Josh

So I was invited down to Cornwall for a close friends 90th birthday,

the plan was a surprise for him day out on one of the charters from looe boat to ourselves his daughter a friend granddaughter and I.

on the Tuesday,

so I’m not driving all that way without bringing my own boat …. Me and Ash drove down Saturday night, seperate, me towing arrived 2am’ish,Sunday 

head down for all over about an 1 n 45mins then we wer up n cooking bacon on the stove!

out of the harbour and looking for fresh bait don’t know why because the plan Was to hit the lures on the reefs, kind of just goes hand in hand though fresh bait , well we didn’t find mackerel , but we wer hit with launce and a good 20 or so !

on goes the live bucket.

off out to the marks and on goes a live eel ! 
first drift just about to wind up fully to re run the drift and  bang the spinning rod goes into C shape reel spinning off ! You can’t get beat a good pollack take (on the right gear) No matter how big sharks get !

we had a few more nice ones and no tiddlers which was nice.

after a while of slack we decided to try something different and pulled right tight inshore for bass.

new for me so I opted for a float to get far away from the boat we both did . And on goes a live eel and drifted over a shallow reef area,

20minutes in whilst  I was slow jigging on the other side of boat for wrasse. 
all hell breaks loose on the spinning rod with a float no where to be seen!

fish thrashing on the surface 30 yards away the most anxious battle fish head turning and diving away at the net running up the bow of the boat compete nightmare.

eventually graces the net ! A smidging under 6lb . I swear bass Look so big in the water and out . Such lumps.

After that I turned and noticed that my other rod I was jigging with must of caught bottom and snapped the tip… new rod too .. but I didn’t really care because I was made up with the bass !

a day off Monday as it was due for howling wind and rediclous rain ! Slept in the car again absolutely terrible for you.

then was out on the charter tues . It was a good day out but not bundles of fish .. was happy to be with the company when your 90 you may not get many more and inspiring to see him up on his feet fishing as hard as I can.

Next stop a blue shark bash Iv got a couple friends who need there first one so ! 
 

Josh.

oh .. a very unlucky lobster either raised his claw and ashes 4inch sidewinder hooked him or the lobster went for it we’ll never know specially now he’s brown bread.

oh pollack goujons tonight wer lovely 

and the bass 

Hi All

been a while, as there’s been nothing my end to report ha!

apart from 3 tow n backs from Kent to Cornwall and 4 days after the porgies in the spring, all with not the intended result. One good run that didn’t hook up but still. You gotta be in it to win it.

anyway Iv been trying to get out on more local ( but still a 2hr tow) ..the weather reads have been crap when Iv been free, and me and my mate Ash said even in the force 4 easterly read that we was concerned about for Monday we would do what we can and get out regardless.

well for starters the biggest win was the read was totally wrong and it was flat calm all day and we was in the water from

6am -8pm (sunburnt)

hunting around for bait fish a couple of stray mackerel came aboard to top up our frozen.

then we began drifting with worm on the banks for a bit till the tide was right for putting the anchor down for tope.

well no flatties on the drift and then 3hrs of dogs whilst trying for tope.

So a quick move and the spinners n slo-jigs come out and we soon found some decent Ballan wrasse after loosing one.

a pb for me 4lb.13oz I don’t know how it didn’t weigh up more it looked bloody enormous. 
 

another move on to a bank for flatties and no flatties but a nice eating size bass for the table a bonus

then one last stop on the way in for fresh mackerel then drift with live bait and boom a solid tope run she weighed just over 30. Good bit of sport and a lovely day on the water worked hard for the fish we had.

Josh

First trip out the mouth of the west side

after the last trip being improvised becuase of a bung plug situation.

newly done we headed out this Sunday out the needles

a First for me and a little nervy. was grateful to have a quicksilver  gunning its way behind then past me to steam through which gave me added confidence as the swell was quite up going through there. Which I did fail to account for with the previous days wind. 
 

anyway once we were through we anchored up knowing there wasn’t much tide left before slack then instantly into congers and then when we finally went slack we upped anchor and moved a little further west for the flood and continued with congers all day great sport best going 34lb. Live pouting or flappers as the ground was littered with them.

All in all a great day out came in the Solent to try for a cod for the last hour but not to be ! Always next time.

So trip planned for the lymington launch (as per last post)

arrived 7am ready for action

unstrapped boat ect ready to go 

bung plug in .

Turn , turn , click..... spin...

oh dear ....

threads gone... wow this is a first .

ok so now the trip is done... I’m head in hands gutted.

hold on i kno I’m keen but I’m not putting lives at risk over a cod ... 

hold on

There’s still some thread in there 🤣.

get the electric tape out . Thicken the screw head up in she went and much tighter ! Not as tight as normal but a damn sight tighter ..

gameplan was if in the unlikelyhood it was now to come out , whack the bilge on ... then throttle wide open to the beach’s.

to be fair I was confident with the bodge or I wouldn’t of gone.. anyway the fishing .

so plan was to go on a cherry pop south needles ground but with the above I felt a little better about staying in the Solent also a first, I usually fish the east IOW.

found some ground set the anchor a little way away from the masses of boats.

We were straight into straps from the off and a steady flow of pouts coming in bursts.

about half way thru the day I had a solid bite that I was convinced was a cod and turned out to be a better conger of the standard we was getting Rebait drop down 

off it goes again . Another eel I said to Charlie , ‘Yeah pulling really hard defo another eel .’

up she came my first in years ! 

into the cool box.

thankyou very much.

‘twas the only one but a very happy bunny . Absolutely flat calm eary foggy water all day.

a salvage success !

josh