Fri - Sat. ..........

[alun j.]

First a big 'thank you' to Duncan for inviting me for two long sessions on Phaeton with him and Dave. A superb boat for fishing and travelling in style and comfort ; good company and a huge help on the learning curve fishing new grounds and methods new to me.

 

Fri evening on a flat sea and in warm sunshine held lots of promise ....... but we struggled to find the mackerel in all the expected places. We then steamed [zoomed!!] out to a wreck [ which wasn't there !!] , then on to a huge one even further out [easier to find] where I tried leadheads and shads for the first time and we got some pollock to about 8 lbs.

A return to Dancing Ledge area as the sun was going down didn't find the bream but a freshening Easterly against the flood making fishing uncomfortable even on Phaeton. So a cruise back to Rockley to prepare for an early start on Sat.

 

.........which dawned sunny with just a touch of that easterly left........ but enough to push up a swell to give a bumpy ride out to the Rips [ as others have commented] ......... it reminded me a bit of the Shambles, seeing a tight group of boats drifting and making ground ...... and the presence of Sundance, there from Lymington, seemed a good omen.

Fast learning , fishing for the first time in 80 metres of water drifting at over 2 kts. One eye on the sounder to watch the bottom coming up and the instant response through braid with these solid carbon rods saved a lot of hang ups and I only lost one shad. I found the bites unusual, with fish hitting the retrieve; and alot of winding to do.

Fishing was impressive, with good looking fish; Dave started with a brill of 3.5, Duncan had a cod of just under 7 to go with the pollack and I just got pollack , but the best one, at about 8. [ difficult using digital scales on a swaying deck]. Fishing died with the tide, so we started back and stopped on a gulley 2/3 the way; magnet brought a few mackerel and a feisty spurdog for Dave [ over 11 lbs].

 

For the evening, Duncan brought us back to a mark near St. Aldhams and we were soon into rays on the last of the ebb. All undulate rays, the biggest went 12lbs.10....... a nice fish but not a 'specimen' for this comp. The flooding tide 'killed' the action and a try out on Peveral Ledge couldn't raise any bream or bass.

 

Thanks again to Duncan for a marvelous experience I'd love to repeat sometime.

 

Cheers,

 

Alun.

[alun j.]

I think my memory of weights taken at sea is as wobbly as those digital scales numbers......... my excuse is they not going to be significant in comp. stakes , so filed in different bit of brain !!

 

I will agree with Duncan's tally.......... esp. as he was so good with all the numbers , marks and skipper and seamanship skills.

 

Alun.

[duncan]

hehe you had me double checking my notes and you were right about Dave's spur but did yourself out of a whole 1lb on your ray.

 

As you say fun but no prizes!

 

Enjoyed your company and glad you enjoyed the trip.