…. crazy days of summer as the song goes. Not quite so crazy but yesterday was one of those lazy hazy days of summer. Somewhere out there in the ether Nat King Cole must be cringing at my use of the the song 🙂 but it may be the best way of describing yesterdays day on the wall for most.

Having taken the loaner quad onto the wall for another hit n miss ride around the marina and wondering a chunk of the time will the bloody thing get me home or not ! (I swear one day its gonna conk on me with a full power loss) I arrived just about my usual time after an interesting phone call from Vic in the shop who had just had a break somewhere down in or near Torquay.
If you pop into the shop on Saturday please ask him if he enjoyed his holiday(if he doesnt read this blog today it may freak him if he doesnt know I said to ask him about his holiday;)) Anyhoo said phone call included a bit about a bait shop in Torquay that he visited for some reason or other and he relayed some of their eye watering prices.
bait, fresh black £9 for a wrap of 10, £9 for a box of squid(same stuff the shop sell) sets of feathers (bog standard ones) £3.40, 2 hook rigs start at £3.50 cox & rawle hooks £4.50. Now I realise there are some bait suppliers in Kent that sell 10 black at a fair bit less than a fiver but near double of the tacklebox prices is eye wateringly painful.

Ok back to the east wall we go, and as said got onto the wall fairly much my usual time and as I trundled along the lower bays chatting with everyone I could it was quite clear that things were quiet with most there looking half baked in the sun staring either at rod time or out too sea watching the heat haze mess with their brain and eyes.
We were an hour before the low tide and like Wednesday there was a small flurry of mackerel being caught on the bend for perhaps 20 mins or so. The day warden had told me that on the mackerel front the near mid-day tide produced very little and it was beginning to look like the days highlight was one (perhaps 2) of them giant sea slug slimy things landed on the higher bays. If you havnt yes sussed of what I’m talking about, giant sea slugs a.k.a. conger eels.

Any hoo, back to the wall trundling and a quick chat as I said with the off going warden who remarked on a very nice dude who fished on bay 34 in the morning. as nice as he was he left his bay a bit of a shit hole. Now I realise part of the wardens duty is to tidy up but anglers should be aware that they are actually expected to take their remains with them. Coming on the wall to fish does not excuse you nor give you a free past to act like a slob. Please leave the fishing bays as you generally find them, clean TY.

Back of the fish front as I rolled past the high 20’s it was clear that most were bored having either given up on the feathers or quite simply got too hot to keep whacking out leads for no fish. It really was a Lazy & very hazy day of summer.
from the mid 30’s up to 45 and beyond it was the same story , the vast bulk of people there on the straight section were there for mackerel having arrived some time after lunch and bar one or 2 rods in the water most were reduced to sitting in the sun staring blankly out too see.

I did make a point too many as I rolled along the wall, why not put some bait or food, bread, cheese anything that is edible onto a couple of the feather hooks and lower them into the water, surely in the water they had a chance to catch , staring at sets of feathers idly swinging in any breeze was a bit mind numbing, I suspect most of those I spoke too simply carried on doing nothing while wondering if there really was fish out there.

Finally I reached the last 2 on the wall around bay 57-60 area where I stopped and had quite a long chat of which at least one, possibly both were wall regulars but for the life of me… guess what, yup I cant remember his name. Anyhoo if he is a reader here he will know who he is as he reminded me on my wording phrase for anyone of African decent while we were talking about an issue at the start of the week when Adrian, aka dready the duty warden closing had a few issues when closing time came around due to mackerel in part but also downright rudeness IMO. As mentioned in another blog the mackerel were IN as they say and just like that closing time was looming. Adrian went along the wall asking ppl to start packing and bring rods in to be almost totally ignored by loads of people who were in the “moment” hauling in mackerel.
Now I realise when mackies are there people want to get their fill but it would be a sad day if this often happens and the residents group in the marina start to complain that the wall is staying open longer than it has been agreed. I kid you not when I say every single one of those people that night add to the problems wardens have to deal with. It also adds fuel to the fire for residents complain about anglers who cant behave.

If a warden asks anglers to pack up it is not an instruction to ignore them. Adrian was met when asking for people to pack with ignorance, rudeness and in some cases outright racism. Anglers moan from time to time that they are often treated by people with racist attitudes and yet some of the very same people treat a duty warden in this same manner and I will state very clearly to all that read this blog that he wont stand for it and nor will other wardens including myself. I may unintentionally use the wrong terms but I wont tolerate that sort of behaviour. The outcome of continued late shut downs will merely lead down a path that sees the east wall lost as a fishing venue and the initial solution will simply be that we post a new closing time cutting 30 mins needlessly of peoples fishing times.
so folks, please start to pack when asked and if you can encourage others to do similar it is in the interest of everyone’s fishing time on the walls.

Did the mackerel arrive later and nearer to closing time like it did on wed night ? I don’t know yet, and thus, we get to the end of todays sermon and hoping the next blog report is better than the number of fish yesterday I will, as usual, bid you all, until next time ADIEU
F