West End Beach, Morecambe, LW, day, 14/2/19
Posted: 15 Feb 2019, 14:42Gentle offshore wind, small tide, low water, sunny, grim solunar prediction, absent fish... hey, let's go fishing! Maybe the bait selection would help: mussel, mackerel, squid, frozen black, fresh black, fresh blow, sardine and - my secret weapon - the monster black lug saved from Monday and kept alive meanwhile in a reinforced-glass tank.
Cast out at 9.30, 3 hours before low. Second cast, my line unaccountably snapped at the reel (a knackered one I was using to replace the Penn sent off for repair). Not sure how that happened, but 50yds of line, a breakaway weight, pennel rig, and a whole sardine disappeared into the briny.
Four and a half hours later, I eventually registered my first bite and reeled in a codling. They're here! Fill your wellies, lads! Oh, wait...
But my goodness, what a glorious day to be out. Absolute bliss.
Four hours into the flood, I eventually reeled in a proper sized fish - a chunky flounder on mussel. And another, half an hour later at sunset, on mackerel and fresh blow.
One good thing about a small tide here is that the beach never fully floods, so as long as you don't mind wading out, you can fish right through to high water, which is what I did, thinking the dark might at least bring in a few whiting. Nothing doing, so as a bit of an experiment on my last cast, I waded toward the Stone Jetty and cast into the deep gully that fills soonest on its south side. Well, well - ten minutes later I reeled in a double-header of flounder. Interesting.
So, not a great day fishing wise, but utterly entrancing in every other way. Oh yes, and I still hadn't used the monster lug. Good job - it would have swallowed that goldfish-sized codling in one gulp. It's back in its tank now, still growing and getting meaner by the day.
- West End Beach. Nothing doing.
Cast out at 9.30, 3 hours before low. Second cast, my line unaccountably snapped at the reel (a knackered one I was using to replace the Penn sent off for repair). Not sure how that happened, but 50yds of line, a breakaway weight, pennel rig, and a whole sardine disappeared into the briny.
Four and a half hours later, I eventually registered my first bite and reeled in a codling. They're here! Fill your wellies, lads! Oh, wait...
- I actually registered the bite for this goldfish sized codling
But my goodness, what a glorious day to be out. Absolute bliss.
Four hours into the flood, I eventually reeled in a proper sized fish - a chunky flounder on mussel. And another, half an hour later at sunset, on mackerel and fresh blow.
- First of the flounders arrived at sunset
- And another
One good thing about a small tide here is that the beach never fully floods, so as long as you don't mind wading out, you can fish right through to high water, which is what I did, thinking the dark might at least bring in a few whiting. Nothing doing, so as a bit of an experiment on my last cast, I waded toward the Stone Jetty and cast into the deep gully that fills soonest on its south side. Well, well - ten minutes later I reeled in a double-header of flounder. Interesting.
- Final cast into the deep gully
So, not a great day fishing wise, but utterly entrancing in every other way. Oh yes, and I still hadn't used the monster lug. Good job - it would have swallowed that goldfish-sized codling in one gulp. It's back in its tank now, still growing and getting meaner by the day.
and pics 
Great report 