lot of fun, won a prize and will definitely do another. I think my bait presentation is holding me back a bit, so that's something to work on, but as a first try, I certainly didn't disgrace myself! 

 

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38 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, my favourite area on the south coast, Weymouth/  Portland / Chesil beach, well done chis  i think that was a good effort and fishing, is the tackle shop still there on the road to Portland ? Dennings ?

Er...there is a tackle shop there. On the left hand side as you head out of weymouth on the Portland road, but it's called Chesil Bait & Tackle. Good shop, particularly for lure fishing stuff

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47 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

Er...there is a tackle shop there. On the left hand side as you head out of weymouth on the Portland road, but it's called Chesil Bait & Tackle. Good shop, particularly for lure fishing stuff

hello, ok it was on the right going to Portland so he must have sold out, never do lure fishing, always off the beach with rag or squid or mackerel strip, good post

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2 hours ago, chrisjpainter said:

I've never done one of these, as I've never thought my skills were quite there yet. However, there was a nice and low key event in Portland yesterday and in aid of Surfers for Sewage, who are raising awareness and fighting the battle for clean waters, not just sewage but plastics as well. So I thought I'd give it a bash and hope I didn't disgrace myself completely! The weather was stunning, if a little breezy, even in the harbour. The racing cats were fairly flying around. 

It'd been a fair old while since I bait fished, and I'd forgotten how tangle-prone I can be at times - if there's something to wound round, I'd usually find it! So much so that I missed the first bite by about a week. After that though, I started to remember how this bait fishing mullarky works and got more settled in the yak. It was still quiet though, so I thought I'd run a lure through the water as well. Error. I got the lure about half way back when this little starry smoothie hit my bait and charged straight through the lure line! despite only being a little fella, he put up a great fight and made a right royal mess of both the rig he was on and the lure line. 

Capture.JPG.fa3e9ae432e22b063762fbe21fb2ecfa.JPG

I was lucky with this fella, the hook must have been on its last legs because it snapped off as I removed it, but the rig was so ruined anyway that it hardly mattered! I had been hoping to pick up a ray or two, as there are some nice ones in Portland harbour, but suddenly, all I could catch was conger! And they weren't taking my big baits; all of them, including this, the biggest and kayak PB were taking the small squid strips down for bream and ignoring the mackerel fillets

Capture1.JPG.4cdfac74bb776244bb7752613c4cbeb7.JPG

After the run of conger and with time running out, I headed to the breakwater to see if I could pick up the odd pollack and maybe a bass. a few fish were showing on the finder, so i dropped a 40g jig down and was rewarded with this nice little bass. he was 40cm, so 2 cm saved his life and he went back

Capture2.JPG.98fafa2a36d2e326826a0a880b39afd3.JPG

I finished off with a pollack so small it was worth nothing more than the proof photo and won'e bother putting it up here. It was probably smaller and definitely light than the lure on which it was caught!

I had a lot of fun, won a prize and will definitely do another. I think my bait presentation is holding me back a bit, so that's something to work on, but as a first try, I certainly didn't disgrace myself! 

 

Very nice. a hound, conger and bass.  I'd be happy with that

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8 minutes ago, Wilksy II said:

Great write up and pictures, looks a brilliant day I’d love to try my hand at that!

Thanks

It's a top way to fish - once you get organised! It's amazing how easy it is to find things to get snagged up on round your yak. Pedal yaks are really popular these days; they're a lot less effort to propel, but I don't kayak to fish, I fish and kayak, so the pleasure is in the paddle strokes too, although my arms are feeling it today

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 24/08/2019 at 17:13, chrisjpainter said:

Thanks

It's a top way to fish - once you get organised! It's amazing how easy it is to find things to get snagged up on round your yak. Pedal yaks are really popular these days; they're a lot less effort to propel, but I don't kayak to fish, I fish and kayak, so the pleasure is in the paddle strokes too, although my arms are feeling it today

Nah, peddles are the way forward... 😉

Well done on getting on the prize list, I have tried to get on 3 comps and they have all been either postponed or cancelled, probably just me 🤣

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1 hour ago, Blackpowder said:

Seems you had a god day, well done.  Dont fancy yaks and fancy them even less with conger aboard is it not a bit difficult getting them unhooked?

 

Blackpowder

Yup, it is! horridly so. The trick is to unhook in the water if you can. That one was relatively easy, but some can be a right beggar. slime everywhere

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