Last night, I finally got myself out of the house after work, and headed down to a local creek, that feeds into the river Lynher, and then onto the Tamar.
I was told by a work friend who had recently moved down there, that he had seen big mullet (up to about 6lb or so) moving up with the tide in very shallow water.
This was enough for me - I planned to catch the tide just after it started to come in, and target the mullet as they came in with it. I got down there, but soon realised that the tide was too low, and wasn't going to be in till after dark.
Walking back to the car, I remembered the tiny stream that feeds in at the top of the creek. This stream goes down through all the houses gardens in the tiny valley, then follows the road, and goes under the road through a tiny 'bridge' of sorts (more like a small tunnel of about 4ft diameter) then immediacy flows into the creek.
I peeked over the wall next to the car, and saw half a dozen small fish scatter back under the road. I also spotted an 18 inch black eel of about 1lb or so slither away into the darkness.
My trip wasn't over then :-)
I tied on a tiny swivel, then 2ft of 4lb line, then a size 18 barbless hook. I pinched on a tiny pea sized lump of bread, and just peeking over the edge of the wall, lowered it down.
After a while I wandered if I was wasting my time, then I had that familiar pluck on the line. I had several little knocks like that, but wasn't hooking anything, and wandered about hook size and bait etc. Then I clearly hooked into something, and the little fella went mad, but lifting him out the water, he fell off. This happened 3 more times, and I realised that a micro barbed hook would have been a better idea.
With the light failing, I deiced to try the other side of the bridge, to took 4 paces backwards and looked over the edge. It was pitch black. The wall was higher here, about 4 ft, and surrounded by foliage, so I just lowered the bait down and let it trickle under the road to see what would happen.....dink...dink..... hello !
A couple more times, and then the rod plucked and I lifted into it. The exciting fast twiddling coming up the rod told me I was in. I lifted and realised that it wasn't one of the tiny fish Id seen earlier. There was splashing below, and I lifted before he fell off again. Over the wall came a wriggling fish to my hand.
I was very happy indeed. A lovely little brown trout, and a nice way to rescue a spontaneous trip that appeared to have failed.
I slipped him back, smiling like a fool.
I noted that these trout must be very tolerant of brackish water, as the tide comes right up to that bridge, and they cant swim up the stream, as it turns into a very shallow trickle.
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