What a day. Up at 5:45, picking big Keith up at 6:15 then off to Pakefield to meet Karl and Johnny for a day feeding the crabs. An uneventful drive saw us get to the CEFAS car park at 7:15 to find Karl and Johnny sat in the car. The SE wind was right into our mush if we fished in front of the ministry or Jolly Sailors. none of us really fancied going round the bay to the caravans despite some good recent reports, its a snag pit, so we decided to go for a fry up and discuss our options.

We ended up at a little bakery / cafe called Whites (I think) in Lowestoft. Strange place, every table full of old men puffing on roll ups, I can still smell it now! How the hell they sell bread there I don't know, "Heres your bloomer Mrs Smith, just dust the ash off". Anyway we sent Karl first to find out how big the big breakfast was and how much then just told the old girl behind the counter "we'll have 3 more of what she just ordered".

Over breakie (which was excellent) we decided to fish at Tramps Alley. Its not my favourite venue, nothing to do with the fishing, its a very consistent stretch, but the nudist beach. You get allsorts down there, its like legalised dogging and the very worst bit is..........you only ever see blokes down there. Its wrong, fecking wrong. Thankfully the local perverts weren't out today to spoil our fun.

Tramps Alley, consistent venue despite the pervs

Keith set up first, then me 30 yards or so downtide of him, Karl in the next bay and Johnny in the bay after. We set up at HWish so little or no tide for the first 45mins then there's going to be a strong old flow from right to left as it ebbs. Now me and big Keith are good mates, we work together as well as fish together, but I have to say it, Keith fishes like Nobby Stiles played football. Here's me trying to fish like Glenn Hoddle played, all silky skills a full range of passing, one rod banged out the other inside, little mussel sausages to tip off with etc. you get the picture, pure finesse. Keith fishes like a two footed tackle with an elbow thrown in for good measure, total blood and thunder. Anyway I was two hours into the day before I managed a pin whiting, all 2 ounces of it. By this time Keith had quite a few whiting, some nice ones too and a codling around 1.5lb, he'd also got snarled up with my lines on numerous occasions, in fact one time I'd managed to cast both my lines under one of his !?

Like Nobby, Big Keith bites yer legs

Back to the fishing Karl in the next bay downtide of me was bagging. I hate it when that happens, thankfully its a rarity. He'd had a schoolie, plenty of whiting, mostly sizeable and a couple of codling around the early season 1.5lbs mark. Johnny was struggling with hefts so he decided to move uptide of Nobby Stiles and I finally managed to get into a few. Its always weird when things just switch on, I'd sat there for ages without so much of a tremble and then they're bouncing about all over the place. The middle of the ebb down was far and away the most productive part of the session. On consecutive casts I reeled in double shots of 12oz whiting on pennel rigs, we finished up with lots of sizeable fish and plenty of undersized too, so a good day was had by all. All the fish were returned and I really must remember to put my camera in my box, it was a lovely day once the cloud broke and I reckon I could've got some top shots, still theres always next time. We're hoping to get out next week for a bash, hopefully all the "Jolly Boys" will be fishing, you'll be the first to know.