Bitter cold, strong wind—and a change of spot

Winter ajing in strong current means bitter cold and strong wind. That is the standard combination.

It is only December. It will still be all right.

That was the complacent thought. And then it arrived: the merciless instructor known as a cold snap.

To make matters worse, when the temperature drops suddenly, the fish are… gone.

Nothing there.

Still, having come all this way, I gave it two or three hours.

Fish that are not there are difficult to catch. Yes, decidedly difficult.

My skill is not great, and there are no fish. Two conditions pointing to the same result. Put a stamp on it: I would bet on catching nothing.

My spirit was broken. There was nothing left but to leave.

A better morning elsewhere

So I headed straight for another spot, this time to target pelagic fish.

The following morning, that next place produced two squid and one yazu—a young Japanese amberjack.

A change of place had come to the rescue. Thank you.

I know the bottom contours and productive positions there fairly well. A shallow reef extends for thirty-odd metres in front of me.

I work the jig back from beyond it, below mid-water, using a fairly quick action. As it reaches the slope up onto the reef, I work it still faster, then wind it in at a very high speed.

This time, the yazu hit a few metres before that rising slope.

Following the jig up

Nerigo—young greater amberjack—sometimes follow the jig up the slope and take it right at the surface.

That is enjoyable.

Lately, though, the fish at this spot have become wary and rarely respond to surface lures.

Everyone looks back fondly on the constant action of two or three years ago. Since last year, I too have been getting only one fish at dawn on each visit.

This account was first published in December 2019. The reef description concerns its extent in front of the angler, not a water depth of thirty metres. Related: why my wife’s jigging catches fish.