First Smut Of The Year

[BigMac]

Left the mooring Saturday at 7.45 and out across the bar at Mudeford with prop intact at 8.05. Rupert opens up the throttle and we're on our way to the banks 9 mile south of Atherfield.

 

40 minutes later and we arrive at our first mark, a bank in 35m of water rising to 28m. We haven't fished this bank for 2 years and despite spending half an hour doing an extensive grid search, we fail to find it Does anyone else experience disappearing banks? This is 4 banks that we fished last year or the year before that are now flat ground!!

 

On to the next one, about 6 miles east and we're on it first time The bank has a steep face on the eastern side and a gradual slope on the western side, lending itself to fish better on the ebb than the flood for the Blonde rays we're targeting. We drop the pick and she bites first time, (new 15kg bruce anchor and chain, great advice, thanks guys) leaving us sitting nicely, 70m from the face of the bar.

 

Its a race to get baits to the bottom, one with the good old faithful launce/squid wrap and the other with a mackerel head flapper ( had a 12lb bass last time out this way on a flapper) both on 6/0 pennels on 80lb trace and a pound and a half keeps it on the bottom.

 

The mackerel is off within 10 minutes and I,m playing a heavy fish that is definetly a round fish rather than a ray and it's not an eel. Never will know, it hung on for two or three minutes and the hook pulls Felt like a big bass to me

 

Ruperts away next with a blonde that goes 17lb on the uptider and follows it 20 minutes later with another of 12lb. I seem to have dogfish attractors on and try to keep them away from Rupe's bait as much as possible so that he can catch the proper fish. He catches a pout and then I hook a ray at last, and its a blonde barely out of the egg sack at about 4lb. Still a blonde is a blonde.

 

The tide dies, and we resign ouselves to fish one rod a piece under the boat durring slack water. Rupe's squid and eel picked up by a fish that gives a great account of itself and a bass hits the surface to be scooped up in the net before it knows whats happening. 5 months since Rupe's eaten bass. and a 5lber will do nicely The wind keeps us in place pretty well and then I hook a lively fish that turns out to be a nice little smut about 5lb followed 10 minutes later with another of 8lb before the kennel descends on us, for an hour, before we pull the pick and anchor on the west side of the bank for the flood.

 

The dogs stay with us on the flood, apart from a small eyed of about 7lb, and we decide to call it a day, at 4.00, and head home. Leaving the uptider till last, when I pick it up a ray has hung itself and it turns out to be the best blonde of the day at 19lb

 

Back on the mooring for 5.15, and another great day out on "Aquafresh"

 

Allan

 

[Newboy]

Great report and glad the fish are starting to play at last.

[alun j.]

Well done chaps .......... sounds like good planning comes to fruition....

 

......... and a nice calm day to enjoy it.

 

 

Fresh bass.......... yum, yum !! We had a piece out of the freezer on Fri.; well past its best, oily fish like these don't keep their flavour well after a few months.

 

Sounds like better fishing will be here soon for us , inshore guys !!

 

Alun.

[TomBettle]

Well done Allan.

 

Great going. I may ave to try ad tag along on one of your Blonde pulling trips oneday!

 

All the best

Tom

[BigMac]

Tom

 

your more than welcome to tag along anytime. A tide of less than 1.7m at Lymington and the banks fish well. Give it another 6 weeks or so and there's a chance of that big tope you talked about!!!!

 

Great fishing down that way cause the charter boats can give most of their crews a reasonable days fishing by burning half the amount of diesel and traveling half the distance. We nearly always have it to ourselves

 

We'll keep in contact and set it up.

 

cheers

 

Allan