27/5/12 Father And Son Stuff - Land Rover #5

Fishing, and messing about with old motors........what could be better.

Jack came up from Devon for the week -end and we spent Saturday 'Land Rovering' , and Sunday was dedicated to a spot of fishing in the boat.
The 'Landie' is now stripped down to a rolling chassis having had the remainder of its panels removed and stored in the corner of the back yard.It all came apart relatively easily on the day ,despite forty odd years of rust binding each nut and bolt, and will allow me excellent access to the work that is required. There are four main areas of welding to be done on the chassis-the two front spring mountings although still fairly solid, will need replacing along with a side member and a bit of patchwork to the rear cross member-not too bad considering.
The 'heart' of the Land Rover-the steel bulkhead, through which practically everything which makes the truck go and stop goes is now stripped bare and residing in the luxury of my garage awaiting it's own bit of welding magic. These panels are fearsomely expensive to buy as a replacement, so it's worth spending some time and effort in restoring an original and, from what I can see, on this particular example, although the corrosion is quite severe, it's all repairable.
As far as dismantling goes- that's the end of it.From now on it's all repair, refurbish and build up so I suppose you could say we've reached something of a turning point in the project but, of course, there's still a long way to go.All being well it should be finished (up and running)by the time I retire in two years time!
Sunday's fishing was some action packed breaming on both ends of 'The Ditch' . We soon lost count of the fish caught- many of a good size-he's a big fellah so he makes fish look small but those bream are well into the 2-3lb bracket.The weather was kind and it was terrific fun just being out there with 'the boy'.Great stuff.

16-23/5/12 Scooby Goes To Loch Lomond

Dave and me spent six days fishing amongst some stunning scenery and on hallowed piking water experiencing the full range of weather conditions that spring time Scotland can throw at the angler.Dragging the boat five hundred miles wasn't the 'epic' I thought it might be and indeed, cruising the motorways at a steady 'sixty' with the big trucks was actually quite relaxed driving.
The campsite at Milarrochy was superb, and our pitch was a stone's throw from an excellent slipway complete with a convenient pontoon. The boat had to be recovered every day but this proved to be a very easy task and 'working' the Loch was pure boating pleasure.The first two days gave us some pretty cold ,wet weather conditions which improved to hot sunny days as the week progressed.
We divided our fishing time between trolling lures and fishing static sea dead baits in some very famous areas such as Endrick,Balmaha and Portnellan farm-the location of the capture of a one time British record pike and scene of Fred Buller's great lost pike as recounted in his iconic book.
Naturally the going was rock hard which, as first time visitors, was to be expected but we did find a few pike on dead baits the best of which was this beautifully marked double taken from a small and shallow bay near  Lomond's golf course at Rossdhu.The pike fought with a tenacity I've rarely experienced before with the specie, and gave us an aerial display as well as diving beneath the boat for a few nerve racking moments before finally being subdued.
It's just a pity that we didn't come into contact with a few more but. i'm sure armed with the little bit of knowledge that we now have, we'd do better next time.
By way of a consolation. and highlight of the trip, was the sighting of an Osprey flying over Portnellan on three seperate occasions.Each time, carrying a decent sized fish in it's talons.Obviously a more accomplished fisher that either of us!

 

11/5/12 A Trio Of Tench

Last night I spent an unsuccessful couple of hours trying to extract a bass from quite decent surf on the beach at the back of my house with Andy and Simon to keep me company.
A short afternoon return trip to Deep Lake Chichester today however,proved to be quite productive  ....and not before time.It would seem that this year's tench fishing has finally kicked off having been held back by the seemingly endless rain and low air temperatures.
I selected a pitch in the SW corner of the lake, sending one bait forty yards out into the middle adjacent a patch of lillies,and another into a margin swim approximately ten feet from an overgrown bank.Tactics again, were 'bolt feeder' maggots on both outfits though I suspect that in future, due to the general shallow nature of these pits,I'll be getting the float rod out, just for fun.
The brighter and warmer weather seemed to work its magic and before long, a drop back bite on the margin rod produced the first fish  of the day weighing in at 5-14- the biggest tench i've had for some time.
At the moment I'm reading 'Big Tench' by Rickards and Webb borrowed from Dave W's extensive collection of classic angling literature. Penned in 1976 , a time when, as a teenager, I was doing quite a bit of coarse fishing, it is interesting to note that, In those days a tench of this size would have been considered to be quite a specimen. Indeed, at that time, Barrie Rickards,despite being a bit of a tench expert , had not caught a 'six'.
How times have changed. Nowadays, nobody bats an eyelid at such a fish and a ten pounder would be needed to merit a report in the angling press.Several theories have been put forward as to why some coarse species have increased so much in weight in recent years from the use of high protein baits by anglers, to agricultural nutrients seeping into our water systems but, whatever the cause, it's effects are quite dramatic. I've recently heard of the bream record being broken with a 'dustbin lid' twenty pounder!
As the afternoon progressed, so did the bites.Liner's became quite common indicate fish moving around the feeders  and soon enough,up came my second tench  ,also  from the margin swim- a plucky 3-08, followed shortly after by a screaming run on the distance rod and a really hard fighting 4-08 to complete the hat-trick. A couple of small 'silvers' had also put in an appearance, but the last fish of the day was this pleasing rudd at 1-05 to round off the session, and a very pleasent afternoon's fishing.
I think I'll spend a bit more time chasing these tench when I'm unable to use my boat,at least until the mullet start to show in numbers on the Arun. They're handsome fish , put up a good scrap and, as far as I know, the population in these very mature pits is pretty much an indigenous one.
 

8/5/12 A Mixed Bag

I headed out to the Kingmere reef at 1000 with the intention of trying for bass on live bait and was surprised that, despite the light wind conditions,and a window of opportunity in the weather,very few boats were about on the popular mark.
'Spirit' and 'Lynander' were fishing the Eastern end and were reporting some very good sized bream over the 'wireless'. Alan on 'Walrus' was in the general area I'd chosen to target and was also anchored up after bream. The 6.1m tide was just beginning to lose its strength as I sent down a line of feathers which, on clearing the Northern edge of the reef produced three really nice mackerel-a welcome return. Unfortunately, i hadn't previously set up the bait tank and only two survived in a bucket whilst i was doing so but, after wasting more time setting up the float rig, one was sent down on an 8/0 circle, whilst I jigged a 'norden' with the second rod.
One the second or third run through the float  disappeared , and the ratchet screamed signalling a really good take and even though I thought i'd left it long enough, when I tightened up, there was no extra resistance-bugger! It was a big mackerel bait and obviously I hadn't allowed enough time for it to be taken properly so I missed my chance.
The tide soon fell away to nothing and feeling slightly deflated, I decided to move closer to the eastern end relax,(I was feeling knackered after a particularly hectic night shift anyway)and drop the pick for some bream. By the time I'd settled into position, the ebb had begun it's work and the takes started from the first drop. Good fish too. I probably had about a dozen plus with the best a female of 3lb before things started to slow a little leaving room for a bass of a couple of pounds to step in and take the squid bait. This gave me the ideal opportunity to test out my latest toy(tool) 'The Fish Grip' from the U.S.A.
The tool, a cheaper all plastic version of a 'boga grip', is an alternative to a net as a landing/boating device, but can also be used to temporarily keep a fish whilst still in the water.
The grip, which floats, is tethered to the boat's handrail by some strong elastic cord and, once the jaws were locked on to the bass' lower lip, she was returned to the sea whilst I set up the self take.It seemed to work very well with the fish showing no signs of being harmed by the operation swimming away strongly once the jaws had been released.Hopefully, I'll be thethering some bigger relatives in the future.
I'd also sent down a mackerel head on a second rod whilst at anchor but it just succeeded in being nibbled away by the bream.
With the tide now 'belting' through at a pace making it tricky to hold bottom, I decided to up anchor and drift with a white 'Norden' ,criss crossing the reef. A pollack of about 2lb hit the lure and eventually a second bass about the same size also turned up but the fishing was quite slow so, for the last hour before having to leave to cross the bar, I anchored back over on the west side and ended the day with a handful of more good bream.The small and very dark male in the picture is also shown with one of the new floating beads which i'm using to good effect.
I'm probably going to upset a few 'spikey' fans by saying this but, those little reef pollack fight much harder than bass of the same size, especially on a lighter outfit.
By 1700 I was heading for home and despite being out fishing for nearly seven hours, the time had flown by, probably because of the mixture of methods i was using.I still feel I've a way to go with the live bait technique for bass and indeed , drifting in general. It would help to be a little better organised and I'm sure that'll come with practice.
Back at the mooring and neighbour Alan reported similar sport on the bream and also offered some bass advice ,citing marks #7 and #9 to try a little later in the season-duly noted. He still felt it was a little early for the best bass fishing.


No monsters today I'm afraid, although a 3lb bream isn't a bad fish I suppose.Looks like it's going to be windy for a few days now so no more boating for me for a while which is a bit of a shame as these big tides usually throw up a big bass or two.

3/5/12 Bream In The Murk.

A very gloomy and damp day to be out in the boat but the sea was , for the most part, flat calm,(look left) and the bream were more than obliging.
By way of a change ,I started off by heading out to #6 with the intention of fishing the ebb by drifting feathers to pick up some bait fish to use for bass.After several unproductive runs through and,  hearing on the radio that 'Jennifer's Pride ' , also in the locale, was picking up quality bream, I changed tactics and set the pick down on some pretty 'heavy' ground .
It was a wise choice as the action began immediately and once again I soon lost count of the decent sized bream that were coming to the boat, with not one fish below a pound in weight, and most in the 1 1/2 to 2 1/2lb range.
A plucky pouting also showed and this was sent down on a 'portland' rig on a second rod, just in case something bigger with spikes might be around, but this proved to be a fruitless exercise.
As the tide slackened, bites began to slow down eventually grinding to a halt.I experimented with a float rig trotting down last of the tide, and tried drifting again with feathers but to no avail and it seemed to me more productive to spend the 'slack' period, which for some strange reason seemed to last forever on this tide,scanning the area with the sonar.
Eventually, as the tide began it's flood, i settled on an interesting 'lump' to the west of the reef around #5. From the first drop the bream 'kicked off' -mostly males and again, a very good size.I seem to have refined the technique so that the hook up rate to bites is now much improved.Regularly lifting the rig off the bottom invariably induces a take and allowing the bites to develop, rather than wasting time trying to strike at 'taps on the tip' also seems far more productive.Size 1 vikings seem to be the optimum hook size stuffed to the brim with squid strip, and i'm now convinced that Malcolm's (Tropicana) 14mm floating beads , on a longer than usual trace,are making a difference.
Bites did eventually tail off at the mark leaving only a few dogs to 'clean up' however, there was a brief visit by some shoaling fish on the surface causing a bit of a commotion.I didn't find out what they were(mackerel , bass or perhaps even mullet which i've witnessed in similar open sea conditions before) as i couldn't get a lure attached quickly enough before they disappeared. I really must get that spinning rod, fully made up , on board for future outings.
  By 6-00p.m the gloom and drizzle had descended upon me and with visibility down to a few hundred yards, a flat calm sea and not another soul in sight,I felt that tremendous thrill of being completely isolated.But there was more than enough water to get over the bar, and time to go home.
I'd had about 30 plus bream, all decent with the best at 2-14. most were returned but a nice box was taken home for friends along with a half full baler of roe-later eaten spread on buttered toast-superb!
I had a little bit of a problem, eventually overcome, as i approached the marina when the engine died, and the warning buzzer sounded. A plastic bag had blocked the cooling intake and the engine had overheated. Luckily no damage was done and at least I know that the warning system works correctly.
Listening to the radio Steve, on Jennifer's Pride had reported poor sport on the flood at #6 so it was lucky that i was restless and moved marks.Over on #12 Neil on 'Spirit' had a 'luring ' crew and had done well with bass including what i believe, at the time of writing, was a double on a mackerel tail bait.Food for thought for the next outing.
On the last trip Dave had mentioned that we probably take for granted the quality of bream fishing that we have over here In Littlehampton. I know no different, so he may have a point but,after my third consecutive bream trip. i'm still enjoying catching these feisty little blighters.
I make no apologies for talking tackle.If Dave Lumb is allowed to mention it on his blog, then I see no reason why I shouldn't do the same.
 Having given the Daiwa Kenzaki 12/20 rod a good try out, I decided that it didn't suit me and it's now been sold on and been replaced with a third Sonik SK4-this time an 8/12 lb class version.Not hugely different from the 12/20lb model , it has to be said,but it's a fine light rod especially suited for bream, and bass live bait methods. With the 20/30, which i think will handle anything I'm ever likely to come across out there short of a porbeagle shark(I kid you not)this range of three rods, plus a spinning rod should cover all the angles.
I have tried Dave W's uptider, but it's a little unwieldy in such a confined space and as all the Soniks cast so well anyway,  I feel no need to go down that route.
Another L/H Avet SX is also on it's way from the U.S.A to go on the new Sonik,and the Abu 7001 was shifted on 'The Piker's Pit' to fund it (partially).It's a pity that after using the extremely well engineered Avets, other 'lesser' reels are just no fun to use and in fact, I now have only one Abu left-a 6501 that will sit on my light surf rod.
So, the boat fishing kit is pretty much sorted......for the time being.
As for the boat itself, I've made a few changes to the layout in an attempt to better balance the outfit. The auxiliary engine, has been moved under the cuddy in front of the crew seat where it will remain securely strapped to the buoyancy chamber until needed.The second 'bait tank' battery has also been moved up front to the crew locker.
The boat certainly sits better, the weight on the port side balancing out laterally my not inconsiderable frame at the starboard helm....but it hasn't really increased the top speed noticeably.I guess I'm still pushing along the same weight.There may be some hull drag issues but I'll know in a couple of weeks as she's coming out to go up to Scotland.
 The bait tank, when in use, will have to remain at the stern, and it's weight when full will mean that any live baiting activities will have to be carried out fishing solo-not an issue as i'm usually out on my own anyway.I tried it next to the crew seat but it just doesn't work. The feed and outlet pipes will not clear the gunwale.
The handrails fitted in the winter give a far more secure feeling when in the cockpit -another fine piece of work from 'Stainless Steve'.
So the boat is now pretty much how I want it and I'll be endeavouring to get as much use out of her as possible over the coming season-hopefully with a few fish on board as well.
0900-1800 HW 0934 5.2M

1/5/12 May Day Breaming.

HW 0733 4.5m
0800-1700   Generally I fish from the boat on my own.I quite like the complete solitude, and also it gives me a chance to experiment and not feel under pressure to put crew 'on the fish'.However, there is a growing list of people who have asked to come out for a trip, and it made a nice change today to be able to take my mate Dave Nevatt out for a long promised first outing in the hope of sampling some of the bream fishing we have over this side of the county.Dave's more used to pulling out bar-be-cue bream from his 'end' and indeed, Dave's Club, the Hove Deep Sea Anglers'  record for the specie is a mere 3lb. But then, over here, we have 'The Kingmere' reef system.
I'll admit to being rather nervous about the prospect of taking Dave out. After all he's fished with the best of them-Wilson, Lewis and Plummer,among others, and for species as exiting and exotic as Cauvery mahseer,Ebro cats and Nile perch. Would a cold and gloomy day out in a mucky sea after the humble black bream make the grade, I wondered.
It was a last minute decision to go, and a night before Invite, but Dave seemed very enthusiastic and jumped at the chance to come along.It was raining quite heavily at the marina when we set off at 8-00 am.My original plan was to head for the usually quieter western reef marks but, because there were no other marina boats out, and most of the big charters were still in port, i decided to head for the Kingmere and mark #12.I couldn't really take a 'guest' anywhere else could I!
Sure enough , when we arrived at the famous mark, there was only one other boat 'Lynander' in the general vicinity and during the day only Neil in 'Spirit' and my new marina neighbour Alan in 'Walrus' turned up to join in.
Despite the small tide size the quality of fishing was excellent. The bream fed steadily both for the remainder of the ebb, and the majority of the flood and we soon lost count of the numbers we were catching.Also pleasing was the general size of the fish.Dave secured a new PB with one of 2-10,whilst i managed several over the two pound mark with 2-14,and 3-00 being the best and very few of those bar-be-cue fish showed up.A smoothound, strap conger,ballan wrasse, dogs and big pouting also graced the boat deck and by the afternoon, the 'gloom' had passed, the wind had completely died down, leaving us basking in some welcome sunshine.
Dave was extremely impressed with the fishing and when I suggested that it was time to go home, insisted that we stay until the bites dried out.Eventually they did, and I managed to drag him back to port screaming  at about 5-00pm. As usual, we were the last boat to leave the mark.I even managed to convert my crew member over to our 'stuffed big hook' method enhanced by some of Malcolm's new huge floating beads which seemed to work very well.

30/4/12 You Little Tinca!

 Dave and me had another unsuccessful day last week chasing the tench at Chichester Pits' 'Boat Lake'.It rained ALL day long, was very cold, and we didn't get a touch between us.Not good.
Its still April (just), and the temperatures haven't exactly been soaring of late, which would probably switch the tench on, but today, there was a little  glimmer of hope with a dry, and mostly bright day with air temperatures hovering around 15deg-I fancied my chances.
I started around midday and , selected a smaller, and more sheltered pit to target-'Deep Lake'. Swim choice was dictated more by the direction of the chilly Easterly wind and my own comfort, than anything else and I picked a shallow corner with a sunken tree, and the beginnings of a lily bed to target.
Rigs were semi-fixed  maggot feeder with a size 12 on a 10cm hook length. Baited with one floating imitation maggot and two real maggots giving  the rig neutral buoyancy.Apparently, this makes a difference. Proper hi tech stuff!!
A pair of 'mullet' rods were paired with my 'new' Okuma Salina (saltwater) mini baitrunners.Carp fishing in miniature.
First impression of the new reels is very favourable but, they've got a lot to live up to.My last 'mullet' fixed spools -a pair of Shimanos are nine years old and only just beginning to show some wear.Hopefully, I'll be sixty before i need to buy any more.
The feeders were refilled every 30 minutes and cast to exactly the same spots to try and build up each swim.Dave and me have both wondered why the maggot rigs don't attract more attention from silver fish-if indeed there are any present.Well, it would appear that there are at least some as a small roach was soon to be found attached to one of my hooks.
Throughout the session, there were short bursts of, what I can only assume, were 'liners' and eventually a proper take materialised resulting in this rather nice male weighing in at 5-01-a result at last.
There were a few more tentative line bites but no more fish materialised and,by about 5-00 p.m the temperature had dropped, and the sky was looking decidedly 'ominous' so i called it a day.A very pleasant afternoons' fishing in the sunshine and finally,a start to the tench campaign.

 

16/4/12 Kingmere Bream

Brian is my new neighbour at the marina and today's trip was all his doing. I was at the boat yesterday afternoon 'tinkering' and 'gassing' ,as all fishing boat owners seem to do when they're not actually fishing, when Brian proclaimed that he was 'out tomorrow after the bream' and that the weather was looking fine.That got me thinking.
I had planned to do a bit of work in the morning and then go tench fishing for a couple of hours in the afternoon at the pits but, at 7-00 a.m this morning , I was leaving the harbour on my way out to the Kingmere in my boat. Sometimes it's just the way things pan out.
When i arrived , the only boat on the 'West End' was 'Lynander' and he seemed somewhat surprised when I called him up on the radio and politely asked If I might join him.' Go where you like mate'...........My idea of 'joining him' was to park up a few hundred yards away but still on the 'rough stuff'!

 

The tide was already ebbing quite nicely ,despite being a 'tiny' 4.5 m, and bites came from the off with my first bream, caught by design, of the new season.Sport was steady and,In the end I had about 25 -the majority females around a pound , with the best, a male of 2lb 14oz which , because of deep hooking, I took to eat, and which subsequently lost all his bold markings for the self take.In fact the colour went out of him within minutes of being dispatched-rather a shame as he was a fine looking fellah.

It was pleasent fishing with, at most, only four ounces of lead needed to hold bottom in the small tide. I experimented with a size 4 aberdeen on one rod, and size 1 viking on the other.It was far more productive to wait, and allow the bream to hook themselves rather than try to 'strike' at bites. The larger hook was the better choice and, when stuffed with squid, seemed have a more successful  hook-up rate, result in less deep hooked fish and this is the way I'll go with bream hooks in the future.The far stronger hook will also give me a fighting chance when those big undulates start turning up.
Bites seemed to come in waves with obviously, shoals of fish moving through, however the short period that was fished on the flood, at the end of the day, produced only a couple of fish. .
As well as the bream, i had a couple of  nice pollack 2-3lb on drifted feathers over slack water, and also tried a spot of float fishing , unsuccessfully, at the same time.Worth another crack at this in the future though.
Brian joined me on the mark in his 'Fastliner', along with 'Pinchers' in his 'Longliner' for a bit of a social and an 'Orkney' owners club gathering, whilst the 'big charter' boys were represented by Neil in 'Spirit' and Steve' on Jennifer's pride to keep 'Legs'-Dick Leggett skipper of 'Lynander' company...an esteemed gathering indeed.

As usual it was entertaining and educating listening to their 'banter' and watch their moves..I wonder if they realise that I hang off their every word.LOL
From my own experiences, and what I've gleaned from others,It's probably a good idea to hit the reef bass on the bigger tides, and go for more general fishing on the lesser.Tactics that will also keep me' fresh' this spring.

Good fishing, good company, and a cracking day to be out.....and it's still only April!
Dave N-get ready mate. Your turn next.
0700-1630
HW 0845 L.A  4.5m

13/4/12 More Bassing

  

I started the day by heading over to mark #6 just in time to catch enough water at the entrance at 9-00, and with a view to progress the live bait method   for bass. The mark was deserted which meant that I could drift away to my heart’s content, and give the area a thoroughly good ‘sounding ‘in the process.

The smallish tide, at the time slacking off towards LW    didn’t make accurate, and repetitive drifts very easy and I was also surprised by the SSW direction of the flow over the mark  .

Bait fish ( I was after herring) were proving to be elusive so, I decided to hedge my bets a little by attaching a ‘Norden’ instead of a weight at the end of the Sabikis.

The first take, however, was not from a bait fish, but instead a good bass hit the lure .I managed to get her to the surface and get a really good look but unfortunately, the inevitable happened. Just as I was reaching for the net, she decided to take a strong dive and the rig parted just above the lure.

I was devastated. I’m not saying the fish was a double because that would just upset me more so, let’s just say it was a goodly bass.

I can only blame myself. Sabiki rigs are not tied up with very strong line even in the main rig, and in future, i should really make up my own from something like 20lb amnesia. I’m sure it wouldn’t affect their ability to catch.Luckily the ‘Norden’ was only fitted with  a single circle hook .

Very little happened , as usual on the slack, but as the flood picked up speed(relatively) I managed to catch a small pouting and out went the live bait float rig .It took a few drifts before a take eventually came and really, the taker matched the sized of bait it was presented with- a modest fish of 3-04 which was taken for the pot. At least the method worked once again and this time gave me a chance to try out the camera’s self timer.

A few more fruitless drifts were  attempted , apart from some more pouting and a whiting on the feathers, and then I decided to move over to mark#5 for a few equally uneventful passes before calling it a day.

On reflection, I’m actually quite pleased that I managed to trap some bass on what was not ideal tide timing, and it was certainly useful to thoroughly map mark 6, and get a better idea of what is on the sea bed at 5-knowledge is everything.

It would have been easy to give up and wander over to #12 where several charters were picking up bream which seem to be showing up in good numbers now.

More experience and know how might also have sent me in the direction of mark 4( good on smaller tides) for some turbot , brill and big mackerel baits, stopping off at #6 on the way home when the tide would have been ebbing nicely to pick up a double figure bass!

 

HW 1729 4.9m

 

0900 - 1600

7/4/12 Too Cold For Tench.

Had a day with Dave at Chichester pits (boating lake) in search of an early tench but, I think it's still a little too cold, and we both blanked. However, it was entertaining to chat with a carp angler at the pit who was in the middle of a four day session, and get an insight into the psyche of that strange breed.
The session also reminded me how relaxed and hassle free coarse fishing can be, and when the weather perks up a bit, we're planning a few return trips until the mid summer when the fishing apparently slows down.
Couldn't really get any slower than it was today!

6/4/12 When A Plan................

 

Having just finished a night shift , my time was limited but,the plan was to attempt to pick up some live bait and try out  a float rig, falling back on some lures if necessary.
As I closed in on the intended mark, I could see that Clive was in attendance, and not wishing to disturb his fishing, chose to give him a wide berth and just explore the ground south of the 'numbers' with the sonar to see what was there.
Nothing of interest showed, so i decided to leave Clive in peace, and head off half a mile to my own mark, noticing that he was weighing a fish just as i left. Hopefully I thought..a bass.
When i arrived at mark 36, no other boats were about in the area, which suited me fine as I'd intended to scan the area thoroughly as i searched for bait, noting any interesting features. Down went a shrimp/feather rig, but it took some time before anything showed any interest apart from some aborted follows up to the surface by garfish-spring has arrived.
Eventually, after dropping off what i suspect was a herring, a fat pout showed, followed by a rather nice early bream, both of which were too big to use on the float rig.Eventually, a half pound whiting came up which was deemed perfect for the job and consigned to the temporary bait tank-a water filled bucket.
The kit comprised a four ounce weighted portland rig, suspended under a huge 10x2" cigar slider,and a 6/0 circle hook on a six foot trace which appears to look ridiculously small when attached to the bait.The float is capable of freely supporting the whole set up with the aim being to 'work' the bait within the bottom 10ft of water.
I'd come across a couple of big  'peaks' whilst scanning the mark, and decided to fish my live bait as accurately as possible over these.By now the ebbing tide had eased, and a building SW breeze slowed down the 250 deg drift to about a knot- a nice manageable speed which allowed the boat to be positioned relatively easily.I repeat, 'relatively'
I had a few  false alarms on the first couple of passes as I adjusted the depth of the bait, but duly managed to get the rig working effectively and about 20yds away from the boat.Watching the big red marker like a hawk on the third or fourth pass, i soon noticed a sharp 'jag', followed by the float gliding away to the depths and line spilling steadily off the little Avet spool held under ratchet tension.
After a few seconds I decided that something more interesting than the sea bed had connected with my set up and, remembering NOT to strike,I gently tightened down to set the circle hook.I immediately felt something heavy, but moving, and recognised that characteristic 'head banging' signalling the take of a good bass.The fish fought strongly,but i was still taken aback when she finally appeared on the surface, and it was clear that a double figure bass was within my grasp, with my circle hook neatly embedded in her upper lip.
After a bit of fumbling with the landing net, and a couple of nail biting moments when the fish made some last thwarted escape bids by diving hard under the boat, she( a cracking looking fish like this must be a female)finally slid into the mesh, and was mine.
Having brought her up from nearly 50ft, my immediate priority was to get her back in ASAP so , thinking I'd left my scales at home, I took an accurate nose to fork flat measurement with the B.A.S.S tape and, not wanting to waste further time setting up a self take photo-snapped a couple of 'deck' shots before sliding her back over the side.
I must have held on to her in the flow ,with my thumb locked over her bottom lip, for about three minutes before I could feel her strength return, .It was a fantastic sight seeing her finally 'kick off' down into the depths of the gin clear water, obviously fully recovered.
Punching the sky a couple of times as you do(Thankfully nobody else was about for miles)I settled down to tidy up the boat and duly found my scales-bugger!
The B.A.S.S tape showed a measurement of 80cm and a weight of 11lb 8oz. Because she was a heavily built fish, I'm more than happy to settle for this.The exact weight is really not that important. She was a fine double figured fish, and an amazingly fortunate start with a new method-my first bass on live bait and confirmation indeed that the method would sort out the better fish.
After consulting the plotter and following the drift trace, it would appear that the take came only yards away from the spot where last August's twelve pounder was caught.Mark 36 now takes pride of place at the head of my waypoint list, and will be surveyed more thoroughly on my next visit.
The whiting had survived the ordeal relatively unharmed so was sent down again for another pass but, I was running out of time and shortly had to leave the mark in order to safely make it over the bar at the harbour entrance. Naturally, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat all the way home.
So a good start with a new method and I'm sure, If I'd had more time, I could have put a bigger catch,numbers wise , together.The bigger tides do indeed seem to be the key,and if I can hone my feature finding, and boat positioning skills , and also return to marks and their features with some accuracy , I'm sure more big bass will show up.
Clive did extremely well, although obviously getting out quite some time ahead of me, and fishing both lures and lives at the same time, he still put together a mightily impressive catch of ten bass, from a pound, to ten pound and an ounce.I think I've got a way to go before I can match these sort of figures.


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11-00 - 1415 hrs
HW 1038  5.9m

28/3/12 Better Plaice Fishing

Russ took me over to #35 and some mussel beds to try once again for some plaice-a mark he'd had some considerable success on a previous trip.Fishing both at anchor and on the drift a few plaice to about 1 1/2lb showed along with a hound and the inevitable doggies.
Drifting seemed to work better and worth bearing in mind for future outings though due to the tide speed on the shallow bank a small tide would be preferable.Mussels were clearly present, as we were dragging them up on the hooks.
The little feathered visitor , obviously on a big journey, spent half an hour resting , perched on the anchor.Can anyone Identify it?

 

 

24/3/12 Progress and Decisions.. Land Rover #4

With Jack around for the week-end, there was another  opportunity to carry on with work on the Landie, and tackle the first of the welding.Having removed both master cylinder and pedal box assemblies the extent of the corrosion to the driver's foot well was severe,and fitting the full replacement panel was justified.
Everything was fairly straightforward once I'd mastered the technique and reacquainted myself with the M.I.G welder, and the finished result was pretty satisfactory. However, we both agreed that further repair work to the bulkhead, which is really the heart of any Land rover,  would be much easier with the vehicle completely dismantled down to rolling chassis and all the panels removed.
So the major decision was made that the next phase of the project would be to completely strip the truck down, and work on the bulkhead in the comfort of my garage. It would be very easy to raid the bank account, and buy a replacement bulkhead but, they are stupidly expensive and this project is being carried out very much on a shoestring- the plan being to get the Landie back to a roadworthy state ,spending as little cash as possible.
Lifting the body, apart from being a whole heap of fun, would also greatly improve access to the major chassis components that will need repair or replacement. At the moment it looks like both front spring hangers will need to be replaced along with a side bulkhead support, and some welding work is need to the rear cross member, if not a complete replacement section. All this stuff is pretty cheap to buy so there's no great issue.
The remainder of the chassis appears sound , as I discovered when i first looked underneath her prior to  parting with my 'hard earned' but, it's highly likely that there are some hidden surprises (horrors) in store..............There usually is!

23/3/12 Hunting Flatties

Jack was staying up for a few days so , as well as getting some welding done on the Land Rover, we decided to venture out in the boat for a spot of fishing and my first trip out this year. Warm weather a flat calm seas with a small tide saw us heading to #34 to drift rag baited spoon rigs in search of plaice. A very smooth and easy mark to drift but the fish weren't obliging with Jack taking the only plaice.
We regrouped, investigating a recommendation just inshore of #33 but this proved to be too snaggy so we ended up at #20 with me finally catching a dab and a doggie. Slow fishing indeed, but the 'boy' still seemed to enjoy it and equally enjoyable was cooking up the two flatties for a snack-the dab winning hands down in the taste stakes.

 

14/3/12 A Busy End To The Season.

I wanted to finish the season exploring uncharted territory, and fish the only area of this massive stretch of river that, in five years of chasing its pike , I've never quite reached. In fact, I've never even walked the banks here but of course, have visited it several times in both my own, and Dave's boat. Memory fails me when it comes to remembering whether or not we've cast a bait for pike along here whilst afloat.
After a healthy two mile 'yomp', we'd arrived at our destination and what we found was a much shallower area than we're used to. In  summer the river here is choked with streamer weed and combined with the gravel river bed, has always struck me as a likely haunt of barbel.
Today the shallow water warmed by the recent sun was the haunt of pike but, not very big ones. In fact, some were very small! I had six all told, with one conveniently dropping off in the margins all taken on roach, and Dave added another to the total on a sea dead along with some more inevitable eel activity.
Starting off cold, the weather soon improved enough for me to change hats, and revert to 'T' shirt 'drill', and it was pleasant enough to while away the last hours anticipating the arrival of a bigger female pike, which never showed, reflect upon the season past, and make plans for the next.
Personally, despite my best efforts this season has not been that productive, but Dave has fished a 'blinder', with some stunning pike in his net and luckily, I've been there to see them all. Well done mate.
According to my diary, I tend to take a little break from fishing at this time of year and to be honest yesterday, I felt a little 'fished out' and welcomed the 'rest'. Twenty four hours later, and I'm raring to go again. However, I do need to exercise a little restraint, maybe decorate a room and score a few brownie points. Yeah right!

13/3/12 Snakes and Pikes

Having finished my second night shift I joined Dave mid morning at the lower end of P1 by which time he'd given the 'hot area' a good go, and worked his way upstream a hundred yards with no luck. The intention was to complete the section, finishing where we left off last week, but give the middle sluice a good try. We also had the luxury of being able to fish most of the ebb which is useful, as the flood here leaves the river in a real mess.
Half way along the lower straight Dave had a good take on the mackerel and commented that it was 'pulling back hard'. It wasn't a pike that surfaced, but a good sized eel, in fact a three and a half pounder .This eel had obviously evolved into the predatory strain having a wide head and a full set of gnashers which I would be reluctant to get near my fingers.Photographing the 'beast' did prove a little problematical, but we eventually succeeded and it's capture has sparked a bit of interest in the species for both of us, particularly as they seem to be flourishing in our tidal rivers. Apparently, nationally, they're in decline.

 

 

 

Having crossed the sluice my roach baits started to do their job and the first pike to show was a nine pounder followed shortly after by a dropped take that left the bait in the margins, whilst I was moving the second rod.

We're fishing a little more 'out' in the river this season and it appears to be paying dividends but, unless I keep a keen eye on my floats, this sort of run can remain undetected as it has no effect on the back up bite alarms. Usually it's not an issue as I'm mostly concentrating hard on the floats, willing them to disappear-unfortunately not that regular occurrence this season.
Hopping the rods upstream we finally reached the location of Dave's brace success last week and, just on slack low water, once again my roach did the trick with this beautifully marked 15-08.

Whilst returning my pike , I glanced upstream and noticed my second float , again with a roach under slung, had performed another rush to bank side cover but, this time, I was quick enough to hit the pike and up came a pretty single to complete the hat-trick. This is one of numerous occasions that we've experienced a feeding spell but quite how the pike are triggered simultaneously into feeding is one of the great mysteries of pike fishing.
Dave had to call it a day at this point but i decided to hang on until the light faded but had no more action. Once the flood had set in, the debris washed into the river by the recent big tides made fishing impossible although I did try to fish the far bank, which was fairly clear, with the rods propped up 'beachcaster' style.

 

12/3/12 Dave and Dave

Joined Dave and Dave on the Lock Estate for a bit of a social today in between night shifts. Beautiful sunny day after the fog had lifted, just right for dozing on the bank and chewing the cud .
Dave N landed a low double just as I arrived and the only other action , apart from eels nipping at the baits, was a similar sized pike to Dave W later in the day.
Jon Cook came and joined us for a banter in the afternoon having blanked at the fork, though he'd fared better the previous day, and plans were hatched for a spring pit tench campaign-something I've been meaning to do for a while.
I've only 'piked' the 'Lock'  once before but both Daves have been regulars here in the past taking good numbers of fish on wobbled dead bait methods. Being non-tidal it's a comfortable place to fish and has big pike heritage too so perhaps it would provide an alternative venue for next season.

 

9/3/12 Exceptional Piking

In my enthusiasm to go pike fishing on Monday I'd completely misjudged the quantity of rain that had fallen the previous day and, when I reached the river, fully kitted up for old esox, I found it in awful condition and running the colour of strong tea. An hour or two later I was back home playing with the Land Rover.
Tuesday, I tried again, but this time despite no further rain, I found the river in worse condition  , so didn't even get out of the van. Driving east to inspect the 'other' river, and I found it even more coloured which is highly unusual.
I spent the remainder of the day and  Wednesday giving Daryl a hand with his own Landie as he's doing a bit of an epic engine swap, in a bid to improve fuel economy, exchanging his silky smooth two and a quarter petrol, for a bone shaking 200Di .Brave man!
Thursday afternoon, and I returned to the river and gave it a bash for a couple of hours but, it was still a little too murky for my liking, and I blanked although it was nice to come across Paul with his wife and a mate fishing for bream and roach. They'd had a few, but it was slow going.
The 'hot' area seems to have run it's course and , as i mentioned at the end of my last pike entry, it would be nice to catch some big pike from a different area of river so today, Dave and me decided to head upstream finding the river had finally cleared.

Within minutes of dropping in my roach bait, and before Dave had even finished setting up his gear, I had a run, and out came this nice 'little' double of 12-04....confidence restored.

We fished the area for another couple of hours with a slight move upstream but no more pike showed.
Rather than make steady progress along the bank we decided on a complete move to an area we've not fished this year, but one that has produced some exceptional pike  in the past, especially this late in the season.
Dave mentioned in passing that he'd like to catch something big and , right on cue, proceeded to drop his baits on a superb brace of pike, on consecutive casts, and from the same swim. The first at 18lb, shortly followed by 22-08 (pic) both magnificently conditioned pike neither of which thankfully, we've  not seen before.
The opposite bank is very shallow and weedy and could possibly be a spawning area which might explain the presence of the pair but equally of course, this may be pure conjecture. Whatever the case it's still an excellent catch and Dave continues to have an exceptional season-well done mate!