After a wet and windy few weeks we all enjoyed an amazing sequence of calm sunny days over the August bank Holiday. I was out soon after 6am on Sunday, and quickly stocked up with mackerel for bait on the the way out. Mackerel and bass always seem to feed best at dawn and dusk within a couple of miles from shore. First stop was New Grounds – small bass, a selection of rays and countless dogfish.  I noticed one of the Thornbacks was host to a number of  pontobdella muricata leeches (I looked it up!)

Leeches

Next stop at Sandown Bay produced small conger and a lot of lost tackle as I must have positioned myself over a net. Another mark produced little so I headed back to a bank on the way back in, to drift for bass. The first (and last) drift produced a 5lb beauty – above.