After having a chat with Dan in work, he was off species hunting again this week, and wanted to fish Cymran for the first time for a bash at The Small Eyed Rays and Turbot. He brought Mark who is also doing their species hunt and has fished the beach before, so Terry and I met them there as it’s a venue that’s been on our to do list for ages, 30 years plus in his case!
Another member of their species hunt, Dave, was already fishing when we arrived and had a few small Flounders on the last of the ebb.
We had been warned about the parking, especially on big tides, as the carpark floods from behind and your vehicle can quite easily be swamped, or you can get cut off until the tide ebbs enough, so we parked near the entrance to the sandbowl and started walking. It was quite a hike over the sand dunes and down to the waters edge, but the views were stunning, and several fly pasts helped take your mind off aching muscles.
Dan and Mark soon joined us, and were were all fishing in time to catch the last of the ebb.
While I was having a mooch around for Razors, Mark had a stonking bite on crab, that lifted his rod but off the floor and nearly took his rod over the rest. Sadly, by the time he picked his rod up, whatever it was had gone. Probably a Bass or Smoothie, but we will never know.
Things were quiet over low. We hoped that the flooding tide and darkness would bring in a Ray or two or at least a Turbot, which several of us were targeting with smaller hooks.
The tide raced in across the flat beach, so it wasn’t long before spools were being emptied as we had to move back almost constantly.
I had got to the point where I had almost ran out of line on both reels, and decided to drag them to create a bit of disturbance on the seabed and hopefully attract something. A few minutes later, I decided to reel in my Turbot rig, a three hook rig with size 2 Kamasans baited with small strips of Mackeral.
It was heavy and I assumed I had hooked a bunch of weed attached to a stone, which is what I said to Dan when he asked if I had a fish. I had to stop a couple of times on the retrieve but when I got the rig close to the beach, it started running to the right and I saw a wing flapping.
It turned out to be a Thornie around 4lb in weight, caught on my three hook Turbot rig. It had taken 2 of the three hooks so wasn’t getting away, but I hadn’t seen any bite.
Hopes were now high, and we all fished on with renewed enthusiasm. The tide flooded and it went dark, which signalled the arrival of the Whiting, even on the big hooks with whole squid or mackerel fillet baits!
This was the story for the rest of the night, although Terry had something decent on while he reeled half way in, before it let go of the Whiting it was holding onto. This was the result.
Terry also had a Mackeral on bait and later on a Doggie between the Whiting.
A few locals turned up to fish the top of the tide, and we decided to stay and fish the first hour of the ebb as this was suggested as the best time by the lads who had come to fish. Dave, Mark and Dan had got fed up with the Whiting, although Dave did have a Pollack on Mackeral before he left.
It didn’t turn out to be as good as we were told, with just more small Whiting.
We decided to pack up and got back to the car which was nice and dry just before 1.30, after an 8 hour session, with none of the target species, but a bonus Thornie.
We will try again, it’s a stunning place so don’t mind putting the effort in to find out when and how it fishes best.
A few more shots.
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