Catching nothing

The past month has seen me absent from the waters edge for longer than I can ever remember. A combination of atrocious fishing conditions, work, a bad back and other projects has prevented me from casting a line.
Combe Martin Sea Angling Club arranged fish in on Ilfracombe Pier in an attempt to connect with new club members and offer advice if it was needed.
The day started wet and windy which probably deterred one or two members. But I was pleased to get to the waters edge and cast a line. I had decided upon two contrasting approaches.
A beach caster set up with a paternoster rig intended for flatfish baited with king rag worm purchased from Variety Sports and an LRF outfit. What a contrast! 14ft of carbon fibre, 25lb b.s line and a 6oz lead. 7ft 6” of TronixPro LRF rod, 4lb b.s line and an Isome ragworm fished on a 2.5-gram jig head.

I cast out the ragworm bait, keeping a keen eye on the tip as I started to search the slightly murky water with the LRF tackle.
The next few hours were spent chatting about fishing marks, fishermen and tactics. Swallows and martins swooped in from the sea after their epic journey from South Africa a great sight that lifted the spirits.

As to the fishing half a dozen of us caught nothing typical of early spring fishing on Ilfracombe Pier.
I look forward to catching a few fish on the LRF tackle in the coming months. As with all tactics and approaches early success is hard to obtain. Confidence is key that comes with catching. On all sessions lessons are learnt and one fact I did learn was just how much pressure could be applied with this 4lb b.s fluorocarbon. On getting snagged I pulled for a break and found the light rod and line surprisingly robust. I look forward to doing battle with a 5lb bass sometime this summer. First I will be glad to hook anything and enjoy that electrifying jolt transmitted through rod and line.