Wrecking For Pollack On Manta Ray

Following a few weekend calls, after a cancelled weekend wreck trip on local charter boat Manta Ray we re-arranged for a mid-weeker and a day off work beckoned...
Forecast was perfect, in fact almost too perfect but the morning started off slow as we were greeted with thick fog at Yarmouth. After heading up the Solent at 12 knots the fog cleared just past the Needles light allowing the purring engines to roar into life and push us along at a cruising speed of around 35+ knots!
After a slow start we hit a wreck loaded with prime English Channel Pollack and made the most of it! The Red Gill Evo pink seemed to be taking the most and also the best fish at just under 12lb...
I think around 4 prime codling were also caught on the pollack gear including one to Bri...ever the conservation minded angler he was playing catch and release for a few drifts missing multiple pollack takes...this was soon corrected once he removed the plastic hook protector from the lure!

Great weather and company, and a boat that gets you to the wrecks and back to port in quick time made for a very enjoyable day.

Same Mark - Different Day....

Another shot at the codling at the same mark as Dave and Mike fished Friday. With all the codling that were showing previously expectations were high but we were in for a different day!
 I was soon into a nice undulate of 15lb on my spinning rod at slack tide....thank god I'd hooked that before the tide started to run or I could have struggled with getting it back to the boat on the light gear!

As the tide got going we put away the spinning rods and fired some baits out uptide in aticipation for the cod....soon enough the first fish came to the boat.

 I wound down on a better fish shortly after.....fighting like a bigger cod all the way to the boat - I was a little disappointed when a smoothound came to the surface!

 The tide then got underway and we waited,and then we waited some more but it just didn't happen! I guess the slightly bigger tide made all the difference...you can't odds it but that's fishing for you!

Spring Run Codling

A last minute change in forecast yesterday opened up a weather window to get out. Unfortunately I couldn't make it again due to family commitments so Mike and Dave were off out again! 
They found 7 small codling and a token bass in the first couple of hours, with a couple kept for the freezer and the rest going back.

 As the weather improved they pushed further out for the last couple of hours and added some blondes, a smoothound and an undulate to the tally - gutted I couldn't make it!

Brighstone Rainbows

Well I think with all of this crap weather cabin fever had well and truly set in. With a dire need to do some kind of fishing and an awful weekend forecast we opted to go fly fishing for trout!
The weather was mental....not the sort of conditions you really want to go fly fishing in but hey - we were desperate!
Casting was mental, not to mention dangerous...fly line was everywhere and with mental gale force gusts we did well not to end up falling in! We persevered and managed to catch a few hungry fish that fought like demons. We kept a couple for the table and took our time returning the rest which all swam off strongly.
 It actually turned out to be a very enjoyable afternoon and scratched the itch. Now we just need some good weather to get out in the boat and see whats about......

Little Piggies!

A break in the weather and finally a window where we can get out fishing...sods law it's on a day that I can't make though!
So it was Dave and Mike who were first on the water this year.....what a nice day too with flat calm conditions. I think their expectations were pretty low for late January but all this changed as a steady stream of prime little codling came to the boat.
I think they ended up with 7 fat little piggies - all sub 4lber's that were returned to grow bigger and come back next season! What a great sign for the future cod stocks :-)

December - More Of The Same!

More of the same weather and the same fishing. When you can get out (which I think for me was twice) there are plenty of cod and bass around willing to take the baits. 
Winter has really got a grip now and those icy morning starts can play havoc with car, tractor and boat batteries. Things that you take for granted for the rest of the year suddenly become problems - like an iced up impeller that won't pump water through the engine, frozen hoses and numb useless fingers! Efforts however don't go unrewarded and if you put in the hard work it often pays off....

 There seemed to be a ton of sprats showing on the sounder which were also being coughed up on deck as most the fish had eaten a fair few...Next trip will be 2015.. Happy New Year!

November Weather Limits The Fishing

Struggled to get out in November with the wind and weather only allowing us out a couple of times. The sessions that we did manage to get in were touch and go too but you've just got to get out when you can and make the most of it.
When you can get out, there are a few nice fish to be found ;-)