Following my knee operation last week to remove the debris after falling over the tent rope in the Himalayas, I was getting frustrated at not being able to get out fishing.
I went to Northam Burrows on Monday, but the tide range wasn't big enough to allow me to get out to where I wanted to fish, but having seen mullet swimming around, I thought it must be time to try and catch them in the River Torridge.
I always fish for them at low tide when they are circulating the river looking for food in the shallows. I have learnt in the past that if you use weights or have any resistance on the line, the mullet will rapidly drop and bait, and with their soft mouths, you have to set the hook at the best moment and not strike too hard.
I decided to try floating a very small quill just in the edge of the river with a piece of flake about 12 to 15" below resting on the river bed no more than two feet from the shoreline.
I then wait for the mullet to patrol the shoreline and pick up the bread twitching the float. However, they still do drop it quickly so it helps if you can see the bread, or even freeline. I have couple of ideas to improve the system, especially at low light which I will write about in future.
Anyway, after just a few minutes, a good sized mullet took my bait and I was in for a long struggle on a coarse fishing float rod and centre pin. Mullet fight really hard and take a long time to tire, and as I scrambled down the bank watching my knee to make sure I didn't bang it, the line went slack and the mullet was gone.
An hour or so later, the same thing happened except I caught this one which you can see in the photgraph, and with a tail this big, you can see where the power comes from.Tthen just before dusk, I lost a third one. I hadn't hooked three in a day before (I fish about 7-9.30pm) but I must improve my landing rate and I think a softer topped rod with more flexibility to keep the tension on, whilst not being so jerky pullingon the hook would help. Another thing to try next time.
One of the most enjoyable thing about difficult fihing is how it makes you think and improve your tackle and watercraft. The road is now closed for a week for repairs, and I have my stitches out tomorrow, so if the weather and tides realign again soon, I will be back for more.