“Cukoo, cukoo” bleeps my phone, alerting me to a text.
It’s from Matt, “Wanna go fishing tomorrow?”
I check the diary and text back, “It’s a goer!”
“Fekinel!!!” is his near instantanious reply.
For a variety of reasons I have been repeatedly unable to take Matt up on his previous offers of fishing from his Zodiac and this trip would be my first lure fishing experience form such a vessel. A barrage of texts back and forth later and I was packed and ready for a indecently early start. Of course, sleep didn’t come easily that night: my mind was swimming with bass, thoughts of the day ahead and doubts to whether I had packed the right stuff…..
As we headed out onto the water, with the exception of some much heavier jig heads, I had with me the same lures and kit that I would typically use from the shore. Once Matt had set up our first drift I watched him fish to see if I could glean the subtleties of fishing from a rib. I was soon bumping my SP along, or near the bottom in a way that I suspected would appeal to the bass, and that seemed reasuringly similar to Matt’s approach; yet it was Matt’s eel that was intercepted by the first, second and third bass to come aboard.
Self-doubt was creeping in to my mind and when a small pollock attached itself to my lure, I started to wonder if my lucky long johns (pictures of which have been rejected by the bassblog censors!) where going to let me down. Thankfully, I didn’t have too long to wait for my underwear to prove their magic was undiminished as a decent bass hit my lure. It’s first run swung the boat around like a compass beside a magnet, and in spite of it surfacing a fair distance from the boat, it was safely landed.
I was happy.
We went on to equally share eight bass, the best being a touch over 6lb. Each fish was in fine condition and all seemingly punched above their weight. Needless to say, I loved every minute of it and felt very comfortable on all but the journey back to shore, where my omission to pack a waterproof layer for a day in a boat illustrated beautifully that I am wet behind the ears (and down the back of my waders it later turned out) when fishing form an inflatable.
I hope it isn’t another year before the moons align and I am afloat again!
Blogger: Rob “Arkwright” Pope