365 days of fishing

Link: http://365.mathworx-sa.com/wp

Hi i have started using wordpress as it seems easy for me as a blog engine and has better spam traps, the new site is at http://365.mathworx-sa.com/wp

Hi i have started using wordpress as it seems easy for me as a blog engine and has better spam traps, the new site is at http://365.mathworx-sa.com/wp

" No need to run and hide, its a wonderful, wonderful life" Black

" A reel run does not equal a fish"

Words to live by. One of my part time habits is updating metaphors, i mean, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" What on earth does that mean? Sure we know what it used to mean but when was the last time you had a bird in the hand, or left the concrete jungle to get two from the bush!

So there is my contribution to the English language.

Came home from a late, day of extra lessons. Frustrations of teaching some people who don't try and expect you to give all the answers, when you know  that spoonfeeding never actually helped anyone. Great afternoon, wind dying, whilst still southeasterly, gentling to a breeze. Fishing at the beach weather.

Came home to a present of an amazing Jacket, a Musto, a professional sailing jacket, from Leigh-Anne. Bless her cotton socks, she is one generous lady who would give you the shirt from her back, especially if your name is Kahn from parletones. Anyone in cape town who needs stationary or ink for printers should give her a call. Apart from having the best offices in the cape, above the Southern Right in Glencairn, her service is exemplary and you can trust her with your children. Her business is called The Assistant, and you can mail her on info@theassistant.co.za

New jacket, old bait, and off i went got the beach around high, along Strandfontein, just past the Cemetry Toilets, found some delicious ginger beer rolling in with the foamies. Baited up with pilchard and settled down to wait.  ZZZZZZZ, bloody seaweed. At high tide especially spring high all the seaweed that washed out yesterday washes in again and washes across your line causing great excitement and then great annoyance.

Brown water and all, one bait with a float one without, still no bites. Packed up at that spot around 6:30 just as getting dark and moved off to Sonwabe, where at least there were other fishermen.  The one guy fishing near me had already caught a 51 cm Steenbras which he released, good on him. So there were fish. By now the blood worm from the depth of my chest freezer had defrosted so i tied on a worm-pilchard combination, and after a couple of overwinds, shit, damn, bugger, managed two good casts and settled down to try some patience.

20 minutes later the Kingfisher, without the floatation goes zzzzrrzzz, wait wait, strike. Nope missed it. Wind some more worm on wait again. Then just as i am throwing away the old bait, it heads off again. This time a wonderful extended zzzzzrrzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, drop everything and run, grab the rod, give a good pull, bugger again. Nothing. Man my heart was thumping after that, i completely forgot about my cold wet pants where the water had crept down my waders when i discovered that the Musto is not quite waterproof. Wonderful feeling, the adrenaline that is not the wet pants!  Two reel runs in 10 minutes. Can learn several things from that. Both were on the rod without flotation,  so probably was a School of steenbras. Well quick sticks i took the flotation off the other rod, but by 8 pm nothing and time to go home. Fishless but at least i have a new metaphor.

Choices, choices. It is truly wonderful to be spoilt for choice as tho where i want to go fishing. Which part of the beautiful peninsula do i want to stand at and hope with rod and line.

Wind was a bit extreme today, so i decided that the beach was out, casting would be problematic and i would head off to St James, haven't fished there since summer, and the water would be just right for Galjoen. I have some redbait, nice and smelly, can still catch wiffs from my hands as i type this three hours later. Of course i have some pilchard and some white mussel kindly donated by the regular at Kalk bay.

I also have Thomas's exhortation as ai left school that today would be the day which i catch a fish. Spoiler Alert.............Sorry Thomas , your speaking to the fish didn't work i'm afraid.

Almost changed my mind about St James as i was driving home, decided to go via Old boys drive, check out the conditions you know. I work in Noordhoek so i have two options to drive home to LakeSide, either Oukaapseweg, or Boyes Drive, Oukaapse has its own beauty, but for a sea drive, Boyes it must be. Anyways driving home looking more often at the sea than at the road. Must apologise to anyone behind me. I drive a white quite rusty Golf, the fish mobile, with black roof racks, if you see it please hoot and don't expect it go very fast. Also expect it to drive erratically if near some water. Driving home looking out over Strandfontein i see this smear of rich brown in the otherwise foamy water. That spells Kob if you know how to read water. But the wind, the wind and my tardiness, persuaded me to stick to my original plan of going to St JAmes

Get home and LeeAnne (sp) is ther potting it up with Willy, as usual. Always good to see her as she is one amazing woman. Shared some of the pottage, a fine white wine and some red, for the cold as Lee-anne explained ( maybe if i spell Leeann's name differently each time i will get it right sooner rather than later.). After my glass and a half, defrosted some redbait and started my hands smelling, set off to find the fish.

Parked at the northen stop of the stop and go, where they have been fixing main road for about 45 years now, or thats what it feels like. Why don't they just employ loads of people who need work and just get the Job done already. it is interfering with my fishing! Go through the Graceland subway, slick with water for a change, nomally slick with urine or it smell like it is. Walk past the arches my normal St JAmes spot. aplace where i have caught stumpnose and a grey shark. I hear they catch Elf there as well as Kob but not me, not yet.

Walk further almost to St JAmes Pool, now i can't fish there because it is a marine reserve, from the pool to Kalk Bay harbour. So got to be fish right, right next to a reserve ? Well not today. Set up with red bait and gave gooi into what was a foam filled swirling Galjoen Trap, or it looke like it. Must definately go and look at the spot at low tide to see just where i was casting. Two casts two sinkers lost in half an hour with no bites.

Where i started looking towards Kalk Bay, tidal pool in front of wendy houses.

Great spot though and the wind has died down a tad so i'm feeling rather snug what with my three jersies , jacket and internal pullover of redwine. Spot a seal and a cormorant doing what i am doing, so there has got to be fish there. I mean those guys have to catch fish 365 days in a row otherwise they just cease to be. Me i still have chicken. Couple of brave souls walking their dogs or jogging or walking their dogs whilst jogging. One lady dressed in green snail walking up and down gave a half smile, one with pain. Disturbing. No-one stopped to chat though, how different to the easteren cape where meeting someone almost always involves a good chinwag. Love a good chinwag.

After losing the two sinkers with narry a bite despite the good looking water and the fine smelly red bait i decide to walk back to the arches, at least ther i have a chance of bringing a sinker back.

Does this not scream GALJOEN!!!!!!???

Looking towards the arches, from St James, Baily's Cottage in the distance on the Right, below the train tracks.

Two casts at the arches with red bait and pilchard, but nothing, bait returns looking like it did when i cast it in, just cleaner. Sun down, time to call it, need something finny to lift the despondancy. There is always tomorrow. Where will it be?