Hoop

too close for comfort 
I thought I was done for 
these swam under the boat about 5ft clear 
terrifying but most amazing experience 
the video footage is cool Iv just screenshotted some bits here 
 
 
 

He was about 7 in that pic. Later in his life he preferred caps!! 
 

 

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. 

He's cute, labs are just the best. We had a chocolate one for 13 years. He was the sweetest thing. 
 

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.

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.

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 

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 

Good luck! 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Nice going Steve, sounds like an exciting time on the shingle!  @JDP Steve did say that he couldn't find his wire leaders!! 

Top effort Steve. Well done! Beats my weekend blank, so hats off to you 👍

Why not put a short wire leader instead of mono traces, sounds like they are getting the hooks down to deep if they keep snipping you off. We tend to rarely get bitten off on tope (bycatch) but we also fish with heavy drags and don't let the fish take line even with mono traces.
Great report, about time there was little action on here.

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.

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.

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.

We get no end of pesky dogfish here too, here’s my little girl with one.

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? 🫢

Not only is the movie aimed towards adults, its also aimed at men in modern life, all of course in a very funny way. Its also your duty as a dad to do what your 13yr old daughter asks of you, its won't be long before she won't ask you anything!!!!

Yes the Barbie stickers will hopefully be placed (if they arrive in time) at strategic places on the boat for a big trip coming up very soon. Its one of those trips where I will be towing the boat some 9000km and living offshore on a remote island off the Northern Territory. The trip will hopefully contain swimming with sharks, fishing among saltwater crocodiles and plenty of game fish species. Im hoping to get film and photographs from as much of the trip as possible with the Barbie stickers showing in the hope it will attract certain members form this site down under!!!!!
I will try my best on the nails but I find Im not so good at doing my right hand with my left hand, might need some tips from the left handers on here.

I’ve heard some shark anglers in south west use them as live bait…. Personally I don’t as too hard to find and I’d want to eat them 

Arrived quayside in sunshine around 7.30 this morning, everything looking good.
We headed out for a few drifts for mackerel and getting hit by bass on the feathers, mostly just under size, after 3-4 drifts, we had a single solitary mackerel.  So we moved further along and tried again..... Same result. I had 3 bass on one string, and when they all went the same way that was fun 😁.
3rd mark and finally started hitting some mackerel, nice size too, all keepers. Would be a shame to chop these for bait, but...... Next mark we finally hit some bait size macks, 3-4 drifts and we had enough. What a contrast to last trip where we were getting massive numbers of small bait fish but no keepers.....
Off to the top mark we went. By this time the wind has started picking up well beyond what was forecast. Just before the tide dropped out, my reel started clicking and sure enough, away it went. Lifted in to a nice 35lb fish which put up a very spirited fight. The joys of lever drag reels makes playing runners so easy tho. It was hooked a bit deep so the trace was cut to allow the hook to rust out rather than harm the fish trying to retrieve it.
The wind continued to pick up and the decision was made to head back to the mark we were picking the bass up from rather than getting the sh*t kicked out of us as we would be wind against tide....... But the sea kept building and in the end the trip was cut short with several sightings of Huey and his brothers.