2-10-10 Arun Hat-trick

I'd had a bit of a hectic morning sorting out some automotive and nautical issues which will later be reported on in this journal.I picked Andy up at about 12-30 and we headed for an afternoon session starting just below the old canal entrance at Ford .With the combination of recent heavy rain, and some rather spectacular sea conditions , the river was carrying plenty of colour-my Ideal mullet conditions.Tide was tiny (4.4) and virtually bottoming out and although it was drizzling, there wasn't a breath of wind to ruffle the surface.

Signs of mullet were not,at first, obvious but suspecting that they were present but deep, I decided to set the float at around 6ft which has worked well for me in similar conditions In the past.

First,slide away bite was missed, though it did come back with a mullet scale on the hook......a good sign.Second bite and a hook up. Decent long fight in the slack water conditions( check out the tail size in the pic below) and she came out at 3-09.A significant catch in that it's my 300th mullet in eleven seasons at the game.

No more bites in that swim so I moved downstream towards the first bend ,searching for signs of fish.The odd whelm was the giveaway and after another missed bite out came the second at 2-07, followed by another move and another fish at 3-04.

By now I really needed Andy to get one as I'd had my fun and It was his turn.We moved further downsteam and then I spotted a small group, actually visible in the murky water,circling in a sluice entrance.Bites came Immediately, though poor Andy struggled to connect, not helped I'm sure by my 'Hit It' comments and general excitable nature.

I decided to take a stroll and leave the man in peace and this did seem to do the trick. He hooked a fish within a minute of my vacating the area.......................and it subsequently slipped the hook.BUGGER!

Luckily the swim hadn't been too disturbed too much, and next cast produced another bite and, a successfully landed 2 pounder.I'm not sure who was more pleased.This action killed the sluice so Andy moved back upstream a short distance, and was unlucky enough to lose another fish just before the Incoming tide reached the foot of the flood bank.

Packed up around 5-00pm soaked through a covered in mud, but highly satisfied.Numerous fish were spotted on the walk back 'ghosting' in the murky water as the tide flooded- a very different situation to the low tide conditions.Once again- all's well in Jeff's world.