Off we went into a glorious Cornish morning with a few lumpy waves making the trip 13 miles offshore a bit wet at times . Out went the chum and we sat back to await events .
I had purchased some new fluorocarbon wind on leaders for the trip . They were 175 lb test and the reduced diameter meant they were easier to load onto the reel , and in turn the ability to load on more line . Well you never know when that Mako might come along ......some hope !
My Shimano TLD 25's purchased only last year , and only used a few times immediately started to play up . One of them completely seized up . The lever drag sticking and becoming virtually immovable . Only becoming " unstuck " with a most unsatisfactory clunk ! Apparently this is a common fault and Jeff had seen Wayne suffer the same problem . An internet search seemed to indicate a fault in the reels produced in Malaysia .
Perfect in appearance but better in disappearance .....
Anyway my bait had barely been in the water when off it went in company with a Blue shark . The visitor was about 40lbs and a welcome sight . It was hooked in the corner of the mouth with the ubiquitous circle hook .
Jeff managed another slightly bigger but that was the end of the action for the day .
The Mackerel were present in numbers and on our way back in we stopped to stock up , both for supper and for tomorrows bait .
Delicious !
Day two looked brilliant , so we steamed off towards the North African coast ! All set for a long drift in virtually perfect wind a wave conditions . The chum slick looked the business , but we apparently forgot to invite the shark to the party ! Only one lost fish to the boat all day .
Day three dawned with the promised wind ( must have been the chilli !) and a trip after gilthead Bream within the estuary beckoned . The Fal Estuary is a beautiful place and the fishing potential looked superb but the wind made our life very difficult and with its strength increasing all the time we retreated and decided to finish early . The on going weather forecast didn't look good so we collected Jupiters Moon for an early bath , and a pie and a pint down the pub !
The estuary seemed to be a boat park in places . The size of the ships is really only obvious when you get right next to them ! They are huge !
