Mudeford weekend, Dorset, England.

Last weekend there was a fund-raising and demonstration weekend. The kayaks on demonstration were from Ocean Kayaks and the charity supported was the R.N.L.I. . Mudeford is at the entrance to Christchurch harbour.  As per usual this report has been copied and pasted from the Anglers Afloat forum in the UK.


The weekend for me began Friday morning, after an uneventful drive down I got to the car park around 10. Ian and Conner were already there and we were soon on the water. Ian and Conner went off to fish the upper estuary me off to the beach. Richi was already there and it was good to catch up on things. It was amazing how many people came up to us asking how to rig fishing kayaks.
I decided to go for a paddle/sail to find Ian and Conner, it was an easy sail up to where they were and I tied up to some reeds.



After 20 minutes or so Ian hooked one and with Conner's help landed a fine Mullet. Fantastic. ;D






With a fish caught and the tide turning it was time to head back to the beach. It was a lovely sail back and didnt have to paddle a stroke.




Back at the beach it was more banter as more and more yakers turned up, tried out different yaks and drank coffee.
It was soon time to head back to the other side and have a beer and some food. Steve, Nicki, Richi and myself chatted ate and drank in the pub on the quay.



Richi had to get home and get some sleep ready for the next day. Soon after he had left we were joined by a local character 'psychic Silvie' She sat herself down with a beer and gin , in the same glass :  , and treated us to a half our stream of stories that we thought would never end . at one point I started getting the giggles and had to go the loo ;D



Steve and Nicki had to get back to their B&B so I made my way back to the car and blew up my lillo. I sat in the passenger seat and got my breath back. " Hello John" it was Loz "fancy a beer" So back in the pub we chatted until 11 when Andy and Ben turned up, we managed another 2 pints before closing time ;D  Then it was back to Loz's van for a another few beers, soon after that Simon pulled up we celebrated this with more beer. 2 am I made my way back to the car and crashed for the night.



I was up pretty early and bushy tailed considering the alcohol intake the previous evening .
Early afternoon saw the Mackerel race, we all set off with high hopes from the beach, but it was hard going and after an hour or so I headed back in fishless. Simon fared much better and came first....nice one Simon.





Back at the beach it was time for more messing about in kayaks ;D



Saturday evening saw more food, more beer and more good company   Sunday, and we were back on the beach. After a hearty breakfast a plan was hatched to catch some Bream. We anchored and tied off near the end of a line of rocks where some had been caught the day before. For an hour or so there were no fish and no bites But then the tide turned and a few bites and even a fish or two were caught. Jan was the first to have success ;D






On the way back we were treated to an air display .



All to soon it was time to head back to the car and start the drive home, but first all the yaks had to be towed back across to the quay ....much easier with a sail.



It was only when it was all over that I realised I had not caught a fish all weekend :  But that was not what the weekend was about. It was about raising funds for the RNLI, playing on kayaks and catching up with friends. Brilliant, well done Richi and all those at crazywater.
   

Thank you Mueller for a "first class" report with lots of pictures and video clips.  I always enjoy reading your report!

Thanks for the great perspective and report. 

It seems like yak-fishers are fun folks all over the world.

Todd, I have to ask, and I emphatically mean no disrespect, but it seems from your posts that you guys do a lot more fishing than catching?  I guess my question is, are fish stocks seriously depleted in Britain or is that just the way it is there?

Maybe Northern Boy has an opinion?

Dave

I think it would be fair to say the fishing is not easy in the UK. So to be successful it is necessary to put in some time and effort. Most of the posts I have put up on NorKal have been meets. These tend to focus more on socialising than fishing.   
Still a few more meets to go this year including ...... a kayak wedding 

a kayak wedding 

Wow...Hope the priest know how to handle a kayak