Hoop

Just thought.. third cast that snapped, now wonder if I was into a small Tope that was wrapped and went through the trace body!?

Love him. Looks like a very happy, contented grand old man in that picture. Did he enjoy being on the water? Will you get another dog? Fishing last night, again. Different part of the beach last night due to a few already in situ, so set up on the shit end into dodgy ground.. 3 casts, lost the first set, big hound on the second and somehow managed to break through 80lb trace body playing a fish in on the third.. wrapped up when the nobbers decended upon the beach, 2 rods in a moderate tide run with weed .. horrendous anyone playing a decent fish wouldve been carnage. I travelled to the beach just as most do, if I turn up to it full then I'd sooner go elsewhere than set up on top of someone because I'm too much of a fat cunt to go elsewhere.. pondlife. Anyho, that aside.. before the noddies turned up, one chap did beach a Tope from a spot close to where I fished on Sunday. Also, I did spot some large fish feeding a ways out, first i thought they were dolphin as the wakes were so large but nothing jumped, i wondered if it were a shoal of Tuna? Sure the Solent boats would be better positioned for whatever it was..

The advice I picked up over the years amounted to avoid labs, due to nature and lust for food but Archie has been the easiest pup I've ever had, an absolute joy. Neil, you're boy looks very dapper indeed.

As predicted, tis was pants! Finished with just the one hound. Will watch for the right conditions to get back over for another go. A not so little Lab. Mum and Dad are Silver labs that looked like Weimaraners, colours in the litter ranged from light like Archie here, to one silver and a few brown. He's the sweetest pooch, 14 weeks.. walking to heel, off lead even at the beach. Though this was his second outing.

One big hound, will give it another hour or so before the off. Chatting in the tackleshop earlier, apparently codling are abundant so it would appear, being caught on Solent beaches, boats.. chesil are throwing them up too. Fiver says this is our cod run, blink and its gone!!

At it again.. wasting time, waiting for the tide to make. Only nutter on the beach thus far, similar conditions to yesterday but with a little rain. Cozy pup has found a spot

All in hand, quick recce to the tackleshop for 7/0 sakumas, 80lb leader for trace body and 60lb wire.. standby for this evenings blank! Regards locking up, my main line is only 18lb.. Blank!? Booooooo... The outing has gone quiet?! If you're allowed out on a school day, run down for a few hours.. welcome any time. Cheers Neil.

Heard ramblings of shore Tope, this was enough to get the cogs in motion a plan was hatch to conduct this weekends installment of care in the community, at Selsey! Crap tides etc all, meant everything aligned nicely for the venue... Rush to pack and get the car loaded after a family gathering, couldn't locate wire leader.. balls. Not to worry I thought, what's the chances!?? Beefed up the hook lengths to 60lb, 6/0s with pennel.. that'll do.. Nothing on the first cast with Bluey, over to squid.. hit! Nice hound, low double.. double small squid, subtle bite and slack liner.. in again, cracking fight peeling a decent amount of heavy set drag. possibly would've been a pb, conservative estimate of 15lb but probably bigger. Just want to get her back in quickly. Picture attached. Next cast, a single squid.. rod slams over, drag screams out, turned the fish picked up a little slack the fish turns again and after a few heavy pulls it happens. Called bitten off and that exactly what it was. Lost a Tope. New hook length tied, again 6/0s.. squid and soon after another hound in, another low double.. last cast as my new puppy that was out for his first fishy outing was starting to pine for his bed, this point my buddy Nick has reeled in and started packing up having blanked.. we're on the top of the tide, my rod starts to pull down and it just keeps going.. clearly another Tope yet this one immediately felt bigger, hoped I'd managed to lip hook it but not to be though I had it on longer than the first. With a heavy drag set, this this went off like a train and was rapid, heavy and very quick. Eased more drag on and eventually it went ping but this fish was relentless, this didn't pause it just kept going. Gutted, never hooked into anything like that before. Tomorrow is another day, with some tweaks I might get back on that beach tomorrow for another go. Distance seemed to be key, I was fishing further out than others on the beach and while they all seemed to be blanking, I was virtually fish after fish. Proper little session.

So true!! Bar a hand holding request while getting her seconds pierced recently, Dad has long been relegated to past tense. When are we organising an outlaws meet on JDP's stretch? Even I should catch something.. what's the Aus equivalent of a Dogfish? 🫢

Great write up.. I did hear a while back that when Tope run inshore, they do so after the Bass and Mullet.. wonder if they'd make for decent live bait??

You see what I did there!? My conundrum is that my daughter is adamant her dad needs to see it!!? Gosling was awesome in the new Bladerunner, and whilst I appreciate much of the comedy in Barbie will be aimed at an older audience, I'm not so sure it will be aimed at me. Kinda feels abit... Love Island-esq to me. Am leaving the Conger alone this weekend, in favour of the cinema! I'm over to see Oppenheimer tomorrow, didn't have any availability last weekend across whiteley, Port Solent or Gunwharf.. so here's hoping. Pictorial evidence is a must, here.. ensure the nails are freshly done and sneak into the shot! 🤩

Offer of sweets to come before or after? 🫣 Steady the boat, the Outlaws are at it again! 🤣 If its any consolation at all, my 13 YO daughter thought Barbie was wooooonderful! With Ryan Gosling getting a special mention at dispatches.. bless.

Great little mix of bits there!!

Not an overly exciting update bit an update nevertheless.. Sat driving the work desk when I looked to the skies and the trees when the thought strikes, what am I doing.. I should be fishing! So that's what I did, an hour before HW on a big spring, I thought I'd give what has become.. my most fished mark this year. I like it due to it feeling wild, far from easy going and is normally very quiet.. no other danglers, dog walkers etc.. dare I say a secluded area of pompey harbour. Truth be told the fishing has rarely lived up to the expectation at this mark, but its quiet and this normally wins out. Anyho, had a pleasant couple of hours.. loads of fish off the top with one worth a picture.. not a big fish but a lovely dark colour to it.

Yeah.. as so often happens after catching on the first chuck, nothing! Dropped something reasonable on what turned out the last chuck, it was actually pulling back! As I got the rig back on the beach the heavens opened! Yet another forecast with no rain turned out to be wrong... no waterproofs called curtains on the evening. My buddy had a "fresh out" smut pup on last chuck and that was his lot for the session. I did put an update together last night but before I submitted, my phone went to standby and upon waking it back up, the update had been erased.. most frustrating! Another chap on the beach appeared with light gear and had a few mackerel out.. most entertaining as it goes watching him reel in mackerel as he looked excitedly around hoping for an audience, yet the best bit was his lift by the knees effort as he reeled in.. lift and wind, lift and wind.. 🫣🤣

It's Friday evening, that can only mean one thing.. it's care in the community time! 🤣 Anyho, having just caught on the first chuck, I thought I'd give a live report a go. A new PB. Caught on a pennel pully with double squid mounted on 6/0's. Hour after HW, weed pulling.

Strange isn't it the difference a few miles can make? Thanks, mate. We will keep at it but I fear we have a few months of outtings ahead of us that will emulate this one. I know Silver eel are a highly rated Tope bait, I wonder if Conger are any good?

.. Were some stupid mutterings made upon washing out many expensive baits upon taking back up the dark side of shore dangling.. !! 🫣 Since my last report, fishing has been much the same. Trying lots of new areas for the standard return, some whilst doing the 'care of the community bit'.. during a recent session he disclosed to me that he had been suffering with poor mental health, grind of daily life leading to his retirement had all begun to add up but getting back out on the pebbles just once a week had worked wonders for him and has aided in his recovery. Surprising the benefits of this silly little hobby of ours that amounts to spouting bollocks whilst washing out baits. Back to the fishing- last weekend of skanky bait up Eastoke on Halying was a manic bite a cast session with lots of micro bits. Bream, Bass, Dogs, Silver eel and Hounds. Prior to wrapping the bait gear in last time, Conger (of the boot lace variety) along with the ever present Dogs had become more and more of a nuisance.. efforts made to use non-preferred baits proves fruitless, I know that's fishing but where's the joy in that!!? Last night getting the old boy back out on the shingle, we found ourselves sticking more local than we'd hoped, ending up on Gilkicker.. providing some protection from the keen westerly and while fishing the flood from low.. it gives easy access to deep water, Gilkicker was the best of the options available. Despite being over the moon with the Conger exodus, last night, that all changed! A session with a wall to wall practical demonstration that they are still very much with us, sadly! Most surprisingly for me, straps of a fair size, picking up baits fished close into the shore for Bass!! I've attached pictures of the biggest one caught of the session.. caught by my pal but I had the dubious honour of holding it up for his snaps.

The UK is losing its mine hunting capability in the not to distant future with the transfer of its current roster of HUNT / SANDOWN classes promised to bolster Ukrainian Navy, this has triggered an escalation of its replacement. I believe the vision is to have an autonomous MINE HUNTING capability / remotely controlled in much the same way drones are today.

The vessel pictured above is a concept being trialled by the RN, pretty sure it's a joint venture enterprise thus not an RN craft.

Well done on getting out and putting the graft in and creating memories for the kids. I'm on 3 sessions including one on baits for the weekend thus far, for sod all in return! Considerable distance and water covered, no Bass appear to be home.. stacks of Mullet about though. Yesterday, a mate told me he had Bream, Hounds, Ray and Dogs from the same beach we'd fished the night before..the following day in daylight. May Rot in the water, patchy up the harbour, range bait gear picking up occasional clumps on the line... Will slow things up till it clears. Out again on bait next Friday on more favourable tides.

Says he after crying off, having to dig a couple of holes.. you've changed! 🫣

A few hours on the lures last night with @Bones, our first session together this year. Weather, mizzle and a very slight westerly breeze to begin with and by 0130 or there abouts, the wind dropped away to nothing and a light fog decended.. weather wise, comfortably warm and pleasant evening to be out. Covered a fair amount of water bit sadly nothing doing on the lures. spooked fish on the walk back in an area already identified that holds a number of fish.. sometimes it's out of the crap sessions that lessons are learnt and new approaches are developed from.. for the most part I think Rag or Crab will be the way forward on this particular mark next time, bust out the light gear, floats and go again..

I imagine Doug to look something like this..