Long Spined Sea Scorpion from Llanbadrig, Anglesey

Not sure what we did on Monday but we got up early on Tuesday and headed up to Wylfa to have a go at the mini Bass and Mullet that hang around the warm water outflow from the power station. I’m not sure what time some people get out of bed but I thought we were quiet early and yet when we arrived all the rocks suitable for fishing from had people on them – as you know we’re not the social type of fisher-people so we moved clockwise round the island a few miles and ended up on a very comfortable mark at Llanbadrig.

A small Pollack on the float

I was first into a fish for a change although it wasn’t a monster by any stretch of the imagination, a small Pollack (or Colin as I seem to remember Sainsbury’s are wanting to call them for some reason – sheesh…) taken on a Ragworm fished under a float.

We’d fished here before and knew the bottom was a tackle graveyard so although there may be some monsters lurking around in the depths we elected to play it safe and have a bit of light tackle fun with the spinning rods and some floats.

I managed to catch the angriest, spikiest fish in the sea – a long spined sea scorpion, which is not venomous although it looks lethal, just a bit prickly while fishing straight down the rocks below my feet, again on a small Ragworm and for once I was ahead in the fishing stakes.

And then it all went Wendy’s way as she produced Wrasse after Wrasse with a few Pollack thrown in for good measure.

I also had a go at spinning and lure fishing, hoping to snare a bigger fish as the tide started to race past our protected little cove but after loosing a few soft plastic lures and a few leads decided that our choice to float fish was definitely the best thing to do.

A Wrasse for Wendy

I did finally get to use the landing net, which we’d bought years ago specifically for rock fishing as it has a long telescopic handle. Was it for a denizen of the deeps?

Was is heck, Wendy had got snagged on a rock and broken off and as one of her trademark pink floats made a bid for freedom I sprang into action – more like casually climbed down and netted it but the result was the same, one saved float although I’m not sure about her choice of colours…

We spent a very pleasant afternoon where catching small fish reminded me of when we first started sea angling, when every fish was fantastic and new.

I’m glad to have re-discovered that feeling, sometimes I think I get a bit blinkered in the search for bigger and better quarry and forget the sheer enjoyment of fishing and watching the world go by.