Shore Fishing Under the Rain (Part 1)

It is Full Moon holiday here in Sri Lanka on 8th to 10th of May. I thought it would be perfect days for finding new fishing holes and doing some surf or shore fishing in the process. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that what seemed to be perfect days will turn out to be not that ideal anyway.

Major constraint is the prevailing bad weather. It rained heavily on the 8th and 9th and slightly on the 10th. Scouting potential fishing spots and angling itself became really difficult and a feat to carry on. But the show must go on. The daily game plan is to leave the house by 5am and return by 11am.

Day 1 (8th May)

It isn’t really a good day. Heavy rain forced me to stay inside the vehicle most of the time. But after traversing 3 coastal towns (mostly beaches and rocky seas), I found a candidate for good fishing location at the end of a breakwater enclosing a local fishing port and boat marina extending towards the deepwater.

I saw school of fish swimming around on the surface indicating big predators a.k.a. gamefish, were roaming the sea bed. I tried to cast chunk of shelled shrimp to entice them.

But before I even get a bite, heavy rain prevailed and forced me to pack up with heavy heart. I promised to come back the day after tomorrow (10th).

Day 2 (9th May)

We decided to check the old port of Galle City. Even with a dark cloud, a magnificent scene of sunrise welcomed me on the old pier.

The site looks good at first, but after casting for around an hour under heavy rain, it proved to be not so promising after all. The heavy accumulation of sand underneath the pier made it a not so conducive habitat for gamefish.

We decided to check another location, this time, across a thickly vegetated forest. Some sort of a reserve location not frequented even by the local residents. We negotiated an old asphalt road going up and then down across a small mountain leading to a Temple. At the end of the road, we parked our vehicle and walked around 300 meters down the scrub to reach the shoreline.

The scene on the way is spectacular.

Some more hiking and some kind of ecology tour and this is what appeared before me.

It is an angler’s paradise of sort, untainted shoreline and unadulterated water. The apparent absence of residence in the vicinity somehow preserved the natural splendor of the place and the obvious wealth of the sea. The bluish/greenish water and lot of visible corals indicate an abundance of fish. Shore fishing at its best. I’m deeply enlivened.

Until I read this:

If appeared the area is a Navy Reservation. There were Navy boats and makeshift shelter which they use in patrolling the area and protecting the coral reef.

We will continue with Part 2 ...... with real fishing action.