daio web

The day started well with a good drive to Littlehampton and an easy launch from the slipway as the tide was up enough to keep me on the concrete.
There had been patches of fog on the journey but nothing to worry about (why do some drivers insist on having their dazzling fog lights on whatever the weather?) but as I was launching a heavy fog descended, reducing vis' to about 50 metres. I decided to carry on and made a very slow and cautious trip down to the river mouth and out to sea.
Luckily, as is often the case this time of year the fog was sitting in a mile wide band along the coastline and once beyond that the vis' improved to the horizon. That made the descision as to where to go easier (though in hindsight maybe I should have gone West to the Selsey area as I heard of Blondes and Spurs being caught) and i pushed the throttle forward and cruised the 15 miles to the first wreck at a a very comfortable 22kts.
In total I tried 8 wrecks, 6 of which showed fish markers.
Unfortunately they appeared to be of Pout and Wrasse. 
I did get some success at one of the more distant wrecks and landed 4 fish, one of which was a clonker. The rest were 3lb-5lb.
So, overall a great day out some nice fish but, worth the fuel possibly not and more worryingly there seem to be far fewer Pollack on what I'd call banker wrecks than there were 5 years ago.
 

I think so, there is still a lot of work going on at sea there and will be for a few years yet i reckon

There was loads buddy

Bristol Channel not producing much either side so it seems

First trip out since mid November, just a short one over high. We went up channel a bit looking for a cod and failed miserably. Just half a dozen thornbacks and a strap. I blanked but my lad had a couple of thornies so was worth it just for that. Bit of swell at the start but flattened off a treat and with the sun out was a pleasant few hours out

yeah fair bit done always something to do i hear the fishing as been real bad  probaly going more west this summer  the cutless bearing was not that bad to do its the realigning the engine all the best with yours if you need a hand give me a  call 

Hit the wrecks out of Littlehampton - we must have had 30 Pollack 8-15lbs - my ten are attached below

Everyone was on soft plastics, I had a go on the jig and had a couple of pout, so switched back.

Hope all is well and you can get out soon Dave! 

Urgh, that sounds a pain of a job. Good on you for taking the bull by the horns though.
Curious as to why you had to lap the valves again? I thought they only needed lapping after installing new valve seats or new valves with old seats. As a side note I replaced a burnt valve on an old Astra I had years ago and never bothered to lap it in and it ran fine.

That snowballed a bit then 🫣
Well done on sorting it and not just settling on "it'll do"
Got to get mine out in a few weeks time, didn't get chance last Oct/Nov 
Pretty sure the cutlass bearing is on the list too 😭

well boats been on the slip way up our club for just over a mounth now i only brought it in for what  needed doing  boat still there so removed the old cutless bearing as gone real bad it does not help with the real muddy water up hear  its like valve grinding paste thats another story fitted new cutless and realign engine back to the shaft thats all done noticed a little oil leak coming from the exhaust manifold so pulled that of to fit a new one but when i took it of the gasket looked ok so next i took the rocker box of to find all the valve sealed all sitting differnt on the vales so ordered new head gasket top end set pulled the head of and it looks like the gasket give way from a oil port to the outside edge of the gasket took all the valves out new valve stem seals and had the seat all the valves again with valve grinding paste  so put it all back together now just waiting on the big tides this weekend coming to see if its ok happy boating all 

well boats been on the slip way up our club for just over a mounth now i only brought it in for what  needed doing  boat still there so removed the old cutless bearing as gone real bad it does not help with the real muddy water up hear  its like valve grinding paste thats another story fitted new cutless and realign engine back to the shaft thats all done noticed a little oil leak coming from the exhaust manifold so pulled that of to fit a new one but when i took it of the gasket looked ok so next i took the rocker box of to find all the valve sealed all sitting differnt on the vales so ordered new head gasket top end set pulled the head of and it looks like the gasket give way from a oil port to the outside edge of the gasket took all the valves out new valve stem seals and had the seat all the valves again with valve grinding paste  so put it all back together now just waiting on the big tides this weekend coming to see if its ok happy boating all 

Nice break in the weather so we hit it!
Left the marina at 7.45 heading for fresh bait first - not easy but found 3 mackerel to add to the frozen bait - although it took best part of an hour to find them!
Soon headed out to our 5mile mark over mixed ground. Dropped the hook in a light tide. 
we both fished 2 rods each - One rod with big mackerel baits for the rays, one with small hooks and squid strips for bream & Whiting. 
We had Bream from the off and constant all day - they were ravenous - hitting the baits hard and fast - even shredding the big fish baits - we must have had 50 to the boat between the 2 of us - taking 6 home for dinner and neighbours! great sport on light tackle!

 

even double shots of bream!


We also had pout on the smaller baits - but no whiting.
the big baits also did the trick when the bream allowed - we both had Huss, and Thornies - mine matched my PB at 14lb. 




I had also had congers and Tim had the only Dog of the day.  
felt like spring out there!
Lovely stuff!

well boats been on the slip way up our club for just over a mounth now i only brought it in for what  needed doing  boat still there so removed the old cutless bearing as gone real bad it does not help with the real muddy water up hear  its like valve grinding paste thats another story fitted new cutless and realign engine back to the shaft thats all done noticed a little oil leak coming from the exhaust manifold so pulled that of to fit a new one but when i took it of the gasket looked ok so next i took the rocker box of to find all the valve sealed all sitting differnt on the vales so ordered new head gasket top end set pulled the head of and it looks like the gasket give way from a oil port to the outside edge of the gasket took all the valves out new valve stem seals and had the seat all the valves again with valve grinding paste  so put it all back together now just waiting on the big tides this weekend coming to see if its ok happy boating all 

yeah all good neil thanks bud

well boats been on the slip way up our club for just over a mounth now i only brought it in for what  needed doing  boat still there so removed the old cutless bearing as gone real bad it does not help with the real muddy water up hear  its like valve grinding paste thats another story fitted new cutless and realign engine back to the shaft thats all done noticed a little oil leak coming from the exhaust manifold so pulled that of to fit a new one but when i took it of the gasket looked ok so next i took the rocker box of to find all the valve sealed all sitting differnt on the vales so ordered new head gasket top end set pulled the head of and it looks like the gasket give way from a oil port to the outside edge of the gasket took all the valves out new valve stem seals and had the seat all the valves again with valve grinding paste  so put it all back together now just waiting on the big tides this weekend coming to see if its ok happy boating all 

well boats been on the slip way up our club for just over a mounth now i only brought it in for what  needed doing  boat still there so removed the old cutless bearing as gone real bad it does not help with the real muddy water up hear  its like valve grinding paste thats another story fitted new cutless and realign engine back to the shaft thats all done noticed a little oil leak coming from the exhaust manifold so pulled that of to fit a new one but when i took it of the gasket looked ok so next i took the rocker box of to find all the valve sealed all sitting differnt on the vales so ordered new head gasket top end set pulled the head of and it looks like the gasket give way from a oil port to the outside edge of the gasket took all the valves out new valve stem seals and had the seat all the valves again with valve grinding paste  so put it all back together now just waiting on the big tides this weekend coming to see if its ok happy boating all 

well after about 5 weeks of wind we had a very small weather window - of only a few hours. 
Wind was set to die down Saturday morning to single figures and turn horrible again on Sunday morning so we made a plan.
6.45am at the boat and straight out squeaking under the bridge on the top of a 2.2m tide. 
Went in search of mackerel first and was met with more than forecast wind and very cold rain - hoping things would improve - we tried the first entrance, for a few drifts and got nothing, so headed up to the 2nd - where my sabikis found a few fresh mackerel to add to the frozen. 
soon steaming out to the 5 mile mark and got more than halfway when we took the decision to head back inshore= as we got out of the shelter of portland the latent swell from the prior week was big - about 1.5m - but with a cross chop it wouldn't have been comfortable. Swell from the SW, Tide from the NE, and wind chop from the NW - not a good combo.
we got to our inshore mark and while the swell was still there it wasn't anywhere near as bad - so anchored up - proceeded to catch Pout, Whiting, Thornies, Eels and i managed a nice smoothie. 


By lunchtime the swell had calmed down, the wind dropped and the sun was out so we pulled anchor and headed back to our intended 5mile mark. 
for about an hour it was glorious and almost warm. 

We boated more pout, whiting, eels and dogs, plus Bream and a lovely undulate.  steady fish all day. 


I took a bream home for tea and a whiting for freezer fillets. 

delicious - baked on a bed of Mediterranean veg - seasoned with mixed herbs, lemon and chilli
 
So glad to be out!
 

That is because sea water, sand, and stainless hydraulic rams are not a loving combo !
 

I've had a twin engined twin outdrive  boat in the past and vowed never to go back to them. Four lift outs in a year for oil leaks on the rams. Even after new seals and shafts, they still leaked. I'd much rather drive slower and have less mechanics to go wrong. 

I would be looking for a reasonably fast tide that is flowing over a bank, and then fish on the bank slope where the Turbot will wait for the food to be brought to them by the tide.
If launce are in evidence, all the better as that is their favourite food, we even cut long Mack and/or squid strips to look like launce.
The best substrate is a sand gravel mix, i.e. extremely coarse sand, almost gravel.
Another place you will often find Turbot in hiding in the scour of a wreck, so again, a reasonable fast tide area where food will be brought to them with very little effort on their part. However, scours are notoriously difficult to fish on the drift.
Rig wise, a simple running ledger, using a watch lead to create maximum sand disturbance, and a 3ft flowing trace with a bit of bling. I have tried spoons but cannot detect any difference in the catch rate.
Smaller Turbot are quite willing feeders (3lb - 5lb) but the larger fish are a fair bit more fussy and everything needs to be just right. My biggest is 13lb, however, I fish an area where a 30lb fish is more than a possibility.
I don't normally post pics of Turbo's as it quite often easily gives the location away 🙄
Here is Kyle with a 5lb plus fish, this was May 2020, I moved the boat by a couple of miles to take the pic ................

 

Bought 3 outboards as projects a little while back. Had a look to see whats what.......
 

I could buy 7 times and still have change lol 🤣

Low ball.... a very low ball