Mike Fox

I would agree it is a shame that more didn't register for the species competetion. I find it a fun format, needing skill (and luck) in targetting multiple species, and is a great leveler, allowing the inshore boats a fighting chance against the offshore ones. I would agree that it can be frustrating - especially as today, when a couple on board had bagged up on bream, but someone else wanted to stay put to get their maximum. Another point of frustration arises as mentioned earlier, when if the fish of one species are feeding well, an "artificial" move to find something else can be irritating when you could otherwise have a great day in one spot. I like the suggestion of having parallel specimen and species comps - everyone fishes, everyone has a chance, and if the fish are feeding, hey, just stay put and try and get a good one. If only small stuff appears, and you give up all hope of "The Big One", then why not try to get amongst the points/prizes by trying for more variety. "Both" gets my vote! Mike

Brilliant fish! I've had them to 4lb there, and been broken up by bigger ones, so knew a specimen was on the cards! Well done. Mike

Left the berth for the 7.30 lifting bridge at Poole, and motored straight for our offshore reef getting there slightly after our planned start time of 9.a.m. (it's a long way at 6 knots!). The place was quiet, just a couple of charter boats nearby, but our mark was free of them for a change. We did half a dozen drifts on the last of the flood, holding over the favoured spots at slack water. As soon as the ebb started, we lobbed the 5kg "lunchpick" just uptide of the mark, veering 50m of warp, hoping we might hold (after snapping a double cable-tie last weekend), and getting a good grip first time. As soon as the anchor bit, we were into the bream, getting bite after bite on mackerel strip, rag or baby squid. Carol and I bagged up quickly on the bream, but George was plagued by poor cod, and the occasional pout - despite using similar tactics. We eventually decided that his 1oz (casting weight) ultra-light spinning gear might lack the strike power to hook the bream when at anchor in tide, and a trip to the tackle shop may well be on the cards soon! We lobbed groundbait over, to create a surface slick for mackerel and garfish, but George could only grab a couple of mackerel on the float before the urge to re-join the bream fun got too much to resist. Carol decided to change tactics, and went for the smallish pollack we know are around, and bagged up on those too, to add to her Pout and Bream bags, and got a maximum 4 there too. Eventually, the tide got a bit too much for George's light gear, and we up-anchored, and drifted the length of the rough alternating over rock and smooth ground, risking tackle accordingly. The hardbacks couldn't squeeze out any smoothhound, the joeys refused to find any bass, the mackerel flappers were mangled by something that kept taking chunks (first one fillet, then the other), but not the hook, and the Wrasse Queen drew a most uncharistic blank! Evenutually, I managed a couple of wrasse to prove they were there, but drifting was grim! We eventually decided to try for doggies closer to Poole where we had 3 yesterday, but they were probably reserving their seats for the football. We then had a drift on the Patches to see if Carol and George could get wrasse, but that blanked too. Eventually we tried a mark in the harbour we knew might produce different species for us all, but with a big ebb scouring up all of the weed, it was near impossible. Eventually, I managed a fish, but it was back to the small, spiny and ineligible...a Tompot Blenny, and then the 7 hours was up! Great day out, despite the showers and frustration in failing on the drift, and a fair bag of fish with 49 eligible ones, plus the others. Mike, Carol and George

I would Charlie, but am imagining a weekend of fishing, catching my traditional undersized, spiny and inedible specimens, in readiness for having them disallowed in the species competition for being unlisted (as well as probably unidentifiable). Hope the boat is up together and out this weekend! Mike

Frisky will be out with the usual crew, fishing some usual and less usual marks. Will have to change plans to avoid catching poor cod and black goby, cos they weren't allowed last time. 10 species is the target then Paul? Bagging up with 4 of each too? Based on last week's effort, 10 different sizes of pout seems more likely for us. Mike, Carol and George

Thanks chaps.... So to summarise... fish West of club waters to find the mackerel or off Christchurch, use the mackerel near Poole Bridge with a weighted float (use up to 2 tons of lead to be sure), just off the bottom, where the fish won't bother to swim more than 3 metres for a bait....unless I got something wrong.... I'm worried now there won't be room to fish there in the species comp this weekend. Mike PS Sounds like I'll be scratching around for bait again then....

Seems that there has been a number of posts suggesting that meckerel are in short supply this year! I have seen posts elsewhere suggesting that the Danes have a target of 100,000 tonnes of sandeels this year - suggesting a potential cause for their decline. Any other suggestions? We only managed 3 mackerel all of last weekend, and with a comp coming up for Sunday, I just wondered if anyone could suggest a good place to acquire some fresh mackerel for bait in the Poole area? Also saw some people float fishing with live mackerel last week. Did wonder what depth to try? Suggestions welcome. Mike

Good luck with the Solent smoothounds! Just as a note of interest, when we fished the Solent during half term, we had loads of whelks attached to the peeler, soft and hard-back crab baits we used. Made an unusual by-catch! Rick Stein believes that whelks lightly blanched, then sliced and stir-fried taste like abelone. It might take a large jury to convince me it's worth trying however, unless someone out there knows differently....? Mike

Thanks Tom for clarifying! Seems your man is not alone, however, and there are more than a few idiots out there, who could cause a few problems (if not real danger) for club members. Mike

Large motor cruiser named "J" something? They have TWICE got us with their wash this year. First time was approaching the East Looe markers off Poole, and they overtook us at high speed. The wash caught us almost full on the beam, as I hardly had chance to turn into it, and was so bad that stowed items below fell and broke! We must have been knocked over to 45

What a superb bream Paul! When I saw the net come out I suspected it was something special. It was a flat calm day on the Rough when we arrived. We only had a few squid and manky worms (following a frustrating day off Swanage yesterday with wrasse to 4lb) so we trolled for mackerel on the way over. Not many about this year, but we managed 3 for bait. We anchored on my numbers, fairly close to Alun and Paul, using our new "lunch pick" for the first time on the first of the flood with no problems. We were quite optimistic, until the pout started, then kept coming ! The only bream were small, the wrasse avoided us (for a change) and we eventually convinced ourselves the bigger bream were slightly further out. We moved again, into slightly deeper water, but the anchor wasn't quite man enough. A 5 kg Bruce is easy enough to man-handle, but proved to lack the surface area to bite, even on a neaps flood with a seabreeze, and it dragged a couple of times. Eventually it bit, but 6 tons of boat tripped the double cable ties, and we then drifted for pollack (how come we never seem to get them over 2lb ???). A great day out, even though we weren't fishing the comp. Mike

I'm not even going to suggest that Tom berths for

Sounds a great day out! Tried there on Sunday, but with the big Spring ebb decided to drift it instead. Managed to stay in touch with the bottom (just), but not even a pollack to show for several drifts ! Shows anchoring with big baits (and weights) wins again! Mike

Sounds like my 50lb class blenny gear is a shade over-heavy then.... Mike

George's smoothound:

If anyone else would rather go fishing rather than watch the footie, and is need of a Sat or Sun crew when England are playing, please let me know ! Cheers, Mike

After a few hectic weeks at work, we had half-term off to spend aboard Frisky Fox, and with me being on call for work for the first 3 days, a Channel crossing was out. After the blusterous Saturday start, we motor-sailed on the Sunday over to Newtown Creek in the Solent for a few days well-deserved R&R, taking 100 ragworm with us, plus the ship's parrot (well, George's budgie) for company. Well, the first couple of days in this National Trust reserve with 6,000 screaming seabirds only produced small bass on our light bream gear - about 20 or so, all returned, with the larger ones all ignoring us, and even the flounder there didn't want to play. Still, it kept us amused while the pubs were closed. We then went up to Cowes for a night (and stocking up on bait), before going to the Medina entrance (just East of club waters I believe) where the gulls were harrassing shoals of whitebait. We geared up with bar spinners, Carol took the helm while George and I cast over the wheeling birds at the swirls beneath, hoping for some decent schoolies. Unfortunately, the tiny bass hit the spinners hard, with fish after fish coming in at 10 inches or less - some almost the same size as the spinners. Even a change of lure only produced a solitary mackerel. We picked up a buoy to try for something larger - but still no joy. After much debate over a relaxing lunch and glass or two, we decided to return to Newtown, and chill out there. It proved a good decision, as that afternoon the first of the big bites started. Five times, we were smashed up - all of us hooking into good fish, some fish staying attached for a line-searing few minutes before parting the 6lb trace. Even the Harbourmaster was impressed at our ability to lose them. There was nothing else for it...up the trace size to the heaviest on board - that being 20lb, and upped the hooks from No 4 fine wire to 4/0, and also upped the bait sizes - hoping for some decent bass at long last. Well, we got it wrong, it wasn't bass but smoothhound! George proved it first with a PB of 6lb 2oz on his ultra-light spinning rod after a 5 minutes tussle, then Carol got a 4lb fish. George followed with the third fish of 6lb exactly. I couldn't even get bites. The tide slackened off, and so did the smoothhound- but 8 potential fish in 3 hours showed promise. A late 2lb+ bass was some consolation for me for persevering. Next day I was up at 6 a.m., with rod set up and fishing, after a very quiet night aboard. By 9 a.m. it was clear they weren't around, so went ashore with George collecting shore crabs for bait, including a handful of peelers and softbacks. Again nothing, and interest turned once more to food and drink. That afternoon, feeling mellow and relaxed, the gear went over again on turn of tide, and then I took my first smoothhound of 5.5lb, after a screaming run on my spinning rod which took over 40 yards of line. It was followed up with another within the hour of 5lb, but that proved to be the last of the day. OK - smoothies to 6lb may be small stuff compared to some of the recent catches reported, but we were all elated, all catching PBs, and we all lost bigger fish. The break ended up watching the start of the Round the World Yacht race, then the slow drift of the Round the Island Race, and watching the Old Gaffers racing from Yarmouth. We ended with a few hours fishing on Sunday, catching mackerel, wrasse, bream, pout and poor cod over Southbourne Rough - wondering why it was so quiet and no charter boats! No chance of registering, fishing or weighing in for the 48 hour comp, but our 7 day break afloat proved quiet, relaxing and entertaining. Mike, Carol and George

Coddy, All good remarks by Tom, which i agree with. Would add that most antifouls these days are "self-abrading" which means they wear down over a season. No problem for slow displacement craft, but the faster you go, the more abrasion you can expect. Would suggest looking at the harder types of antifoul specifically for faster boats, and reading the accompanying leaflets carefully. Mike

Rich, Have used the flouder spoon successfully in both Holes Bay at Poole and in Christchurch. Had a few fish in other parts of Poole and the Solent, but in some areas it is much less successful - like most mullet techniques, its value can be localised. In West Country rivers and creeks, it's almost impossible to get a "follow", never mind a hook up. Like the "pennel" idea - might give it a go. A tiny treble also works. Mike

To add to the original spinning thread, we generally use a metal flounder spoon, with a 4" trace (about 15lb, to reduce tangles), a tiny hook, and an inch or so of ragworm to tempt the thin-lips (and goldens). We put a normal swivel about 2 feet up from the spoon to prevent the kinks. Using our light bream gear we can flick this out 20-30 yards from the boat, with no additional weights needed. A slow, steady retrieve is best. Only tried it twice this year, but have had 3 mullet to 2.25 lb so far. Mike

Brilliant evening though Simon, am most envious! Mike

For through-hull, try mounting the transducer on a block of moulded-in plasticine, bought from some toyshop ! Really squidge it in well, and it should stay in place nicely. It was tip I heard of years ago, and when I installed a fish-finder on my last boat, I did this, and it worked fine (apart from the fact the fish displayed never seemed to swim to the left....) Other approaches are glassing-in the transducer, and using a sealed oil-bath - neither of which I wanted. Mike

Was the 3lb pollack inshore Jack? Can't seem to find them that size! Mike

Don't know about the Patches this weekend, but tried just off Ballard Down this morning with no success or bites. No charter or private boats were fishing here either, suggesting they're not in here yet. Another report on the forum suggests they might be here sporadically. Had a few fish further off, but no bream. Mackerel thin on the ground here too! Mike

Am thinking of taking advantage of the slack tides and (hopefully) gentle winds this weekend, and maybe having a change of tactics from our usual reef drift fishing (too many charter boats now hassling the bream!). I fancy a session in deeper water, but still inshore (cos of travelling time), say 5-6 miles maximum off Old Harry. I'd like a chance at some bigger fish of different species to the usual pout and wrasse, and my wife would particularly like to catch a pollack over 2lb (her personal best). Any suggestions for general rough ground to fish, or marks to try, and any advice on baits or tactics? I've heard of the Spoil Grounds, the Slate Beds and various other marks out there, but frankly have little idea of what's where...or what's there. Any suggestions welcome! Thanks, Mike