Changed Plans......

[alun j.]

Simon and myself were keen [ all week ] to get to Weymouth and fish for bass. The grotty forecast and lack of communication here made it all sound doubtful and a call from Paul D. didn't make it sound any more likely to be 'on'........so we thought of alternative and comfortable action if it was as bad as forecasts.

 

Lymington seemed a good fallback...... with a chance to venture out of the Solent if weather was better and shelter from the East if not.

 

A very calm start soon freshened up.....and mackeral proved very hard [ for us ] to find. Our trip towards the Needles was soon abandoned with incresing swells and Totland Bay was fruitless , save an odd doggie.

 

Another try for mackeral at the Sconce was a big zero [ good job we'd brought some frozen]. Whilst Neo went off to find some success on Hamstead Ledge, we tied up near the wreck east of Yarmouth....... a lovely sheltered spot in an Easterly; deep water close inshore......... but boy the tide belts through; over a lb. of lead needed , even with fine 20 lb. braid. But , with a decent bait hard on the bottom, some action came in a series of explosive action......... punctuated by increasing weed nuisance. Small [ish] bream first, with the odd better one; then some big fish lost [tackle too light, too short, up too tight to big lead] rays were around [ spotted ones but small], then some 3 to 4 lb bass hitting both rods at once.

 

Neo reappeared for last hour......but weed getting the best now.

 

Not a hectic day's fishing but the warm sun and cosy spot made me think that fishing andweather forecasting have a fair bit of luck and art mixed in with the science!

 

Alun.

 

PS. Well done to those who got to Weymouth; any news from Burnham ??

[Paul D]

Decided to fish locally having seen the forecast ( not being one for being chucked around all day, and I was taking Soleman for his first trip on a small boat ).

 

As the forecast wind was southerly, decided that a trip out of Lymington would be good as shelter from the IOW would be good. Alun J was of a similar mind, so off to Lymo we headed.

 

Exiting the harbour and the sea was flat as a pancake. Full chat to the sconse buoy and bagged up with mackeral on our first two drifts.

 

Headed for the needles but seeing how rough it was out there tried in Totland Bay. Had one bass to a mackeral squid cocktail - my live joey being ignored.

 

At slack water steamed to the smoothy mark ( 22 knots all the way - it was that flat ) and 1 hour or so there had nothing apart from a small bream to John.

 

Tried a bit further out and caught a joey. Put this to use on Hampstead ledge where I was into a bass on first drift. No more joeys though and tried stormies but without success.

 

Headed back to hook up with Alun and Simon before steam back to Lymington.

 

Southerly wind is no problem whatseover in the Solent