Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid day sun, and only anglers take their kids with them fishing in it. Ha Ha.
Still off work on furlough and in charge of entertainment and education of my two poor kids.
So… yesterday looked like a great opportunity to spend some time on the beach at Cleveleys, high tide 3.15pm, and a chance to further indoctrinate the youngsters in a bit of fishing.
We picked up some bait (black lug) from the local tackle shop, and had a rod in by 2.15….. and then we waited, and waited. A small tide, scorching sun and the kids enjoyed playing and throwing in stones far more than fishing.
Then my wife turned up with fish and chips, the tide went out without us getting a bite and we just kicked back and enjoyed the day.
I didn’t feel too bad as there were more anglers out on the beach than I’ve ever seen before in my life… and we weren’t in a prime location…. those in the prime locations also didn’t catch..
At 8pm … Mrs Fishing Fiend returned home with the kids, and I met up with a couple of socially distanced pals to fish the low tide.
I’ve never fished a summer low tide here before, so it was good to meet up with someone with plenty of local knowledge as the tide goes out a long way, and there are plenty of gullies to endanger anglers if they back fill behind you as the tide rises.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, enjoyed the company, and enjoyed the blank saving micro whiting that committed hari kari on my rig just as it was turning dark.
It was a great evening to be out, nice and warm, a lovely calm sea, and a big learning experience as my mate Andy who is a local venue expert showed us how to do it as he caught this lovely 8lb+ Stary Smooth Hound using peeler crab and a VERY long cast.
Being shown the ropes by a venue regular is a massive help, and I now know whats necessary for me to get in among the fish here.
Anyway — I’ve added another species to my newly restarted species list – a Whiting – I’ve caught many of them before plenty bigger than this one, but maybe none of them were as welcomed.
I will be back soon and see if I can catch my first ever smooth hound… I just need to take the kids out to catch some crab baits and remember to take my chest waders (essential kit for low water fishing at this venue).