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TOTAL SEA FISHING16

FeaturePYE’S PROGRESS

FACT FILE

Angler: Gary Pye

Age: 28Occupation: Tackle-shop assistant

Hometown: Peterlee

Angling experience: 23 years

Ambition: When it comes to sea

angling matches, he wants to win

everything!

GARY’S TRAVELSGARY’S GARY’S TRAVELSTRAVELSGary Pye has made a promise to catch every time for the TSF camera, and so far he has not let us down, but can he continue this winning streak? This is how he fared at Hawthorn Point, Seaham Harbour.Words and pics: Terry Patterson

GARY’S TRAVELS

p16-21_tsf_04_Pyes Progress Part1 1p16-21_tsf_04_Pyes Progress Part1 1 27/2/08 3:25:01 pm27/2/08 3:25:01 pm

TOTAL SEA FISHING 17


Gary and I have been fi shing different marks up and down the northeast coast and also

on the west coast of Scotland, as part of a challenge he made to Barney, editor of Total Sea Fishing. My job is to photograph Gary and record what happens. Gary has the easy bit – he just has to catch the fi sh! Gary has beaten the challenge on all fi ve trips he has fi shed so far – would this be the sixth?

I knew that there were good seas running and that fi sh were being caught all up and down the northeast coast, so I rang Gary to fi nd out where we were going this time. “Well mate, what about a trip?” I asked. Yes, Gary was up for it. “Okay mate,” he said. “Where are we going then?” I asked. “Come to mine on Thursday and I’ll let you know when you get here,” he replied.

The following Thursday, as I got into

his car, he grinned at me and said: “Hawthorn Point.” Hawthorn Point is south of Seaham Harbour where Gary fi shes a lot of club matches, and he knows the area very well – as do I. “It’s a long walk to the Point in this weather,” I moaned, knowing that all of Gary’s short cuts would be impassable because of the amount of rain we have had. “Don’t worry,” he laughed, “you’ll make it!”



WALK THE WALK…Hawthorn Point is a cliff-top mark – although we went down grassy banks on the cliff to Hawthorn Flat Rock and, despite it being about 30 feet above the water, it’s a comfortable place to cast and fi sh from. There were two guys already there just packing up, who had been fi shing for three hours and had only caught one fi sh between them.

As we watched them depart I said to Gary: “Well, is it worth fi shing?” “Might as well have a couple of casts,” he replied. “Then we can try on the beach.”

There are often fi sh around Hawthorn Point because the bottom is rough and weedy, providing plenty of feed.

The sea was very heavy and coloured, which is ideal for cod fi shing. Just to prove it Gary had a good bite on his fi rst cast, but the bottom defeated him

– snagging time after time – so he lost that one. He got small bites on the next cast but lost his end tackle during the retrieve.

“Terry,” he said, “look down there.” He pointed to a small bay below us. “That’s Hawthorn Hive; let’s go down there… I might actually get my gear back in in one piece!” So we worked our way down rough steps cut into the cliff’s side – all 94 of them.

Once at the bay I saw that there were rocky skeers running out into the sea. Gary decided to fi sh the southern end of the bay from a mark known as Cave Hole. There is actually a cave in the cliffs, so the mark is easy to fi nd.

First cast and Gary was well into the tide. We were at the start of the skeer, but as the tide was ebbing we knew we would be able to move down further.

A ‘DESCENT’ BITEThe sea was heavy and, while Gary was getting bites, they were diffi cult to feel with all the movement of the water. Then he had a more noticeable enquiry and waited quite a while before he struck. He had indeed hooked a fi sh, but as he wound in his sinker caught on something. However, Gary was using a rotten-bottom link, which dutifully broke off, and he was able to land a nice 2lb codling.

“Well done mate!” I said. I had seen the struggle he had had to get this nice fi sh to the shore and Gary had earned a pat on the back.

Gary had caught that fi sh on a lug-and-white-worm cocktail, but when his

Offering bait like this is certainly

going to attract codling!

Sure enough – Gary’s superb bait presentation

results in fi sh number one coming to the shore.



second cast drew a blank he decided to change his bait to a big, juicy peeler crab, which worked with immediate effect. This third cast soon had him into another nice codling, again around the 2lb mark – this one was brought in with no trouble.

Gary was able to move further down the skeer now as the tide retreated. He was surprised at just how far the sea went down, but when a big sea is running it can exceed the tidal predictions at high and low water. His next cast didn’t produce anything so he moved onto the next skeer called Saddle Back Rock – about 100 yards down the beach. There was nothing doing there either so, after a couple of casts,

he moved back to the Cave Hole. “No harm

in trying different spots,” he said. He positioned his next

cast perfectly

along the skeer and was soon pulling out another chunky 2lb fi sh.

LAST CAST…Time was passing, and it was starting to get dusky. “This’ll probably be the last cast,” he told me, “we’ve got quite a long walk back.”

He baited his hook with a really big peeler crab bait and, with his distinctive cast, he must have cast it about 180 yards into a headwind!

He soon felt a bite and the line went slack, so he wound in just enough to get in touch with the fi sh again. This happens a lot when the sea is very rough and there is a big tide, but it’s crucial to get contact with the fi sh before striking.

“It feels like a good one!” he exclaimed as he reeled in. He fought for it for about 10 minutes but, unfortunately, managed to become snagged about 30 yards out. He tried all sorts of

techniques to free it, giving it slack line, moving from one side of the skeer to other, but nothing was going to bring this baby home. Disappointed when the line fi nally gave, he turned to me and remarked: “You can’t land them all!”

THE TIRING JOURNEY HOMEWe then had to embark on the long walk back to the car. The weather had been bad all day with a strong, gusty wind and rain. We climbed a different set of steps to the ones we came down – 108 of the buggers! I don’t mind telling you that we needed a rest halfway up.

Hawthorn Dene, where these steps are situated, is probably very attractive in summer. But in the middle of winter when it is cold and half dark, the place defi nitely has an eerie feel about it. Once at the top we had to walk all the way around the perimeter of a fenced-off quarry.

Codling number two is a welcome sight.

A large rock placed at the

foot of the tripod will help

to keep it stable in harsh

weather and seas.

Gary sizes up his cast and focuses on

the area he intends to send the bait to.


TOTAL SEA FISHING20


Back in the car we decided that all in all it had been a pretty good trip. Gary had caught three superbly conditioned codling, which could have easily been lost by a less skilful angler due to the condition of the sea bed and the rough seas. Who knows what the last fi sh, that was so unfortunately snagged, could have weighed?

We both knew that in the next few weeks the fi shing would be in a state of fl ux between seasons, but we decided that we would have another trip soon anyway. “Bring it on!” Gary laughed. “All I can do is have a go.”

As I drove home, with legs aching from all the walking we’d done, I thought hard about all the effort that Gary puts into his fi shing. A long walk is sometimes crucial in order to ensure being in the right place at the right time – and don’t I know it! Fishing out of the car boot might be more pleasant, but it isn’t going to guarantee you a catch. Gary believes in tracking the fi sh down, and a bit of walking or a rough sea bed won’t put him off.

As usual I don’t know where we’ll be going next but, as ever, I’m thoroughly looking forward to it. I’m pretty sure that I won’t go hungry with Gary as my hunter/gatherer and, anyway, the codling from this trip will soon be safely in my freezer!

A nice result, especially for Terry Patterson because they are destined for his freezer!

Another successful Pye’s Progress achieved. Will this man ever blank?

Recently Gary has been catching a lot of fi sh on black lug and white rag – that is black runnydown lug cocktailed with sections of white snake rag. Snake whites can only be dug on big spring tides but will keep for quite some time if refrigerated and properly cared for. On our trip Gary realised that some of the bites he was getting on the blacks and whites were a bit shy, so he changed to lug and king rag and, eventually, to really big frozen peeler crab baits – offering variety can often bring success.

The bait was placed on a 3/0 Gamakatsu worm Baitholder hook on a pulley Pennell rig with a 2/0 hook at the top. The hooklengths were 40lb Sufi x Invisiline, used because of the rough bottom and heavy swells. He used a rotten-bottom set-up of his own design – a 7oz Breakout sinker with medium-length wires – which, on this trip, actually helped get a fi sh landed as the snagged sinker broke away. He used 80lb Sufi x Surf shockleader with a main line of Daiwa Sensor at 18lb. Gary uses a fairly light main line to achieve extra distance on his casts. This was loaded onto Gary’s favourite Penn 525 Mag Extra multiplier reel. He’s been promised one of the newly arrived Daiwa 7HT Mag reels to test, which he can hopefully use next time we go on a trip. His reel was fi tted low down on his Century TTR (Total Tournament Rod) – the lower the reel is fi tted onto the rod, the better the cast.

With the weather being so bad and such a

heavy sea running, Gary had to hold his rod all the time. He was continuously feeling for bites and tightening his line when it became slack. The only time the rod went into the rest was when he was baiting up. He wedged a large, fl at rock against the rear leg of the tripod so that it wouldn’t move or fall over in the rough conditions.

Gary favours a rod rest with a single cup. He rarely puts his rod down – but when he does he likes the snug fi t that a single cup offers.

Having chosen a cliff-top venue with plenty of walking involved, Gary used his Greys Apollo haversack. It fi ts comfortably on his back and has a waist strap to keep it secure. Being compact, it is easier to walk and climb with, and holds all the tackle and bait that Gary needs on a trip.

As I mentioned before, Gary likes to go to where the fi sh are, even if this does involve a long walk. Initially he was going to fi sh from the cliff tops, so he was wearing cleated Ocean chest waders. On fi nding that the fi sh weren’t exactly where he thought they were, he wasn’t put off by moving down into the bay and onto the skeers.

His tackle refl ected the heavy seas and conditions that he knew he would encounter. Even landing fi sh in these conditions is extremely diffi cult. The most likely way to increase the chances of landing a fi sh is to keep in touch with it, even though in rough seas the line will frequently slacken as the waves push into the shore.

TACKLE, TACTICS AND BAITTACKLE, TACTICS AND BAIT


TOTAL SEA FISHING 21


BEEF UP YOUR HOOKLENGTHIn heavy seas, having a stronger hooklength will improve your bite-to-landing ratio. This is because, if a fi sh becomes snagged, a heavier line should allow you to pull the fi sh free.

KEEP MOVINGGary moved position twice on this trip: from the cliff top to the bay, and from skeer to skeer. Sometimes stalking the fi sh is necessary, but ensure that you have suitable footwear for the job!

REEL-SEAT POSITIONINGKeep the reel seat low down on the rod. This improves rod and reel balance for long casting. If you’ve never tried this before, practise in a fi eld before going on your trip.

BIG PEELER CRAB BAITSUse these when fi shing in rough conditions. The theory behind this is that the fi sh will be more likely to fi nd them and they will remain effective for longer.

HEAVY SINKERSThese are better in rough weather. The extra weight will improve your cast and will also anchor the bait once it is on the sea bed. As the sinker will be bigger and more easily snagged, a rotten-bottom system is valuable too.

GARY’S MATCH PROGRESSGary Pye has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a top angler who can produce the goods. Not only this, he is also pretty damn hot on the match scene, where he regularly features on the winner’s podium.

To keep you up to date, over the Christmas period and into the new year, Gary fi shed a few matches in which he has been most successful. Here is a brief summary of his progress…

Seaham Boxing Day Open – December 26th1st place – with a cod of 3.98lb for the heaviest fi sh and bag, plus the team event – winnings £335.Conditions: Flat with a southwesterly wind. Baits used: Blacks and whites. Tackle used: New Kompressor S rod and casting to long range, 15lb Sufi x running line and 80lb Sufi x leader on a 6500 multiplier reel.

Easington Colliery Club Rovers Open – December 27th2nd place with the heaviest bag of

2.15lb, comprising four nice dabs – winnings £300.Conditions: Flat with a southwesterly wind. Baits used: Blacks, whites and wild rag. Tackle used: Kompressor S rod coupled with a 6500 reel and pulley rigs.

Easington District Open – January 13th2nd place with a cod of 10.80lb, plus the heaviest bag of 17.10lb – winnings £1,198.50 – comprising £1,000 for second-heaviest fi sh, plus £198.50 for the overall bag, including three cod, three whiting and one dab.Conditions: Southeasterly wind producing a big sea. Baits used: Blacks and whites. Tackle used: Century TTR rod, Penn 525 mag reel loaded with 18lb Daiwa sensor, 80lb Sufi x leader and a 7oz spiked lead with a pulley rig fi shed at long range.

LEFT A cheque like this every match would be good…RIGHT This double-fi gure fi sh earned Gary a tidy sum!


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