Alarms went off, we obtained ourselves up and absolutely booted, grabbed a fast espresso, within the automotive and we had been off. Arrived in the dead of night and marched off alongside the identical little bit of floor that was turning into fairly acquainted to us now. John pressed on furthest whereas Nobby and myself selected to fish in just about the identical locations we had for the day before today’s chaos, once more about 100 yards aside – why wouldn’t we?!
We may see that the water seemed fairly respectable even in the dead of night – most likely a couple of half metre swell, small waves, however nonetheless larger surges of water now and again. The tide was the largest of the week and was effectively into the ebb by the point we solid our lures out into the primary mild over that unforgiving bouldery, reefy floor. It actually did look good although.
I don’t recall the primary lure I clipped on that morning however because the early solar turned the sky orange I do keep in mind placing on a Heddon Tremendous Spook floor lure and labored that for a couple of minutes. Nothing a lot was doing so I rummaged by means of my lure field once more and selected to clip on a much bigger profile 6.5” Keitech Straightforward Shiner smooth plastic shad on a weighted weedless hook that I’d rigged up the evening earlier than. It’s a comparatively heavy paddletail anyway however I figured I wished to get it down amongst the boulders and be fishing the underside shortly within the retrieve therefore the added weight on the hook… proper or incorrect, that was how my thoughts was working at that second.
First solid with it straight out in entrance of me was completely uneventful so I solid out barely to my proper second time round, not more than 30 yards out, let it sink to the underside after which began a sluggish retrieve. I feel I turned the deal with not more than half a dozen instances when the road went tight and stopped lifeless – my exact ideas at that second in time had been “Oh B*****ks, snagged it on a sodding rock”… however then the rock moved. My rod arched over and it moved once more – this was no rock.
At this cut-off date I casually shouted over to Nobby “I’m in!”
He didn’t hear me in any respect due to the space and the noise of the small waves hitting the boulders between us. On the similar time there was a head shake – the fish had woken up and that woke me up a bit. My drag was set fairly tight however now it began to sing because the fish lunged – okay, this is perhaps alright I assumed.
I shouted once more however louder “Nobby I’m in!”
He heard me this time and responded casually over the radios we each carry “You want a hand?”.
By now I used to be making an attempt to climb across the slippery boulders to maintain an angle on the fish because it ran first proper after which left – there was no method I may get to the radio tucked in my jacket to answer.
After some time I shouted, “This might be respectable, recover from right here!”
He didn’t hear me once more and radioed “Put your hand up when you need assistance!” – there was no method I may try this both as by now it was all I may do to maintain the strain on the fish and handle the state of affairs. I now had an inkling I had an enormous fish and ideas raced that there was an opportunity it was a double-figure bass. The fish continued to kite left, then proper, then out, however I managed to maintain the strain on.
By now I’m most likely 5 minutes into the combat and by likelihood the fish helped me out when it comes to focus and a actuality verify – it did what I can solely describe as a roll and thump on the floor as I managed to show it as soon as extra… it was then that it first correctly dawned on me the dimensions of it.
I obtained excited and hollered “It’s huge!”
Nobby heard that alright and dropped all the pieces instantly and started that perilous, slippery journey over these 100 yards or so of boulders – the identical ones I’d carried out in reverse the day before today to get to him… besides he forgot his Boga grip – yesterday’s lesson was we most likely wanted it, and he had to return!
In the meantime, I’m nonetheless coping with huge head shakes and a drag intermittently singing as this fish lunged and ran between me trying to realize line on it. I can’t inform you what the hell was going by means of my head at this level aside from praying that knots held tight and making an attempt concurrently to consider the place on this boulder strewn part of coast to land it… I simply hoped taking part in it from the water’s edge I’d have an opportunity.
Then the fish did one thing it hadn’t carried out up to now – it swam in the direction of me so now I used to be desperately winding to catch up till all of it went tight once more, fortunately it did with a kind of reassuring head shakes. A minute or so later it was practically, practically overwhelmed after which I noticed its head correctly for the primary time – it was enormous. I focussed on doing all the pieces I may to maintain that huge head up simply praying all the pieces would maintain quick. Then, as luck would have it, a kind of larger surges of water, just like the one which hit me in that gully the day earlier than, sailed her nearly to my vantage level the place I used to be in a position to seize the chief and shortly lock my small plastic fish grips onto the decrease lip – I may see the hook maintain was good – thank God proper within the scissors of it’s mouth! Gasping, I moved this enormous, lovely, nearly prehistoric trying bass fastidiously up onto the closest largest boulder I may discover and began to shake. Nobby was nonetheless making his method over to me and in my excited, adrenaline rushed, state I screamed out…
