Crapola! Sunday 15th March

Well we hit the marina today on foot! Talk about mixing it up!! Went right round to the  breakwater on the far side (SE side of marina) and flicked around various bits of structure from the rocks.

I was keen to try my baitcaster loaded up with 4lb Fireline - an ominous start when the line snapped sending the shrike out into the deep! Lucky the little sucker is a floater and the wind slowly brought back into us where I was able to retrieve it. A quick switch to the spin rod and within a few casts I had snagged one of the pylons losing my rig to it. Meanwhile, although there were quite a few fish about we hadn't had any hookups yet. I then ventured onto a gangplank and started casting a hardbody (not the shrike) with my spinrod back at the pylons - within several minutes I'd snagged another pylon and when I gave it a really good flick, managed to successfully retrieve my lure as it went twanging around the rigging of some old abandoned yacht behind me - Geoff the bastard thought this was all very amusing from the rocks and just pointed at my rod ... F*ck ... I snapped the tip off! This was not one of my best sessions. This pattern of unluck contined as I lost a good deal of leader, plastics, and jigheads to various snags.

We moved a little futher along and found a spot teaming with fish. Geoff hooked up a 3 fish in all - small bream (or a very juvenile snapper), a butter fish and something stripey (maybe a luderick?). I at least managed to land un ugly looking rock cod. I also hooked up a very nice sized bream who promptly spat my Lava squidgy as he came in close - the one that got away!

Points of interest: saw either 2 turtles or 1 turtle twice; and also saw an Eagle Ray (we think) cruising along!

Lessons learned: my rod is more expensive than a dumb lure! Canoe is good (especially for retrieving snags). Finally the marina is a teasing environment but probably worth another go - maybe at night or in the canoe.

Worst of all ... Geoff now leads the tournament!

• Pic 1 (top): Geoff drops his fish in the rocks, again and again ... slippery little sucker.
  
• Pic 2: the little bream, or is it a littler snapper???
  
• Pic 3: another new species for Geoffro  - a 'butter' fish
• Pic 4: Enzo having a crapola day!