Davemc

I've got a job to stay afloat as it is !

Cant you cut it in half and stick it in the boot?? 

Good work Dave! That kayak looks the business too! 

They're nice lures. Good sandeel imitations. Well fished 👍

Well what a day that was ... The first time I've been to sea and it's been drama less !  Apart from a raft of weed that wrapped around my peddle drive prop .
Thought it would be a good day to test my skills on a flat sea 🤣
The mark was a fair way from the slip but it was worth the effort peddling against a small flooding tide which took a good 45 minutes to reach .
the bass were very obliging & I found a lovely little rip that was holding a school of 2/3lbrs , After an hour or two I had managed 30+ fish and now my finder is covered in little markers ! 

They were loving the Sunslicker gibbon paddle up ...nice slim profile over sand in the flow with a 8grm belly weight , few on the surface at slack water .

Excellent work! Sounds like you've found a top spot 👍
What lures were they taking?

Well what a day that was ... The first time I've been to sea and it's been drama less !  Apart from a raft of weed that wrapped around my peddle drive prop .
Thought it would be a good day to test my skills on a flat sea 🤣
The mark was a fair way from the slip but it was worth the effort peddling against a small flooding tide which took a good 45 minutes to reach .
the bass were very obliging & I found a lovely little rip that was holding a school of 2/3lbrs , After an hour or two I had managed 30+ fish and now my finder is covered in little markers ! 

A few of the lads joined forces in search of a bass or two , John , Ade , our Andy on here & me hit the coast for a night session .
The choosen mark has been productive over the last couple of weeks but alas it wasn't to be on this occasion.
The four of us thrashed the Solent in a bitter northerly wind that was missing the weather man's promised westerlies .
Around midnight we lost the first of the "team" to work commitments and beauty sleep requirements and the second of the "team" members departed due to hyperthermia.
Ade & I continued for another couple of hours when I was suddenly blessed with a schoolie in my favourite blank saver corner  to save the blushes !
Poor old John broke down 1.5hrs into his journey just 5 minutes from home and was still awaiting recover as I wrote this at 0345am.

I could resist getting out before the storm again last night , an improver in the mid 50's. 

A few of the lads joined forces in search of a bass or two , John , Ade , our Andy on here & me hit the coast for a night session .
The choosen mark has been productive over the last couple of weeks but alas it wasn't to be on this occasion.
The four of us thrashed the Solent in a bitter northerly wind that was missing the weather man's promised westerlies .
Around midnight we lost the first of the "team" to work commitments and beauty sleep requirements and the second of the "team" members departed due to hyperthermia.
Ade & I continued for another couple of hours when I was suddenly blessed with a schoolie in my favourite blank saver corner  to save the blushes !
Poor old John broke down 1.5hrs into his journey just 5 minutes from home and was still awaiting recover as I wrote this at 0345am.

A few of the lads joined forces in search of a bass or two , John , Ade , our Andy on here & me hit the coast for a night session .
The choosen mark has been productive over the last couple of weeks but alas it wasn't to be on this occasion.
The four of us thrashed the Solent in a bitter northerly wind that was missing the weather man's promised westerlies .
Around midnight we lost the first of the "team" to work commitments and beauty sleep requirements and the second of the "team" members departed due to hyperthermia.
Ade & I continued for another couple of hours when I was suddenly blessed with a schoolie in my favourite blank saver corner  to save the blushes !
Poor old John broke down 1.5hrs into his journey just 5 minutes from home and was still awaiting recover as I wrote this at 0345am.

Poor guy, and poor car!
Definitely keen to catch up soon - slow jigging for bass on Jersey Girl 👍

Look forward to seeing you again & catching some proper lumps .
I think his car was a proper breakdown as it's been in the garage for all last week having been repaired from breaking down on another fishing trip.😬

That's a Albie snax I purchased , First time trying that poncy colour after a friend in Ireland has been doing really well at night with that horrible pink !!
 

nice Bass! - I picked up a couple of 2nd hand spinning rods last night (shimano Perfection Spinning 8  & a Leeda Pro spin 10) and what better inspiration than have a try this evening!!

Well done Dave! Glad you had a fish for your efforts. Is that one of your own SP's?
Poor John! Did he run out of fuel? 🤣 Hope it wasn't anything too serious.
I enjoyed the session - been too long since my last lure outing. Will be back again when the water has warmed up a bit and the fish are hungrier. 😁👍

A few of the lads joined forces in search of a bass or two , John , Ade , our Andy on here & me hit the coast for a night session .
The choosen mark has been productive over the last couple of weeks but alas it wasn't to be on this occasion.
The four of us thrashed the Solent in a bitter northerly wind that was missing the weather man's promised westerlies .
Around midnight we lost the first of the "team" to work commitments and beauty sleep requirements and the second of the "team" members departed due to hyperthermia.
Ade & I continued for another couple of hours when I was suddenly blessed with a schoolie in my favourite blank saver corner  to save the blushes !
Poor old John broke down 1.5hrs into his journey just 5 minutes from home and was still awaiting recover as I wrote this at 0345am.

A few of the lads joined forces in search of a bass or two , John , Ade , our Andy on here & me hit the coast for a night session .
The choosen mark has been productive over the last couple of weeks but alas it wasn't to be on this occasion.
The four of us thrashed the Solent in a bitter northerly wind that was missing the weather man's promised westerlies .
Around midnight we lost the first of the "team" to work commitments and beauty sleep requirements and the second of the "team" members departed due to hyperthermia.
Ade & I continued for another couple of hours when I was suddenly blessed with a schoolie in my favourite blank saver corner  to save the blushes !
Poor old John broke down 1.5hrs into his journey just 5 minutes from home and was still awaiting recover as I wrote this at 0345am.

A few of the lads joined forces in search of a bass or two , John , Ade , our Andy on here & me hit the coast for a night session .
The choosen mark has been productive over the last couple of weeks but alas it wasn't to be on this occasion.
The four of us thrashed the Solent in a bitter northerly wind that was missing the weather man's promised westerlies .
Around midnight we lost the first of the "team" to work commitments and beauty sleep requirements and the second of the "team" members departed due to hyperthermia.
Ade & I continued for another couple of hours when I was suddenly blessed with a schoolie in my favourite blank saver corner  to save the blushes !
Poor old John broke down 1.5hrs into his journey just 5 minutes from home and was still awaiting recover as I wrote this at 0345am.

A few of the lads joined forces in search of a bass or two , John , Ade , our Andy on here & me hit the coast for a night session .
The choosen mark has been productive over the last couple of weeks but alas it wasn't to be on this occasion.
The four of us thrashed the Solent in a bitter northerly wind that was missing the weather man's promised westerlies .
Around midnight we lost the first of the "team" to work commitments and beauty sleep requirements and the second of the "team" members departed due to hyperthermia.
Ade & I continued for another couple of hours when I was suddenly blessed with a schoolie in my favourite blank saver corner  to save the blushes !
Poor old John broke down 1.5hrs into his journey just 5 minutes from home and was still awaiting recover as I wrote this at 0345am.

Took the day off work today to catch the weather window. 
Stopped off at Dean Tail to see if any mackerel were there, a short while later and we had 12.  Enough to start of our day.
Headed over to Pullar in search of Tope.  All a bit quiet on our spot at the start. I was out on Ray's boat again, Ray had started making his fry up when his live bait had been picked up. 
Rod arched over and the fish was on the move.  Quite a lengthy fight ensued with Ray making zero headway into the fish, he'd gain a bit and the fish would take it back. Certainly wasn't a Tope as it was just holding him in the tide, some 30 mins later with plenty of rest stops the leader parted.  I'm calling a large Stingray, I've had a 70lb plus on my boat from not far away.  Gutted we didn't see it but it would have been a monster had he landed it. 
Another live bait went down and shortly after a nice Tope picked it up totally different fight to the last fish much more typical of Tope.  Got the fish alongside looked a good 25lb when just before landing, it bit the 200lb mono through. 
I had stopped fishing after the monster fish and was fighting a very bad acid stomach attack which at one stage had me thinking we'd be heading home.  
We decided to make a move into Sandown bay and try a new spot for Bream,  I've been after a good spot in there as the bay can be fished on even the very biggest ebb or flood unlike pretty much every other Solent Bream mark. Anchored up on a nice little spot and over the next hour or so we pulled out 21 Bream between us with my pop up rig taking the honours of most fish. Glad that the mark was proven and I'm sure in the coming weeks the bigger ones will turn up. Our biggest today was 2lb with most around 1lb mark. 
Another nice day to be out with a new mark turning up the goods. 
 

Epic catch , Well done 👍

Forgot to say in this post that James had a 12lb Undulate Ray at midday 

My boat is pretty stable, but there was plenty of rock and roll this morning on my local estuary, with a vicious wind battering against the flooding tide.
After two hours, one move and many lure changes, I finally felt a bump on my Megabass Flatbacker. The fish didn't stick, and a schoolie hooked a few casts later came unstuck, but it was vaguely encouraging.
Suddenly the lure stopped with a bang and a heavy fish tore off downtide with the reel wailing.
My main concern was the bass coming off, as I fish barbless, but I convinced myself that if I kept a tight line it would be OK.
Eventually the fish stopped and I began to work it back amid several more runs.
Then it surfaced in a mighty swirl, there was a lot of head-shaking, a tail like a shovel waved me goodbye and it tore off again.
All the time I was talking to the fish, telling it I wasn't going to hurt it and that I would put it back.
Eventually it surfaced and I saw for the first time how big it was. At least if it fell off now I would know what I'd lost!
Fortunately it didn't come off, I didn't bungle the netting and one of  the biggest bass I've ever seen was heaved aboard.
The lure fell out in the net and I transferred the fish into a big garden bin of sea water I keep on board. Only the front half fitted in, but at least it could breathe while I sorted out the equipment.
My new red metre ruler was unfolded and the fish measured at a mighty 80cm, nose to tail-tip. It eclipsed my previous one, a fish of 8lb 6oz caught last year not far away.
I desperately wanted the bass to swim away strongly and it did, none the worse for its brief encounter with me.
A new personal best and a fabulous fish which I'll never forget!