Scotch_Egg2012

It is a failsafe release I've never not had it deploy the contents. Made a huge difference when Bream fishing last year

I use this successfully in an around the Solent, 316 stainless.

There has been a few landed from the Dolphin Bank over the last couple of weeks, not heard of any coming from our side yet but it won't be long Had the weather played ball this weekend we would have had a go for them. Been quite a good showing of them Brighton way

We faffed for a similar amount of time, tried the net. Did think rope but we were in 4kts of tide so scrapped that idea. I think the dog grabber type tool is likely the way I'll go if I want to boat them.

We only try to weigh the bigger ones as they're likely to be a PB or boat record, anything below 35 estimated gets T barred off. I was trying to land exactly like that onto the swim platform and then through the stern door, the rig must of had a nick or been rubbed as I got it out up to it pectorals before the 80lb rig body parted just off from the wire. I hate leaving tackle in fish so wasn't best pleased with that.

That's the route I'm looking at

That's the 3rd bigger one we've lost boat side going to find a different way of landing them

Headed back out to last week's mark to see if we could bag some more Spurdogs. We had a small weather window and around 10am it was almost a spring like day 12 degrees on the thermometer and the see totally flat. Spurs didn't read the script and didn't show but we had a nice by catch of Blonde rays, Smoothound and a very nice 40lb+ Tope which we managed to loose whilst trying to get it on board, weren't prepared for it so had to improvise the landing on rigs that weren't up to the task the end result was very predictably challenging and not entirely unexpected. The big ones are always a pain to land.

I think it depends on your chosen quarry, some species are lovers of deeper marks other not so much. I go searching for a particular feature that will likely produce my quarry rather than go for depth. Blonde rays being a good example, I have caught them on shallower grounds but also deeper ones, the key I look for is a series of sandbanks with a good run of tide. A tactic I use which has come with me from shore fishing is to research the most consistent marks for your chosen quarry, one that produces them year after year. Then put the time in to learn whether they fish better on the Ebb or Flood, Big or Small tides. Yes fish can turn up anywhere but you cut your chances on a mark with little history of producing what you want.

Well done for getting out, we had very much the same on Saturday, 6 miles off St Catherine's and it was lumpy, should have been 5-6mph NW but was more Westerly and well over 10mph

No just standard J hooks, we found the Spurs didn't hit hard and fast, very gentle tugs and a few pull downs but didn't break the lead out, maybe different with a bit of tide run though

Very much pack hunters & fast moving so once you hit the first one time is of the essence before they move on

Spurs clearly visible in the image when you zoom in

On the front of each dorsal fin

Headed out with Ray today prospecting a mark for Spurdogs. Stopped off of the Camswan wreck on the way out to try and obtain some pout & whiting for bait and to burn up some time so we could hit the mark at St Catherine's in a fishable state. We picked up a few pout for bait and moved out to scout the area for likely looking banks that we suspected should hold Spurdogs. Settled on a good looking spot and dropped the pick, which we struggled with in the tide, we aimed to fish the last hour of the flood, slack and then the start of the ebb. I was fishing 1 uptide and 1 downtider, Ray decided on 3 uptiders and a downtider. We actually managed to get the uptiders dug in in the 3kts of tide and 115ft foot depth with 8ozs. Out went the first of our baits and very quickly the bites commenced, we landed 3 Blonde rays in fairly quick succession, 2 for Ray 1 for me, followed by an Eel a piece in the 35lb range. It was nice to be able to really lean into a fish that put up a real battle in the tide. As the tide dropped slack the bites changed and we boated 4 Spurdogs one after the other 3 on Rays uptiders at the same time and one on mine. As quickly as they came they went and we hit into a run of smaller strap eels. Only managed the 1 picture of the biggest Spur of the day 15.75lbs, mine had taken the hook down and was bleeding so I quickly unhooked and returned and didn't bother with a picture, weighed somewhere in the 13lb range. Better tides next weekend so weather permitting we will head back A good day on the fish just a shame the weather was not as forecast

I would but I'm rubbish at remembering to take photos, I didn't take any today and don't normally like to report without some photo's

Glad you managed some fish on the numbers, we headed there today in hope of a Spurdog or 2, sounds like a rinse and repeat. We stopped counting the Eels after passing the 40 mark. Also had a Thornie, pout, whiting and either a very late or very early Smoothound. Eels were hitting the uptiders as soon as the bait hit the bottom not giving any thing else a chance to home in

As a very general tip for Nab end, on the big tides stay on the marks inside of the Nab tower excluding Pullar as that runs hard on springs, small tides the outer marks come into play, so Utopia, Spoils, Kelp beds etc there is a lot more to the marks than that but that will generally see you able to fish on any tides without heading out and then finding out you need 5lb to hold bottom

I've got a mark on the inner Nab that has been an absolute whiting fest recently with a few in the 2.5lb range, the odd conger and Ray and always a chance of a Cod. I can PM the numbers if you want, it's 9 miles from Pompey Harbour entrance so shorter from Langston or Chichester

That's a shot of the Over falls as you can see many many banks, take your pick, spurs will move all over them

More important is depth, we look for the marks over 70ft and then we're looking for the banks in those depths, we have quite a few. The Overfalls, Cuba plus Utopia (which is a long gulley known for Hounds and Tope) all of those produce Spurs, the problem this time of year is getting the small tides you need coupled with a weather window calm enough to get on them, I've been trying since end of October but it hasn't happened yet. Ray got out Boxing day near Cuba and had 2 very good takes on his Cod baits resulting in 2 clean bite offs, typically I couldn't get out with him else I'd have been on a wire biting trace

Yep, Spurdogs will be the target, been itching to get out since xmas

I've sen them used on Spurdogs to great effect

Haha, put the reel in free spool as if casting. Hold the spool in thumb and forefinger and move the spool sideways. There should be a very small amount of side to side play, if there is none the reel can be snatchy and cause birds-nests when casting

So those numbers are for setting the end float on the spool. Allow a little bit of sideways play on the spool and she will run fine