We've been gagging for these Northerlies, now that they're here I can't bloody fish! Me and Karl did manage a couple of half arsed sessions yesterday, beaten by the conditions really, but I'm certain there'll be shed loads when this lot starts fineing off.

Plan A was to fish a marathon session. Starting with the last of the ebb and the flood at Mundesley, and finishing with the ebb at Cart Gap assuming we caught at Mundesley. Depending which forecast you looked at the wind varied from 10mph NE to 30 odd, the latter was more like it. We looked at the lifeboat stretch, no chance, you need to lump it here and it was surf as far as the eye could see coupled with the 30mph wind in your mush. At heart attack hill its less of a bung but it was still too much, we deliberated before finally conceding we wouldn't be able to fish it. Plan B was to head off to Pakefield where the wind would be more across us than right down our throats.

Atop Heart Attack, the surf started at the bank and never stopped. Doesn't look much from up here but it was at least 6' high and coupled with the wind pissing in from the NE there was no chance.

With the tide time difference between Cromer and Lowestoft we'd be able to get to Pakefield with a good 3 or 4 hours of the ebb left. We arrived at the CEFAS car park for about 2pm, low water was 6ish. There were already some guys on the beach, but the wind was still a real pain. We set up in front of the Jolly Sailor pub and gave it our best. Wind against tide for the ebb meant there was hardly any tide movement at all, no weed to speak of either so things were looking promising. The sea was kicking up a bit and we both really fancied it, the bad news was that unless the wind dropped considerably it would be unfishable on the flood, wind with tide and there was no way we'd hold out.

Things started badly for me. Somehow I managed to crack off second cast, unwittingly I'd got my magnets right off between the first cast and the second cast. You can't do that in 30mph winds. The lead sailed straight out, the line billowed off to the right, crack and the lead's still going. I hate it when that happens. In general casting was a pain, I doubt we ever cast more than 100yds and I didn't think it would be far enough even with the rough sea maybe bringing them in a bit. I was right. We only managed undersize codling and whiting. Karl did fluke a schoolie on a razorfish he found in his bait, but it was disappointing on the whole.

We often meet characters on the beach and enjoy naming them, we don't mean any harm by it it's just a bit of fun. Like the guy we often see at Hopton, we call him Waxonwaxoff on account of the fact he walks the beach bare chested in winter, doing his karate moves and excersises! Karl chose the name for todays character. Aramis, the aftershave not the muskateer, spoke to Karl first asking him if he'd caught. I'd noticed this figure in an old parka shuffling up the beach, I'd also noticed his dog always made sure it was at least 2 yards up wind of him. I don't know his personal circumstances but the bloke smelled like he bred maggots in his clothes. He may have been a zombie, I don't know, he smelled like he'd been dead for a week or so. His greying yellow blond hair gave him the look of Catweasel, I would probably have chosen Catweasel. Anyway Aramis was probably the nail in the coffin for the session at Pakefield, we packed up and formulated a plan to use the worlds supply of bait we still had left.

Aramis, he looked like this and smelled like a knackers yard in 80° heat.

The only place we'd get to fish nearer home would be Cromer Pier. We hate fishing the pier, the only good thing about it is that it gets you beyond the swell and surf, even then it gets you out beyond the surf onto a crap bit of beach! Some people love it, they're welcome to it, for me other than its bad weather advantage you can keep it. No room, snaggy, continual "have you caught anything" or "what are you fishing for" from the constant stream of walkers. Some of the casting has to be seen to be believed, it'd be dangerous on a beach let alone a pier. "What are we fishing for" for the love of god, we are fishing for FISH you thick currants! We got to the pier for around 1900, I'd called Nobby on the way and he met us up there a little later.

There were some guys already on the end of the pier, we set up on the first corner on the leeward side. This would put us just beyond the ends of the groins and hopefully onto some cleanish ground. For anybody wanting to fish for cod and whiting from the pier, the south side is thought to be the best, we've found it doesn't help you fishing close to the pier. Whether it's the lights or structure or what, we only seem to catch well away from the pier, try to cast out to sea and your likely to lose your kit, cast parallel to the shore, your far enough out.

The sea looked great, but the guys already there hadn't done any good, though in fairness they were using squid and mackerel, not really first line baits up this way. I gave the guys some worms between them, I'd never use all the bait I had as there's no room to fish two rods and we didn't expect it to be frantic fishing. That said, first chuck and a thumping bite an I've got a double shot of codling, an undersize fish on the pennel hook and a plump 2lber on the main hook.

We're going to sack up. Next cast and a tippy tap bite and another undersize codling soon finds itself heading back to the sea after a quick look at Cromer. "Pull your finger out lump, it's a fish a chuck" received a resounding "Feck off" from Karl. Nobby hadn't had anything either. I reckoned we'd get a few as it ebbed, how wrong could I be. Talk about false dawns, that was basically it. Me and Karl both managed more undersize codling and whiting before the decision was made to pack up. Nobby had a slug (always a bad sign in my book) and an undersize codling on the last two casts but that was about it.

In total during the day I probably lost 4 or 5 sets of kit, mostly through my numptiness, Karl a similar amount, again down to numptiness. We gave the last of our bait to a hardy soul from Kings Lynn way, he wanted to fish a full tide cycle so he could see for himself what was what on the pier, good luck to him! In all honesty the beach there's not the best anyway. If the pier was at Mundesley or Trimingham you'd never get on it. Thankfully I'm at work for the rest of the week, so I hope this wind blows a proper hooley and starts to ease next Monday!