Phantom of Hook House
Well-known member
Was out on the boat on Sunday and as a 6am launch, decided to fish the beach beforehand (not much difference between getting up at 4am and staying up all night). High water was 0230. Fished 400m to the right of Dungeness point on the Kent coast. Started fishing 2230 with 2 rods, one baited with 3 yellowtail lugworm and the other with a whole squid stuffed with a couple of lug. A few smallish whiting until 0030 then picked up a 3lb codling on the worm rod, followed by its twin about 0100. Small whiting again until 0300 when a 5lber on the squid rod. What followed in the next 2 hours was the best shore fishing for cod I've ever had! 8 more codling between 2.5 and 5lb (a total of 11 codling with 5 over 4lb). They were still feeding when I packed up to go to the boat. I couldn't keep 2 rods in the water, as I re-cast one rod, the other was already nodding. I lost 3 fish as well in the surf!! Nothing huge but brilliant sport. I kept 5 and returned 6, the 1st time I've ever caught enough keepers to actually put 3lb codling back (I eat my fish!).
The boat session was good as well. With only 3 of us on the boat there was plenty of room so I fished 1 rod uptide with worm/squid and 2 rods downtide with whole cuttlefish. It was a codling every cast on the worm uptide, most of which went back. The downtiders produced 2 doubles, 11lb and 12lb. Usually this time of year I would expect at least one 20lb cod on a whole cuttle bait (the cuttle's weigh 1-2lb themselves and I use 12'0 tuna hooks with very wide gapes. At £6 each they are expensive but don't get masked by the bait and are razor sharp). The big femail cod haven't shown at all yet this season, usually they are there from November and gone by now. Last year they werer around until February so we're hoping they are just late this year (global warming?)
2 cans of redbull and a 2 hour drive home with the windows open and chain smoking to stay awake...absolutely knackered as hadn't stopped for 15 hours but well worth it. Tight lines up north and I'm out again next wednesday. Can't wait!! (bet I blank!!!!!)
The boat session was good as well. With only 3 of us on the boat there was plenty of room so I fished 1 rod uptide with worm/squid and 2 rods downtide with whole cuttlefish. It was a codling every cast on the worm uptide, most of which went back. The downtiders produced 2 doubles, 11lb and 12lb. Usually this time of year I would expect at least one 20lb cod on a whole cuttle bait (the cuttle's weigh 1-2lb themselves and I use 12'0 tuna hooks with very wide gapes. At £6 each they are expensive but don't get masked by the bait and are razor sharp). The big femail cod haven't shown at all yet this season, usually they are there from November and gone by now. Last year they werer around until February so we're hoping they are just late this year (global warming?)
2 cans of redbull and a 2 hour drive home with the windows open and chain smoking to stay awake...absolutely knackered as hadn't stopped for 15 hours but well worth it. Tight lines up north and I'm out again next wednesday. Can't wait!! (bet I blank!!!!!)
