14/09/2026
With a big tide once again today it's not really an option to do a full day drifting but with drift speeds getting up towards the 2 knots area you are absolutely wasting your time trying to get into any wrecks and even rough ground/reefs can be a challenge to even the best of us.
So on these tides I opt for either a short trip, ie 4hrs and try and time it around the end of one tide and the beginning of the next just to get that window when the drift slows right down and then turns to start going the opposite way "slack water"
Or the other option is a full day at anchor, when you want some tide ripping through to hold the boat nice and steady and carry the scent of the bait as far as possible in the hope something hungry comes looking!
Yesterday we had a full day at anchor in the hope of a tope or 2, plenty of bait down and mackerel chum going in the water. Sadly we sat all day for very little for our efforts. Only right at the very end when we had given up did we manage to get a run and one over the rails. Saved the day really.
Today I had a lad and his dad booked on for a short trip, half day 4hrs. Now some say it's a waste of time, others don't want to go for a full day. Apparently you can't please people and everyone has an opinion!
Anyway with only Tony and young Harry joining us we started the day with the usual mackerel hunt to get some nice fresh bait aboard in anticipation of the tide slowing down to go and get some reef ledges drifted. First stop produced 4 for our efforts but it gave me and Steve and opportunity to show the lads how to use the rods and reels and the general do's and don't. Tony had not been fishing for many many years and Harry had never been on a boat.
After a run out to a 3 mile mark we happened to drop into a decent shoal of mackerel and within 10 minutes the lads had it cracked and we had to leave as we had far too many and there's no need to take fish just for taking sake.
The first part of the ledge we set up on produced nothing, plenty of marks on the sounder but nothing was willing to come and play. The drift had slowed to a crawl so we gave it a little longer. Still nothing so a quick sprint to a small ledge I really like to drift when it's slow enough and we dropped into it.
I was first to the bottom and bang! Fish on within seconds and a lovely ling around 5-6lb made an appearance. The guys were impressed seeing as this was the first ling they had ever seen, after explaining this was just a baby but what was becoming more and more of the regular sort of size fish we get these days Harry's rod bent right over! After giving him some spirited encouragement that this was a fish and to get wound into it quickly he was a little shocked that it was fighting back so hard. Seeing he might have something half decent on I brought up my line and got ready with the net. Thankfully he managed to get the fish to the top and it was a very healthy ling of a great stamp, that I told him put my baby ling to shame!
After the first couple of drifts and tbh a few nice fish making an appearance we ended up with ling, cod, and a Po***ck. Not bad when the boys were brand-new.
We did return a few fish to fight another day as the boys only wanted a couple for the table.
Well done lads and hope to see you again soon.
