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Issue 04/05 24.03.05

Here it is what you have been waiting for - your newsletter with news and views from your fishing club.

The next trip is on Saturday 16th April at the Herne Bay Harbour Arm, Herne Bay, pick up will be at 15.00 at the Centre 2000 car park opposite Aldi's in Sittingbourne and we will be fishing from 16.00 - 20.00. Don't forget to take some change for the car park and to buy me a bag of chips

Those early peeler crabs maybe moulting and could be a very effective bait here but the crabs must be in peak condition to be effective and most of them I have brought in the past are never quite right…those shells on their backs should just about be falling off to be in tip top condition……but if you are a hungry eel you'll eat anything like a crab anyway!!

Expect to catch eels, flounders, small whiting, small pouting, maybe a small early bass, the obliging rockling and huge points scoring scorpion fish. If the sun is shining brightly and the sea is not very coloured the fish will be hard to find. Take some lug and ragworm, some white rag is effective in this area, and try some crabs to give 'em a go…..sometimes this is all the fish will take. The fish are normally found within 40-50 m of the pier.
When fishing for these spring fish and in particular eels use long hook snoods at least 450 mm (18") long which move the bait around in the tide and jerk the hooks home when they swim off. Use strong hooks to catch eels…springy light hooks are easily twisted out by eels…use some Kirby hooks which were designed for catching theses fish. If there are eels about as soon as you get a bite try and reel in as soon as possible to help prevent them tying themselves in a knot with your trace in the middle of the slimy mess. When you do land them not in a knot you have to be quick to remove them or they will soon knot themselves up…..don't plonk them down on the beach as soon as they feel the pebbles it will be knot time again…..try and lay them out on a piece of newspaper which stops them wriggling too much. Take a couple of towels with you…as soon as you unhook that eel you will know why!!

In this age of recycling don't forget old telephone books make ideal personal address books - simply cross out the names of the people you don't know.

Tight lines

John Padmore
Secretary