The Lighthouse Pier

I remember as a lad fishing off the end of the pier and if you kept the line close to the pier, you might well catch a wrasse but lose your tackle in the process! (Nasty laugh#) In the 60s you would also commonly catch bream which you never seem to find there nowadays, and those, which I suppose you still do, such as pollack, mackerel, whiting, scad, garfish. It s so long since I last fished that I have forgotten the technical name for a float that slid up until it hit a stop and a small piece of knotted elastic band, permitting you to decide the depth at which you wished to fish. A high tide just before dusk seemed to bring the best results, I recall.

Note the dark areas, they are seaweed , which secures its roots in rock, thereby indicating the extent of rock around the approach to the harbour mouth. Rainbow wrasse was one of my favourite sightings off Battery when snorkelling ... including a couple of surprise confrontations face to face with seals, as they reached the surface at the same time as myself. Unsure as to who was the more shocked!! Never have fished, but my uncle was a dab hand at it, made all his own gear, except the cord and hooks. Everything else was made in the workshed, from rods to rings, from reels to weights. So clever with his hands, also built and repaired clocks.

Glad to see you re putting all your knowledge down in whiting. One should not be shellfish about such information!

Was it a quill tpp?