Adam F Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 Gordon and I took the opportunity today to have a day off and make the most of this cold snap - high pressure = flat seas! It was bloody cold at 7AM this morning in Verwood, -4c! Loading the boat seemed hard work and it hadn't got much warmer by the time she was launched at Wick. On the way out the wind chill froze the water on the screen again and the blinding sun in the east made navigation uncomfortable.... Anyway, at 8.30AM we were at at our chosen mark with multiple squid baits in position - my comment to Gordon was 'if we get one it will be in the next hour, with the end of the flood'. The tide was predicted to slack at 11 AM ish and then ebb until 4PM. Shortly after 10.30AM a huge Armada or boats rounded the headland and headed to toward us! More boats appeared through the light mist from the West, and within an hour we had over 30 charter boats around us!! Of course...it was the 2nd day of the IOW cod comp! Apparently 13 fish were caught on day one, the best going 20lb 9oz. Anyway, as I was talking to James about 10.30AM my rod whacks over!....the the 'doggie' that was nibbling the end for the last 10 minutes has grown - I dropped the phone and latched into the beast....after 10 minutes of praying 'please be a cod' a golden bronzed flank breaks the surface! The FIRST winter fish of the year!! It looked HUGE when it went in the net, but after getting on deck it was a little out of proportion - a massive head and belly that tapered away to nothing - still she went 14lb 12oz on the flat calm sea! Well chuffed! Just as we came onto slack it was Gordon's turn! Another cod - what a day!! As she broke the surface it became apparent why the fight was a little lack lustre, it was a ray! a nice one at that, just a shade under 12lb....11lb 12oz Thornback. I followed this up an hour later with a 2lb Spotted Ray...and apart from a few doggies that was it. Conditions were superb, sun was out, bacon and fresh egg rolls with a hot kettle all day and a few decent fish - certainly beats work!! Photos to follow later just to really rub it in!! James is out tomorrow so watch out! Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newboy Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 Nice fish, just hope the cod show up on the open comp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 Nice one Adam and a nice Ray gordon I was at work wondering who was out ther all day Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alun j. Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 Well done Adam ! Worth the trip when you get a good fish like that. How far south of the Needles did you travel ? Did that 'armada' of boats spread out........or was it close company? Are the tides big..........meaning big leads to get bait down. Looks like the weather will continue into the weekend , with Sun. forecast with less wind...........I'm trying to decide whether to try Needles grounds or stick to the Ledge where big bass were last weekend. Water temp. may be the decider; last weekend it was 13 C............ into double figures and I'd think of bass. Have these colder days had much effect?; what was it out there today? Back of my mind is the rminder that my pb bass was caught at the very end of Nov. , a couple of years ago. Are you out again this w.end?? Alun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBettle Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 I was out with my partner in crime (Martin McIntyre, soon to be a new member) from Southern Motorboats on Quest II. We had the pleasure of seeing Bliss II out from Poole. What a cracking boat she is! After a brief discussion with the boys on Bliss II, we headed to the ledge for the very start of the ebb. Doggie, doggie, pout, doggie. A couple of moves gained us a couple of mediocre whiting, so as Bliss II headed back west we punched tide over to the Needles and achored a couple of hndred metres from Wight Rebel at about 13:30. Doggie, doggie, doggie, pout. It wasn't our day, but what a beautiful day it was. I think the guys on Bliss II faired a little better as they had had a steady stream of Whiting by the time we parted company and we watched Wight Rebel T-bar a couple of medium Conger at the boat along with one whiting sized codling. I got the impression from the chatter on the radio that had it been a conger competition it would have been successful, but the cod were fairly few and far between. In hindsight I think we should have headed further south, but as bait was beginning to run low we stayed put around 1.5 miles south of the needles. Oh well, I have gained a few marks today, by "pinging" the charter boats with my radar and setting waypoints over their positions Well done on the Cod Adam! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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