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Bait harvesting
It starts with a 92 coefficient on Wednesday the 18th. Wednesday being children's day, I take the opportunity to take one of my grandsons to discover the foreshore. He's 3 and it's a first for him. The weather is superb, with no wind and mild temperatures. It won't be rock-hounding, but bait-finding for my future tenya and kabura fishing trips in search of sparids. I took the box of salt with me, and what a surprise in his eyes when he saw the first knife emerge from the sand. Although he was a little shy at first, it didn't take him long to catch them as they came out of the hole.
There are also a few clams and cockles, and above all, the famous red tongues of this part of the harbor, the spiny bucardes. Some are very large, making them excellent bait for fishing and easy to find when the sea begins to rise. We'll also find a few sand urchins (echinus cordatus), also known as sea mice, sand mice, sea hedgehogs and bladderwrack eggs. These will remain on the foreshore.
After a good two hours scraping the sand, I've got my fill of bait and the little one is ready for a good nap...
Kayaking on the foreshore
On Thursday the 19th, it's a coefficient of 101 and this time I take the kayak out to my spots. I took a rod with me to wait for the foreshore to open up and I'll do a little cephalopod fishing. The water is turbid and my tataki rig with noisy jig (Dartmaster Rattle) has worked, so I'll be doing my squid basket and some nice cuttlefish.
The wind has picked up, although the weather is still fine, but this forces me to take shelter. Once the kayak is in place, my foreshore walk begins. Large meadows, a few shells, spiders - once again, the foreshore is generous. I also come across quite a few species that stay in the pools, including several pretty dogfish, no doubt looking for a few crabs. Dung beetles too, but a little too small for my taste - some were just meshed, but I only pick them up when they're bigger. There are also a lot of small aplysia (sea slugs), a species that is becoming increasingly common, as well as a few abalone and étrilles. I end this session with a good picnic, returning to my fishing session habits.
On Friday 20th, the coefficient rose to 104. I took only my tidal equipment, a bag, a scraper and my measuring ruler. I start off with the big clams, listening to the characteristic clack-clack-clack of scallops washed up on the foreshore. In this little game, I find 8 shells, my catch of clams and a big, heavy spider. More encounters in the ponds with flying foxes - it seems this area is well frequented by this species - and also a few sleepers that are a little tight. Once again, I had a snack in the sun...
On Saturday 21st, the coefficient is 103. A change of location for this last day, and we headed for the north coast with a colleague. It's still sunny, but the wind is more easterly. We find a nice sheltered spot, but are disappointed by the result. Of course, we didn't come up empty-handed: a few abalone, quite a few eels, a big male spider, but no blue... We did visit quite a few potential hiding places, but couldn't find a single big claw. That's what makes for great foreshore picking - you never know what you're going to find. The next tides are in a month's time, and we'll be going back. It's a must-see for those who, like me, are lucky enough to live on the coast...
