This is an early January trip to Eastbourne the target for the day was plaice.

Conditions for the day was six degrees and overcast with a very calm breeze and flat calm seas.

Fishing two rods with lug tipped with squid one at medium Range and one at long range the target for the day was plaice.

It was a very slow start to the day with no bites for the first couple of hours but starting fishing at low tide this was to be expected.

The fishing improved two hours up from low tide with my First Bite resulting in a small dab.

Shortly after this we started hitting into the Whiting.

Then once again he went very quiet until I had a hard pull down that turned out to be my first flounder of the year.

Unfortunately this flounder did not go back alive and being just in the legal limits I took its home for the plate.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet we've just a couple more Whiting being caught

All in all I wasn't too disappointed we've not catching a plaice seeing as I ended up with a dab and a flounder to take home.

Will probably leave it a good month before returning in Hope of the plaice returning in larger numbers.

It was the first trip of the year so the anticipation was high. after much contemplation we decided with head to hythe in Kent.

My brother-in-law picked me up about 6: 00 am And we headed down in his new car as he just passed his driving test.

We arrived at Hythe around seven o'clock and parked up by Prince's parade leaving us just a two-minute walk to the mark. 

We was met with a flat calm sea and the tide was dropping and was about halfway down whether wise it was 5° c with a gentle breeze slightly overcast with the sun breaking through every now and again.

I set up the first rod with a three Hook flapper using lugworm tipped with squid.

I sent this Rod out about medium range.

The second rod I set up with a pulley pennel rig baited with a whole squid bound on with baiting Cotton which I sent out at distance well as much distance as I could get anyway.

The pulley penell rig rod was barely in the water for five minutes before I had a big pull down on the tip followed swiftly by several smaller pull Downs.

I lifted and struck immediately pulling into something heavy.

Being the first knock of the day wasn't quite sure whether I was into a strap conger, a thorn back Ray or even a bass. 

As I reeled in it came in quite easy and smoothly so I soon realised I was into a thorn back ray. 

See the video here