JDP

They are proper bogas yeah. But it's hard to read them accurately when the short Solent chop is at play, so a digi scale gave a clearer indication. 

..... I could have caught loads. 
But I wanted to get an early Solent unicorn. 
That didn't happen. But a second biggest bass of 8.37lb did happen and I'll take that all day. 
Had a couple more bream, a snake and an LSD (where have they been?). 
Went home and filleted the bass which will provide 3 people 2 good meals each. One in the form of a fish pie, the other to be determined!! 
 

 

 

 

Was that a bit of high sticking or just a poor quality rod, bent butt rods make it hard for clients to high stick.  You would think the reels drag setting would stop any failure of the rod unless it was either of what I mention. Lucky it was an acid wrap or the line could of most likely broke where the rod had on the rough edge, which may of ended up with the fish dragging the teaser bar bar and line. 
Are you not using circles on the sharks, or did this one get a circle hooked deep somehow. 
Incredible to see watts on offer back there in terms of fishing.

No high sticking, I think the blank must of taken a knock at somepoint. 
 
Totally agree on the bent butt, easier on angler too…
The other 2 were a lot smaller so it’s amazing the different classes of fish that are running at the moment. Hopefully they hang around for the weekend…

105 inches of shiny loveliness….
Snapped the rod after 30 mins, so the lucky angler kept going on tod and got it to the boat…
Stand up Stubby Style 🫣🫣

I was sent it to test from a manufacturer in Norway and it seems to work very well. There are three flavours, where this one caught all the fish and other fish species I didn't keep. The snapper have been very quiet to catch lately, to the point I caught more using this yesterday than my daughter has in her last three charters. Normally I don't use any of these products as I like the fact lure fishing is so clean not having to handle bait but this turned what I believe would of been a no action day into a quality catch. 

In regards to the species, some call them red snapper, some pink snapper but really they aren't snapper at all but more part of the bream family. 

Gave the boat some exercise and brought home a few meals. All soft plastic work in 65m of water.

  
 



 

That's very good performance, about what I got from a Suzuki DF140 on a far smaller boat. I found my Suzuki engines to very quite, surprised you are finding it noisy. I sea trialled a Df 100 a few months ago and was impressed how smooth and quiet it was even at 6000rpm, however that was on a 15ft centre console, so didn't have to work very hard to push that boat along. 

Sorry, don't know any good chandlers, there were a few on the Isle of Wight where I used to live but moved to the other side of the world now. I do have a full hydraulic steering set as a spare which came as part of a package deal with an engine I bought a few months ago but the postage would be way to much to send to the UK.

There's often around 50 anglers fishing that platform, all targeting game fish. Fish of around 100kg are often taken back up the cliff whole, something this size I doubt would have gone up in one piece. However it's also common for the lads to get friends with trailer boats to come around from the near by boat ramp and tow fish back to the boat ramp. Ive never fished the areas from land but do tow my boat up there. Most boat anglers are obviously aware of the people fishing from the rocks and allow enough space incase anyone has something big on and also incase they get called over by crazy waving anglers needing assistance. Personally I would put money on that fish being taken back by boat in order to get it weighed officially to make the record claim it's taken.

There are videos of people catch and release fish from this spot. As mentioned there are often very many people fishing the spot, who work together when something is hooked like this. There are spots here where the angler will stay higher above the water while others will go lower on the platform to gaff or release fish just like bringing a fish boat side. The water is very deep from the steep ledges, ropes are used a fair amount. Fish are estimated of weight without needing to brought from the water just like on a boat and just like from a boat, some are kept to eat. 

It's not for me, far to hectic and time consuming. Most marlin we hook in the boat are released under 15mins thanks to boat work. The guys on the rocks have already committed to catch and kill most of the time before they leave home.
 

But if you catch and land one at the base of a cliff AND beach it, how do you get it up? If you can't, surely a beast that size would squash its innerds before you could picture and release? How do they release if beach anyway?

Cheers for the anode update, just saw a youtube video but never stopped to watch.
2022 engine probably about 100 hours use coming up. Missed the second years service through lack of use.
Getting 32knots that was a short run at wot, but cruises easy 25 I have other toys that do the speed thing.
I have from the start thought it quite a noisy engine. Not sure if its an engine/boat combination issue. The suzuki service centre checked it out and says its running perfect but it is a bit irritating.
Any idea who a good Chandler or source is for boat kit. Steeringbin my next purchase.
Cheers

How old is the df 100 ? make sure you regularly pay attention to the powerhead anodes as they normally need replacement around 12 months whether you have put many hours or not on the motor. The plugs also have a short life compared to other outbounds, expect to get around 100hrs from them. 

Fitting hydraulic yourself isn't to hard, Ive done it and Im far from mechanical. Post some performance figures when you get out on it and take note of the max rpm the engine reaches and prop size and pitch as its a big looking boat for a small engine, so correct prop size will be very important. 

Around 40m depth, don't know about specific studies re survival rates

I was sent it to test from a manufacturer in Norway and it seems to work very well. There are three flavours, where this one caught all the fish and other fish species I didn't keep. The snapper have been very quiet to catch lately, to the point I caught more using this yesterday than my daughter has in her last three charters. Normally I don't use any of these products as I like the fact lure fishing is so clean not having to handle bait but this turned what I believe would of been a no action day into a quality catch. 

In regards to the species, some call them red snapper, some pink snapper but really they aren't snapper at all but more part of the bream family. 

I won't bore you with the travel details because, well they're boring
Two flights and a ferry ride later, we arrived at Sandland Brygge at around 8pm last Wednesday 14th August 2024
The 7 of us were met by the owners/hosts Steiner and Stina who loaded our luggage and gear into their van for the very short 2 min drive to the digs, far easier than trying to drag a weeks worth of food, drink, clothes, tackle ourselves
We had one of the 2, 8 birth lodges which are clean, comfortable and full of all the appliances you will need
Anyway, we unpacked and 2 of us had a safety briefing on the self drive boats (6.5m all aluminium with 150 suzuki 4 strokes which you can see towards the end of the first video, there are also a couple of 7.5m boats with 200 suzukis on the back) 
Briefing done, it was time for supper and an early night
Day 1, Thursday
Luckily, a few of the lads had been here last year, so knew a few marks that we went straight out to
This threw up some nice Cod (not massive I know, but Cod) and smaller Coalies, there must litterally be hundreds of thousand of them, as this was the scene on pretty much every mark we went to

Despite the abundance of bait fish, it wasn't as frantic as I expected/was assured, there was no wind and a very little tide which I decided was the reason
Not a disaster 
Day 2, Friday
High wind and heavy, prolonged showers
Spent most of the day looking for shelter out of the wind (which you can always find somewhere in one of the fjords) getting wet and pulling the odd few fish up
Did try for Plaice, but drift was all over the place and horizontal rain, though I did manage a Dab of over a 300mm
No pictures as too wet
Not a good day
Day 3, Saturday
Good weather
Thought we would try some deeper water (150m +) very difficult to get 2 drifts the same even when starting at the exact same point (not just today, pretty much every day)
Had fish on every mark when the lines weren't kiting too much

 

As well as the Cod and Coalies, we also had their equivalent of dogfish, Torsk, which can be a nuisance
A bit of a cross between a Ling, a cod and a Rockling
 
We also picked up a few Wolf fish, they call them Catfish up there
Ugly critters with razer teeth and a jaw like a hydraulic crusher, but nice eating apparently


Finished the day off trying for Plaice
I think we had between 15 and 20 between the 3 of us, with this being the best of the day
5lb 6oz

Had a couple of double hook ups with 3.5/4lb fish which initially I though was a double figure fish, ashamed to say I was a bit disappointed when I saw 2 fish coming up 🫣
This was my most enjoyable day up to now
Day 4 Sunday
Carbon copy of Friday, blustery winds and heavy showers with much the same results
Managed a few Plaice towards the end of the day as the wind turned and made the drift the right direction
This was around 4lb IIRC

Day 5 Monday
Great forecast so we set off for the "pig farm" some reefs and drop offs around 6/7 miles off the NE of Loppa
Very quiet for both boats all morning, though the few fish that were caught were worth the wait
First in were the lads on the other boats, one of them (Smurf) dropped a dead bait down and as soon as it hit the bottom, his rod went bananas
This was the result

Took the treble deep, so wouldn't go back, went 66lb when weighed some 6 hrs later
Was very probably 70lb when caught, he was over the moon, could hear the cheers (from his boat and one close by) a mile away
Smurfs mate will copied his tactics and was rewarded with it's smaller sibling 20 mins or so later
Will's (on right) went 34lb, looks like a minnow next to the monster
Will also caught the only Red fish of the trip
Our boat wasn't faring so well, until Paul also dropped a deadbait down and was rewarded with the best Halibut of the trip
Scales were bouncing between 38 and 42lb, so we generously gave him 39lb 😁
Will also picked up a halibut earlier on in the week of around 20lb
To be continued on next post

The owner of the resort also has a 12m cat he charters out to the better, further away marks where the small, self drive boats aren't allowed to go
Its around 30 miles and apparently you aren't insured that far out, so charter is the only way and was highly recommended
A late start at 12.30 due to offshore winds early on and after a near 2 hr steam, we're dropping onto a huge reef system that can be drifted for a few hrs at a time with the right winds
A couple of winds up on my first drop produced this 
Deck hand Dave estimated at low 20's, who am I to argue
This was the stamp of fish that we were all catching on pretty much every drop, fair play they go like a train when they take the lure
After half a dozen of these, I sent a dead bait down, hoping for a big Cod or a Halibut
After about an hour and 3 bait changes, all I had caught was a Torsk (bastard fish) because that's what you call them when you see they're not a Cod or Coalie, had a few decent tugs, but couldn't connect and watching the rest of the boys pulling in fish in the mid 20's I was getting a bit tetchy, so went back to lures
In the mean time, Will had hooked and landed a Cod of 52lb, which unfortunately didn't go back, but would be given to some locals as is the case if they're too damaged and not wanted by the angler
I haven't got a pic of him holding it, so this will have to do
 
I had a couple of high teens and early 20lb Cod on a 9" lead headed lure (similar to a Sidewinder in design) so thought I'd try the biggest in the box and just target Cod
This was what the Norway veterans called "cut baits" mine was an imitation Puffin around a foot long !!!
Sent it down and they were hitting it as soon as it hit the bottom, plenty of the same size as earlier (huge for over here, just run of the mill over there)
I was hit by another 20lb + (or so I thought) and when the lunges became a bit more severe and line was being stripped off my reel, I was hoping this was something a bit better
It was, it was a 50 +
56lb 6oz and my PB ( a never to be beaten PB unless I go back out in 2026)
Because all fish are pulled up slowly and allowed to expel air as soon as you can see them (farting them) about 5/10 meters down, the majority go back unharmed like torpedos, 
This one also went back, seemingly none the worse for seeing my ugly mug, which is nearly as satisfying as catching it
Though, when I saw the size of it under the water, my arse was twitching a bit thinking that at any second i was going to loose it
2 drops later using the same method, I was hit by something bigger/stronger that I got up off the bottom by a few meters, only to watch my reel release a few more
Played tug of war for a few minutes and started gaining, then watched my reel give out more line than I had initially reeled in
So started the battle again and managed to get it, probably, 30m up after another 10 mins or so
Then I just went light and the expletives were ringing out
Whatever it was ( Cod or Halibut) was certainly a good fish
Got the lure to the surface and could see that my line had wrapped around the gape of the hook, probably disgorging the fish it fought
Ah well, there's always next time......
A pic of the lures we were using, with a 6" sidewinder for scale
I also caught a small, 5/6 lber on the Puffin lure, greedy buggers
A few other photos from the charter day and earlier
Had this view from our lodge a few mornings
To sum up my view, not as busy as I was told it would be, high water temps probably didn't help, the charter boat is a must if you go out there
But still very good fishing compared to what we have here
I will probably go back in 2026, 2025 fully booked 
 

Gave the boat some exercise and brought home a few meals. All soft plastic work in 65m of water.

  
 



 

Gave the boat some exercise and brought home a few meals. All soft plastic work in 65m of water.

  
 



 

So today saw the yam get hoisted down from the mezanine in readiness to prep it to go on the back of the jack tar......
Will soon be a follow up of going through the service items and getting it bolted on.....

I will get round to ordering the parts this week, so can get moving on this........

Yes you most certainly can control those conditions. In this diagram you can see how you can move the boat left or right. You can also put a drogue out the back to help hold in the tide.

You would think, however the charging port isn't. She's gone through three in 12 months and doesn't seem to learn. She was wearing a waterproof jacket with sealed pockets but won't put her phone in those pockets as it takes to long to get it out. Myself and the other young lad avoided getting into that situation, however my daughter seems to have very little sense in regards to safety, how ever many times things happen to her.

Yes you most certainly can control those conditions. In this diagram you can see how you can move the boat left or right. You can also put a drogue out the back to help hold in the tide.

Had Gary ( @thejollysinker) out for a trip yesterday. He was on holiday locally and dropped a line for a trip. By chance had space so he joined us for an expedition to the deeps. 
 
What an all round nice guy 🙂 was great to have him aboard! Sadly I didn’t find him a blue whiting for the species hunt was a fast drift, and a bit lumpy… (LOTS of pot holes and speed bumps in the sea on way out and back in again, but cat bashed her way through) 
Gary did manage one blue…. Took a while to get it in. I did learn some new colloquial phrases from Devon that apparently aren’t safe for social media… but I can’t blame him when this little smiler popped up next to the boat after a heavy 35 min scrap 🙂 
Top work that man, expertly played, tagged and released… 🙂 
Another 5 finished off the day nicely 🙂 
 
 

Went to the beach in hope of a decent mulloway or hound. Haven't been for a while and to be honest I'm 4-5 days early for the best tide and moon phase. No end of salmon in the 2kg size which we use for bait, so loaded up on some of those for the first 20 mins before setting out a slab fillet. Took my daughter and the young lad I often fish with who now works for my daughter on the charter boats. 

I was fishing 3m traces on pulley rigs, joined to around 10m of 80lb wind on leader, all 80lb tackle and a single 10/0 circle. My rod got smacked by something, buckling over in the holder with line ripping for the reel. I got the young lad on it as Im still struggling with a bad back at the moment. With very aggressive head shakes and around 250m+ already from the reel, this thing wasn't slowing at all, until ping, it was gone. Obviously not what we were after as I was only fishing 80lb mono traces, however it wouldn't of made any difference if I had wire as the line was shredded at least 15m back up the main line. Im struggling to get my head around why it was damaged by obvious teeth and rough skin abrasion so far up the main line. Unless there had been several sharks and my line somehow got around another shark, it didn't make sense and something Ive not had happen so far up the main line. It may of started off as a decent fish or hound that was attacked by a far bigger shark possibly, which could account for the line been roughed up over such a length as the sharked chased it.

There are lost of great whites currently feeding on the masses of salmon schools and a species of shark Ive hooked on this same beach before. It could have been a large whaler shark hunting in packs but the fact the other two rods didn't get touched was really odd if that was the case. Anyway that's fishing, was a bit of fun and will try a different beach in a day or so, just trying to decide if to take the boat out now. Oh yes and its mid winter, so chilly here at the moment.