Outside Days » kayak

Bass on a Surfboard

Howard — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:53:21 +0000

We all have the odd crazy friend who is determined to blend their sporting passions to create new fusion sports. I seem to collect them, and Kayak Nick is the sanest of the lot. For the aficionados of these pages, you will remember my first excursion with Kayak and the aptly named Special John…John flipped the unflippable kayak in seconds, gaining his moniker and some very wet gear. So when Nick was being visited by angling journalist Toby Coe and asked me to come along, how could I resist?

The best time to catch bass on the fly are the bright early mornings of late spring, summer and early autumn when the light is low and the sea quite flat: the bass love to feed on the surface in these conditions, making them ideal targets for the fly. Fortunate conditions for 6ft plus blokes sitting on the equivalent of a surfboard with sides and juggling rods, paddles, and now a camera. Of course, the gods smile on the righteous, so I want to know what Nick has been doing: the day dawned grey, blustery, and altogether not bassy. But when a journalist comes to call, you make the best of things.

The unpromising weather was compounded by the council informing us they couldn’t retrieve (a certain journalist’s) car keys dropped into a storm drain as the Queen was due any minute. Launching our kayaks into the surf, we were off, exploring the fecund marks around the Portsmouth coast. We were into small schoolies straight away, but it wasn’t until the contractors arrived to retrieve the keys that I hooked the fish of the day. If only I’d had a camera to capture the esteemed journalist hopping down the beach, camera in one hand, waders around his knees. But with a 3lb bass on the line in one hand and the paddle in the other (fighting to bring the fight within camera range), I still would have missed the shot. We can’t control the weather, or guarantee the fish, but a day out with Kayak always produces cherished memories.

For those up for the challenge, this type of fishing takes you to marks inaccessible from land or bigger boat, providing great sport and the opportunity to see our native wildlife from a different perspective. If you are interested, get in touch before the bass move offshore for the winter.

Salmon, trout and….tuna?!

Howard — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:37:35 +0000

With my son in an Irish boarding school, I have taken to haunting Ireland’s rivers and coast in search of perfect sporting opportunities. We’ve bagged two new jaunts based around Dingle Bay in County Kerry: salmon and trout on the lower stretches of the River Caragh and albacore tuna on the fly offshore.The Upper Caragh appears in the pages of Salmon & Trout on a regular basis, but until this season, the Lower Caragh was a net fishery. And fly fishing for tuna? The skipper caught the European record albacore in 2007 on lures and is absolutely convinced that the piscine champion of the northern seas will take to the fly.

There are no rod records for the Lower Caragh, so short of sticking a wet finger in the wind and guessing, we can only tell you the Upper Caragh records 250-300 salmon a year, and the net fishery was declaring a similar number. The river is dotted with the riffs, ripples and pools that make salmon fishing so exciting. Sea trout and brownies also run in the river, and there are an abundance of sea bass in the sea pool and estuary, making multispecies days a possibility.

For regular readers of these pages, you’ll know I’m easily goaded into non-traditional sporting challenges, egged on and accompanied by Special John, Kayak Nick, Tobias the Pedant and Tony. When I heard the nearby wildlife touring boat turned its hand to a little offshore tuna fishing for a few months a year, I had to challenge the captain. So he’d caught the European record…could he help me and anyone crazy enough to join me tackle tuna on the fly? He’s game…are you?

***there are still a few places for rods on a trip the first week in August to fish the Lower Caragh’s salmon run***

I Canoe Can You? Seabass on the Solent

Howard — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:18:42 +0000

According to Ratty, there is nothing more fun than messing about in boats. Well, he was nearly right. Add a fly rod, some bass, and an early morning start and it achieves perfection. Good friend, local ghillie, and all-round piscine guru Nick Richards has decided to share the secret to bass on the fly (he caught more than 300 himself last year): the kayak. No, not an exotic fly of enormous proportions, a flatbottomed canoe. Nick’s fleet of ocean kayaks is stabilised for coastal waters and kitted out for fly fishing.

Kayaks offer the opportunity to follow the fish, enabling Nick to show clients sporting fishing at unusual marks all within the Solent. For the familiars of my blog, you know I am always eager to a.) get someone else’s opinion of a new sport and b.) get one up on Jon. So roping him in as a lab rat was a no-brainer. We set off from Portsmouth seafront at 4am, and the gods were with me. Before we’d gone 500m, Jon was upside down and thoroughly wet. Neither Nick nor I can work out how he’s done it (but then that’s Jon, achieving the impossible) as we’ve tried and couldn’t, no matter how hard we laughed.

This fishing isn’t for beginners: casting with your ass at sea level takes a bit of getting used to. Try sitting on the floor and casting a decent line. Fortunately, sea bass aren’t as skittish as wild brownies. And proficiency at swimming just makes good health and safety sense, even with the life jacket Nick insists on. As for anything challenging, the rewards are great.

The UK shore-caught record for sea bass stands at 19lbs 113/4 oz, achieved from Sandown Pier on the Isle of Wight. From a kayak, the fight might replicate a husky pulling a sleigh, but there is every chance of tackling a double figure fish. My favorite summer snack, mackerel are another common catch. If only they grew bigger, they’d be the king of the sport fish: pound for pound they put up a fantastic fight on the fly.

So if, having practiced your prone casting in the lounge, you fancy having an early morning or late evening go at the bass, drop me an email and I will put you in touch with Nick.