Specimen Extras Visiting old haunts
Back in the early 80s there was a few low water marks in Southampton water, that used to produce thornback rays and odd cod in early spring. While most were out chasing plaice in the day, we were sneaking out to target the rays at night. Sadly, by the end of the 80s they were as good as gone from Southampton water, luckily the last few years with the rays have been making a big come back for the beach anglers, so for me it was time to travel back in time.
1st trip there after nearly 30 years of not even being near my old favourite low water mark from back in the day. Plan was to get there early and follow tide out to see what was out there now. I was amazed how much time had changed it, to a point it was like I had never been there before. The clean muddy ground was now broken up with chunks of concrete from the old slip. Shipping buoys, now all along there in close to the low water line, this I am sure would make things challenging, as the tide dropped away the sticky mud that the rays used to love started to expose itself either side of the shingle and broken ground I was going to fish from.
Being a low water mark to gain distance, wading plays a big part, as always I had my chest waders on and being chilly was well dressed for it a must when wading out in to cold water. Armed with sand eel, bluey and prawn from Solent baits being loaded on Pennell pulleys with Cox & Rawle 3/0 specimen extras, rods of choice are t1000 and reels Penn fathom 15s loaded with rovex x10 in 19lb that I have complete faith in. I feel this is important when fishing low water as these are normally short fishing windows, so don’t want nothing to let me down.
Fishing was slow on the last of the ebb, then dead on low the rod loaded with a prawn/bluey wrap pulled down, classic ray bite and fish on, after a short fight from the ray sticking it self to the muddy bottom my 1st ray for over 30 years from this mark lay on the beach in front of me and a nice ray it was to, all 12lbs of it. Almost straight away the other rod pulled down, minutes later another ray on the beach a little 4lber again on the prawn/bluey wrap. Then the pout showed up, hitting the sand eel baits, then about 2 hours after low another pull down on, you guessed it prawn/bluey followed by another small thornie. By now I was being pushed up the beach fast, so was time to leave. Leant a lot on this 1st trip and was more than happy with the result.
After the 1st trip I wanted to get back down there, this time Dave Collins and his friend Ed came with me to have a go. Tide was slightly later this time, set up the same as before and the others much the same, we started to chase the tide down. As before right on low I had a pull down, ray on, moments later a thick set 8lb10oz thornie lay on the beach and no sooner had I returned mine Dave pulled into one, strangely his weighed the same as mine!! Then I managed another smaller one of 6lbs followed by another of 3lbs all mine again come to prawn baits. Then as before the tide came racing in and was time to leave. It’s good to know they are back, so much so that rays are even showing at high water marks nearby. All in all, a good couple of trips to an old faithful mark that is making a comeback after all these years and I am sure I will return next spring to see if its improved even more, who knows with cod making a comeback everywhere , they might start to show again at these low water marks in years to come?
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