This trip had been planned for a while.

Chris Isaacs, for those of you reading this, has been an integral part of our skishing journey, yet had no actual 'night plugging' for Bass experience. He is a very accomplished spearo but this was different.

We've carefully mapped routes, tides, discussed tactics etc and he said.."Actually, i don't doubt it will work". In reality, he may not have but many in fact, do. So, on a really dark night, 3 hours the high side of low water on a dropping 30.5ft'er...., we set about getting ready. Chris had spent the afternoon making a fin sling. Dead clever and now he's making 2 more. Great idea Chris, shouldn't have shown us maybe...LOL.

So, we worked our way out after donning various wetsuits from 5mm through 7mm farmer john style of course as not only are they warmer, the double skinned area over the chest aids buoyancy.

On reaching a falling  out constriction, I worked this with a  (new) feedshallow in the copper back colour (small pollack frequent the area). Chucking across current (was fairly strong) i let the plug swing in the run, holding the braid in the fingers but not backwinding as can be utilised on some runs but, rather holding the rod higher and backing the rod down over the run, feeling the lure with my left hand fingers on the braid to tell me when the plug was working 'just as i like it'.

3 runs down....KABOOM !..., fish on.

1 screaming run later, a decent fish estimated 6, maybe 7 pounds, banged a big stone mid current and bent out the front treble...fish lost. Ah well, that's fishing.  However, the indication was.., fish were indeed present.

If you want to take something away from this encounter, take this..., and i should know better. Duo feedshallow's are great plugs, caught tons of fish on em. But, from new, swap the hooks. The ones supplied just aren't strong enough for big fish or fish in moving water. I usually swap en straight out for decoy hooks or vmc if i want a slightly lower riding lure. Great plug, crap hooks from new.

Back to the story....

I called over to Chris who was working some submerged bubble weeded rubble some 100 yards to my right but behind and away from the main, now starting to back off constriction. Remember, this was his first night time assault with rod, reel and plug for Bass so we started him out slowly. As you'll read, Chris is a fast learner.

Kevin was behind over in distance fishing with a tattoo 'wooden' 1oz swimmer just sliding it across. He and Chris hadn't had any takers but this was destined to be tough night. We knew that before we left shore as easterlies and the accompanying cold air just don't seem particularly productive this time of year but, fishing is fun regardless of actual fish numbers and of course, the skishing itself is a sport in its own right. You never get bored. Its the 'Total Experience'.

So, Chris comes up into the run, I back away but instruct Chris quietly on the method. The current had started to back down a little and some stones were exposing but in the blackness, hard to make out and, but for the minimal ambient light from the shoreline some 1/2 mile behind us, they wouldn't have shown at all.

So, cast, nearly just off square across the run, let the plug pick up the 'bow' of the powerpro braid. Feel the braid in the left hand, just gently stay in touch and occasionally, drop the rod tip toward the plug to give it a fractional drop backed drift.. Like I said, Chris is a very accomplished bloke, 3 or 4 casts in..SLAMMO !, fish on.

Chris Isaacs with 1st night lure caught Bass of 4lb-4oz from the 'pinnacle skish' route.

Another shot of Chris with the Bass after we had swum over to shallower ground to unhook the fish, revive it and ultimately.., release the fish. 1 smiling Mr Isaacs later and we moved on.

Further into the 'Skish' and it was approaching low water. We made our way across the main run but fished some likely area's after frequently taking shore bearings against the background lights in the by now, far distance.

Me and Chris 'Skishing' the main run over the low water. A fair distance out from the shoreline just visible in the photo.

We worked over toward a deeper depression just in front of the 'pinnacle' rock after which this particular tidal skish is named. We all worked over the low water waiting for the tide to turn and push water up over a nearby bar which shoots water out, the 'wrong' way, and out to sea. Of course, local tidal knowledge is imperative and this is where Chris Isaac's years of dark night diving skills come in.

Then came a surprise, a pleasant one though and quite funny.

Cuttlefish on !

Not actually that rare to hook but rare to land one and get a hands on experience. This one tried to ink us all and i think, he might have succeeded. When i got home, i was a bit black.

An hour and half up and the tide inside us was pushing quite hard. We had a sequence of hops back across towards the shore via some heads that had just barely started to cover, but the east wind combined with the now quite reasonable run of current pushing toward La Roque, was forming a horrible surface chop which caught both myself and Chris out as we got cold water flushed a few times on the 400 meter or so open gutter. This in fact, combined with current makes the crossing closer to 700 meters. Kevin though had wisely put up his wetsuit hood and was sniggering everytime we got cold water down the back.

Skishing requires a certain amount of knowledge, bottle, fitness and specialised gear. For years, reeling underwater destroyed many 'standard' or fancy line lay, lightweight wonders of reels that simply just, don't cut the mustard to be quite honest.

The Van Staal 100 Bail less reel loaded with powerpro, testing the new Tenryu 100% fluorocarbon leader. These reels are the mutts nuts both out of, and under the water. Equipped with 'real' boga-grips, duo pliers, dive knife and outer 'windchill' protective garments, these are but a few things, fast current skishers require.

No more fish were taken but it was, in hindsight a very good trip. Chris broke his duck, we had fun and we got out safely. Basically a blast and can't wait to get back in. These trips can be arranged but.., taught over a series of days and basically, dipping the toe in first. For more details, just give us a call. email myfish@jerseybassguides.com and we'll set something up. Start in the day first though guys. I'd recommend that before perhaps doing a wetsuit night plugging trip and maybe..., a nice moonlit skish. Do this, learn, be safe and next time maybe..., sky's the limit.