JIMBOB

close up

and the conger 44lbs of muscle!

heres the bass 6lb 2oz but looks bigger!

Heres the sole 1lb 10 oz

Hi all Managed a couple of evenings out after work this weekend, saturday was a bass and sole trip. It was action from the off with waves of bream and bass keeping us busy! fun at first but by 1am it was getting a bit like hard work. the sole were hard work with only 3 on the boat ,2 to me and a new boat pb for me at 1lb 10oz . highlight of the nite was hooking two 1 1/2bass on the same rigg on very light gear ....hell of a tussle and after a few powerful slow steady runs I was convinced that some sort of beast was going to lurk out of the depths of darkness as it neared the boat only to be those bass that was about it with the only outher fish worth catching being a small smoothhound...... home by 2,30 am .............work by 9 am...................Back on the slip at 5pm!! .....wick was Hell!!! boats all over the place and an hours cue just to get to the slip, then a very tight launch ,with boats every direction waiting to get in and me trying to battle out finally by 7pm it was out for a Sunday nite conger . after a bait stop it was straight out to the ledge on the flatest sea of the year . There was loads of tide to start with and it looked good for a sneaky bass and I got one .6lb 2oz biggest of the year for me. The Congers were a bit slow but I got one in the end at about 1.30am a good fish at 44lbs and the best fight ive ever had off an eel, makeing several heart stopping runs to the bottom and took a good 1/2 houtr to land in 50ft of water. After that I had enuff and it was time for home..............back at 3am..................work again at 8am............................ ...................................................... James

Live, Ive got a holding facility in my garage!

Hi All I managed a recently rare trip out on sunday after work to use some of my sand eel collection . Its was very busy with boat traffic in the entrance to poole harbour which made fishing a bit difficult. I saw Duncan on" Phateon" and Matt on "Bliss II" comeing in from there successful days fishing. It all started off well with 2 bass on the first drift then a bass a drift for the next 6 or 7 drifts till the tide and sport died away . With a bit of a suprise in store next drift produced a brill!! Inside poole harbour!! Is this a frist? not a bad fish either pulling the scales round to 1lb 10oz........ on its way to the freezer! they just taste to good to put back. That was about it. A ruff tally about a dozen bass to 2lb a mackrel and a brill not bad for a couple of hours fishing. Hope to try again next sunday. Tight lines James

A fair go at it today on Dawn Raider,but nothing special caught,I had bass,mullet,pollock,pout,wrasse,bream,mackrel,dogs and 2 bonus tope, no beasts though. A few nice bream amongst the thousands of small ones best 2lb 8oz and a few good size pollock (for inshore ) at 4lb. James

I will be makeing an escape from all those nappies and will be fishing the comp, as Adams away ive got a freind on as crew, I plan to fish from xchurch so might not get you on the vhf.. See you all out there. James

On the fish Id subject, Rays and wrasse are easy, but mullet? thins and thicks look very very alike ,I would struggle to ID a big thin from a small thick, except from method of capture. also, How could you judge a specimen size for comps when wessex provide only the one? Just some points from when it was discussed last time.

Gordon there have been quite a few big thin lips booked in in the last couple of years ive had them to 4lb 2oz and loads of 3's, there defintly thins because there caught on a spinner Ive asked your question before,I think the record for thicks/thins is the same because the specimen sizes for wessex are just classed as mullet. hope this helps. James

Thanks guys, I think the fishing might have to go on hold for a while . Ive had 2 hours sleep in two days! But shes doing fine, so im sure ill squeeze a trip in sometime. James

Yep I caught my cod on a tiger twin tail, and the pollock on a clear/red head shad. James

Hi Kam Dawn Raider did really well on fuel, I only used 55 litres and that got me back out to x-ray from christchurch before I had to add more fuel to the tank, I think we must have done 70 + miles in all. Dan the ripps is about 22miles from poole harbour. James

I started on Wednesday with a wrecking trip to the west to help to decide what to do on the comp. It was a struggle from the off, with a 6am launch we couldn't catch a mackerel ,we tried everywhere from tight into St Albans up to about 5 miles in all directions. After a few hours [10am!] we finally got some and managed to fish. It was pretty poor with only 2 tope one 15lb to me and 20/30lb fish lost at the boat, we also managed a small huss and a 10lb undulate ray. So that was decison made. Friday the ledge. We headed out for 4pm and did ok with pollock,bream, mackrel, gars, dogs and rays all showing in numbers no beasts though with the thornbacks going 11lb 8 oz and 12lb. With the wind getting up on dusk it was in by 10.30 for an early start for the Ripps on Saturday. As Adam said, it was a lumpy ride out but the sun was shining and the sea settled down furher out to sea, the fishing was hard work on the ripps with the constant working the shads and losing tackle. Allthogh I did ok, one cod 6lb 4oz , and 6 pollock best going 7lb. My crew, Kev, hadn't done that type of fishing before and it was a bit of a struggle and he blanked, so it was plan B back in from the ripps to baiter, motor across to christchurch and out on the ledge for night time conger trip! , amazingly it only took us just over an 1hr from baiter to lines down on the ledge!! Out on the back of the ledge it was back out for a skate but we got a bit plagued by tope and ended up with 10 tope and one 6lb ray. On nightfall the conger rods went down and after about an hour I was bent in to a good conger it was a massive fish, really long and fat, I thought it was going to be a lot bigger than it weighed but it still pulled the scales round to 45lb Then while we were weighing it my other rod roared of with another eel but I lost it . It was then kevs turn and he was soon doing battle with what seemed to be a very very good fish , a battle the fish was winning! as the conger took more and more line of the spool before finaly breaking the line would have loved to have seen that one.......Theres always anouther day Tight lines James

I would be up for tagging along to the ripps on sunday, Ive booked monday off work to urn brownie points so I will be fishing friday, 4 till late , sat 6 till late!! sunday the ripps!! James

What A catch well done Dean , Looks like you could be going out to win your own warrior this year Martin did the charter boats bring in any decent bream to the scales yesterday?

I fished with Adam for the comp today and we headed for the same spot we fished last year on the ledge. A bit windy on the way out but not to bad and we still managed a fair speed to the mark. mackrel were a bit thin on the ground but we ended up with a few to tip of baits with, Then Its was down to some serious bream fishing down went the hook and it was bites from the off they came thick and fast for most of the morning with again a supurb average size of 1 3/4 to 2 lb. we lost count how many but used all our bait 100 rag 6 mackrel an a small box of squid!! in a few hours fishing!! in total we must of had over 50 bream all went back bar 5, the best two I had went 3lb and 3lb2oz. Adams about 2lb 8oz Thanks Adam for a good day roll on friday James

I can but even on dim it was too bright,I think Kams Idea with a towel might work .I was useing my hands to cover the light while trying to steer!

After the great weather you guys had fishing the comp sunday and me haveing to work I managed to sneak out after work for a go,the plan was to hit the bream first, then have the first go at those monster ledge conger for the first time this year, the bream all went to plan with a constant stream coming over the side, all a good average size and a few calls for the net ,but nothing that required a mug shot 2lb 6oz the biggest . Then it was off to the conger mark at dark , no conger but i did manage a huss and a huge edible crab, one of the biggest ive seen! [is there a club record! ] At 10.30 it was time for home,for one of the longest trips in ive had from the ledge .I had 2 choices. 1.. Have the GPS/sounder on and see nothing!![ loads of glare on the inside of the windows] 2... have them off and see lots, but not know the depth or the way home!!! made it back home at 12.30am. back at work a 8.30 am roll on friday James

2lb 14 oz bream

15lb 8oz undulate

Headed out this afternoon as planned from wick , we set of at about 4 to have a go for the bream on the ledge. But on arrival there was a quick change of plan and we decided to fish the last of the ebb on x-ray for the first time this year. It was a good move and after about 15 minites I was bent into a good ray a lovely undulate ray [my first from that mark for 4 years!] she pulled the scales round to 15lb 8 oz not a Pb but a good fish. Then it was back on to the ledge for the bream, the action was instant with bream comeing thick and fast lost count how many and a good average size, the best weighed went 2lb 14oz . With full srings of macky and a few wrasse thrown in the summer fishing seems to be in full swing Back out tomorrow for anouther go Tight Lines James

Im sneaking out wednesday afternoon /evening and all day thursday if the weather stays as forcast James

The calender is very full! Ive got all these fishing dates to try and make,I dont get weekends of work and weve got a new baby due on the 17th of June . Ill just have to wait and see if I can make any !!!!!!!! James