The forecast weather was for it to close in fast. A gentle NW wind blowing across the bay would soon become a gale force 7 SSE. We could hear the swell banging the back of a reef not some 500 yards away from the shore as we kitted up at the cars.

After Chris did a tailor made smooth skin baby suit for Kev (actually a extra layer of neoprene to aid warm and buoyancy) we made the short walk to the waters edge which was drawing away quite rapidly.

Into the gutter, make like a seal, get pulled out of the 300 yards long gutter which was emptying fast. The noise of that swell banging was getting forever louder. Water was running, really moving, like it was wearing Nike, serious stuff.

At the cars, previous to all this i'd just some pics of a few new plugs i was going to try. I wanted pics just in case we lost em for posterity. As it turns out, the night had things in store no one could have envisaged, not even the most enthusiastic or optimistic Bassman could have predicted what turned out to be a manic time for 1 angler.

We spread out across the ebbing run Chris taking point,  Kev acting middle man and me coming up the rearguard.

It wasn't long before I got a thump.. Pollack 2lb.. minutes later, Thump, Pollack 2lb. This carried on for about an hour. Some i landed, some i missed. I'd had 5 Decent Pollack before Kev sneaked one in. Ok, we were here for Bass but I think Pollack give a good account in faster water on light gear and, they are a welcome distraction whilst waiting for feeding time at the Zoo.

We were right out at the swell line by now. Strange it was. BIG swells out to sea. Literally within spitting distance but they were like a picket fence sticking up out of the moonlit night. White crests that were clearly visible way above head height that dissipated to a low 18" by the time it reached us. Cool.

20 minutes from low we made the swim over to the targeted zone we'd designated..'black ops'.

The tide pushes in hard and fast here.

We where all swimming and fishing...'skish trolling' I was.

Kaboom...Fish on.

"Pollack Keith" said one of the boys..

"Head shaking guys, its a Bass i reckon".

A nice little chap.

Kev got his camera and did the blog pictures thing. Little did he know what was to happen.

We moved on to our designated interception point. All floating over some pretty hard nasty ground. I was casting up the tide with this awesome new minnow bait. Wham...fish on. Here we go again guys, this is defo a Bass. Minutes later....

A great scrap.  Nice Bass falls to the upstream stop and dead-drift method. (I'll explain it later in the post).

Kev again does the picture bit and of course, can't fish whilst doing this. Remember that cause, I do, and, in fairness its very hard to get the best out of a session whilst lights and flash guns are firing. Time photographing and recovering Bass etc is time NOT spent fishing.

Then another... Plug of the night was the Jackson Athlete 14FSS (super casting, rattling jerkbait minnow)

And another..

Serious fun. 4 Bass in to 7lb -4oz (boga weights) not accurate to the ounce and who cares anyway ?

My arm is starting to ache and Kev is getting pissed at keep unpacking the camera etc LOL..

Then Kev nails one... A little guy but who cares.

Words like..."I've waited this long for a hit and its a little bloke !!" without the colourful expletives included in that quote.

I'm not a selfish bloke and by now I'm feeling for Chris who hadn't had a touch. Lets be honest, he is quite new and i was using retrieve tricks I hadn't yet had time to explain to him. Me and Kev just adjust stuff in the water without thinking. Anyway, thinking the plug i was using MAY have been a factor I had one last cast before giving the killing plug to Chris and turned, telling him how i was retrieving.

We were just touched down on the reef tops at this point but the swells were lifting us OFF and ON the heads underfoot. Nightmare on Halloween OOOOHHH...LOL

Anyway, Chris...

"Cast up at 10 degree's and right Chris. Splashdown !, Wait  just picking up the slack ok.." Sure, said Chris, I get that." "Ok Chris, then..., crank down..1, 2, 3 STOP. Small pause then RIP the rod tip 18" away from the direction of the plug, you'll feel a heavy bib/plug vibration, this makes the plug rattle real hard then STOP !"..

"Ok, got that m8. Its called Stop and Dead Drift uptiding Chris, we use it regular m8."

"Watch the rod, Sweep, Rip, STOP !"...

As I ask Chris if he really gets it as the plug is now dead drifting towards us in the tide on a SLACK line, we are just picking that slack up making sure we are nearly in contact..

KABOOM !!, rod is wrenched from my arm on the STOP !  Fish on...

Number 5 hits the skish. Another fish around 5 1/2lb.

Chris plays with this retrieve and within minutes he connects. A Pollack but who cares. Its a fish. Chris has done remarkably well on this seasons missions. Out of all the skish trips we've done he's blanked ONCE. That's a seriously good track record and that was on a 'Bass or Bust' Mission where little other species are on the cards anyway. If you don't get fish in that gutter, you don't catch. Simples...

We move up the now flooding gulley and we are casting up and across in this fashion..Kevin bumps one. Next cast, we get swung across the tide and he retrieves his plug into my ASS !! Ouch. It happens. He really is annoyed about the camera thing eh LOL

Wham !!, here we go again, On the full speed maybe 6 knts by now tide, I'm in again. 6 lb's of shining armour makes its way angrily toward me.

This went on as we approached the wide area lagoon behind us where in fairness, the sport slowed due to the fish being more spread out.

10 minutes later, on another new plug that has really impressed me...KABOOM...

By now, this weird halloween sea mist had descended across the bay. 6 1/2b's of Bass was connected to me at the full range of my cast. I'd literally cast in, slashdown, ripped the plug after waiting 10 seconds and then i waited. I'd previously sunk by hand this plug and let it go to time how fast it rose through the water column. I pretty much figured i would wait 3 or 4 seconds to let the plug hit surface from a rip down as the plug was reaching perhaps 5 ft fished this way.

1, 2, 3.....GRRRRRRRRR....

VS clutch kicks into gear, rod is again pulled violently....

Anyway, I was losing count of the fish but I think in the end...

Between us we had 9 Bass to 7lb -4oz only 3 fish under that lovely 5lb mark and 10 or 11 Pollack to 2 1/2lb.

Now thats skishing and that's Halloween. My favourite Bassing night of the year.

Thanks for reading guys..