The pressure was building with me as well as the weather. The Lincoln Lot were coming for the weekend and a once promising forecast was looking worse by the hour. A promised NW came and went with high pressure and barely a ripple on the sea and the forecast was for southwesterlies, it was going to be hard. Karl phoned me on the Friday night, he'd been to Minsmere with PK all day and had some worms left, and did I want to go and use them up. I never say no to a free session and I thought if it was really hard at night, we'd switch venue for the daytime. I had some jobs to do first though, I had to pick some kit up from Pete Fairclough and Saturdays bait from Lee, but I could be back for 8pm.

Karl picked me up at 8pm, an hour or so after the first contingent from Lincoln had arrived. The mother inlaw (anagram of Woman Hitler, try it yourself!), Aunty Stella and uncle Graham AKA Compo arrived on the Friday. Rather than be left in alone with all that oestrogen, Compo decided to come and sit with me and Karl. By this time it was drizzly and horrible, but we assured Compo he'd be fine under the brolly with a lamp to keep him warm.

Uncle Graham AKA Compo, LUFC hat from Uncle Pete, neck warmer from Karl, Jacket from Aitch, dopey look from years of experience.

We set up with 3/0 pennels, if me and Karl managed a few bits on proper rigs I assumed the Lincoln lot would be able to snare a few on small fish rigs Saturday in daylight. We found a few whiting from the off, pretty much every cast, so things were at least looking promising. Occasional small codling with the whiting, a school bass and a couple of missed bites from kamikaze bass and I started to feel confident the Lincoln crew would have a few the next day.

I wouldn't have chosen to fish a neap tide with high water at lunchtime, high atmospheric pressure and a lollopy southwest wind. Scratching conditions if ever there were any along my stretch of coast. Those were the conditions that greeted us on the saturday morning. Given that we'd managed a few without tearing it up the night before, I still thought we'd manage whiting at least. Rigs for the day would be two hook flappers tied with 1/0's on 25lb amnesia hooklengths, theory being this would maximise there chances with the small stuff. I showed the guys how to bait up, its a bit different to a couple of maggots on an 18, and basically left them to it. They all do a bit of coarse fishing so it shouldn't be too dificult for them. I did a PK and grabbed the end peg with the excuse that I needed room to cast.

Uncle Pete with a double shot first chuck, easy sea fishing isn't it?

They struggled at first with casting, I think more getting used to the extra weight with 5oz of lead and an oz of bait. Rods and reels are heavier too so that gave them the excuse when they got their timing wrong. How do you mistime an overhead thump? Anyway after an hour or so they all started to get into the swing of it and they all managed a few fish.

Mitch with a dab and a whiting, and the family trademark grin, a la Forest Gump.

Thankfully fish came steadily throughout the day, they all had at least a half dozen each, which given the conditions wasn't too shabby. The bad news is they all enjoyed it and want to come again!

It's a bloke honest. Deano with a girlie hat on, sad thing is he thinks he looks cool, oh to be that young and daft!

What a difference a day makes. Today has seen a 30mph northwest, and the sea is proper rough. Smudge texted me to see if I was going to have a go this week, well I've got a hundred worms left from this weekend and I'm going to have a go tonight! Unfortunately my usual partners in crime are otherwise engaged so it looks like a solitary session, still you've got to go when its right.

Uncle Geoff in action, despite looking the part, he wasn't very good, bless him he tried. Also he had the first wind knot I'd seen in an age!

Special thanks to Nobby Hall, Steve and Pete for the loan of the gear. It was an experience but I managed more fishing than I'd expected. Its probably been 20 years since I saw a wind knot, I hope its another 20 before the next one!