Overcast and still - it felt like perfect conditions at the river mouth, but nobody was catching any fish.
I was about to pack up when a guy hooked a decent-sized kahawai that leapt out of the water a few times. He had it on the line for a minute or so (I find 'time' takes on a different quality when a fish is hooked and have trouble judging how long playing a fish takes - more so when I'm the one playing the fish), but he ended up losing it.
It renewed my urge to fish, so I started casting again.
I've had this lure for a while now, but seldom use it. I love the paddle-tail action of these types of lure, but this one always feels a bit big for some reason (it's only just over 8 cm long, so it's not really that big).
Soon there was a tug on the lure, and before long a shag instead of a fish broke the surface.
I pulled the lure out of his beak and was able to wind it in quickly before he got hooked (shag grabbing it once more and chasing it underwater to the shore).
One more cast in case the shag had learnt his lesson; he hadn't. I was able to wind in again and change lures.
I've never had a bird grab my lure before - they normally seem quite aware that they're imitations. Must be a good indication of future success (with fish!), surely...