Dunbar : Solo Session.

Tuesday and with Scott taking a well earned day off from fishing I had a couple of hours to spare, so I popped down to Dunbar Harbour for a fish. I had planned to try round the back to try and get a bit more of an understanding of this rock mark as usually when we fish Dunbar we get hooked on the flattie action and tend to just stick inside the harbour! I arrived an hour before high tide and before I knew what was going on I found myself standing at flattie corner with my LRF rod in hand! Instantly lured by the promise of flatties, I thought I would have a quick go just to see if there were any about. High tide is not the ideal time to catch flounders at this mark, mainly because it becomes quite hard to cast out and keep a 1.8g jig head on the bottom in the deep water. I rigged up a small pink Power Isome on a 1.8g #10 decoy rocket jig head and began by casting it out and allowing it to sink to the bottom, before gently trundling the lure along the sea bed. If there are flatties about they will usually chase and attack the lure very quickly and after a few biteless casts I turned my attention to the shoals of little coalfish that were chasing the lure as it came up the side of the wall. Jigging it soon had the little coalies chasing the lure up and down each taking turns to nip at the lure. It wasn't long before one of the little guys was hooked. I have a real soft spot for coalfish as they were one of the first fish I ever caught. This ones colours were very appealing.

Gold flanks, an emerald back and white edges on its fins.

I continued enjoying watching the little coalies attacking the lure and managed to catch three more. Still aware that I was supposed to be checking out the rocks at the back I thought I would just have a couple more last casts. About ten casts later I was working the lure back up from the sea bed when I saw long electric green flashes around my lure. I cast again and saw more of these flashes sparking around my lure! Could it be garfish? Surely not. I cast again and kept the lure at about 8" depth with a slow jigged retrieve. Again more green flashes and I saw the culprits, launce! This time they shot after the lure as if they had been fired from a bow. Taking turns to attack a couple had a go before one made the error of engulfing the lure. I hadn't realised just how fast a launce can swim but it did a mighty fine mini garfish impression before I landed it. A took a quick photo and then I released it again watching it dart away to find its shoal.

Mean green slippy machine.

Brilliant! My first launce on LRF gear and my first launce from Dunbar harbour. I carried on fishing for them and have to say I really enjoyed it! On my ultra light gear they gave very sharp bites and tore around at speed once hooked, great fun! I landed four more and dropped another three before finally making my way round the back of the harbour.

They were loving the Power Isome. Which fish doesn't!

First I had a fish around with my heavier spinning gear I rigged a Lunker City Ribster on a 10.5g #3/0 AGM Football jighead and bounced it over the kelp. I was hoping to tempt a pollock or a wrasse but after 20 mins no bites were forthcoming, so I swapped back to my LRF gear. I still had the same jighead and Isome that I had been using for the launce. This was duly flicked out about 10 meters and allowed to fall down on a curved arc and rest on a large white boulder in amongst the kelp. I tightened up a bit and noticed the line going slack. I thought the lure had rolled off the rock and was free falling towards me. I lifted the rod tip and instantly felt a head shake, followed by the horrid sensation of a fish tearing into and through the kelp! Doh! The fish (undoubtedly a wrasse) had caught me napping. I gave it some slack line and the fish began to move. So I tightened up again only for the fish to dive back down into the kelp shedding the hook in the process. Shame to lose the fish (especially when it was my fault!) but it still amazes me when I find wrasse that want to play! I carried on for another hour and was rewarded by another little coalfish and a rather nicely coloured long spined sea scorpion.

Stunning little fish. I could look at these all day.

There was no further wrasse action but the tide was halfway down and most of the action seemed to be over. With that I headed back home still chuffed about the launce my 18th species this year and finding a wrasse spot!

Tight lines, Schogsky.