365 days of fishing

Oooh very chilly, almost gale force south easterly, gusting up to 54 km/h. This made me decide to take it easy, forgo the beach for a day and have a easy fish at Kalk Bay. Oooh was I wrong about that. Fear is a great fishing companion.

Apart from a desire for a rustig fishing experience, conventional wisdom in the cape holds that after two or three days of a south easter the warm water has blown as far as kalk bay with the bait fish and the kob following.

Headed off about 4, stopped at the cafe in Kalk Bay to buy some pilchard, nope they only had white mussel. Something that I will never buy from a shop as can always just walk along the beach and pick it up for myself.

"Maybe try Kalkies" they said.

Kalkies is the legendary seafood, fish and chips restaurant on Kalk bay harbour that is one of the most real restaurants there is. No pretension, just good food. No fancy garnish for an extra 60 bucks. Real value for money and one of the funniest waitresses by the name of Gadija.

They only had R65 five kilo boxes, I only had R 50 , but after searching through the sandy recesses of my car found R20. So now I am the proud owner of a shit load of pilchard. Good stuff though nice and fresh, even bleeding after defrosting a bit.

Got bait, rigged up at the car, easy easy, walked along the wall to find one regular huddled behind the red light house. He was getting some bites on white mussel, didn't land anything though. Baited up with my frozen pilchard, a hard thing to do, first cast and line breaks, but miraculously the trace lands on the harbour. Got to set up a leader trace, oh well the end of the month is very soon now. Rig up again cutting off some frayed line from the end. Wind is a bit hectic now, worried that by bag and camera will blow right off the wall. Forgot how extreme it can be on the end of the pier.

From top, looking around the light house , looks safe,  is that the sea on top of the pier?

Little while later the regulars wife bravely walks along the pier, she is going to have a baby, and I hear him remark that now his wife is coming that marks the end of his fishing evening. Well that is what wives are for! Off they go, just me now, safe in the knowledge that as the tide is going out.

Crash, as a giant wave breaks right over the wall, sending a wave of water knee high past the little lighthouse behind which I am sheltering. My rod tip was in the path of the current an if I hadn't had a firm grasp of the butt end would of lost it to the harbour and the seals.

Nervously wait for the water to go past then check quickly and run around and cast, returning to my place of safety. Crash another monster wave breaks over the wall, this time it is raining on my head as the water drips from the top of the lighthouse, a good 2 meters above me. The waves keep on coming washing over the pier strongly enough to wash me into the water if I was foolish enough to be walking along it.

Strange how when you are alone the paranoia is always so much worse. Me thinking that even though the tide is going out, maybe a freak wave will come along any moment, its 15 foot out in the deep sea probably about 7, 8 at the wall.

And no bites bait comes in clean, even the little peckers are scared! Cut the line pack up and wait and watch counting the sets, should I run now, what is that in the distance, damn it here I go, run run, box going jiggle jiggle, heart going thump thump. However here I am writing this blog. Not to self, check on forecasting sites before I go fishing. Tomorrow the swell is picking up even more, maybe I will try the green light house, on the other side at least that is safe in a big swell. According to wavescape the sea temp is 9.9 degrees, surely not in false bay.