Choose the right time to go fishing
Looking at the weather forecasts on all the websites, I finally see a slot for fishing in the shallow waters. It's not a big window, but it should be enough to have fun. It is indeed difficult to find a safe time in winter when you have to match the tide times with a lack of wind and a calm water.
On this Thursday, March 02, 2023, I finally find acceptable conditions to go out to the small sea in search of the pollack. It is the emblematic fish of the winter on the tip of Brittany. Although the tidal coefficient is not very strong, a small 34, the rest of the conditions are aligned. This fish likes the end of the current which is formed at the tidal range and in general the small coefficients do not facilitate the thing.
Winter fishing conditions
At the launch, the temperature was cool, 1°C outside and a little 10°C in the water. The winter clothes are out, long john 3 mm, overalls and waterproof jacket, and the body fabrics that go with it. It takes me a good hour of pedaling to get to the coveted spots. It will take me another hour to find some interesting current veins. The one that will make me the fishing of the morning is a zone on the edge of the channel, it starts at 30 m of depth and goes up in gentle slope until about fifteen meters. The drift current is weak.
I use lures imitating sand eels, the talashad, with leaded heads from 30 to 45 grams. At each drift, I record hits, they are lies, they take in the area of 20/25 m. No elevator method today, you have to scrape near the bottom, which will cause me the loss of some lures. I used to say, when you have to fish like this, that you have to animate the lure under the sand, so it's sure that it sometimes hooks.
Yelloweye and cod
I will work this drift for two hours with fishes reeled in almost every time, I will keep 4 of them for the meals with the children this weekend. In all, it will be a good ten fish brought up, with as a bonus, a nice cod. This one was hooked in the 30 meters zone, I almost felt it before it attacked the lure, a natural color for this lure.
The cod is a fish present in a random way by us, but there are some. They are not monsters, but fish of 2 to 3 kilos, which is already nice. The tusk is quite heavy, on a 7/28 grams rod, to be brought up from 30 m depth. The brake must be loosened, because it gives good blows until the surface. Most of the fish reacted to the tropic orange body color, a nice winter color, with a glittery back.
Safety first
Around 12:30 a.m. a small wave starts to ripple the water which was flat until then, it's the sign that the wind, with the new tide shift, is coming and that it's time to make the way back. I also have a good hour to get back, safety again and again... Halfway, the sea has risen, but with my very seaworthy kayak, it goes well and I reach the beach of the departure without worry. Small cleaning of the fishing, I attract all the gulls of the corner and a good snack before going back to the car.
These winter sessions are always magical, we have the impression to fly a little moment out of time between two depressions or gales. This one is no exception to the rule and moreover, I found a new magical drift, to be exploited and confirmed in other weather conditions...
The pleasure of fishing in the middle of winter
Find the summary of the outing in video :
