16/10/11 A Fine Day Out #31

6 1/2 lb bass.

With weather conditions looking even more favourable for today, I simply had to take advantage and get another trip out.Yesterday Neil and others were doing well on #12 with bream, so I decided to start the day with some fishing at anchor In my own little space on the 'edge'.Squid for bait and the bites kicked off straight away with some decent  bream, undulate and spotted ray and a smoothound along with the inevitable doggie. Quality fishing with a bite on every drop.
As the tide went slack, and with a good catch already ,under my belt, I changed tactics and motored over to the east side where, following up on a tip from Alex,I drifted the boat,spinning with a pinky white, heavily weighted shad that Dave had donated to my meagre lure collection a couple of years back. Yesterday's big bass follow was the inspiration but it was a method that was suited only to the slack water period.It took a bit of time and a few drifts but eventually my lure was hit and this lovely bass of 6 1/2lb(returned of course) was the result...and what a result. I was over the moon to get a bass like this on a 'new' trick.Sadly the lure got snagged on a subsequent cast and was lost.
  Once the ebb had settled in , I changed to 'Norden' tactics roughly drifting the mid section of the reef.A couple of colourful wrasse showed ,but I couldn't find any more bass which was a disappointment after yesterday. With an hour or so to go Neil , who had spent most of the day on the bream on the west end, showed up with his crew to show me the way.His drift was on the southern edge and that proved to be the winning line. On heading for home he let me know of the six fish that he'd had which was invaluable information and noted for the future.

14/10/11 Abort!

Took a bit of a gamble on the winds today in my enthusiasm to get out in the boat. Managed to get about half a mile outside the harbour entrance heading out into a rather uncomfortable easterly,and decided that , at my age, I should be more sensible, so turned back with my tail between my legs.On the way out I stopped for a chat with Ted , who was cleaning 'Wicken Lady'. On the way back there was a knowing look on his face.

Instead I chose to get a quick lure session in up at the Ford bend.Missed a follow, and a definite take from bass , both on shads but that was all. Roger was also up there occupying the lower sluice and managed two small schoolies on popper and shad.Also passing by was Barrie out for a stroll.Nice little gathering of regulars we've got going up there.Barrie reported having a good fish the day before, but still reckoned it was a struggle.Taking account of my lure fishing results on the river this year, I'm inclined to agree.

15/10/11 Bassing With Alex #31

A Cracking day out with Alex aboard his very fine Day Angler 'Samax' hunting bass on #31 with lures.
They weren't easy to locate but we had some grand sport with Alex taking the best of the day which was 'ghosted' by a couple of accomplices to the surface., Nuisance pout , wrasse and a squid which took a fancy to Alex's Norden, also made an appearance
On one occasion a very large bass followed Alex's lure to the the surface only to shy away at the last moment-an event that would have implications on my next trip out.
Great day, great fishing and great company. Thanks mate.

12/10/11 Some Lovely Roach

Right then. Bit of a lean time lately on the fishing front and....the weather's pants so i can't get out in the boat. Not too interested in the mullet although it would be nice to get just one more but it can wait so, time for a bit of light relief and a session at the farm pond.
Usual tactics-pole snatching gear , a pint of maggots and an afternoon of fun. Actually, I really should borrow Dave's proper pole complete with that elastic stuff because some of the fish caught today were of quite a decent stamp and I hate to admit it, but I got snapped off a couple of times which is unforgiveable.
I would resort to conventional rod and reel , which would be fine for the perch and small carp which bite so boldly, they would probably sink a pike float but, every single roach caught, and there were three of around a pound or so, gave the most delicate of bites even on a bristle float which would barely support a fly.
I reckon I had fifty odd fish , mostly perch , a couple of lively common carp of a pound, and twenty or so pristine roach  with not a tiddler among them. Great fun.

10/10/11 River and Surf

Oh dear another blank I'm afraid. Actually a double blank as i'd had a quick river session with lures up on the Ford bend meeting Barrie in the process.He'd not had a good season with  the bass in the river though I suspect that there may still be a chance of a late fish. This time last year we did so well.
Surf still looked good so trundled up to the the secret mark only to find two 'poachers' in my swim. LOL  Luckily it was Andy along with his mate Simon so I wasn't too disgruntled.Despite perfect conditions all three of us drew a blank and again, compared to last year.........................It's still a bit early to be fair.

9/10/11-L.A Surf

The boat went back to the marina this morning having been anti-fouled, polished up and the engine serviced. She looked pretty smart and it was a satisfying task to complete. Hopefully, a few more trips out will be forthcoming but at the moment the wind is howlin'.
With the boat finished it was time to do a bit of fishing.
I considered going mulleting, but the surf at the back of the house looked so good and the low water was at an almost ideal time, so at the last minute, I decided to have a first crack at the  bass.
.Reaching the mark about an hour after low the conditions did look right and I was brimming with confidence. I fished for about 2 1/2 hours moving up with the tide until it was just lapping the the foot of the shingle bank but unfortunately, I didn't get a touch.
At least the new Avet reel proved its worth as a beach reel as well as a light boat tool. Super piece of kit.
These surf bass take patience and it was just fun being out there wading up to my thighs and soaking up the atmosphere.

 

Winds look good again for tomorrow, and the tide is slightly better giving me more prime time in darkness, so I'll probably give it another go.

2/10/11 No Conger Here. #7

Took Andy out for a night time  session at #7 with the intention of repeating the success with last month's conger. Andy had plenty of action with dogs and pout on a light spinning rod whilst I stuck it out for the big snakes........ that never showed.
Great fun being out there in the dark, especially in the mirror calm conditions, and certainly something I'd like to try again especially as this mark has good pedigree for the specie.
With the boat virtually grinding to a halt with the weed issue, the following day we hauled her out for a look and it was pretty scummy. I've just spent half a day with some nasty acidic hull cleaner and the pressure washer getting rid of it and she's now ready for a couple of coats of anti foul and a service. Not too much of a chore as the weather has deteriorated and the winds are a howlin'. I do hope, however, to get it all done fairly sharpish and get her back 'parked' in her rightful place.

30/9/11 S-L-O-W fishing.

   #5 was the location in stunning weather conditions for the time of year, but a big 6.4 m tide. Very little showed up apart from a few pouting and mackerel and indeed little else was caught by other boats in the vicinity, including Alex who was out with a neighbour. Decided on a move but stalled a bit when I noticed some drifting going on in a 'pack' of boats on the middle ditch, Alex among them. A bass had been caught but alas, no more came along for any of us.
The only boat who did well today was Neil, who had a couple of really good bass and cod on a mark beyond Kingmere, although Russ reported some good bream and other bits off of Bognor.
Bit of a disappointment really and the boat is now crawling along under what I assume is some heavy weed growth on the hull.She'll not only have to come out for a clean, but also an anti foul.

29/9/11 Christening The Avet!

Blisteringly quick trip this one, in fact it was just an excuse to give the boat a run out after finishing work and clean the hull of accumulated weed on what was a stunningly beautiful day.
With the boat left on the mooring unused for nearly a month, the hull was looking decidedly scummy. I do need to pull her out for a quick bi-monthly scrub, but the weather's exceptionally good at the moment so it seems a shame to waste opportunities despite the huge (6.4m) tides. I also wanted to try out my latest tackle acquisition- a new Avet reel. Whizzed out to the Frode area with just the one rod and a string of feathers to try and catch a few late mackerel for bait and , something for tea.
They weren't exactly plentiful but it is nearly October so it's hardly surprising. I had a half dozen mackerel, along with a similar number of scad, several follows up from garfish-no takes, and a surprise bream in about an hour of 'fun in the sun' Fresh grilled mackerel for tea was splendid ,and the new reel?..............pretty good, I have to say.

19-21/9/11 The River Wye.

Tim had invited me along on this three day trip to make the crew number up to four. I'd fished briefly with Tim a few years ago when I'd introduced him to mullet on the Arun, and in return he'd shown me the ways of the Adur carp resulting in me catching a superb 'twenty' from the river.

  Also along on this trip was my old mate Russell Brown who I hadn't fished with for a number of years so It was good fun to hook up with him once again, and Tim's Mate Pete-a proper character and former acquaintance of the late, great J.D.
  Having just returned from France I was late  getting up to Ross-on Wye and met up with Tim and Russ at the tackle shop at mid-day.They'd fed up some swims and had already caught a couple of barbel so it was looking promising.Both Tim and Russ added to their total that afternoon-Tim taking his first ever double and Russ taking a further five single figure barbel , but both mine and Pete's swim didn't produce.
Next day I was offered a chance in both the producing swims but, I'd invested quite a bit of bait(hemp and pellet) in my own swim and felt confident it would produce so declined both offers.It was to be the right decision.
 Five barbel picked up my pellet baits, biggest at 10-04 and 10-06 both personal bests, first doubles for me, and best fish of the trip.
  Russell's swim produced good numbers yet again-nine I think, and Both Tim and Pete did very well on another section of river which Russell and myself would fish the following day.All told, it was a red letter session.
During the afternoon the river keeper visited us for a chat and whetted my appetite with tales of thirty pound pike that had be caught from the stretch.He also encouraged me to take a trip up with my small dinghy a he felt there was so much of the river left un-fished which would undoubtedly produce big pike-food for thought indeed.He also assured us that we'd been very lucky to get three doubles from the stretch,
  The following day, in the same pairs, we swapped beats and fished a stretch where the only swims were 'cribs'-man made structures similar to groynes protruding into the fast flowing river that created slack pools behind them. There were four on this particular stretch and whilst Russ elected to fish the Tim and Pete's 'banker' from the previous day,I chose one for myself a way upstream.
With the heavy rainfall of the previous day the river actually rose about a foot while we were fishing forcing us to move up the bank.Russell took a couple of small barbel from his swim before leaving at lunchtime for home,and the only action in my swim was a lost barbel which slipped the hook after snagging some weed. With Russ departed I decided that the 'banker' had a little more space so moved in and subsequently finished the trip with a couple of nice chub-one on the very last cast.
  A cracking trip with plenty of good fish caught and no end of lively banter. I shall look forward to a revisit.

 

3-18/9/11 The French Connection.

Just spent the last couple of weeks touring France in the camper with my wife , and packing a couple of rods 'just in case'. The first week was spent motoring to, and about the stunning Pyrenees ,climbing the various Cols made famous by the, it has to be said masochistic Tour De France cyclists. If you get the chance, the Col Du Tormalet, and neighbouring Col d'Aubisque are every petrol head's dream whether on two or four wheels. Jan wants to take her push bike next time.
The second week was spent travelling north, and a return visit for a couple of days to Menil-a tiny village on the banks of the beautiful, River Mayenne, where we are able to camp within casting range of the water.

A couple of years ago we spent four days here and quite by chance, I found out that the river had some quite excellent carp fishing. Not the bloated artificially fed still water type, but lean, sleek, fast fish which really know how to put on a show.

 I was lucky enough to Improve my personal best river carp with the rather handsome specimen(pictured above), as well as a handful of lesser nocturnal visitors, but In the two cold, clear nights that I fished this time on this year's trip, I could not repeat the success.
Despite failing with the carp, during the day we coarse fished occasionally, with float and sweet corn, much to the amusement of the locals, and did have some fun with bream, and a lovely roach for Jan.Most of the french anglers we met were either, fishing for tiny roach which were to be used as live bait, 'vif' in the native tongue, or had multiple rods spread out over huge distances intended for either brochet, (pike) or sandre (zander) neither of which seemed to show up very often. When they did, they were consigned to the 'pot' .
Interestingly a neighbouring camper proudly showed us a silure (catfish) of a pound if it was lucky, captured on 'vif' which he was about to cook for his mutt. Apparently, the catfish, which can grow to a couple of meters or more, are not indigenous to this river system, and are held responsible for the decline in the 'toothy' predator fishing, which they prey on.I have an idea that the french's love of all things edible may also be a contributory factor.
 On our penultimate night, we stayed at a campsite complete with every amenity you could possibly want, including a fishing lake.'In season' the place would have been pure 'hell' and we would have avoided it like the plague, but at this time of year we virtually had the place  to ourselves. Actually, this sort of location,far more common in England, is a comparative rarity over there, the norm being  sites which are set in quiet,picturesque spots with pristine basic facilities and all for about a tenner a night for two with the Vee-Dub thrown in. Granted, electric hook up is usually a couple of extra Euros......not exactly extortionate! Camping being a big part of french culture , sites can be found in most towns and villages, the government run 'Camping Municipal' often being the best.
A couple of hours float fishing in the evening saw us have some fun with some 'jet propelled' carp which was highly entertaining, if a touch 'artificial' and Jan, once again, took the best specimen with this scale perfect example.
So ended our little excursion across the channel but i had a few more days leave left,and more fishy targets to pursue.

 

 

29/8/11 Conger!..........#5, #7

0900-2100  HW 1208-6.1m

Good trip this one. Left the marina with just enough water under my hull, but on a rising tide which is always useful. Usually I just creep past my neighbouring boats often using them to gently 'pull' myself along to deeper water where I can use my engine. It must look quite a cumbersome manoeuvre to a casual onlooker, and has gone wrong on a couple of occasions, usually when there's a breeze.
The sea was a little lumpy on the way out and the plan was to head directly to the #5,gather bait, and then anchor up just at the turn of the tide and fish the ebb down-the supposed optimum time for a bass.
Stopping short of the mark I drifted with feathers and first drop down resulted in full house of pretty big shad-not really what I wanted. However the mackerel soon showed in big numbers and It wasn't long before I had enough not only for bait, but a few to take to work for tomorrow's lunch. Not another boat in sight so I settled virtually directly on the numbers at slack tide but was soon slightly miffed by another boat turning up and anchoring only yards away from me, and exactly where my baits would settle once the tide had turned. WHY would you do that.!!!
Before I'd even sent a bait down ,I'd upped anchor and moved to the southern edge of the reef as shown on the chart, to seek my own space. Big baits only and the fishing was predictably slow. A dogfish showed, and then a nice thornback on the light outfit which proved to be a handful in the now quickening tide .

Finally, what I'd come for turned up, and not for the want of trying.  Typical nodding bite-give slack, let her run a little, then gently lift the rod to set the circle. Head banging fight meant only one thing- a bass. Not quite as big as my last one, yeah right............ but......nonetheless..... a bass.
The self take was a little more successful this time , but needed a bit of photo shopping at home. I'll get there with this photography lark.

Apart from a tiny ballan wrasse (another boat first)things again went slow, so I decided to move a little further north on to the reef to try and locate Alex's elusive bass. .Nuisance bream constantly nipped at my baits and only heads survived for any length of time, but that was all that showed up. O.K I got my bass, but not in the numbers that I'd aimed for, and know, can be caught from somewhere around here. Again.................I'll get there in the end.

Ordinarily, I'd have packed up at this stage in order to make it over the bar and indeed, all the other boats in the locale were doing so but, it had felt like a short trip, and with France and the Wye barbel trip looming, it may well be a month before I get out again. I decided to sit out the lock out for another five hours, and return to port in the dark-not something I'd done before.
#7 was my chosen destination, and a slow cruise for the three miles or so over slack water would have me arriving just as the tide was making. Looking around, I had the sea completely to myself-literally not another boat in sight and , unusually, the air waves were quiet too. The shallow reef mark, around 35ft at L.W, does have a bit of heritage with conger and, as I'd not had one to the boat before, this was my target.
Once the pick had been dropped, I sent down about a dozen or so chopped scad and mackerel as chum. The tide hadn't picked up enough to wash them away so I was confident they were doing their job in my fishing zone. Heavy rod on a mackerel flapper with big circle to commercial mono (standard big bait rig) light rod on a 1/0 stuffed with squid and cuttle .
The wind had dropped, the light was fading and the boat, and lines, had settled perfectly in the steadily running tide-very comfortable fishing conditions indeed in a peaceful environment. Better sized bream of about a pound and a half steadily showed to the cocktail baits, a couple of which I took for the table- a welcome return after the palm sized ones that we've seen of late.

 It was whilst unhooking one that the ratchet on the 7001 ticked away at a pace. Allowing the run to develop at first, i tightened and set the circle into something heavy which continued to pull hard. The fight was nowhere near as fast as my tope, but just as entertaining with strong, line thieving dives, before the beast surfaced and grabbing the thick trace, managed to subdue her at the side of the boat. I estimated her at around five feet in length and a supposed weight of 35-40lb, got a couple of hasty snap shots, but unfortunately had to cut the line to free her as the hook had lodged inside the mouth and i didn't want to go poking around in there. I'm not too worried-it's barbless.

A fine , though it has to be said, hideously ugly fish but, I'd achieved my target and experienced another special moment in this year's boat fishing saga. A few more bream, and wrasse came along but darkness was descending and the tide would have flooded enough for me to get in so it was time to go home.
A silky smooth run in at 12kts,the speed restricted only by having to keep a watchful eye out for pots in the dark. I ducked under the anchor light using the peak of my cap as a shield, and my night vision soon adapted. I trickled in over the bar with one eye on the sounder but needn't have worried as there was never less than 6ft underneath me. The river was eerily quiet.
 It was great fun being out in the dark, especially alone, but I was satisfied to reach the mooring safely and without incident. I shall certainly be doing more of this night time stuff in the future.

28/8/11 Frustration

A three hour afternoon mullet session on the West Bank and, In unfavourably clear conditions, there weren't actually that many mullet about. Those that did show were flighty and seemingly not in feeding mood. I chased down a couple of sightings which I've done so many times before when the water is like this. You see them, approach them, feed to them, but they seem to sense you from 30yds and disappear downstream out of reach and continue to tease you.
I bumped off one fish so must have been doing something right but, that was that.
Pure frustration.

27/8/11 Mud Flats

I can't believe that it's nearly September and this is my first visit to my old favourite 'The Mud Flats'. Dave joined for a short early morning , and flooding tide session and it was my mate who did the business with the mullet-a fish of about 3lb. I did catch....a bass of about 2lb but that was that.

21/8/11 Fishing with Jack #2 Half Way,#5.

 Took 'the boy' out fishing  again today and I even let him 'drive' the boat for while.
After our last trip ,Jack was keen to get out again however, with the recent fishing being decidedly 'average' I was concerned that it may not be such a success this time around......I needn't have worried.
Out the harbour at 0700 ,with a flat calm sea on the way out, the plan was to go to Black Ledge and try and get some bait which proved to be fruitless. 'Sprirt' was anchored up in the distance, south of the Half Way mark, so I called Neil up for a chat. 'One string' of mackerel was all he'd found bait wise so, having squid and cuttle plus a solitary mackerel that Jack had feathered, on board we decided to settle at Half Way.
No sooner had we dropped the pin than up came a pack tope, followed by a couple of nice undulates which seem to be the mainstay of inshore boat fishing around these parts this year. I've no complaints-they're spectacular looking fish even if they fight like a 'dustbin lid'

There must have also been plenty of small bream about because our 'big' baits were constantly nipped at by something too small to hook.
One problem we did have at this mark was the baits seemed to be moving back slowly towards the boat against the tide. I thought it may be undercurrents  however, eventually it dawned on us that the boat was creeping down tide and on hauling the anchor we found the reason why. The chain had tangled on one of the flukes preventing the anchor from doing it's job properly.
Things slowed down so we tried yet again for some mackerel this time heading south of the #5. Eventually our patience was rewarded when we hit upon a shoal and feathered up a dozen or so along with half a dozen scad to replenish the bait supply.
The wind was steadily increasing but we decided to anchor up on #5 to try for bass with mackerel head baits. Alex had yet again scored a few  on yesterday's ebb tide. Today we didn't have the luxury of being able to fish the ebb, but it would be worth a crack.
Jack had a delicately creeping bite which turned out to be this nice 14lb Undulate and the best fish of the day.

 After a short move to the site of last weeks big bass, we finished at 1530 as the sea really began to chop up from steady F4 winds and ,as the tide was about to ebb, the threat of a nasty wind over tide sea at anchor-not a pleasant thought.
Exhilarating ride back in which Jack thoroughly enjoyed . Great day out and once again, the boy proved to be excellent crew.

19/8/11 Small Stuff #5,#6,#33

Once again today was a general struggle to find any fish and this seems to be the trend locally. Clive, at the  marina, even pulled his boat out for maintenance this month.
It was one of those days when things didn't really go well from the start. Incredibly, I didn't find one solitary mackerel though thankfully I did have some frozen. Then, having moored up at #6 the pot boat had to haul his line of pots right in front of me .Of course, I had no idea they were there when I anchored up.
He's actually quite a friendly and polite bloke and asked me nicely if I'd pull up my lines whilst he did his work. I obliged but felt that the disturbance might have 'killed' the swim so to speak.
I moved to #5 and settled down comfortably and who showed up after a while...none other than '110'. I'd anchored again, right over a line of pots he was hauling and he proceeded to 'haul' up my anchor. He didn't seem to mind, just a friendly wave and dropped the anchor back in place. He seems to be exceedingly content with his lot this chap, cheerfully working away with Radio 2 blaring out over the loudspeaker on his boat. His boat handling skills are amazing. Not only does he operate at sea alone, but he moors at the marina and watching him single handedly 'park' what is not a small craft, is very impressive.
I'd only caught small pout, wrasse and bream at the ditch so decided to move to #33 and jig some feathers with a pirk in tow in the hope of at least some mackerel. I didn't get any of the target specie but instead had fun with small pollack to 2lb taking the feathers in sometimes less than 20ft of water.
Not my best boat trip of the year.

17/8/11 A New Specie...#5

 Not that much to report on the fishing front with this trip. It was a short one, being in between my night shifts and basically I stuck it out on the #5 in search of bass but found it quite difficult to even find mackerel bait.
 I picked up a few, along with a new specie for me in the shape of scad or horse mackerel but, apart from losing something sizable on a mackerel head, highlight of the trip was finding the coaster 'Mungo' stranded on the training wall at the river entrance when I came home. Quite a sight. She'd passed my stern earlier in the day whilst making her way to port.
Apparently she'd lost her steering!!  Fortunately and rather amazingly, no real damage was done to either boat, or wall and she was safely floated off on the next tide and put in at Shoreham to unload.

16/8/11 Back To Basics....Mullet

It's been a while since I've caught a mullet having generally neglected them this summer , but also failing to land fish on the last couple of attempts, despite making contact.
I do still enjoy the simplicity of mullet fishing on the river. Rod , net , small tackle bag and a bucket of bread mash is all I take with me and rarely stay in one swim longer than twenty minutes if no bites are forthcoming.
Conditions looked promising (cloud cover and fair water colour) and the tide was just bottoming out as I walked up the west bank easily spotting a few likely candidates in the shallows. I didn't have long as , when the tide starts flooding properly, I tend to lose confidence.
Within minutes of starting I'd bumped off yet another fish and was beginning to think I'd really lost my touch, and was facing another blank. With the tide now starting to flood I moved upstream a few yards to a fresh swim and soon had some tentative bite activity.
It didn't take long for a positive take which resulted in me beaching a nice fish of about 2 1/2 lb which, having been unhooked, decided to cleverly slip out of the landing net before I could get the camera ready. It didn't matter as I achieved my target, but decided to fish on In the hope of getting another. Some bites did soon materialise but resulted in a small bass-my first from the river on bread this season.
Two hours after starting and with the tide was now pushing in strongly , It was time to go. Job done.

12/8/11 Short Session on #5

The winds have been quite strong recently preventing any boat trips, but I have had a couple of unsuccessful bank sessions on the river.
The first, a blank bass lure trip on the east bank with Andy, the second a morning after mullet at tesco's which resulted in one bumped fish-not good.
Today's window in the weather meant I took a chance,  and headed out to #5 after bass.As far as I know I was the only boat in the marina out. Even 'Spirit' remained on it's mooring as I left the river.The run out was pretty bumpy, but the wind dropped and things settled down for a short time,though mackerel baits weren't easy to come across.
I anchored centrally on the reef and the tide was ebbing nicely-usual mackerel head on heavy outfit, fillet on light.Some snappy bites on the fillet indicated that I should change down to a small hook paternoster and soon two of the culprits emerged in the shape of small bream.
I decided that I didn't really want to catch any more of these little fellas, so switched the light rod over to circle hook and head bait as well.
Only action was this male undulate on the heavy rod and a dogfish on the light before it became lumpy. The wind had increased making things too uncomfortable,and I finished half an hour earlier than intended to make the tide.
I've not been that happy with shots of recent fish just taken on the deck.The self take photo was my first and , as can be seen,the set up needs a little tweaking, but at least the picture gives a better impression of the fishes' size.

3/8/11 Double Figure Bass!.....#5

I took the boat out of the water on Monday to see what effect two months on the mooring with no anti-foul had had on the hull. There wasn't a great deal of weed growth, certainly not enough to slow her down but, there was noticeably more on the side exposed to the sun so it would probably be worth turning the boat round on the mooring every month. Being on a berth that dries at LW and the fact that there is a freshwater rife outlet close by probably keeps the weed at bay.
Perhaps the marina's resident population of mullet keep the hull clean.

A bi-monthly clean up isn't too taxing especially as I can get her out on my trailer but, at the public slip. You would have thought, with all the dosh that the marina take off me that they'd let me use their concrete ramp!
Jan did the honours driving the 'rig' and there were no issues, but it did remind me what a 'work up' it is launching from the trailer compared to the luxury of the mooring.
 I had intended to carry out an engine service while she was on the drive at home, but the parts weren't available so it didn't happen. The boat's had plenty of use and is probably due a service time wise, but I feel that this regular use is probably preventing any problems occurring, and she can get her oil change when she next comes out in October. Nothing mechanical likes sitting around doing nothing and this is especially true of boats which lie in a very hostile environment.
The sea was flat calm this morning so I decided to conduct an experiment and shed as much weight as possible to see exactly how well she'd perform.
Of course I carried a full tank of fuel and fishing gear but, I dropped the auxiliary,  dumped the second battery and bait tank, and had already trimmed down some of the extraneous kit, that I don't really need, whilst she was at home.
She certainly went better, smoother and faster-the hesitation on acceleration virtually disappeared and planing was easy, but I don't think the increase in speed outweighs the advantage of carrying the second motor. The difference is hardly noticeable when there is any sort of swell that slows me down to around 10kts.
 I might feel different about this when I've done a bit of surgery , found out how the motor ticks and have built up my confidence in her. Ted doesn't carry an auxiliary on his 520, and neither does Alex, and they have years of experience between them, Both cite complete faith in their engines as the reason and the ability to sort out most problems should they occur, and would rather not lug the extra weight around. I'll wait on this one.
Dropping the second battery and tank when not needed will help with the weight issue anyway.
So to today's fishing. Time again was limited because of boat testing and the big 6.1m tide which meant a delay getting off the mooring. I also wanted a 'timely' return as the weather forecast for the next few days doesn't look conducive to boat cleaning, so I wanted it all sorted before 'tea'.
I was disappointed not to get a bass four days ago especially as Alex had reported another good catch in superb sea conditions yesterday fishing with piking hero Dave Horton.
I had considered a live bait trip to the Pine wreck but felt that persevering for a #5 bass might just pay off.
Let's learn to walk before I run.
Also this will probably be my last chance at this set of big tides.
Zipping out on the flat sea to the mark, and easily picking up enough mackerel on the way, I found Spirit , Lynander and another boat all at anchor in the wider area. I asked Neil if he'd had any spikeys and he reported reasonable sport with general stuff but none of my intended quarry...yet. He did feel that when the tide picked up pace, there would be a chance.
If two of the most respected charter skippers in the port were on the scene, I can't have been far off the mark.
I started with a couple of drifts with a bucket kept live bait(worked....just) whilst waiting for the tide to turn but also used the time to get a good picture of what lies beneath, which is becoming a little easier now I'm finally beginning to get the hang of operating and interpreting the sounder .I discovered yesterday that the transducer is adjustable and that I'd had it set too high which is why it didn't work when the boat was moving-it was probably sitting in a pocket of turbulance.(Numpty)
Nothing hit the live bait ,so I picked my anchor spot pretty much central on the mark still within sight of my mates and, as the boat settled I chummed with about eight thawed mackerel using the plastic bag method which seemed to get the bait down where I wanted it. I started with a fillet on a 4/0 and a head /flapper on a barbless 10/0 circle .Having caught a 6 1/2lb bass on the circle before I'm not worried by it's size. The gape is equivalent to about a 6/0 'J' hook and seems to fit a mackerel head bait well.
The tide was already picking up, and so was the wind, but bites were slow in materialising and when they did, I would imagine they were barbecue bream or pouting ripping the fillets to shreds and not getting the 4/0 into their faces.
 The big bait produced two ' thumpers' that were missed. I did suspect bass at this stage and as the tide was now in full flow  I needed 8oz to hold bottom. I decided to bin the second rod and concentrate on holding the 'big bait' rod with the reel out of gear, the spool held by thumb pressure.
Things were beginning to get really bumpy but i decided to sit it out especially as Neil was still about (the others had left) giving me a feeling of security.
Suddenly, and during a quiet pensive moment, I felt a solid thump through the rod handle, immediately let the spool run free remembering the words of John Darling and whatever was down there steadily took line. Seconds later I engaged the gear and slowly lifted the rod to set the circle Into something firm that was banging it's head and taking line.
 Watching the angle of the braid, the fish came up to the surface quickly well down tide continually letting me know that it wasn't giving up easily by continually shaking it's head. I remember thinking that this was no tope , certainly no ray, and hoping that a bar of silver would show. When she finally appeared after a dogged scrap I had one of those 'talk to yourself' moments.....YES, it's a BIG bass!!!!!!! It did look huge in the water-I'd hit the target.
Netting her wasn't exactly easy in the tide and swell but i managed it on the second attempt and had one of those 'why you go fishing' moments when she was safely inside the mesh.
I knew immediately that she was a double. A stunning looking specimen -really thick set and mean looking as big bass are. The scales middled out at 12lb on the nose, a new personal best ,first double to the boat and yet another one of those days when something really special came along.
It's a shame that the pics don't really do the bass justice but they're about the best I can expect without spending too much time setting up a remote and risk harming the fish. The landing net is 24" in diameter so at least this, and my size 12 'plate', gives some proportion .
As it was, when she went back I watched her on the surface for a while, looked down momentarily to sort out some tackle and when I looked up again she'd disappeared off to the depths. I'd love to know whether the fish picked up any of my chum.
Nobody else was about so I gave Neil a quick radio call on 17 who was, as usual ,really enthusiastic, but respectful of my wish to go 'low key' and coincidentally moments later Alex called me on the mobile and was equally chuffed. TBH both these top blokes played a big part in the capture of this fish with their endless help and advice. Thanks chaps.
I dropped a flapper down once more but a wave broke over the stern and splashed my shades so I decided that enough was enough.If I want to play in the big stuff with the big boys then I'm gonna need a bigger boat which I can't have so,............... I returned home at a 'ripping' six knots(it was that bumpy)riding out each and every swell and passing Anthony in 'Lady Bird' on his way OUT for a night session. It did amuse me slightly when he commented over the radio that the wind was a little more than given.
It was quite a 'roller coaster' coming in and the river mouth was the roughest I've yet experienced (big tide, full ebb, lots of messy stuff)  but we got through without a hitch and back to the mooring with plenty of time to spare.
I love this boat fishing lark!

31/7/11 Big Ray..........#5

Alex  inspired me by taking a few good bass on simple mackerel fillet and head baits yesterday breaking the trend of generally lean fishing recently. I've promised him that I won't publicise the location, so it'll simply be known as #5.....which is how it's labelled on my chart at home......not that it makes much difference to me as I didn't get a sniff of a bass here, today.
It was to be a carefully orchestrated trip maximising the time I had available. Off the mooring at 1030, catch some bait, anchor up just as the ebb sets in at 1130 , fish the tide down(the optimum time) for four hours until 1530, nip in, nip home, and nip to work.
On the way out Steve, with Ann and Lauren aboard was at the slipway with his boat for its Inaugural trip out to sea.

With the big tide the water in the channel was a bit 'chaotic' to say the least, so I agreed to lead him out, and meet him just west of the entrance whereupon his engine died. Not wishing to leave my mate alone I kept him company, towed him out a few times to prevent him from ending up on Clymping beach, and spent an hour or so with him until he eventually managed to fire up the engine. The cause of malfunction?....dirt in the float bowl.
I then led Steve back to the slipway and safety and returning to the open ocean eventually dropped my feathers around midday struggling to actually find any bait at all. Half an hour , and half a dozen mackerel later I was finally anchored up in the middle of the reef.
One sail away bite on the big circle resulted in an empty hook, three dogfish on both mackerel fillet and head ,pouting,and a move to the down tide edge of the reef ensued which quickly resulted in the anchor losing it's hold........Not my best session so far.
I moved back on to the reef proper with half and hours fishing time left and then the light rod baited with mackerel head on a 6/0 nodded  and up came this big undulate at 15 1/2lb to literally save the day at last knockings.

The ray, and a phone call from Andy delayed me just enough to miss the mooring so I sneaked it on to a 'full time' spot and cleared it with Darren at the marina before just making it home in time to go to 'the office'.
The bass will have to wait.

28/7/11 A Mixed Bag..... Half Way....The Stick

Fishing from my little boat is a seriously enjoyable experience even if sometimes, the fishing isn't that productive. Just 'being out there' is fun and there is a huge amount to learn with endless variables of tide, weather ,sea state, time of year etc etc.
The recent calm weather has meant that there have been ample opportunities to go out, but the small tides and lack of water movement have resulted in some pretty lean fishing. Everyone I speak to seems to be in the same boat. I've also  learned, that things generally slow down a bit at this time of year, though recent news from Alex may prove this to be incorrect if you know where to go.
The problem with owning the boat is however, that other fishing is not really firing me up at the moment. I had a quick mullet session yesterday but my heart wasn't really in it although Andy, fishing separately, did bag a couple of fish. I'm sure the enthusiasm for mullet will return but , at the moment, the 'novelty' of the boat doesn't appear to be waning.
I've just fitted a second battery and switch mechanism to power the live bait tank, and night electrics separately.
This will give me the confidence to use all this gear without the nagging feeling that the battery will not restart the main engine. I'd intended to complete the installation yesterday, but a faulty switch meant a return journey to Force 4 this morning, and I didn't finish wiring up until midday when I took it out to sea to test everything was working properly....which it was. The only downside being that the weight of the second leisure battery slows the boat by a knot or two....we'll see how it goes.
I had rods, bait and scram with me so decided to spend the rest of the day fishing anyway.
First stop was Half Way where three pack tope showed up on mackerel heads and squid, and small bream demolished squid baits in seconds although one nice two pounder was taken for the pot. New acquaintance Tom, in Pilot House 'Dragons' was also in the area and fared similarly.
Jan had texted me that she was out in her kayak so I decided to motor in to see her, passing Neil half a mile south of 'The Stick' on the way  for a quick chat. He was doing well with general mixed specie fishing and seemed pleased with his results, so I planned to return to the general area later on.

A couple of quick snaps of the Missus on the yak , and I headed out again to Charlie's where i was literally mullered by tiny bream.I can't say I didn't enjoy catching the little devils but a few dogfish and a nice smoothound were also very welcome.
A last move to fish into the evening was made south of the Stick to 'Neil's ground' and I contented myself once again with an endless stream of small bream until the light began to fade and I returned to the mooring at about nine p.m.............the van being the last vehicle in the marina car park.

25/7/11 Eastborough!

As the tides were very small today, I decided to travel down to the Eastborough Bank in search of tope.Mackerel are now showing everywhere and it was easy to quickly pick up enough bait but the same cannot be said for the target specie,or indeed any other specie for that matter.
Listening to the other boats, it would appear that it was the same story everywhere, although i did hear of a small boat that was anchored up taking plaice through the day.
I saw Neil drifting in the distance so decided to pop over for a chat which resulted in being invited to join him at a mark on the west edge of the bank.I did pick up a doggie here ' and appreciated the help, but it was a tough day all round.

19/7/11 Slow Fishing-Half Way

I suppose it had to happen sometime. Fishing in the new boat has, so far, been quite successful with plenty of action on each trip out, but today was a  little different.
 I took Andy out with the intention of getting him a tope from the Half Way Mark.On arrival we drifted for a mile and stocked up with some nice mackerel before returning to the mark to anchor up.
Disappointingly,the fishing was very slow .Only one small tope each was caught and ,apart from a few tentative bites, that was that.The weather again, was not quite as forecast,and initial calm conditions gave way to a building wind and some light rain.
I think I've given this mark a fair crack and it might be time to move on to other things.

17/7/11 Mulletting With Dave.

0930-1230

Got together with Dave today for a mullet session at the Tesco's stretch. I arrived just as the tide was beginning to flood and, in extremely windy conditions, It was impossible to spot any fish to target. Dave joined me and after a quick try on the lower flats we both decided to seek a bit of shelter, and fish the upper area.
We sat down , chatted and consumed a box of Bakewells whilst waiting for the tide to fill in the corner, then eventually decided to give it a go for a few minutes as the weather conditions hadn't really improved.
Dave scored the only fish- a beautifully conditioned three pounder and minutes later we'd had enough and called it a day. Nice one mate.

15/7/11 Chasing Tope...Half Way Mark...and....Happy Birthday Blog.

0900-1400  HW 1226
I'm trying hard to get another big tope at the moment and returned today to the half way mark for another go.Spur of the moment decision to go as the forecast for the next few days is not looking good so I thought I'd better make the most of it.
I wasted too much time trying to catch mackerel at three marks on the way out , as there were plenty at the final destination.Didn't get to fish much of the flood before the tide turned and faced me into an increasing wind making things more and more uncomfortable.
I did catch plenty of pack tope, a solitary bream which took a strip on the light rod, and a couple of flicks with the baitcaster loaded with a 40g Dexter produced a nice mackerel which I had for lunch.The small tope are voracious feeders and seem to be quite common on several marks at the moment.Quite how you can select the larger specimens is beyond me. I'm using a huge bait-half mackerel flapper, on a huge hook, and I'm still bringing up the little devils pretty much every drop.
Eventually the wind did get the better of me so I called it a day, though I probably left it a little too late as the trip home was quite rough.
Changing tack a little,the blog is now one year old-Happy Birthday Blog!!
Looking back over the year,I was surprised to learn that I'd actually fished on 116 days, roughly one-in -three and I'm not sure whether to feel guilty, or pleased.Guess I should just feel privileged.
As is the norm with fishing, particularly for 'wild' fish there have been many ups and downs.Sometimes the going has been tough-the long series of pike blanks immediately spring to mind, the torture that was the Broads trip,and the failure to get a river carp, but there have also been some distinctly 'above average' moments.The double figure surf bass last autumn, January's mid 'twenty' pike,and more recently ,the first 'proper' tope I've ever caught-definitely the highlight of my Inshore boat fishing thus far.

11/7/11 Small Tope and Big Rays.....Eastborough Bank, Half Way Mark.

I've been wanting to do a return visit to Eastborough bank for some time and with the tides being small, and a full day of light winds forecasted today was my chance. A smaller tide is preferable here because of the shallow 35ft of water depth over the bank. Surrounding areas go down to 50ft. A few boats were drifting in the distance, and one or two were anchored up with me on the bank but the fishing , with mackerel flappers targeting tope, was generally pretty slow. Only two pack tope showed up but I also had a 12lb undulate, and a small 5lb small eyed ray, but surprisingly no lesser species, and no nipping bites.
Alex was out too and intending to head for the half way mark as I'd given him the numbers. He called me on the phone around midday and I decided to make the five mile trek east and join him for the afternoon.
Plenty of mackerel were showing to feathers when I arrived on the drift , and also a new specie for the boat in the shape of this pretty little gurnard taken hard on the bottom on the lowest feather.
Anchoring up, things were quiet until the tide started to flood and then I had a succession of pack tope (eight), most in the 7-10lb range with maybe a couple of doubles and this little critter of about a 1lb. Even sharks can look cute.
By 5p.m I'd run out of  bait , but a big mackerel picked up my last lask on a retrieve so his front end went back down on the circle hook and produced this nice 14 1/2lb undulate, whilst the rear end was taken home to eat.
I packed up around six leaving Alex and crew still out there enjoying the evening sun whilst I headed for home. Alex later reported a similar catch to mine- a mix of tope and big undulates. As usual everything apart from the mackerel went back.
No more of the, hoped for, big tope but, this is a good mark and I will return here a few more times before the end of the season regardless of the size of the tide. The Eastborough Bank did prove a little disappointing but is worth more investigation especially as It's one of Neil's favoured areas.
Food for thought-A couple of decent conger were taken on a night trip out in a small boat to Waldrens by Andy's mate Phil on the same evening..........................

0900-1800  HW 0820 4.7m

9/7/11 Another Carp Blank.

Two days of pre-baiting with 8kg Vitalin couldn't produce a daylight run for Dave and Me on the third day on the Adur upstream of Bramber...but it was worth a try. Still at the drawing board stage with these tidal river carp.

7/7/11 Bass Popping

One of my ambitions this summer is to get a bass from the river on a surface lure. Joined Andy and his mate Phil up at Ford for a try this evening but unfortunately, no takes for me although Andy did get a two pounder at last knockings. He's been getting one or two on the method recently which is giving me the confidence to keep trying so hopefully....it won't be long.

3/7/11...A Proper Tope....Half Way Mark.

HW 1339  5.8m

Every now and again in fishing, something really special turns up.
Roger is another very friendly and helpful boat owner at the marina and it was his recommendation that I try an area which shall be known as 'Half Way' mark. Interestingly, he sold it as a hound mark but did mention that if mackerel were available, a tope or two might happen along.
No numbers were provided and it was just a case of checking the chart out at home, and getting a rough idea of where to put the boat on the plotter.
I got the fresh mackerel I needed on the way out, but it took three stops and 50ft of water to find them. Everybody seems to be in the same boat regarding catching mackerel at the moment as they're proving tricky to locate.
Tide was still pretty slack when I arrived at the mark and the sounder showed nothing of any interest just 65ft of depth and a flat, featureless sea bed so I randomly dropped the pin. Mackerel flapper barbless10/0 circle to 200lb mono trace on the heavy, and whole squid 2/0 on the light and within minutes of getting myself sorted and before I'd even had time for a coffee, off went the ratchet on the mackerel and up came a double figure tope. Good start.
Next drop the mackerel kicked off again and up came another pack tope and, just as I was unhooking the fish(in the boat this time), the squid bait tore off way up tide causing mayhem.

Once I'd sorted the third tope out I binned the second rod and stuck to the light outfit but with the mackerel rig. Three more tope came up , but with the tide increasing in strength, more lead was needed and eventually it took 10oz of lead to hold bottom and a switch to the heavy outfit. One missed take saw fit to chase the retrieved mackerel all the way up to the boat before peeling off at the last moment. I wonder if these fish can be taken on lures
Things quietened down a bit so, I occupied myself with a bit of much needed tackle tidying , general boat sorting, and relaxing enjoying the sun and just 'being out there'. There was plenty to watch however, as a procession of yachts sailed past, and an inconsiderate pillock in a dive boat ploughed right over my baits. Why do they do that!
Eventually the ratchet on the 7001 screamed into action and I tightened up, this time, to something a bit special which kept on running south even under quite heavy drag pressure. An exiting 20 minute fight ensued hampered no-end by the speed of the tide. A sailing yacht came close to get a better look at proceedings, gesturing with a questioning arm stretch to which, at that time, I had no reply as I'd not yet seen the fish.

 

 Thank goodness I only had one rod out as the tope took me all over the shop before I managed  finally to steer her alongside, get a rough measurement, and take a couple of one handed snaps.
Stupidly I hadn't previously got my gloves ready , but the trace is thick soft stuff so grabbing it with one hand, slackening off the reel drag in case the inevitable happened, I managed to cleanly T-bar the fish free in one swift movement and watch her disappear into the depths. Classic fishing moment-my first 'proper' tope to the boat and, at 150cm length ,snout to fork ,a fish of about 35lb.
To give some idea of the size of her mouth, that circle hook has a gape of about 4cm.
Another couple of pack fish came up later bringing the total to nine for the trip and no other species showing up at all.
Every fish bar one, was unhooked at the side of the boat with the big T-bar and this is how I'm going to continue to deal with these tope for the sake of their health, and mine. Of course it would be nice to accurately weigh the big ones but, It's not that important to me, and a rough idea of their length will suffice.
The circle hooks continue to work well when I remember not to strike and instead, gently tighten up. I did miss a couple of takes but I suspect that they were pack fish mouthing the bait as they didn't develop into proper runs.

2/7/11...Hounds Save The Day...Shelley,Luff Bu, Waldrens, Charlie's.

I really gave the boat the runaround today searching, sounding and trying to familiarise myself with marks that I've not yet visited in my travels. First stop was Shelley Rocks where a couple of Orkney Spinners were fishing around loads of pot markers and a small commercial. Plenty of small pollack and a few mackerel took the feathers and it was interesting to see this shallow , rugged reef on the sounder. If it hadn't have been so crowded I might have stayed but i've a feeling a revisit with either plugs, or drifted live mackerel, would be worth a go.
Eavesdropping on one of the 'spinners' in conversation, I did hear mention of a 12lb bass. Could it have come from here, I wonder.
Moving west to Luff Bu I set up the keepnet for the mackerel that I'd boxed up from Shelley. It all seemed to work quite well until the tide picked up causing the net to drag too much almost tearing it apart. The mackerel stayed healthy and it was worth a crack, but I think a tank is the only answer and I've got enough space on deck if I'm going solo. Two up might be a different matter.
Things were pretty quiet, think I had a doggie, and it was the same when I moved to Waldrens-no takers to the live mackerel.Listening to the other boats on channel 8 revealed a similar situation -nobody was getting much.
In the end I decided on a move back east to Charlie's to fish for smoothound as quite a few have been showing up locally on the beaches. Being so close to shore the weed was a real nuisance and the whole squid were being ripped apart by what I later found out were tiny bream, having tested the water with a size 4 double pat to find out who the culprits were. See the pesky critters in the picture. They're capable of destroying a whole squid in seconds.
Two good sized (double figure)hounds did prevail, and another lost, to save the day on squid, along with the Inevitable dogfish just to pass time . I love hounds, especially from the boat where, with all that free space, they fight like tigers even on the heavy outfit.

30/6/11 Bumpety Bump--East Ditch

Bit of a short report on this one as there's not really much I can say. Tried live mackerel on the ditch but without success . I did get a nice bream on a small bait, and lost a fish that could possibly have been a bass, as it felt just like Tuesday's fish, but that was that. The wind really picked up (18mph)sooner than I expected, and I had to head back home in a very lumpy sea(wind over tide).
I probably should have studied 'windguru' in a bit more detail as the strengthening winds were forecast.

29/6/11 Mullet Before Teatime.........

I was chatting to Andy the other day and he mentioned that he was feeling a bit' fished out'.
I do understand what he means. Sometimes you can just do a bit too much fishing.....................What on Earth am I talking about! 
 However, this afternoon, feeling more than a little knackered, having helped the Mrs at her new allotment, I did have to make the effort a bit and drag myself out for a short session before tea time. I'd intended to nip over to the boat to do 'stuff', and fish for mullet on the west bank but, as i drove over the bridge, I spied Drew bending over in the mud obviously doing a bit of crabbing, in the distance. A quick U turn and I was back on the east side of the river Initially just to have a chat with my buddy.
Andy has been getting more than his fair share of hounds , the past couple of nights, from our local beaches which is why he was chasing the pincered ones. A few mullet were showing in swims nearby, so I decided to grab my gear , and stay in the area.
First trot down to a group of fish produced a missed bite. 'That would have Impressed him', I thought to myself. Second trot , I didn't miss the bite and out came this little mullet of probably and pound and a half. Splendid.

After losing one a few minutes later, the tide had gone slack, we'd moved downstream chasing whelms and I was starting to get some very finicky bites which I thought were the usual tiddler mullet. Eventually the float did bury itself properly and the culprit was this little 'fatty' at 3-06.
Job done and home for tea.