Rugged Coastlines and Reset Clocks
Conditions at a Glance
Pressure: 1023 hPa, steady
Wind: SW–SSW 21–27 km/h, moderate breeze
Sea State: Choppy but fishable
Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous, 59% illumination
Tide: Low at 20:03 (1.4 m), coefficient 42
The Session
Straight after work, no dinner, just the gear in the boot and the urge to find something big. I headed for one of the more rugged stretches of coastline — the kind where a wrong step will snap an ankle quicker than a rod tip, and where the tide forces you to keep moving or risk being cut off. Not the kind of place where you can afford a mistake, alone in the dark where it’s not easily accessible - make sure that phone is charged and loved ones know the rough area you’re fishing.
I wasn’t looking for numbers tonight. I was looking for a proper fish.
The Grind
The first hour was all searching — lure after lure, cast after cast, on a dropping tide. Nothing happening. Not even a rattle. It was starting to feel like one of those blank evenings where you question your sanity for choosing rock and swell over hot food and a warm seat at home.
About 40 minutes before low tide, I finally managed a small schoolie on a Pirate Lures teaser. Not what I came for, but it was enough to keep me in the game. A quick release and back to it.
As the tide turned and darkness came, I started moving more so I knew I could get out again. I was on my own, somewhere you don’t want to get caught. I love the thrill of it, but staying alive is always on my mind. Nearly two years ago I was almost taken off a ledge not far from here, and that memory still walks with me when I’m scrambling on wet rock at night.
A Tap and a Decision
Just as I was thinking about heading back, I felt a single tap on the teaser. Nothing stuck, but it was enough to keep me casting for a little longer. On this kind of ground at low water, even the smallest sign of life can buy you a few more throws.
But the coast stayed quiet, and eventually hunger won the battle over stubbornness.
Reflections
No big fish tonight — just a schoolie and that one tap that stretched things out a little longer. But sometimes that’s how it goes. On this kind of coastline, it’s not about numbers every time. It’s about the search, the risk, and the reminder that you’re always one cast away from something that changes the whole session.
Dinner was late. But the obsession was fed. 🏴☠️🎣