Going Afloat on the Arun

Took my dinghy 'Snoek' out on the Arun on Thursday in a determined attempt to get my piking buddy a half decent mullet.Dave's a competent allrounder,but has been keen to get some mullet this season.A few weeks ago we did the bank 'thing',now it was time for something different. The river can be tricky to fish from a boat,currents up to 5 knots,depths to 25ft, can make it difficult to anchor accurately,and find suitable flows for trotting.I've taken a few Arun fish over the years whilst afloat,including some sizable ones, but have always questioned whether it's been worth the effort of launching the boat rather than just fishing my regular bank marks.Usually I reserve it for fishing the more comfortable waters of Christchurch Harbour and the Hamble, but i've been meaning to explore the Arun further. Unfortunately,fishing in the lower river,which i suspect could be very productive,is not allowed by the harbour board due in no part to the hazard you might cause to other boats using the waterway.I tend to head for those peaceful upriver marks anyway,preferring to be away from other 'traffic' and in particular target those areas where access for bank fishing is difficult. Thursday's tide wasn't brilliant, being the largest of the set,which increases the strength of the already considerable flows but,we couldn't really have asked for better weather conditions .It was mild and overcast,with not too much breeze to break the surface and hinder fish spotting.Our last boat mullet trip together in 2008,was on the hottest day of the year ...and we blanked- i was determined to do better this time. Launching at around lunchtime at slack HW we soon found some fish mooching around at a favourite spot and Dave got busy with his gear while I sorted out the mash! It quickly became apparent that the mullet were interested in our bread ,and it didn't take long to intercept the one pictured on the right-long ,lean and 5lb on the nose .Dave's new personal best,a good fish for the Arun,and a man well pleased.Job done.Well done Mate!Don't you just love it when a plan comes together.