At the time of writing the country (and the rest of the world) has gone mad. Shelves lay empty, every toilet roll, disinfectant and tinned food bought in panic. These are testing times, Social Media and our incessant need for news – no matter how genuine, have caused bedlam. Myself, I have been suffering from a recurring injury, my lower back being as brittle as the uncooked pasta the panic buyers are hoarding. All of this irritation, combined with endless rain makes for frustrating times. Magically on Thursday night, we had a break in the weather – it was a chance to wet a line.

High on codeine, naproxen and sea air I made my way to the water’s edge. The westerly wind meant that Elphinstone car park would be the most sheltered mark in Plymouth that evening, it was surprisingly quiet. A couple of hours paid for parking would hopefully be enough to get my fix. The gales could be heard whistling through the masts of the yachts moored across the water, an occasional breeze swirled over the edge I was fishing on. Heavier weights would be necessary tonight to keep in contact with the lures. 7 grams of dropshot weight, 4 inches below a size 12 hook would do the trick I thought. The lure would need to be smelly in this cloudy water, so a section of Gulp Isome was sent down into the depths.

The sun had set and besides a few nibbles and one lost fish (probably a small whiting) I had caught nothing. The tide was pushing in nearly ready to turn, a spring tide of substantial height. The movement of the water did nothing for my chances and instead, I was finding snags with far too much regularity. This wasn’t the relaxing session I was hoping for… The break that would soothe my withdrawal pains from lack of fishing, or help me forget I have have the lower spine of an 80 year old man. In fact, the cold air condensing in my nose only served to remind me of the virus everyone was so afraid of, as I had to keep wiping the drips away. Things were not going to plan, it was time to move.

The pontoon that moors the various ferries is a no fishing area – so naturally I fish it often! If all the ferries and their captains have finished for the night, I see no problem in using it. LRF in particular is fantastic for this type of urban fishing, there’s no smelly baits, big hooks and heavy weights to cause damage or even leave a trace. If I’m told to leave it’s no issue and I do so politely and if I’m left alone to fish, perfect!

I switched to a jighead, hoping that the usual shoals of herring and smelt may be present under the lights. I had to use the large ship moored up as a windbreaker, flicking the Spro Freestyle jighead around it. Rigged on the jighead was Gulp Baby Squid, having seen a few tiny Calamari darting under the surface, it stood a chance. The smelt were present in good numbers, teasing at the lure just under the surface. I would normally be happy to catch a few but I wanted something a little shinier. My disco ball target found me on the next cast… I twitched the squid back, in the shadow of the pontoon. I soon had a take. The fish had taken it almost on the drop so was quite far away, I was glad as it made for a more entertaining fight than it should have been. The herring I had hooked had decided to behave like it’s tropical cousin, the tarpon. The fish threw itself into the air numerous times, so much so that I half considered I had hooked a tiny sea trout! The fish didn’t have the clout to deny me though and I soon lifted him from the water.

Herring are beautiful, hard fighting, simple to catch and very delicate fish. I try to keep handling to a minimum as they lose their scales so easily. This one was lively so the hook flung out without me even trying, he got a short photo shoot and was returned to plague the bait fish once more. Not a massive fish, but an entertaining one and finally had given me something to smile about. My needs are very simple when it comes down to it.

Although I could have stayed and likely bagged a few more ‘Tamar Tarpon’; with the tide at it’s highest, Sutton Harbour could have potential. I decided to rig up an LMAB Finesse Filet in Mahi Mahi colour, hoping to tempt a harbour schoolie. I have been fascinated by these lures from the moment I saw them selling on Street Fishing London’s website. They are similar in style to the Savage Gear Dying Minnow, fishing sideways to imitate a floundering bait fish, an easy meal. I had already caught mackerel and even giant gobies on them, so surely a bass would have a go?

With the tide still inching it’s way up the walls, holding the suspended silt in it’s grip. The bright colours of the Finesse Filet could come in useful. You fish these kind of lures slowly, twitching them so they undulate teasingly. These Filet lures are so thin they are like paper, so they move with only the lightest flick of a rod tip. Slowly fished, bright colours could do the trick for a Sutton schoolie. The boats in front of me were my targets, bass often skulk underneath them, lunging out on any unsuspecting baitfish that wanders by. I aimed to act like that baitfish.

The first few casts brought nothing, hardly surprising in such dense, brown water. I was half day-dreaming when I received the whack I was hoping for. Even small bass hit so hard, they really aim to kill their prey on the first pass. I could almost consider spending the hours required on the rocks to target the big ones, if only I could focus on one species for once! This was undoubtedly a small bass, quick runs, lots of head shakes, eventually splashing on the surface, trying to throw the hook. He tired and I lifted him into my grateful hands, my (obviously a little frayed) 3lb leader snapping just as caught him!

When the mackerel, garfish and scad are thin on the ground, you can always rely on a schoolie bass. Their beautiful blue fins and aggressive posture make them a photogenic quarry. I admired the white laterel line running along it’s flank, the iconic spiked dorsal fin, standing proud atop it’s back. It’s mini-bucket mouth was holding my lure in place in irritation, I removed it and slipped it back into the harbour.

My couple of hours were coming to an end and further casts proved fruitless. Finally though I had made some sense of the world, achieved peace in the chaos. That is the gift of angling, especially LRF, finding excitement in the little things, marvelling at the beauty in the minutia. New lures, cold nights, interesting species, the best way to keep sane in an increasingly insane country.

As always, thank you for reading.
For further reading/watching please check out the following links.

My page on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/benbassettfishing 
My page on Instagram 
https://www.instagram.com/benbassettfishing/ 
Prime Angling – One of the best places to get your fill of LRF lures
https://www.primeangling.co.uk/
Street Fishing London – A new exciting lure fishing store
https://www.streetfishinglondon.co.uk/
Richard Salter aka Devon Lerfer – LRF videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2GYWRxohx3J6Qq7vFqZS0w 
Neil Sutherland at Aquazid Studio – LRF based T shirt designs and more
http://aquazidstudio.com/ 
Simon Kingdom at Osborne & Cragg – Plymouth based tackle shop with a great selection of lures and everything else 
https://www.facebook.com/osborneandcragg/ 
Art Of Fishing – Wadebridge based fishing tackle porn
https://www.artoffishing.co.uk/
Dominic Garnett – Top angling author and a real fan of LRF.
https://dgfishing.co.uk/