When the weather conditions are good, it is good to be present on your spots at the time of what is called the tilt. The moment when the direction of the current reverses, synonymous with food supply. In this month of May 2023, the weather conditions are quite difficult on the tip of Brittany. It is especially due to the wind which does not stop blowing, between 20 and 30 knots, what makes the outings in kayaks in the small sea, random.
Get out safely
Safety is an essential factor for a kayak outing in the open sea and several requirements must be met. Depending on your experience, your ease on the water and your float, each of you will set your own limits, but the outing must remain a moment of pleasure on the water and not a nightmare.
For an outing in the open sea, I still have a little more than an hour of transit, I impose some conditions. Long waves height lower than 1 m, lower than 0,50 m being the most comfortable. Tide coefficients lower than 75, with a low tide 2 hours after the launch. This allows to go down to the spots with the tidal current and to be on the spot at the time of this famous tipping. It also allows to work at the time of the current inversion and finally to take advantage of the rising current for the return. Finally, I set the wind limit on these spots at about twenty knots, otherwise the drifts are too fast and you have to increase the weight of the mounts. And of course, I avoid onshore winds, it's better for the return.
On this Sunday, May 14, conditions were almost perfect, no wind, coefficient of 50 with a tilt around 08:30, a light mist and an almost flat water. Around 06:30 the kayak is on the water, the first bass, of small sizes, go after my swimming fish, a 3DB jerkbait 110 SP from Yo Zuri, a must. I always put a lure on the trolling during my transits or to go from one spot to another. And I have for a good hour of pedaling for my spots to lie. Finally on zone, the first fish go up to the kayak. The fish are not monsters, but it is largely meshed. I will also catch some sand eels, taken on the teaser of one of my mounts.
The moment of the tide shift
Then finally comes the moment of the changeover and the sizes increase significantly. They are passing fish, spotted on the sounder screen. It is necessary to quickly lower the lure to the bottom, under the kayak. It is indeed a vertical fishing, in elevator method. The bottom hangs too much to fish by scraping. To do this, I put leaded heads from 30 to 45 grams, depending on the depth, the body of the lure is a Talashad, a body shaped like a sandeel, to be brought back very slowly, the caudal works alone. The fishes follow each other and in these small funds, they leave easily.
I will keep three fish, it will be enough. Around 11 o'clock, I am back to the starting point. I will try again the sea bass with the swimming fish, but they are always small fish which are there... A stop on a small beach for a snack and to clean the catch will close this beautiful morning.
Watch this video
In the video, we can see blue veils on the water, they are not jellyfish, but cnidarians (hydrozoans) called Portuguese galleys, be careful, some of them are stinging like the physalies, which are a bit bigger. Avoid touching them.
